11/17/2025
Power Without Conscience?
I ran out of room for this vignette in Sunday’s sermon. Remember the quote that could be the headline for Ahab and Naboth: “All that’s needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” The following reinforces that truth.
At a leadership conference, the CEO of a mid-sized company shared a simple practice that changed their culture.
In every meeting, she kept one empty chair at the table. “That chair,” she said, “represents the person not in the room—the employee who doesn’t feel safe to speak up, the customer who will be affected by our decisions, the community our work impacts.”
One day a manager complained, “We can’t keep worrying about that empty chair—it slows everything down.”
She replied, “It’s supposed to slow us down. Power without conscience moves too fast.”
That’s what Ahab forgot. His power wasn’t for him—it was for others. Every one of us has an “empty chair” somewhere: someone affected by our choices, our silence, or our compassion. The story of Ahab reminds us: When God gives you a seat at the table, don’t forget who else is supposed to be there.
Should we keep an empty pew or an empty chair in worship? It could be a reminder of those who aren’t here yet. The lonely, the doubters, those who don’t have the ‘right kind of clothes,’ the grieving, the shamed, and the sinners who were just like us before we came to know the living Christ. Think about it. You know I am.
Archived Posts
Power Without Conscience?
I ran out of room for this vignette in Sunday’s sermon. Remember the quote that could be the headline for Ahab and Naboth: “All that’s needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” The following reinforces that truth.
The Cars Are Looking for A King
I don’t have a thing to add to Pastor Jessica’s excellent sermon this last Sunday. The fable/parable she shared has been one of my favorites for all the lessons she pulled from it in her message. I was playing around with my friend Chat GPT and after several abortive attempts, we came up with the following modernized version of Judges 9:7-15.
The Lost Benediction
Depending on the length of the sermon, I try to add a little something extra in my benedictions. This week I wrote up a benediction but then realized we’d be singing and waving our umbrellas to some New Orleans jazz.
Change of Focus This Week
Instead of sharing with you about yesterday’s sermon I’d like to invite you to do some background reading for next Sunday’s “Only Murders in the Bible.” Seeing that it is All Saints Day this Sunday, we are going to look at the very first Christian martyr, Stephen.
You Might Be Thinking It’s All About You If…
In working on Sunday’s sermon I asked my computer’s AI if she/he could come up with a few suggestions in answer to the above: "You Might be thinking it’s all about you, if…."
Prayer Changes Things
Here is a transcript of the prayer I prayed at the end of yesterday’s sermon.
Optimism, Faith, and Hope:
Practical Steps For Increasing All Three
Here are some practical, spiritual, and relational ways to grow faith, hope and optimism: