As a Christian, I think it is fair to say that most, if not all of us, have had someone praying for us during our Christian walk. Without those prayers, our paths may have had another bump or two along the way—maybe more! Those prayers may have come from a parent. For others those prayers may have come from a close Christian friend or mentor. Perhaps even from a spouse. For the Colossian Church, the apostle Paul was one of those people.

As a young boy, I was intrigued by ancient civilizations and lost cities like the ghost towns of the wild west and vast empires of earlier days. Images of historic battles, historic events and busy city streets filled my head as I speculated what it would be like to live during those time periods. How interesting it would be to be able to witness the signing of the Magna Carta, to visit the hanging gardens of Babylon, to speak with the settlers at Jamestown, or to worship the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. Now I am no longer a young boy. I am not even a young man. But I never lost my curiosity about those civilizations, cities, and historic events. Once prosperous and bustling with life, they are now shadows of their former glory or they lie as dusty ruins, sometimes buried in the sands of time.