Stage-Phone Clinger | Doug Wekenman | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

Stage-Phone Clinger

Red Rocks Church • Jun 10, 2025 • 50 min

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Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

Jesus made it clear that all of scripture hinges on loving God completely and loving our neighbors as ourselves, placing healthy relationships at the core of our spiritual walk. However, our digital habits and smartphones can subtly pull us into chronic distraction, compulsive behavior, and artificial connections that erode our intimacy with God and those we love. By living with active intention rather than passive good intentions, we can move from distraction back to depth, from compulsion to connection, and from artificiality to authentic faith.

Themes

Stewardship of TechnologyAuthentic RelationshipsSpiritual DisciplineFreedom from AddictionIntentional LivingGod's Grace and Restoration

Pastor's Points

1.

Our phones are taking us from depth to distraction.

2.

Our phones take us from connection to compulsion.

3.

Our phones are taking us from authentic to artificial.

Key Points

1.
Jesus summarized all scripture into two main commandments: loving God with all our heart and loving our neighbors as ourselves.
2.
Our relationship with our smartphone will either make or break our relationships with God and the people we love most.
3.
Our phones are taking us from depth to distraction, causing us to skim the surface of life rather than experiencing it deeply.
4.
To shift from distraction back to depth, we must anchor our day without our phones by creating intentional morning and evening boundaries.
5.
Like the prodigal son's early inheritance, smartphones grant us immediate access to the entire world before we possess the spiritual wisdom and discernment to steward it.
6.
Our phones take us from connection to compulsion, where instant digital dopamine spikes can create subtle addictions that master us instead of God.
7.
To move from compulsion back to real connection, we must take agency, delete digital distractions, and actively limit our world access.

Sermon Moments

“Your relationship with your phone will either make or break your relationships with God and the people you love the most.”

“An inheritance obtained too early in life is not a blessing in the end.”

“If the devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy, and he'll get you living a life of chronic distraction.”

“Put your phone to bed before you go to bed and wake up before you wake up your phone.”

“The internet is now the world's biggest drug dealer, and you and me are living in the middle of a giant human experiment.”

“If the addicted life is the narrowing of things that bring you joy, then the abundant life must be the gradual broadening of things and people that bring you life once again.”

“In a world where we glamorize the finished product, we have a God who loves the work in progress.”

“Something artificial cannot create something authentic.”

This Week

Put your phone to bed before you go to sleep, and wake up before waking up your phone to anchor your day intentionally.

Evaluate every app on your phone and delete digital distractions that steal your time or act as traps.

Set firm digital boundaries and limit your internet access to guard against compulsive scrolling and online temptation.

Practice being fully present with your family and friends by putting your phone completely out of sight during conversations.

Train yourself to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's promptings throughout the day rather than compulsively checking phone notifications.

Handwrite a heartfelt letter to someone you love, investing personal time and effort into authentic communication.

Commit to living as part of a "creative minority" that uses technology on purpose as a tool for God rather than being mastered by it.

Remember This

Your relationship with your smartphone will either make or break your relationships with God and the people you love most, requiring intentionality rather than good intentions to walk in spiritual freedom.

A Challenge for You

Pastor Doug challenges believers to stop relying on mere good intentions, come to their senses like the prodigal son, and make a decisive, intentional choice to steward technology wisely so that their relationships with God and others can truly flourish.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.