Being thankful has a tremendous impact on our own spiritual and mental health and well-being. No matter one’s circumstances, there is always something that we can give thanks for, something that we can be grateful for. And when that focus is off of one’s self it can help foster greater sense of gratitude and even impact things like one’s self-esteem.
In today’s From the Touchline episode, Rev Brad and special guest Brooke Ewert reflect on the impact of gratitude and how this can affect even elite, high-level athletes. Brooke is the Director of Counseling for Soccer Chaplains United and also has her own practice, Rocky Mountain Sports Counseling.
Notable stories or resources mentioned in today’s podcast:
— 5 Kernels of Corn Thanksgiving Tradition
— Goal-setting as a means of generating thanks
From the Touchline is a short-feature (usually 10 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer).
Don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccChaplain,in the Apple and Google store.
Family. You can’t choose them. But ancestry is important — and we have ancestral pieces to other parts of our lives, as well. For example, we have an ancestry to our vocational lives — whether as footballer, coach, or chaplain there are people who have helped shape and form who we are today. In a similar way we have a spiritual heritage, a spiritual ancestry that is important to consider. Who are the people who have had an impact on your faith journey? Who has impacted your view on God and this world?
In today’s From the Touchline episode, Rev Brad reflects on ancestry of these different types and encourages a practice of reflecting on the people (and even events) that have shaped — both positively and negatively — our families, our work lives and our spiritual ancestry, as well.
Notable outside resources mentioned in today’s podcast:
Resource #1: Fredrick Buechner, quote on vocation found in Wishful Thinking
From the Touchline is a short-feature (usually 10 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer).
Don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccChaplain,in the Apple and Google store.
Last week, I had the terrifying privilege of trying to change a flat tire on Southbound I-25 near Denver, CO. With each pass of a semi truck or vehicle, the wind buffeted the car while I fetched out the spare tire and jacked up the car for the first time in my memory. I needed to look at the owner’s manual to even understand where the spare tire was on the vehicle. I also think it is the first time in perhaps 15 years that I have had to change a tire and, I am thankfully still alive.
Driving to the tire shop, I arrived — discouraged with the setback, but grateful no harm and no further damage other than the tire. I sat in with the tire shop employee. We looked at the similar tires to replace with. I asked him, “When were the tires purchased?”
“May, 2012. It was with 196,000 miles on the car. How many miles do you have now?”
“295,500”
“Wow! I have never seen that. These tires are rated for 60,000 miles.”
“I think God had something to do with it,” I replied.
As I sat waiting for the tires to be put on the car, I couldn’t help but constantly give God praise. 100,000 miles. God’s faithfulness over those miles — no accidents, no scratches, and it took an I-25 bolt puncture to take down my tire and literally force me into new ones (to be honest, I feel I could have gotten through maybe one more winter with them).
I later overheard the shop sales guy telling the technician — “Can you believe this? This guy got 100k miles on these tires!”
The longer that I am on this faith journey with God, it is more and more the testimony of His faithfulness to us. Some people pray for the better job, the better home, more resources or means. But in my experience, God does this amazing thing for His people — where the treads on the tires last longer, the insurance premiums are low because the family is healthy, and more and more examples.
Now don’t get me wrong — I am not espousing a “health and wealth” gospel here. I am not saying, “If you just have enough faith…” or “If you are good enough….” But what I am saying is the ways that I have seen God be faithful to me and to my family, even in the midst of our need. It reminds me of God’s faithfulness to the people of Israel in the midst of their wilderness wanderings. In Deuteronomy 29:5, God reminds them,
During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet.
The Lord God, speaking to the people through Moses
I don’t wear sandals much. But, tires, well that’s a different story.
It’s not just the tires, though — I have seen God make a lot of things “last” longer for me and my family — clothing, jackets, shoes, furnaces, hot water heaters, and more. And I can’t explain it. I can’t sit here and tell you that my faith is better or stronger. I can’t say that I am less sinful. I can’t say that I am more honored by God than any one else. All I can say is, “He (God) is faithful, even when I am not. Praise be to God!”
Praise God that His faithfulness is not dependent upon my own.
Praise God that He takes care of His people.
Praise God that He is so good to me.
Praise God for 100,000 miles (and more) of faithfulness.
I’m really pleased to announce that our podcast, From the Touchline, has been accepted for distribution by Apple and Google Podcasts and Stitcher with more submissions to different podcasting outlets to come.
From the Touchline is a short-feature (usually 10 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer).
You can see a list of our From the Touchline podcasts, right here on our website. And on each episode’s page, you can subscribe using your preferred service.
Soon to come we will be trying to launch on Spotify, Pandora, and more. You can help us by listening and rating us in your preferred podcast source. And remember that you can also listen to our podcast in our app, SoccChaplain, which is available in the Apple and Google stores.
Thanks for listening and providing your feedback and even your topics and suggestions. Send us a message at info@soccerchaplainsunited.org.
https://soccerchaplainsunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/From-the-Touchline-Cover-Art.jpg15001500Brad Kenney/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SCU_Seal_Logo-300x300.pngBrad Kenney2019-11-15 06:00:112019-11-15 10:22:41Now broadcasting, I mean, podcasting…
Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church’s 2019 mission trip to Juarez was a strengthening, encouraging and fun-filled time of ministry. Jacob Smith, a team member reports back on the trip:
The first full day we were there, we went to the park where we spent the afternoon playing a fantastic soccer game with the local people. During the game, we passed out the jerseys and some soccer balls that were generously donated to us through Soccer Chaplains United’s Community Project program.
It wasn’t just the kids that rushed forward to have a jersey, but the men and women were thrilled to have one too.
Jacob Smith, Mission Team Member to Juarez
The jerseys and gear helped us bond with the local people and church over the common sport of soccer. It was a wonderful beginning to our week of ministry together. Thank you!!
When you support Soccer Chaplains United a portion of your gift automatically goes to help our community projects and requests. You can give specifically to help cover our costs by making a gift through PushPay — simply select Community from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals or organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!
https://soccerchaplainsunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/image1.jpeg8001200Brad Kenney/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SCU_Seal_Logo-300x300.pngBrad Kenney2019-11-14 12:00:362019-11-14 14:24:30Jerseys in Juarez
Do you ever feel like the holiday season is just crazy-making? Do you dread the rush that seems to come earlier and easier every year?
Rev Brad shares, in today’s From the Touchline episode, about Celtic Advent. This intentional season begins every November 15 and is designed to help prepare people for the day (Dec 25) and the season of Christmas which has become so commercialized and commodified that, for many it leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Learn more about this ancient custom of preparing one’s heart and life for the arrival (advent) of Jesus Christ.
From the Touchline is a short-feature (usually 10 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer).
Don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccChaplain,in the Apple and Google store.
In today’s special From the Touchline podcast episode, Rev Brad introduces a pretty important person — Saint Martin of Tours. From Martin’s life and story originates our English words for “chapel” and “chaplain.” And Brad reflects on the life and ministry of chaplains today and Christians everywhere.
From the Touchline is a short-feature (10 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney and occasional guests touching on various issues around faith, family, and football.
You can listen to From the Touchline in the Soccer Chaplains United app. If you don’t have the app yet, you can download it from the Google and App Store. Search “SoccChaplain” and look for our logo (see photo below)!
https://soccerchaplainsunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/the-charity-of-st-martin-by-louis_anselme_longa-featured-w740x493.jpg493740Brad Kenney/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SCU_Seal_Logo-300x300.pngBrad Kenney2019-11-11 12:00:272021-03-08 14:10:10Saint Martin of Tours
Did you know that when you shop for the holidays at smile.amazon.com/ch/20-2604903, AmazonSmile donates to Soccer Chaplains United?
If you purchase things on Amazon, why not make it go further? Amazon donates to the charity of your choice (.5% of your purchase on eligible purchases) and by selecting the link above, you can have a deeper impact on the work and mission of Soccer Chaplains United.
Thanks for considering and supporting.
https://soccerchaplainsunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/HOLAssets_v1_1200x627_1._CB448870624_.png6271200Brad Kenney/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SCU_Seal_Logo-300x300.pngBrad Kenney2019-11-08 04:00:172023-01-18 18:17:09Support Soccer Chaplains United through AmazonSmile
Earlier this year, Matthew Hulst and some men from Coram Deo went to Haiti on a mission trip. They requested some soccer gear to take with them, probably with no idea what it would mean or what it would lead to. Matthew shares the following report with Soccer Chaplains United, evidence of the work of God, in the country of Haiti, and in the lives of His children there. Please take time to also watch the video at the bottom. Read on,
Planting Seeds for a pro-level Christian soccer club
The team poses with Haitian leaders setting up the tournament
Five friends and I set out on a trip to Cap-Haiti (Northern part of Haiti) with dreams of seeing the Lord move through a two-week soccer tournament. Although there were reports of rioting throughout Haiti and our government putting out warnings for travel, we still felt led to go, thank the Lord we did. During our two-week stint, we saw 20 young men (ages 18-35) give their lives to Jesus and 60 more commit to long term discipleship programs with the local Haitian team we were working with. Through a donation of uniforms and equipment from Soccer Chaplains United, we were able to provide the resources needed to run a high-level tournament and pour “gas on the fire” of a God-given calling of launching a new Christian pro-level soccer club. This club will be created and led by one of our new Haitian friends named Renaldo. The uniforms and equipment that were donated to Renaldo confirmed his calling from the Lord to start this new soccer club. The dream of this club is not just good soccer but rather to use soccer as a vehicle to transform and disciple young men who would otherwise not encounter Jesus and raise up future Haitian leaders who will put an end to the corruption that is the current reality in the country.
Renaldo is a pro-level soccer player who, a few years ago, was moving up the ranks in the Haitian soccer circuit. During this process, he came to a fork in the road with the question of what was most important to him: soccer or Jesus. He was presented with the opportunity to be in line for the Haitian national team, but he realized there was an unspoken requirement. To be on the team meant he would have to practice voodoo. Many Haitians believe that to be Haitian is “to be voodoo.” But this is not the case with Renaldo. His foundation is Jesus. Because of his commitment to faith, Renaldo quit the sport, believing his dream for soccer had come to an end. This last spring God used our team to breathe life back into a dream that Rendaldo thought was dead and buried. To start, it was our team funding and donations that enabled the first Christian tournament to be played in Haiti. This tournament included 16 teams from all over Northern Haiti battling each night for two weeks straight. Seeing this tournament come to fruition filled Renaldo with passion and faith. Even further, this experience renewed his dream of pro soccer centered around Jesus rather than Voodoo. When we opened the bags of uniforms donated by Soccer Chaplains United, Renaldo was blown away with the faithfulness of Jesus. What he saw in those bags was a miracle to him. He did not just see uniforms, he saw them as a symbol of the love and faithfulness of Jesus and that Jesus has not forgotten the young men of Haiti. When Renaldo’s club officially takes the field they will be dressed in Colorado Jerseys and they will be the first team in the country that Voodoo does not have a major stronghold in.
The uniforms and equipment that were donated to Renaldo confirmed his calling from the Lord to start this new soccer club.
Matthew Hulst, on Renaldo’s call from God to serve his native Haiti
The Tournament
This was the first soccer tournament of its kind. No voodoo was allowed before, during or after the games of this tournament. This is never the case in Haiti. The tournament was hosted at the second largest soccer stadium in all of Haiti and the players ranged from 18-35 years of age. Due to the heat, they played in the late afternoons and evenings in a “world cup” style of play. Before every game, as the teams were in the locker rooms getting dressed for competition, our team got to go into the locker rooms and had 20 minutes to share the gospel and minister to these teams. During these times we saw men rejecting voodoo and getting on their knees in front of their peers and giving their lives to Jesus.
All these sessions were translated by of few Haitian friends (including Renaldo), and due to Renaldo’s influence, these men saw, possibly for the first time, that it was possible to live a life for Jesus alone and still be Haitian. A number of times, we saw the players come back to us after the game asking to learn more about Jesus. A goalie, on one of the teams, after the consolation game finished, came back into another team’s locker room asking us if he could accept Jesus into his life. During these locker room sessions, twenty men rejected voodoo and accepted Jesus and 60 more men committed to long term discipleship with Renaldo and his team.
This was a unifying event between churches and ministries in Cap-Haiti and moved into bringing the gospel to men who would never be reached in a regular church environment. Praise the Lord that he uses soccer to bring the gospel throughout Haiti. They are praying for this to be a yearly tournament and are hoping for it to be in four locations around Haiti next summer. Let’s pray for this be a catalyst for the change we are all hoping to see in Haiti.
The Orphanage
Each day in the mornings our team put on small soccer camps with all the littles at an orphanage called Street Hearts. We started by sharing a gospel message with them and then put them through drills and finished with two on two soccer competitions. These young kids were good and even at a young age, kicked our teams’ butts. Most of the kids we worked with knew Jesus and it was fun to see the joy on their faces as we were able to give them “real” soccer balls, jerseys and equipment. This specific orphanage is doing such an amazing job of training their littles in the ways of Jesus and developing Godly character in their hearts. Our team still talks about it three months later that these young kids give us hope to see change happen in Haiti.
Our team wants to thank Soccer Chaplains United for partnering with us through funding, donations, and prayer as we were part of God moving in this small area of Haiti. We could not have had the impact we did without you guys. We have so many more stories including a Haitian wedding, a gangster street kid becoming a ministry leader in the church, soccer among the poorest of the poor in the villages, praying for the mass rioting and so much more. But that will be for another day. Thank you and please join us as we are praying for next year’s tournament.
We’d like to thank Matt and his team for their faithfulness and this amazing story of God’s goodness and faithfulness.
Haitian pastors who helped organize the tournament
When you support Soccer Chaplains United a portion of your gift automatically goes to help our community projects and requests. You can give specifically to help cover our costs by making a gift through PushPay — simply select Community from the selectable funds. Your financial gift helps us purchase new soccer equipment, sponsor individuals or organizations, and to cover associated costs of providing Bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!
Cap-Haitien Soccer Tournament Thank-you
https://soccerchaplainsunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/praying.jpg12801920Brad Kenney/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SCU_Seal_Logo-300x300.pngBrad Kenney2019-11-07 05:00:362019-11-06 09:46:13Jesus Rather Than Voodoo
This week, I asked our Director of Counseling, Brooke Ewert to share some of her own reflections following on from the 2nd Global Congress on Sport and Christianity. In her own words,
“This past week was the 2nd Global Congress on Sport and Christianity in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This was my first time attending this conference. After processing through the week when I returned home, I felt so incredibly blessed to be in the same room with so many Christians who work in the sports world. To be honest, I often feel alone because there are not many people who specialize in sports like I do with sports counseling.”
“I was encouraged to hear from those who work in sports as academics, historians, mental health professionals, and chaplains. Each person focused on helping athletes or studying them to help them in a more holistic way. The camaraderie that came from being in the ‘same field’ bonded us together quickly. I felt many people I interacted with quickly became friends and we tried to figure out how we can best help each other in our respective fields of work.”
“A few moments stuck out to me from the conference. First, I met women in my own field (mental health) who encouraged me in my own work with athletes in mental health. Second, I was gleaning information from the speakers who look at sports differently than me and how that can help me to be a better practitioner. I felt inspired by many of those speakers who helped me to see how sports and faith can be weaved together in a beautiful bond. I am already looking forward to the next meeting of the congress in three years and I cannot wait to have a few more sports counselors attending with me.“
Thank you for your support of Soccer Chaplains United. Your financial gifts and support help make continuing education opportunities like the Congress a reality — whether for a chaplain or counselor. It is helpful in shaping our work and direction.
If you would like to make gift to cover expenses or future opportunities for training and education, you can click the PushPay logo below or simply text Soccerchaplains to 77977. Or send your donation via mail to: Soccer Chaplains United, PO Box 102081, Denver, CO 80250.
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