Page 25 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2025 - Online Magazine

EXCEPTIONAL SENIORS
The class will be reserved mainly for juniors and
seniors, she added, due to the course’s heavy nature.
“People ask me, ‘How do you do what you do? I could
never do that.’ I believe that I am uniquely gifted by
God to do it,” she admitted. “Faith, prayer, meditation
on the Psalms, for those really tough days—the days I
have to tell a mom that her baby’s not going to survive.
I go to the mountains, spend daily time in the Psalms. I
have a husband (Michael Joiner, LCU ‘77) who is super
supportive. But it’s tough. It’s really tough. The folks I
work with, we’re there when a parent’s worst nightmare
comes true,” she explained. “Whether their baby’s been
shaken, or their child has been sexually molested—you
know, most sexual abuse is by people they know. We’re
walking with families through those really difficult
times, but it’s never just me alone. There are a lot of
people involved, and we will support each other.”
Despite the burdens that such a path brings, however,
Dr. Patterson rests in the holy purpose of the calling
to which she has committed her life. “It’s Kingdom
work,” she emphasized. “There’s just no doubt about it.
Advocating for those with no voice, whether it’s the kid
who’s been checked into the hospital or kids in the foster
system—it’s a broken world. Kingdom people need to
be standing in that gap, wherever it is.”
Her thoughts have often gone back to that young child
she cared for back in her residency. “Over the years, I
wondered about him,” she admitted. “We know that
kids who were abused, just as any kid with an adverse
childhood experience, are at greater risk for all kinds
of health, social, and addiction problems—and I just
wondered what had happened to him.”
It wasn’t until a few years ago that he contacted her on
his own. Dr. Patterson recalled, “He said, ‘You probably
don’t remember me,’ and I immediately replied,
‘Tommy, I remember you, and I think about you all the
time—working with you has had a major impact on
my life and what I’ve chosen to do.’ And we’ve been in
communication since then.”
Dr. Patti Patterson’s calling to be a voice for the voiceless
has helped countless children and families across the
world, and she is working now to prepare others with
that shared vocation—to bring a light of hope to some of
the darkest places.
First published in Reflections Winter 2024- Lubbock
Christian University
https://reflections.lcu.edu/2024/winter/
• HISTORIC •
Cactus Theater
1812 Buddy Holly Ave • CactusTheater.com
UPCOMING SHOWS!
FEBRUARY
22...Sounds of West Texas: Night of Love Songs
26...Classic Cinema: Check Film Listing Online
27...Phase 3 Comedy: “Thursday Night Live”
MARCH
1...Del Castillo: Tex-Mex Supergroup Fave!
6...Peacherine Ragtime Orchestra + Film Classic
8...Karen Morgan: Happy People Laughing
11...Donavon Frankenreiter - Americana
13...Phil X & The Drills: Bon Jovi Lead Guitarist
14...Noise Pollution: #1 AC/DC Touring Tribute
15...Tribute to West Texas Country Giants
16...Vinyl Radio - Top ’70s Hits - The Return!
20...Firefall: Soft Rock Legends - Debut!
21...Jason Boland & The Stragglers: Red Dirt
22...William Lee Martin: The Funny Life Tour
24...Celtic Angels: Irish Music & Dance
26-27...Arrival From Sweden: #1 ABBA Tribute
28....Cactus Tribute to Texas Rock Icons
29...Twitty & Lynn: Tribute to Conway & Loretta
APRIL
2...Classic Cinema: Check Film Listing Online
5...T.G. Sheppard: Classic Country - Debut!
11...Cactus Tribute to Progressive Rock
12...Phat Cat Swinger: Cactus Debut!
13...Graham Nash: Live On Tour! Rock Legend
17...Spyro Gyra: 50 Years of Legendary Jazz
18...Lightfoot of the Rockies: Gordon Tribute
24...Bellamy Brothers: Classic Country Hits!
26...Cactus Tribute to Texas Icon Willie Nelson
Lubbock Senior Link 25