Baccalaureate Blessing

For the times of indecision:   UW or WSU?   Communication or Broadcast Journalism or Spanish or Marketing or all of the above?  To drink from the mason jar or not?  Church choice?  Dorm or ….not?  Summer School?  Freshman 15 or not?  Single room or double?  To sorority or not to sorority. The age-old question of work/life balance.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make your paths straight.  Prov 3:5-7

Lord, hear our prayer.

For the times of trepidation:  Swine Flu epidemic your freshman year in the dorms.  Your first stalker.  Learning new technology for your major…. sometimes fighting technology in the 11^th hour before a deadline.  The challenge to keep your scholarships with a high cum GPA all throughout your undergrad years…A hemp fest.  Walking Greek Row at night.  Returning from Murrow laaaate and calling a safety buddy to chat with. Spiders in B10.

The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1

Lord, hear our prayer.

For times of Providence:  supportive community of friends throughout the journey…the prayers of a lifelong HFG to support and cheer you on.  Siblings, parents and grandparents who love you for who and how God made you to be.  Pastors, small group leaders, and mentors who invested in your heart and spirit and growth. Professors who connected you and offered you opportunities.  Employers who sought you and awarded you. A God-given waiver for the freshman housing rule that allowed you to live at NuHouse during the only two years it was in existence! Roommates and friends who laughed with, listened to, and loved on you in the daily.  Grandparents who donated savings to provide a study abroad adventure. Unlimited texting! Healing from Lactose Issues! Scholarship upon scholarship upon scholarship!  Rides home, rides to church, to the grocery store, to Spokane & Seattle for interviews!  The Inn.  Ministry & minimentoring.  A new church home full of prayer warriors and families and worship. 

Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; 
    you have made my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
Psalm 16:5-7

Lord, hear our prayer.

In times of “growth opportunites”:  Counsel .  Comfort.  Skype. WISDOM.  OJ.  Starbucks. Sleep. Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.  The Word. Phil Wickham.  Phoning and texting and FB and emails. Those tan little slippers that you wore in Nuhouse until they disintegrated.  Pretty latte art on campus, or hipster lattes in Moscow. Oatmeal. Snow boots. Prayer.  Cougar calves.  Riley. 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
2 Cor 1:3-4

Lord, hear our prayer.

And in times of joy:  Moms Weekends! (no beer pong for us!)  Dad’s Weekends!  Falling in love. Climbing the observatory….cliff jumping….wheatfield running/crutching….trail running/biking/skating.  Hipster co-opping.  SO.MANY.TRIPS.HOME.PTL.  Trying out recipes!  The Rec.  Dancing again – swing & ballet &…was that hip-hop?  Collecting people.  Fruit abundant.   CONFIRMATION OF GOD’S PLAN FOR YOU HERE AT WSU.

I trust in your unfailing love; 
    my heart rejoices in your salvation. 
 I will sing to the Lord,
    for He has been good to me.
Psalm 13:5-6

Lord, hear our prayer!