May 20-26
Scripture:
O, give thanks unto the Lord, for God is good: God’s mercy endures forever.
Psalms 136:1
This week we pray for…
- our annual Years-of-Service and Retirement Celebration and the Provost’s Breakfast, at which we recognize the faithful service of our employees, especially our retirees. We also recognize several faculty members selected for their distinguished service in teaching and scholarship.
- the president’s cabinet as its members gather for a day of reviewing this academic year and planning for the next one. May God lead these administrators as they seek to provide leadership for the entire university.
- The training workshop on Thursday for faculty members contracted as advisors for fall 2013’s first-year students.
- student-athletes who are still in competition in the NCCA Div. III track-and-field championships.
- our staff members in admissions, financial aid, student accounts and the registrar’s office as they work diligently on behalf of our incoming students for fall 2013, both freshmen and transfers; pray also for our continuing studies staff as they continue to expand educational opportunities for adult learners in the region.
- every employee of Whitworth University, that each will have the time and freedom to experience physical, relational and spiritual renewal during this summer.
- all of our student who travel for summer employment. Ask that each one will know travelling protection and meaningful work as they continue the process of vocational discernment.
- our Campus Conference folks, whose activity begins immediately after graduation and continues all summer. Student life personnel, Sodexo Food Service staff and our student conference assistants serve the multitudes of visitors who will visit Whitworth this summer. May our staff be gracious servants, and may all who come sense the deep love of God in Christ.
- the Whitworth Institute of Ministry, July 8-12, as we consider the theme, “For Such a Time as This: Ancient Christian Wisdom for Postmodern Times.” James A.K. Smith, Calvin College professor and author of Desiring the Kingdom and Imagining the Kingdom, will speak each morning, and Carolyn Gordon, from Fuller Seminary, will preach in the evenings. Our own theology faculty members Jerry Sittser, Karen Petersen Finch and Jim Edwards, ’67, will be leading our daily Bible studies. Please pray for all who speak, that God will use their wisdom to encourage all those who are charged with leading the church. And if you can, think about joining us for what will be a great week of spiritual renewal.
- all incoming students for fall. Pray that this summer will be a time of spiritual preparation for their arrival at Whitworth in September.
- Initiative 7.2 of the Courage at the Crossroads 2011-21 Vision and Strategic Plan. Pray that we are doing the best job possible of equipping supervisors and academic leaders to thrive in their roles in advancing Whitworth’s mission, strategic plan and institutional effectiveness.
Thanksgiving:
Lord, we thank you so much for the time we have spent with students who have graduated and are graduating, as well as with students who are taking the next step at Whitworth. We thank you for all who have given of their energy and skill. We thank you for the teachers and mentors, for the staff members who have eased the way for students, for families and loved ones. We thank you for them and give them all to you in prayer.
Note:
This is the last edition of On Bended Knee for this academic year. We are so thankful for your faithful prayer support throughout this year, and we have seen many prayers answered in amazing ways. God has been faithful as you have persisted in your prayers for Whitworth.
Watch for notification in mid-August as we restart On Bended Knee for the 2013-14 academic year.
May 6 -12
Scripture:
While they were still speaking, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be unto you.’
Luke 24:36
This week we pray for…
- our students, who are in the final week of regular classes. They are weary of the academic grind as they write final papers, complete projects, and prepare for final exams next week. May they truly experience the presence of Jesus with them and receive Jesus’ comforting words, “Peace be with you.”
- our faculty, who have taught well, mentored seniors through their time at Whitworth, and shared their efforts and expertise with freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. May they stay strong as they guide the process of the 2012-13 academic year to its conclusion for each of their students.
- our staff members, who have provided incredible support for our entire community through this academic year. May they know God’s peace and experience God’s strength as they serve during these hectic last few weeks.
- Jubilation dance ministry’s spring performance on May 5. Ask that the audience will enjoy this time of student-led worship through dance.
- our chapel services on Tuesday, as Terry McGonigal preaches the final sermon in the Luke on Relationships series, emphasizing God’s desire, from Acts 2, to pour out the Holy Spirit upon all people. Please pray too for Hosanna, our student-led worship service, which offers our community a time of singing, reflection and prayer.
- Thursday’s communion service, as we gather around the table to celebrate the Lord’s Supper and share in music and prayer. This will be the last worship service of the academic year and the last time seniors will celebrate communion in the chapel during their undergraduate careers. May we each feel a deep sense of gratitude as we worship together and remember God’s faithfulness in bringing us this far.
- Initiative 7 of the Courage at the Crossroads 2011-21 Vision and Strategic Plan. Pray for Whitworth as the university invests in its employees and supports a culture of continuous improvement.
Thanksgiving:
Lord, we are so grateful that in the midst of all that’s going on around us, we know that you are source of all true peace. Thank you that we are in harmony with you through the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of Peace to the world.
April 29-May 5
Scripture:
We had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.
Luke 15:32
This week we pray…
- that members of the Class of ’13 will experience God’s presence as they approach graduation and anticipate future transitions while saying goodbye to their classmates.
- for students performing in musical recitals and performances in the next few weeks. Concerts and events include the wind symphony’s spring concert on Sunday; an evening of music and entertainment with jazz ensembles I & II on Wednesday; the men’s chorus spring concert; and the choir’s bon voyage concert on Saturday. Many of our student musicians will be a part of the spring tour of Norway that departs on May 20.
- for the Westside President’s Club Dinner in Seattle on Sunday, as President’s Club members and lifetime donors celebrate Whitworth’s enduring mission. May the spirit of gratitude fill that event with an awareness of God’s faithfulness through the years.
- for Matt Silvers as he speaks Monday at Faculty Scholarship Forum about research in athletic conditioning.
- for our chapel service on Tuesday, as President Beck Taylor helps us to see through the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15) how Jesus develops relationships. Please pray too for Tuesday night’s Hosanna, a student-led worship service that offers time for students to gather for singing, reflection and prayer.
- for the President’s Coffee on Tuesday morning, as President Taylor leads us in greeting colleagues and new employees, updates us on events and news from the university community and offers a morning devotional.
- for Tuesday evening’s English Endowed Reading, as poet, novelist, and editor Katherine Coles shares her work.
- for ASWU’s Spokane Block Party, where we’ll celebrate the end of the academic year and recognize all the ways in which the Unite movement has addressed the issue of human trafficking in the Pacific Northwest.
- Initiative 6.4 of the Courage at the Crossroads 2011-2021 Vision and Strategic Plan as we work to develop Whitworth’s capability in online education as part of a strategic mix of delivery methods to complement face-to-face instruction and to reach broader, underserved markets in the region.
Thanksgiving:
Lord, we are so grateful for the relationship that you have with us. There are times when we have wandered off into the wilderness and have become lost, but you draw us into your loving arms as you welcome us back home. We are so very thankful for your grace.
April 22-28
Scripture:
The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.
Luke 22:61-62
This week we pray for…
- our students, as they continue to move toward the end of the school term; we ask that they will find time for the things that matter most, including connecting with friends, faculty, and staff as they anticipate the end of spring semester. May they have a sense of God’s presence and peace.
- the Whitworth Women’s Choir as they perform their spring concert at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church.
- Monday’s teaching roundtable for ongoing faculty development. Presentations and discussions will focus on innovative teaching methods to enhance teaching and learning.
- our Tuesday chapel service as Campus Pastor Mindy Smith shares from the Gospel of Luke about how Jesus continues to seek relationships even when he is denied by his closest friends. We also pray for Hosanna, a time of fellowship in worship, reflection, prayer and praise.
- the Whitworth Concert Band, as they present their spring concert on Tuesday in Cowles Auditorium. May they feel deep joy in the culmination of their efforts.
- the President’s Leadership Forum on Wednesday, as Kathleen McCartney, Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a prolific writer in early childhood education, speaks on the topic of “Investing in Education Reforms that Work.”
- our final Great Decisions lecture of 2013, on Thursday, as Eugene Bempong Nyantakyi and Ryan Knight present “China in Africa.” Nyantakyi, a visiting professor of economics at Whitworth, is an expert in development and international trade and finance. Knight, a Whitworth student, has studied in both China and Tanzania.
- our Thursday worship service, as we gather for Holy Communion and celebration through music and prayer.
- Initiative 6.2 of the Courage at the Crossroads 2011-21 Vision and Strategic Plan, which covers the implementation of a strategic enrollment/integrated marketing plan for graduate and continuing studies programs.
Thanksgiving:
Lord, thank you for not rejecting us even when we deny you. Your boundless grace toward us transforms us from fearful to courageous. Thank you for that grace. In the name of Jesus, the great forgiver, Amen.
April 15-21
Scripture:
Today, salvation has come to this house, because this one also is a child of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.
Luke 19:9-10
This week we pray for…
- students to continue to pursue healthy relationships that will glorify God and display the love of Christ throughout the Whitworth community.
- safe travels for student who participate in varsity sports; we ask that they will display the best Whitworth Pirate spirit.
- prospective students and families as they visit make final decisions about selecting a university before the May 1 national deposit deadline. We also pray for our admissions staff as Whitworth hosts admissions events on campus throughout the next two weeks.
- our Tuesday chapel service, as Alan Mikkelson (Communication Studies) shares with us about relationships in Luke’s Gospel, Chapter 19:1-10. We pray, too, for Hosanna, as students gather Tuesday evenings for a time of prayer, praise and worship.
- Professor Emeritus of History Jim Hunt as he speaks on Wednesday about his recently released book Restless Fires: Young John Muir’s Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf in 1867-68. Hunt taught at Whitworth for many years, has studied Muir for decades, and was involved in Whitworth’s Central America Study Program a number of times during his tenure as a Whitworth professor. He is also the cofounder and board president of the Krista Foundation for Global Citizenship.
- our worship service on Thursday as we share in Holy Communion, music and prayer.
- Great Decisions Lecturer Regina Yan, ’82, on who will speak Thursday on “Humanitarian Intervention.” Yan is the chief operating officer of the Washington, D.C.-based Peterson Institute for International Economics, the world’s most influential think tank in international economics.
- the Exceptional Praise Gospel Choir as they present their fourth annual spring concert on Saturday.
- Initiative 6.1 of our Courage at the Crossroads 2011-21 Vision and Strategic plan, which includes establishing ongoing assessment of graduate and continuing studies programs based on identified goals for mission fit, academic quality and market sustainability.
Thanksgiving:
Lord, thank you for redeeming us when we were lost. We are grateful that through the cross and resurrection of Jesus we have freedom to live with joy the life he intends for each of us.
April 8-14
Scripture:
Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luke 18:18
This week we pray for:
- our students to develop strong and healthy relationships that display the love of Christ and help them to witness to the reality of Jesus’ resurrection.
- faculty and staff as they continue to serve our wonderful students with a spirit of grace and truth
- chapel service on Tuesday, as Roberta Wilburn (School of Education) shares with us from the Gospel of Luke to help us see whom Jesus pursues, how he develops relationships, and what kind of community he creates.
- Hosanna, a midweek evening service during which students gather for a time of prayer, worship and praise.
- the Whitworth Business Advisory Board as it gathers for its spring meeting on April 9 to make important decisions that will be beneficial to the School of Global Commerce & Management.
- our board of trustees as they gather for their meeting April 10-12, that the Lord will impart wisdom and discernment regarding the Christian mission of the university.
- Thursday’s chapel, April 11, as the community comes together to celebrate the Lord’s Supper and to hear the beautiful voices of the Whitworth Women’s Choir.
- our student-athlete ministry, Awake, as they present “More Than a One-Night Stand” outreach ministry on Friday night, April 12.
- the students, families, faculty and staff associated with the Hawaiian Club as they lead the community in our annual lu’au on Saturday night, April 13. Ask that they will be filled with joy as they prepare, serve, and lead.
- Initiative 6 of our Courage at the Crossroads 2011-2021 Vision and Strategic Plan. Pray for us as we seek to enhance Whitworth’s strengths in graduate and continuing studies education as we aspire to be the university of choice for selected graduate and nontraditional undergraduate degree programs in the Inland Northwest.
Thanksgiving:
Lord we thank you that you are the “Good Master,” leading and guiding us on this wonderful journey of loving you and loving others. We are so grateful to know that we have eternal life, and we rejoice in knowing that your resurrection life has been imparted to us.
April 1-7
Scripture:
The Lord is risen, indeed.
Luke 24:34
This week we pray for…
- our students as they head into the home stretch of this semester and the 2012-13 academic year. In early April, students face registration for fall semester and decisions about roommates and housing for next year. Please ask God to give them peace, patience, and wisdom.
- the members of the Class of ’13 as they face the transition to post-graduation. A multitude of issues lie before them, including employment and where to go next. Many feel deep nostalgia as their Whitworth experience comes to an end and they prepare to say goodbye to friends. May God help them to finish well.
- our student-athletes as they travel and represent Whitworth in sports during the month of April.
- the award-winning Whitworth forensics team as its members host the national debate champions of Ireland in an international debate exhibition on April 2.
- chapel on April 2, as Dean of Spiritual Life Terry McGonigal preaches from Luke 24 on the reality of Jesus’ resurrection, and for Hosanna, Whitworth’s student-led ministry that welcomes students to engage in authentic worship in song, prayer, and scripture.
- chapel on April 4 as we gather around the table to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
- Initiative 5.4 of the Courage at the Crossroads 2011-2021 vision and strategic plan, as we work to establish, through a collaboration between career services, academic departments and alumni relations, a comprehensive program for mentoring, career planning, preparation and tracking.
Thanksgiving:
Lord, we thank you for our Emmaus experience, for the knowledge that because of you we are dead to sin and alive to Christ, who rose with all power to save us.
March 24-31
We are changing the format for On Bended Knee this week in order to provide scriptures to guide our reflections on the last week of Jesus’ life. May these Bible readings enrich your spiritual life as together we follow Jesus through his last days.
Sunday, March 24: Luke 19:28-44
On a day filled with such apparent triumph, why would Jesus weep over Jerusalem? Are there conditions/situations in our world that deserve a similar response?
Monday, March 25: Mark 11:12-19
Jesus goes directly to the temple and clears all the religious clutter so that all people will have access to God through prayer. “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all people,” he says. Is there religious clutter in our lives/churches/ministries that needs to be cleared out so that others will have clear access to Jesus?
Tuesday March 26: Mark 12:28-34
Jesus encounters a man asking about the most important matters in life. “Love God and love others,” Jesus replies. Two simple commands with profound implications. How does this Holy Week prompt us to love God more deeply and to do the same for those who are our neighbors?
Wednesday, March 27: Matthew 25: 31-46
Jesus has a long conversation with his disciples about the impending destruction of the temple (“It will happen within a generation.”) followed by some parables that all have the same point: Be faithful to do what you have been commanded, no matter what. That’s how to be prepared for a very uncertain future. The final parable is the famous story of the sheep and the goats. How does this story challenge us in terms of our thinking about those for whom Jesus cares?
Thursday, March 28: John 13: 1-17
During the Passover meal, Jesus assumes the posture of the lowliest servant and washes his disciples’ feet. “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you,” he says. How can we become that kind of servant, willing to humble ourselves in the service of others as a sign of our commitment to Jesus?
Friday, March 29: Luke 23:32-37
As Jesus is crucified, with taunts raining down on him from all around, he prays the profound and penetrating prayer asking that his tormentors and executioners be forgiven. What kind of perspective does it require to desire that God’s mercy be extended to everyone, including those who engage in such horrific evil as they crucify Jesus? What kind of grace is that?
Saturday, March 30: Luke 23:50-56
On this Shabbat, the followers of Jesus rest. Their hearts are filled with grief, and their minds are bombarded with myriad questions about how this tragedy could come upon Jesus. And they wait, uncertain of what to do or where to go next. This is the day of suspension, when nothing is clear and God seems so far away. Jesus’ fearful followers just wait.
Sunday, March 31: John 20-21
The final two chapters of John’s gospel record encounters between Jesus and people with quite different needs. Mary Magdalene is overwhelmed with grief. Jesus’ disciples are paralyzed with fear. Doubts swirl in Thomas’s mind. And Peter is overcome with guilt and shame. What difference does the resurrection of Jesus make? Just ask them.
March 18-24
Scripture:
Your King comes to you, humble and riding on a donkey.
Matthew 21:5
This week we pray…
- for our students as they complete exams and major papers before Spring Break. We ask that their learning will truly shape their minds and hearts.
- that as this season of Lent draws to a conclusion, we understand the mystery of radical dependence on God to help us become more “Christlike.”
- for the teaching roundtable on Monday, March 18, where, as part of Whitworth’s ongoing faculty development in faith-learning integration, we’ll discuss innovative teaching methods to enhance learning.
- for Tuesday’s chapel service, where Alan Mikkelson (Communication Studies) shares with us from the Gospel of Luke 23:26-31. We pray also for Hosanna, our student-led ministry that allows students to engage in authentic worship in song, prayer, and scripture. We ask God’s blessing on Thursday’s service, at which the Whitworth Gospel Choir will share in praise and worship.
- for the English Endowed Reading event Wednesday, as Paul Lindholdt, an English professor at Eastern Washington University, speaks. Paul is the author of In Earshot of Water: Notes from the Columbia Plateau, winner of the 2012 Washington State Book Award.
- for the Whitworth community as it works to meet the goals of Initiative 5.2 of the Courage at the Crossroads 2011-2021 Vision and Strategic Plan. The initiative addresses expanding experiential learning opportunities for students to serve the community, participate in off-campus initiatives and apply educational skills in workplace settings.
Thanksgiving:
Lord, we thank you for this season of the year. We have taken our Lenten journeys as gifts of personal renewal. Help us to express our gratitude, and let us show grace and generosity to others less fortunate than we.
March 11-17
Scripture:
Speak the word, and my servant shall be healed.
Luke 7:7
This week we pray…
- that this Lenten season will provide our students with an opportunity to reflect and deepen their spiritual lives
- that all the employees of Whitworth will have the strength and health to serve our students in these hectic weeks before Spring Break.
- for the Tuesday chapel service, as Campus Pastor Mindy Smith shares with us from the Gospel of Luke Chapter 7:1-10. We pray also for Hosanna, our student-led ministry that seeks to allow students to engage in authentic worship in song, prayer, and Scripture in both new and familiar ways. We pray for Thursday’s service, as the Whitworth Choir performs and as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
- for Missions Week, March 11-15, as students from global missions promote Jesus’ Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations. Events include speakers, panels, a two-day missions fair, and discussions about God’s calling in our lives.
- for orthodox vespers, on Wednesday, March 13, as students gather for a time of quiet prayer sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Fellowship.
- for the lecture to be presented Wednesday evening, March 13, by former Ethiopian prime minister Tamrat Admassu, who presents, “Transformation of Life in Jesus.” Admassu, a former atheist, radical revolutionary and communist, says he gave his life to Jesus when he was visited in prison by God. He served as party leader and military commander for the revolutionary coalition army and as prime minister, defense minister, and chief of federal affairs for Ethiopia. He was also a political prisoner for many years. Admassu’s vision is “to transform nations for the Kingdom of Jesus.”
- for the Great Decisions Lecture on Thursday, March 14, as Reverend Ben Robinson, ’03, will present “Egypt.” Robinson worked at St. John the Baptist Anglican Church, in Cairo, from 2004-06 and from 2009-12. There he began a youth program and served as associate minister for youth and education. He was in Egypt during the Tahrir uprising and has extensive contacts with the Muslim and Coptic religious communities there.
- for the many “Why Whitworth” and other campus visit events designed for prospective students and parents visiting the campus throughout the spring. We pray that Whitworth’s distinctive Christian mission and community will be evident to visitors and that they will have clear discernment in the college selection process.
- for Initiative 5.1 of the Courage at the Crossroads 2011-21 vision and strategic plan as we seek to support and strengthen the liberal arts and to foster integration of the liberal arts across the curriculum.
Thanksgiving:
Lord, please grant us all the gift of hearing and trusting your Word. We want to receive that Word with joyful and thankful hearts ready to be molded by Your will for us. Speak, Lord, for your servants are ready to listen. Amen.
