UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS

TALBOT LIFE

Four weeks into this semester, I find myself thoroughly enjoying my two classes.  They seem to go hand in hand with one another.   Mental Health & the Church, deals with how to lovingly and compassionately come alongside people, especially those within our local churches, who struggle with mental illness.  My second class is, Pastoral Care & Chaplaincy.  In this class,  I am learning to provide pastoral care to people who are dealing with various health issues.  As part of this class, I am required to volunteer 40 hours at a convalescent facility to practice visiting and providing pastoral care to patients.  I was able to find a nursing home near my home and have already began making visits.  I have absolutely loved spending time with the patients thus far.  I'm slowly beginning to feel as though the Lord may have uniquely gifted me for this kind of ministry.  I'm really looking forward to see how the Lord continues to grow me through these experiences  in and outside of the classroom.

"SENIOR DAY" SURPRISE

As we have done over the years, Jenny and I utilize "chapel time" on Senior Day to honor the seniors.  We take time to verbally affirm each them and then share Scripture verse(s) that come to mind for us as we think of them.  We typically get 5-6 girls who typically show up for pre-game chapels.  Well, yesterday morning, this simple thought crossed my mind, "it sure would be sweet if the entire team could show up for this chapel."  I never did share that thought with anyone.  It was just "wishful thinking" on my part.

Wouldn't you know it, while waiting for 1 person (Dom) to show up before officially starting, the door opens and here comes Dom, with 5 of her teammates walking in behind her, joining the other 5 girls who were already in the room.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I was absolutely floored!  If that's not God at work, then I don't know what it is....

{Of course, I just had to share all of this with the girls}

The time of sharing ended up being more than any of us ever expected.

Kari, Dominique, and Nicole on Senior Day (2/19).

MEN'S BASKETBALL

My bible study with the coaching staff has gone well over these past couples of months. We are just about finished with our study through the book of Ephesians.  It is such a blessing to see the hearts of these men as we gather weekly to spiritually encourage one another. Almost all of the guys show up for this time and digging into the Word has been both fruitful and edifying. 

 In addition to this coaches study, I was blessed to speak at their team chapel service back on January 18th.  Though this chapel time is optional for the players, almost all of them attended, which was truly amazing.

The team has played phenomenally this season.  With only 3 losses, they have been ranked as one of the top 10 teams in the nation for the majority of the season.  We all remain hopeful they will continue playing at a high level as they approach post season play over these next several weeks.

BRUIN VARSITY LIFE

We have decided to teach through the Book of James for the remainder of the school year.  At a recent fellowship meeting, I spoke on the subject of "Trials".  Though speaking on this subject can be a challenge at times, God always seems to show up and gives me what I need to say.  Following my talk, several of the students came up to me and shared how they were greatly encouraged by what they heard. To listen to my message, you can download it via the Bruin Varsity Life podcast on iTunes.

Always a joy to share God's Word with students. (1/17)

Women's Basketball Head Coach, Cori Close, addressing our group on (1/31).