Mt 6 9 13 Lord's Prayer #Short

The Lord's Prayer is a beautiful prayer that still resonates today. It invites us to worship God and to seek his help for our daily needs. Here is a reading of the prayer as it is presented in the Greek New Testament (Nestle-Aland 28th edition). Try to memorize it! 

Ivory Coast comes to Fribourg

Drs. Appoh François Kouamé and James Morgan

One of the benefits of living in Fribourg and working at the University is to be a part of an international community. In the hallways and classrooms you hear many languages and accents. Since I spent almost ten years in Niger, it is a pleasure for me to have colleagues and students from Africa: Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Cameroun, Benin, etc.

In my first participation in the jury of a doctoral defense here, I was really glad that the candidate was from Ivory Coast. It was a touch of grace and made me feel at home in front of the audience in that academic atmosphere. Appoh François Kouamé wrote about a subject that is very close to his heart as pastor and teacher: the notion of blood brothers and brothers in Christ (the dissertation title, De "frères de sang" à "frères en Christ". L’appel des premiers disciples : prolégomènes à l’herméneutique de la fraternité spirituelle). In general, the question of brotherhood in Africa is more keenly felt in families and churches than in western culture. It can help or hinder spiritual unity in African churches. Kouamé explores this question by beginning with an analysis of passages in the Bible regarding brothers and then focuses on the two sets of brothers that Jesus chose as his disciples. If you are interested in this topic, you can find it here (in the collection of e-theses at UniFr).

Experiencing God’s love

One of the joys of working with university students is to hear and see how God has become real to them. I'd like to share about two students in the nursing program in Fribourg, Gloire and Simona.

Gloire says that he was a teenager like the others: he liked football, friends, and naturally...girls. One week, some of his friends asked him to go to a concert in their church at the end of the week. On the moment, he said yes, forgetting that there was a party at the same time. So, when the day of the concert came, he was looking for excuses the whole day to avoid the concert. Yet, since he promised to go, and being a man of his word, he finally decided to go. He got there late, and people were already praising God and dancing. He felt like joining them, but his pride kept him from doing it. When the preacher asked people if they wanted to receive Christ as their savior, he didn't get up. But when a friend pronounced the word "divine," that really struck him and he really felt the fulness of God's love for him. That evening was an awesome experience that gave him a new start and direction in his life! Gloire is in one of our Bible groups, and his love for God really shines through him.

Simona grew up in a Christian home. Her family attended church regularly and her faith was growing. She learned about Jesus and loved him. Yet, when she was in early teens, her world fell apart one day when her parents told her and her sister that they were going to divorce. Three days later, Simona’s mother left the country. Simona didn’t see her again for six months. In fact, Simona didn’t want to see her ever again, but at this point she had to live with her. She was angry with her parents and with God. She thought: Why didn’t God help me? Why didn’t he help my parents understand and love each other again? At that point, she decided that she wasn’t going to pray anymore. Yet, that didn’t last long, she remembered the special moments that she had experienced with God in her childhood. She couldn’t forget God. She realized that he was calling her to draw close to him. Through prayer and reading the Bible, her world began to make sense again because God was consoling her and giving her a new joy. Simona's life continues to demonstrate God's love and joy in tangible ways.

Gloire and Simona have two things in common. They are both training for the nursing field, and they have a contagious, joyful faith in Jesus Christ. What a blessing they are to their fellow students, hospital patients and staff!