Today, on the podcast, we continue going through The Soccer Psalms. I read the 2nd Psalm and Soccer Psalm from my recent book, and offer a reflection and mediation on understanding that there is evil in the world. How do we reconcile that evil with a God who is supposedly “good”? And the fact that […]

Today, on the podcast, I read—Psalm 1 and Soccer Psalm 1—from my recent book, The Soccer Psalms. In the reflection and mediation questions, we consider what it looks like to live a life as a footballer and as a person that follows a road which seeks out the pathway of God. Psalm 1 is the […]

A few weeks ago, we hit a major milestone with the From the Touchline podcast: 300 episodes. This is episode #303 and in honor of living and working and being in the 303 area code (Denver), we’re going to take a look back on the past. All the while, I’ve been working to create a […]

Prayer is one of the pivotal practices that Christian people focus in on during the season of Lent and the lead up to Easter. Prayer is perhaps one of the most foundational aspects of Christian living because it is about a conversation with God and sometimes we struggle to know what to say or what […]

As we go through the season of Lent, there are three spiritual disciplines and practices that Christians often observe — prayer, fasting, and giving. Last week, we looked at generosity and giving. This week we look at the spiritual discipline of fasting and some of its parallels and connections to soccer. Today, on the podcast, […]

Ash Wednesday is today, and as the season of Lent begins, three spiritual disciplines come more sharply into focus: fasting, giving, and prayer. But not all spiritual disciplines are treated equally! Today, on the podcast, I want to give attention to what I have deemed “the least of these” practices and in a word hopefully […]

Ramadan begins this weekend — the annual fast for Muslims can be challenging for the professional player – especially in certain times of the year. At the start of a season, a player is trying to earn a spot. In the middle of summer, the heat and humidity can severely impact an athletes physiology. Ash […]

For many years, I struggled with some of the derision for the work and the environment of soccer where my work gets played out as a volunteer chaplain. I was the only one, either, as some athletes and coaches had friends and family who would comment — when will you grow up? when will you get […]

An introduction in any industry or business is critical and key — whether a 24-year veteran volunteer soccer chaplain or a first-year chaplain. An introduction to athletes, coaches, and staff at a football club usually come as a result of a trusted relationship or at the end of some sort of process that someone has […]

Usually the beginning of the Major League Soccer (MLS) season sees me reflecting back and looking forward for the season to come. I usually do a lot of praying because there is a lot change and movement — not only for the athletes, but pretty much everyone else involved in the game. This time of the […]