Whispers of Truth

We have been experiencing some of the hottest days of the year here in the Deep South this week. It is easy to be comfortable if you are sitting inside with the air going full blast, but step outside and the blast of heat that assaults you is withering. After a few minutes breathing becomes labored (at least for me--a confirmed indoor sort of girl). Recovering from physical activity outside takes some time as well. The body just doesn't bounce back easily from such stress. Similarly, our lives can sometimes be scorched by blasts of heat that rush in and leave us tired and bewildered, if not in pain. The Tuesday night Bible study group has been studying 1st Peter (Ch. 1) this month. In this epistle Peter writes to believers in what is now modern day Turkey to encourage them as they encounter persecution, hardships, and trials related to their faith in Christ. He reminds them that they are strangers or aliens in the world and encourages them to hope. When we are faced with physical...

     Have I mentioned before that I like words? Maybe that I like to follow words down trails...? Today I came across the word "continually" in Acts 1 in relationship to the idea of prayer. The verse reads as follows: "These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer..." The verse led me to the explore the Greek reference in the back of my Bible via a Strong's NT Dictionary, which directed me to Strong's 4342, and I found the word abundance , which is a transposed participle of Strong's 3257 meaning "shovel." Ok! Now, I was really excited because the idea that came to me is that the early church abundantly "shoveled in" prayer as they waited in the Upper Room for their baptism with the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised.  This is a concept I need to understand and grab hold of....and I need that, truly I do...but really, I can't see very well early in the morning and the numbers (and letters) are small, so what it...