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April 2024 Newsletter | Parent & Family Connections

Dear LU Family,

Commencement is on the horizon! All the Commencement things you want to know are at this link. Registration for returning students to their Fall 2024 course selections is on schedule now!

“His faithful promises are your armor and protection” (Psalm 91:4b). May it ever be so.

God is good. Always.

This month’s theme is Peace!

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27)

Quote of the Month

“God’s will is that you be saved, Spirit-filled, sanctified, submissive, and suffering. God’s Word makes all this clear…Get into the mainstream of what God is doing, and let Him lead you to that perfect will” (ref. Gen. 24:27; p.67, 71). ~ John MacArthur, Found: God’s Will.

Resource of the Month

Grace is Greater by Kyle Idleman, Right Now Media (a subscription is required)

This month’s highlights:

Be Their Praying Warrior: Peace

Tamatha Anthony, Parent and Family Connections Office

Partnering with your students with prayer builds up their courage and resiliency to finish what God calls them to learn and do. Be Their Praying Warrior is a praying series that relies upon God’s promises. Zephaniah 3:17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 are the framework for this year’s series.

The Praying Warrior series launched from the themes found on our College Parenting webpage especially the one titled, “How to Talk to a College Student.” If you have not read it in a while, go back and review it again. There may be something you read today that stands out differently now that you and your family have experienced so many months of the academic year to date.

Cheering for our adult children makes a tremendous difference in our relationships with them and can improve their success at college. Since the academic year began in August, our prayers have stepped through trust, rejoicing, praying, gratitude, sovereignty, hope, the theme of new creation, God’s love, and patience.

This month we settle into the biblical characteristic described as peace. It may be one of the most elusive feelings to recognize and practice. The world presses in with anxiety, doubt, fear, and discouragement. Let’s take these to the LORD!

Begin this month by reading God’s promises as prayers over our families and students. If you have not tried this before, insert a family member’s name anywhere there is a me, you, your, or us for a personal impact.

Zephaniah 3:17: “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Next, ask the Lord to illustrate how beautiful, faithful, and amazing He is in the lives of our students.

Psalm 20:4: “May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.”

Lastly, pray a blessing over them to commit to follow Jesus with all their hearts, minds, souls, and strength.

Colossians 3:16-17: “Let the message of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirt, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

May your family be in the best place you could ever be — in the center of God’s will.

Blessings to you all!

Prayer Focus in April

Dear Father,

We all need Your peace. The world is in turmoil. Students are nearing the end of the semester and closing another academic year.

As they look ahead to graduation, jobs and internships give their thoughts clarity and wisdom. If there are students who see a path ahead that is a change of major next year, we ask boldly for them to know “the peace that comes from Christ,” to allow You to rule their hearts (Colossians 3:15), and for Your favor in the plans to their success (Psalm 20:4).

We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Peace Like A River

Erin Mills, Associate Director, Center for Financial Literacy

“I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river in my soul.” These words ring loud and clear in my head as a sweet memory every time I pass a river. Although they are words of a familiar Christian song sung all over the world – traditionally an African American Spiritual written in the 1800’s – all I hear is my father’s booming voice singing the lyrics while we took the long way to work just to pass by the river. It brings me joy and calms my spirit when I think about this memory.

Why is this such a special memory? It is because of the challenge to find peace in all that life throws at you no matter if it is family & relationships, work, finances, etc. The challenge to find peace even when there are struggles. The irony is that I no longer have the privilege to hear my father sing this song as he passed away years ago in 1997- but his legacy of trusting in God’s peace, finding joy, loving others, and seeking after God’s peace that passes all understanding is something I have had to be reminded of and seek after since my dad’s untimely death. This reminder has challenged me in my everyday life. I have had to focus on verses such as Colossians 3:15 that says “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” It shows up in a variety of situations through death of loved ones, through difficult situations with my children, through relational conflict, and through financial hardships.

Financial hardships are often a big cause of why people lose faith in God and lack peace in their circumstances. People in financial crisis have to choose whether they believe God is still in control and is able to bring contentment. If we focus on gaining peace through material things and comparisons to what other people have, we will find ourselves lacking peace rather than experiencing it. God wants us to remember that He is in control and is owner of all that we have. We have to ask Him to lead us to be content in any circumstance, have faith that He will always provide, and ask Him for wisdom to make good financial decisions. Ultimately, our monetary decisions are a reflection of the heart- our belief and heart will drive our behavior. When our heart is in the right place, we can experience God’s ‘peace like a river’ and then as the second and third verses of the African American Spiritual share we can have ‘joy like a fountain’ and ‘love like an ocean’.

I love that God has gifted me with the joy of working with 25 student financial coaches to help share how people can find peace in their own financial choices by focusing on stewardship, contentment, faith, and wisdom. Please pray for these coaches as most of them will be transitioning from college life to the workplace this May. Some are even getting married! They will need peace as they experience so many life changes at one time.

Pray with me that they will have ‘peace like a river’, ‘joy like a fountain’, and ‘love like an ocean’. Pray that they will convey this peace, love, and joy to others in their future vocations as they fulfill the cultural mandate to glorify God and serve others. May these students fulfill our center’s mission to ignite generational change through the practical application of biblical financial wisdom.

Celebrate with us and our Graduating Seniors!

Go Mobile With Flames Pass

As your student prepares to return in the Fall 2024 semester, students can have peace of mind, and a fresh start on how they access campus facilities, dining, and dormitories. If your student has not utilized the benefits of a Mobile Flames Pass, then now is the perfect time to make this change for the new semester!

The Mobile Flames Pass can be added to all major smartphones and watches. That’s right! No more fumbling around with purses and wallets to find a physical ID card. With the Mobile Flames Pass students can now easily access their dorm, room, dining, options, and all over campus with ease.

In addition, when a student switches to the Mobile Flames Pass, all Dining Swipes Dollars, and Flames Cash will be available simply by tapping their phones to compatible readers and merchants. Also, any unused Flames Cash will be available from semester to semester!

Learn more about the Mobile Flames Pass and it’s benefits.

Book a Session for Free Financial Coaching

Click this link to schedule a session or on the image below.

College Family Tip of the Month

Every day is a good day to say “I love you.” Text them today.

“We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19, ESV).

College Parenting articles are available to you through college and beyond.

Shalom. At Peace. To Be Complete.

Dr. Gabriel Etzel, D.Min., Ph.D., Associate Dean, John W. Rawlings School of Divinity

“Shalom.”

This greeting may be familiar to you, but have you thought about the true meaning of the word, shalom?

Used as a salutation, I assumed shalom simply meant, “peace,” (like the ceasing of war). However, as I studied, I realized the idea of peace is present, but there is also much more.

Beyond merely the end to war, shalom carries the idea of completeness, soundness, and even prosperity. This takes the greeting deeper than an appeal to live without strife to a desire for flourishing.

Is flourishing not what we pray for our students? We desire for them to be complete, to be sound, and to prosper in their relationship with God, with others, and with oneself.

Shalom with God

CS Lewis explains in the book, Mere Christianity, “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” And in Romans 5:1 we are told peace with God is a result of faith in Jesus. We pray for the peace of God that comes when hearts are surrendered to him.

Shalom with Others

We are bombarded with news about wars and conflicts, and yet, the Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 12:18, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” and Colossians 3:15 instructs us that unity results when we let “the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” We pray for peace with others as a testimony to God’s work in our lives.

Shalom with Oneself

Shalom is not just external; there is an internal reality. We read in Isaiah 26:3, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” In a world filled with anxiety, we pray for the peace of God to bring an end to battles that war within us.

One Final Thought

Sometimes I think peace is something only to be realized at the end of time when God makes all things new. I suppose there is some truth to that understanding, but I think we must also remember God promises peace today.

Hours before his crucifixion, Jesus comforted his disciples by saying, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Peace is available today.

May our hearts not be troubled, today! May we not be afraid, today!

Shalom!

Are You Enjoying the E/4:29 Parent-to-Parent Blog? Then be a writer!

We don’t know everything, nor have we experienced all the same things. As God’s family together, we can make the days more possible for one another and better than if going it alone!

Share good and helpful words to those who would hear them (Eph.4:29).

The insights and tips you’ve learned or seen through your family’s college journey are meaningful to others. E-mail your name and student’s ID to LUFamily@liberty.edu today and we’ll write the year 2024 together!

Parent & Family Connections

We exist to support the mission of Liberty University Training Champions for Christ by sharing information with students’ family members about the resources, programs, and activities available on campus. Our purpose is to build relationships between parents and the university, promote student success, and support parents through the transition of their students being at college – all the while praying for their highest calling in Jesus Christ.

Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m | (434) 582-2339 | LUFamily@liberty.edu