Last year, "Utne Reader," an alternative magazine, asked its subscribers, "What are you thinking and obsessing about?" The answers reveal what's going on in the minds of many people in today's world--and in the minds of people who listen to sermons.

"My company is about to be bought out. What will the new structure be like? What if I get laid off?"

"Do I risk enough in my life?"

"Is an affair worth it? Resolved: No!, or maybe yes. Probably. Wait … "

"Why do most women (even fabulously hip ones) seem to hate their bodies?"

"The one thing I can't get away from is feeling lonely all the time."

"I'm worried that if I keep my standards too high I may never find an acceptable life partner. But I'm more worried about lowering my standards and being in another failed relationship. My strength/stamina to recover from emotional loss … is depleting exponentially each time--this scares the s--- out of me, causes me to isolate [myself] and lose hope. I'm afraid that, at 33, I'm chewed up, spit ...