Associate Pastor's Page
Dear Members and Friends,
Several years ago I had the privilege of traveling with the FBC mission team to Muskogee, OK to take part in a week-long mission project at the Murrow Indian Children’s Home. Although most of our trip was spent doing work projects at the children’s home, we did take some time to learn more about Native American history and culture.
On Thursday afternoon, we had the opportunity to do some sightseeing at the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. During our visit, I was reminded of the Cherokee’s long history of Christian faith. While browsing in the gift shop, I came across a copy of the Lord’s Prayer written in Cherokee. Underneath the beautiful Cherokee script was an English translation based on the Cherokee. Hearing the familiar words of the Lord’s Prayer rephrased in Cherokee helped bring new life to the prayer for me. One line in particular caught my attention. In place of the traditional phrase, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done…” the Cherokee translation read: “Here on earth let it happen what You think, just as in heaven is done.”
What a powerful statement! Here on earth let it happen what you think – not what I think, not what the majority decides, but what God desires.
How often do we blithely say, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done” without pausing to think about what we are asking? Each time we pray the Lord’s Prayer we are asking that God’s will be known and done throughout the world – beginning with us.
The amazing thing is that God has chosen to work through people to accomplish his will and work in the world. God has chosen us, you and me, to be part of what God is doing here in Middletown, Ohio and around the world. Through your prayers, gifts, and faithful participation, God is using you to do God’s work. May our prayer always be, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.”
Pastor Carol
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Pastor Carol's Bio Page