“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”
Matthew 6.13b (KJV)
I pray through the Lord’s Prayer daily, not just as a ritual but as a pattern for presenting my requests to God. The words quoted above are not just a nice closing statement. They remind me that most of the crises and problems I have prayed about, and all of the heartaches I carry, are temporary.
Click here to read the rest of my August 2023 Prayer Letter.
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory,
are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory,
which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Cor. 3:18
Jesus is the light of the world; we are only a reflection, and often a poor one at that!
Is it possible that people might look at us and see a reflection of His goodness? Are
we allowing Him to transform us increasingly into His likeness? I pray that we are. That is His goal for us (Rom. 8:29), and it should be our goal as well.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,
so that you through his poverty might become rich. 2Cor. 8:9
Five of us in SIM Sebring Retirement Village are named “Carol” or “Carolyn”. At Christmas, we call ourselves the “Caroling Carols” and do a Mime during the village carol sing. This year, I was the “Monotone Angel” trying to qualify to sing in the heavenly Christmas Choir. I never got the tune “quite right”, but in the end they admitted me to the choir and gave me a halo…
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Thank you for praying for us as Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole passed through Sebring! We lost electricity for 4 days with Ian’s visit, but Nicole settled down to a tropical storm by the time she reached us. We had little structural damage, just lots of wind; some downed trees & limbs; and some extra moisture in a few walls of apartments that got dried out using a dehumidifier…
“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations… They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn – for he has done it.” Psa. 22:27-28, 31
Earlier this month at our semi-annual Bible and Missionary Conference, local pastor Dustin Woods pointed out that Israelite boys memorized the whole book of Deuteronomy and many other Scriptures before the age of 12. It makes sense that they would also memorize many of the psalms, since that was their hymnbook…
“I pray also that … you may know … his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ
when he raised him from the dead …” Ephesians 1:18-20
Pastor Ryan Myhre of First Baptist Church in Sebring recently made this statement: You won’t come to
know the power of the Spirit if you live a life that does not require His power. I want to still be living a
life that requires His power.
“In the past he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, but he never
left them without evidence of himself and his goodness. For instance, he
sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful hearts.”
Acts 14:16-17 (NLT)
SIM International’s Marcia Strauss asked recently, “What if God had created us but left us with no
revelation of who is he is? What would life be like, if we had a vague sense that God existed, but there
was no way to know him?” I couldn’t help thinking that there are many people in our world who believe
that is what happened. Either they have no access to the Bible in their language, or they have rejected
the truth that it is His revelation of Himself in written form.
I am always aware of the LORD’s presence;
he is near, and nothing can shake me…
your presence fills me with joy and brings me pleasure forever.
Psalm 16:8,11
Is this the testimony of God’s people in Ukraine? In Afghanistan, in North Korea, in China? I pray that it
is. I pray that it will be my testimony whatever I may face on this earth. I am reminded again that the
darkest hour in history, when our Lord Jesus Christ hung dead on a Roman cross, was the hour of
greatest victory – our sin atoned for, our redemption gained…read more.
Twenty churches in Highlands County where I live are participating in twenty-one days of prayer and
fasting. Most of us are not fasting completely for the whole twenty-one days, but we were encouraged
to “exchange” something we usually do – like eating lunch or playing games or watching a television
show – for something that will help us draw nearer to the LORD – like praying with other believers or
studying His Word or reading a spiritually edifying book…read more.
SIM’s Tom Fifield took this photo of “The Bible in Kafa Hands”. That has been our goal for many years,
and it happened on May 22nd! Tom Fifield drove several of us to the Dedication of the Kafa Bible. We
enjoyed the view of forest-covered mountains and green valleys along the way…read more.
Partnering churches worldwide to evangelize, minister to human need, disciple and equip churches for Christ’s Great Commission.
Please e-mail me with a note requesting to subscribe to my Prayer Letter.
Copyright © 2015 - 2026 Carolyn Ford. Site by Farnell Web Design.