Our Refuge

May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. Psalm 20:1

This week we learned that we lost a member of our Horned Frog Family to suicide.  This is the second student suicide at TCU in less than a year, and one of several this semester at universities around the country.  The statistics tell us that TCU is doing better than most schools at addressing the emotional needs of our students, but a lower than average suicide rate is not comforting.  Each life is precious.  We don't want to lose a single one.

Would you pray for our TCU family as we mourn the loss of Stephen Scherer?  Please also pray that:

• his family be comforted and find their refuge in the LORD in the coming weeks and months.
• TCU would be a place where students make meaningful connections which help buffer the stresses of daily life.   
• each student on campus would know and be known by at least one believing student, faculty, or staff member who can share the hope that we have in Christ.

Thank you for praying.
PrayTCU

Religious Knowledge

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" Proverbs 1:7

Our beliefs and faith are based in what we think is true.  Why do we have faith in Christ?  We may believe He is who he says he is, the fulfillment of God's promise for a Messiah, because we grew up hearing this good news.  We may have seen this truth being lived out by others and become interested in the peace and confidence they had.   We may have been convicted of the truth as we read through Scripture.  We may have tested out other ideas and found Jesus to be a better answer than any other.  


The Pew Forum released results of a recent survey of Religious Knowledge in America.  While people may argue whether these questions represent the important basic facts of major world religions, the survey found that as a whole, Americans have significant knowledge gaps in their religious education.  Unfortunately, Christians did not stand out as the most knowledgeable group.  In fact, atheists did better than all other religious groups. (Click this link to take the test for yourself). 


At TCU, students must take a class in religions tradition to complete the core curriculum.  It can be a comparative religion class, one grounded in Christian history, or more specific to another religious tradition.  Dr. Andy Fort, a religion professor at TCU, commented that he doubted any religion professor was surprised by the results of the Pew survey.  This is both a shame and a wonderful opportunity.  We know there is no truth greater than God's truth, and deep faith comes from testing and critically evaluating knowledge claims.  The only way to change a belief is to change the underlying knowledge base.  Education matters.  Knowing what we believe and why we believe it is key to a lasting spiritual foundation.


Would you pray:

• TCU would be a place where God's truth shines brightly, in classroom instruction and in believers' lives.  
• those of us who know the one true and living God would be confident in sharing what we know and have experienced so that others may come to know Him as well.  
• classes in religion be relevant, inspired, and clear so that students who are seeking Truth will find it.  
• as we interact with people of different faith backgrounds, we be interested in what they believe and why they believe it.  That we would ask insightful questions and listen, so they would see Christians as thoughtful, relational and loving.
• our Christian faith would be based in knowledge and fact, not just feelings.

Thank you!

PrayTCU

Christian Community

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 15:5-6)

More than 15 TCU student organizations are identified as having a Christian mission. According to the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, student membership in one or more of these organizations is about 1000 students. This represents 1 out of every 8 undergraduate students. What an amazing opportunity for Christian community. Would you pray:

• these organizations would work together to create strong Christian community at TCU
• their members would be encouraged and challenged to mature in their faith and reach out to others in love
• faculty/staff mentors and student leaders would have clear vision and purpose in achieving their mission
• for God's protection from worldly influences and temptations that would harm their witness 
• each organization see their membership strengthen in numbers and influence for God's glory
• students who are seeking to know more about God would find these organizations welcoming and attractive

Thank you for lifting up these prayer requests.  We know God is at work at TCU, and look forward to sharing updates on these prayer requests in the coming weeks.  

Gratefully,

PrayTCU 

Vision in Action

This week, TCU conducted two Town Hall meetings to seek input for the University's long-term strategic plan. Faculty, staff, administrators, and students reviewed key principles that define TCU's mission and vision and discussed steps to further enact them. Would you pray for our campus leaders as they take that input and shape it into a plan which will be presented to the Board of Trustees? Pray that they would seek God's wisdom and that the Holy Spirit would have his fingerprints on the recommendations so the future direction of TCU would conform to His perfect plan. And as we seek God's blessing on these plans, please also pray that we are a blessing to others.

Thank you for your prayers. Go Frogs!

Fresh starts--Convocation

TCU's Convocation ceremony marks the official start of our 2010-2011 academic year, the 100th year in Fort Worth. There will be a wonderful celebration with a performance of the TCU Chorale, and the Minister to the University will call on the community to honor God with their giftings and talents. The Chancellor will review our past accomplishments and cast a vision of new goals and initiatives for the new year. An outstanding professor will be recognized as a model Teacher/Scholar and an inspiring Mentor will receive an award. It is a great way to start the semester, an opportunity to restate our mission, celebrate our accomplishments as a community, and identify where we need to put our collective energy in the days ahead.

Would you pray that the worship we engage in at today's Convocation be honoring to the One True God. And that those who of us who are Christ-followers in the audience will recommit ourselves to engage our spirit in the pursuit of truth. Please pray that we would see our work is an act of worship, and that we would be reinvigorated to share the love of Christ with others as we experience His blessing at TCU.

An Invitation to Pray for TCU

Welcome to Fall 2010!

Despite the lingering hot weather, TCU is showing exciting signs of Fall: the Class of 2014 has unpacked and is settling in, classes have begun, and on Saturday, TCU's sixth-ranked football team faces No. 24 Oregon State at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

As this new academic year begins, we are asking believers who have a heart for TCU to pray for the Horned Frog family. While there are so many accomplishments to celebrate and opportunities to enjoy, we know that there are also many needs. We also know that prayer changes things, and that God has asked us to pray as an act of worship and belief. So we are inviting you to pray for students, staff, faculty, families, alumni, the Board of Trustees, and our neighbors. It is our hope that by praying for the TCU community over the upcoming year, this will be a welcoming, caring community that is God-honoring.

This week, we are praying for our new class of freshmen as they adjust to new living situations, challenging courses, and many opportunities to grow. They are excited, scared, frustrated, joyful, and anxious and eager. While most will have a group of caring family, friends, TCU staff and faculty supporting them, some will feel very alone. Some will struggle with making good decisions, and establishing healthy boundaries. Some Christian students will struggle in their faith as they come face-to-face with "the world."

Would you pray today for these young people? They are the future of the Horned Frogs.

So, that's it. An invitation to pray. If you would like to get a weekly TCU prayer update, please subscribe to this blog. You will receive a new prayer request every Thursday throughout the academic year. You can always unsubscribe and we'll never share your email addresses with anyone. If you know someone who might like this opportunity, please send them the url link to this blog so they can subscribe too.

We look forward to your comments, and would be happy to answer any questions. Please post them here or email them to praytcu@gmail.com.

Thank you....and GO FROGS!!!