Spiritual Ponderings

I had a dream the last night that was a bit different. As usual I cannot remember too many details, but the part that stuck with me after awakening was unusual enough to keep my attention. In my dream I was participating in an ordination service. But this was surprisingly different from any ordination service I have ever heard about. This elaborate public service with all the involvement of church leaders you might expect at an ordination was to lay hands on the church janitor. Sound crazy? Well, sadly it only sounds crazy because we have strayed so far from the clear teachings of Jesus and have been infected with the spirit and practices of the world. In my dream it was clear that the church janitor needed to be publicly affirmed, encouraged and honored for their faithful work, their passion for humble service and their devotion to Christ. It was simply the obvious thing to do. In addition, it was to be arranged for this janitor to be further appreciated ...

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost." (Matthew 18:10-11) What is lost? At first this may seem like a silly question, but such questions allow me to enter deeper into areas I have not gone before to discover fascinating and even life-changing truths I have not considered before. Listening to a compelling sermon a few days ago the speaker said some things that caught my attention. He challenged the typical assumptions most people have about what we presume this word lost refers to. And after considering his unique approach to this word I think I may want to take him seriously. For centuries we have been led to view salvation, sin and everything surrounding those concepts almost purely in a legal construct. The long-held assumption has been that to be lost means that Go...