In such uncertain times, there are certainly many difficult spaces for football/soccer athletes, coaches, and teams to navigate. Whether issues stemming from COVID-19 and lockdown, to sequestering for a month-long tournament to get back to soccer, or the racial tensions and strife that are rippling throughout US cities and around the world — just a normal day can be overwhelming — before adding all these things into the mix. Where does a chaplain fit into the mix of that? And where and how does a chaplain to an elite women's soccer team serve? Listen to today's podcast to get special insight into the women's game of soccer in the US and the work of a chaplain to help a team remember

In a football, there are a lot of people running — and not only are they running for a ball — many times its much more than that; they are often running away from a past. In truth, we all have a past — things that we are ashamed of, things that happened in the past that are part of us, things that seem too dark, too deviant, irreparable. In today's From the Touchline episode, I take a look at the life of a man who's past could have severely crippled who he was to become had he not been able to overcome the rough start. Listen to hear about this biblical "Messi" who flipped sides and was a key contributor towards

And who is my neighbor? This age-old question has been bandied about a lot with varying responses, but perhaps it has never been more critical for Christians and especially for Christian footballers to wrestle with the question and understanding, who is my neighbor? Sometimes in football/soccer, because of the global nature of the game and because of the diverse settings in our locker rooms and sport, we can feel that we've somehow arrived or that we don't need to go deep in talking about "neighbors." In today's From the Touchline episode, we are going to look at Jesus' answer to this question, Who is my neighbor?, and how in reframing the answer to the definition of "neighbor" not only did

Recently, Major League Soccer (MLS), National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and United Soccer Leagues (USL) have all announced plans for returning to play. MLS has yet to declare or confirm actual dates, but the reported plan is to have a league-wide, 30-day tournament in Orlando, FL to re-start the season. NWSL have already revealed a schedule for the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, a 25-game tournament beginning June 27. The USL Championship has announced July 11 as the provisional "return to play" date, though many more logistics need to be confirmed and factored. This week I have been in contact with Soccer Chaplains United chaplains throughout the U.S., and we are also seeing most of the college and high school teams

The murder of George Floyd has sparked global outcry. And Floyd's death has touched professional footballers and many other people of color who have felt or experienced, themself, the oppressive spirit and injustice when others held power or sway. In today's From the Touchline episode, I share a personal story and experience with racial reconciliation and the need for people to self-examine — hearts, and attitudes and prejudices that we carry toward other people. And this is a beginning point for reconciling to people who have been mistreated and unjustly impacted because of their skin color and other reasons. There is a strong importance for people and especially followers of Jesus to not remain silent on this issue any longer. Below