Susan LaffertyMy reading this week is First Peter. An epistle I’m drawn to. Often.
Perhaps because it addresses those living in exile. Aliens. Temporary residents in foreign lands.
These are pockets of believers living out the gospel away from their passport country.
Away from large gatherings of the Body of Christ.
As a young girl, I watched the Charlton Heston version of Ben Hur. And was drawn into the story so vividly told on the big screen. Awed by the way Jesus Christ figured into the fictional tale of Judah Ben Hur’s life.
Jesus kept appearing. Giving us glimpses into how His time on earth impacted people. It was mysterious and beautiful.
The newest version of Ben Hur was showing at theaters in the Asian country where we were living at the time. Before it was relegated to odd middle-of-the-night hours, we headed to the mall, purchased our popcorn and settled into a nearly empty theater to enjoy the movie.
The conversation was one we had several times. “People have black hearts,” she would say. “People have rotten hearts.” She used the word that describes rotting fruit. Busuk.