Monday's Reading, June 25 Colossians 4

"Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart" Last night, I woke up with a strange feeling ... an oppressive feeling actually. I really felt scared and wondered if there were strange things going on (spirit world kind of things). I know this might sound strange, but it was really weird. The phrase that caught my attention, "with an alert mind" reminded me of that experience last night.

Wouldn't you love to get your name in scripture. I wonder what it would have been like to have been on those "front lines" with Paul and the other apostles. Aristarchus must have been a strong believer - he was in jail with Paul. We've heard a lot about Barnabas but did you know that his cousin was in the ministry, too? His name was Mark. And this struck me too ... at the time Jesus lived, his name was pretty normal ... like John or Bill today, I guess. It didn't take long for people to realize the power of that name and stop using it for anyone. There is another Jesus mentioned here ... but they changed his name to clarify who they were speaking of.