Do you believe in the idea of holy ground? Most believers would consider church property to be in this category, but it is not the property or even the structures on it that would make it holy but the people who meet there. I instructed my people to build structures for worship and I met them there, but these were temporary measures. I demonstrated my true intent when I poured out my spirit on all flesh. My Kingdom is within you and the Comforter I sent indwells you. So perhaps there is holy ground.

How do you approach the world? With fear and suspicion? Or with openness and trust? You have learned by experience that trust can be misplaced. So does that make the first alternative preferable? Statisticians recognize two types of errors, named type 1 and type 2, which could be considered false positives and false negatives. You can see the problems with trusting too much and too early. Are you equally aware of the problems of trusting too little and too late? Is your current level of openness to trust enhancing or diminishing your life?

Do you see corporate logos as the icons of the modern age? Companies take their symbols seriously and spend millions to promote and defend them. Do you see the cross as the ‘corporate logo’ of the church? This symbol is universally associated with the Christian faith. Does it seem like an odd choice that no one else would choose; an instrument of cruel death? Yet my call to everyone who would follow me is to lay down their life and pick up their cross. You see the symbol of the cross everywhere the gospel message is proclaimed. Do you see as much visible evidence of believers embracing it?

Do you come into frequent contact with bureaucrats or other people who serve in menial functional tasks? Has this ever been an unpleasant experience for you? Is it easy to criticize them or the system they are involved in? Don’t forget that they are first of all people, who are created in my image just as you are. This modern world has produced some jobs that are dehumanizing, but they are still performed by humans. Look beyond the functional exchange and learn to see these interactions as encounters.