4THEJOURNEY: BEHIND THE SCENES

PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY

The final Sunday of September marked my official introduction to the Pepperdine men's basketball team. Though I had already attended several practice sessions throughout the month getting to know faces/names, I knew I would have the chance to address the guys at their first team chapel. What I didn't expect was the entire team to be present. Despite Pepperdine being a Christian University, Coach Lorenzo usually doesn't make chapel attendance "mandatory" for his players, EXCEPT on this one occasion. I was extremely encouraged to hear this because it not only allowed for everyone in the room to hear God's Word, but also gave them a chance to get to know me a little better.
To my surprise, following my time of sharing, one of the players came straight up to me "in tears" saying he felt the Lord speaking directly to him and indicated his desire in wanting to "get right" with the Lord. Talk about a 'God Moment'!
Over the next 20 minutes, this young man unpacked his story with me and I did my best to serve him in that moment as well as in the days since. Subsequent to this time, I started a team bible study and have seen a great response from the guys. As many as 6-9 attend these weekly sessions and I'm looking forward to our journey together as we continue studying through the book of James.

Team Chapel at Training Camp in Irvine, CA. (9/29)

Home opener vs. UC Irvine. (11/9)

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

This will be our 8th season serving the UCLA women's basketball team. We have so enjoyed serving alongside Coach Cori and her entire staff. They are such a relational group that work diligently while having a ton of fun in the process. They make Jenny and I feel so welcomed and appreciated. Once again, we were invited to participate in their annual team photo shoot. This is such a fantastic occasion and everyone has so much fun.

As part of our ministry to the team, we meet monthly with the staff for an "optional prayer time". We've met a few times so far and each session has been awesome. Also, our team chapels so far this season have averaged 6-7 girls in attendance for each session. We absolutely love being able to encourage and impart God's Word to these young women. The team is off to a fantastic start (7-0) and looking forward to their continued journey into 2020.

UCLA WBB Team Photo Shoot. (8/25)

Home game vs. Long Beach State. (11/14)

UCLA FOOTBALL

Unfortunately, the football team did not qualify for "post season" play again this year, thus the season is officially over. Though the team finished with a 4-8 record, I believe better times are ahead. This team was full of first and second year players who are just bound to be better next season. For me, I was most excited by our chapel attendance this season. Whether at home or on the road, 20-30 guys would show up to hear God's Word together. Now, THAT'S something to cheer about! My prayer is not only for these young men to develop physically but SPIRITUALLY as well. To me, that's a great start. I hope to continue encouraging them in this manner after the New Year during our "Off-Season Bible Study"