"Laodicean" - word that wins spelling bee, but what is it's origin?

Congratulations go out to thirteen-year-old Kavya Shivashankar of Olathe, Kansas, who spelled "laodicean," Thursday night to take top honors in the 82nd annual Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The word is pronounced lay-odd-uh-see-an, and it was stated that it means "lukewarm or indifferent, particularly in matters of politics or religion." But what is the real root of the word?

One only needs to look to the Bible! In Revelation 3:14-16 it is written:

To the angel of the church in Laodicea, write this: The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God's creation, says this: I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

(Paul also addresses the Church at Laodicea in Colossians 4:15-16)

But what does this mean?

It means that we cannot serve God half-heartedly! We must honor and praise him in word and deed. We cannot serve two master. We can't be "of God" and "of the world."

So what is being "lukewarm?"

It is professing such things as, "we just want a dialogue" while ignoring that there is truth. For example, one cannot state that there are two distinct and separate views about whether abortion is the unlawful killing of a fellow human being without admitting that BOTH of those views cannot possibly constitute the truth! Sticking one's head in the sand to ignore the elephant standing next to them does not cause the elephant to cease to exist!

It is caving in to the modern culture of relativism, when we are actually called to be counter-cultural. There are moral absolutes. Natural law is a reality whether or not you want to believe it. There is fundamental truth. "Truth" is not what you or I want it to be or say what it is "for me!" Not objecting to such drivel is being lukewarm.

Failing to honor God by not opposing abortion, contraception, embryonic stem cell research, cloning, euthanasia, homosexual "marriage," unjust war, unnecessary use of the death penalty and others is being lukewarm.

Attending Mass as an "obligation" as opposed to a sincere desire to give thanks, to praise God, to worship Him and to receive our Lord and Savior worthily is being lukewarm.

The list goes on . . .

I'm not sure about you, but the mere thought of being "spewed out" by God is the last thing I want to have happen!