Today, we get into Episode 7, Season 1 and Lesson 49 in our Lessons from Lasso series. The scene fixates on Coach Lasso as he downs a couple of whiskies from the mini-bar in an effort to anesthetize himself from the emotional pain of taking the final steps in signing divorce papers — an ultimate sign of divorce. Lasso isn't the only one in the episode who is numbing the dark parts of his soul — others use language, sex, and a whole host of other means to "cover" the deep pain that they feel. Today, in this Lesson from Lasso, I reference a phrase written by contemporary therapist and author, Brené Brown. In her book, Gifts of Imperfection, she writes

Lesson 48 in our Lessons from Lasso series and we're talking about Jamie Tartt getting canceled. Coach Lasso and Beard have done a lot of work to try to reform the prima donna striker and get him to buy into the concept of "team," but just when it seems like they've gotten through to the young man Owner Rebecca Welton undoes the work by agreeing to send Jamie back from his loan agreement to the chagrin of Ted. Today, in this Lesson from Lasso, we look at what happens when we go from arrogance to humility and the different points in between as we look at the biblical life of Joseph. You might know him — he was the one with

It has been nearly a year of vacancy for the El Paso Locomotive FC (USL-Championship) chaplaincy position, but the train is finally starting to pull out of the station. Despite making a chaplain placement during COVID in 2020, the former chaplain moved on to take a different church position, leaving a gap that was difficult to fill. I made about phone call and email inquiries to over 20 pastors in the El Paso area. I mainly head voice mail messages or got no response. It was discouraging, in the very least. From those that I was able to speak with, the answer that usually came back was, "I am too busy." Again, discouraging. Fast forward to my meet up with

Handoffs aren't always easy in volunteer sports chaplaincy ministry. This truth is what makes the story unfolding with Rio Grande Valley Toros FC (a USL-Championship side) that much more heart-warming. Isidro Piña is a member of Soccer Chaplains United and the first volunteer team chaplain to serve the Toros. I remember back to 2018 when we made the placement after interviewing Isidro, who had come to us by way of recommendation from Chaplain Cesar Duran. Making the trip down to McAllen, Texas I ran into former Colorado Rapids defender, Jared Watts, who was doing a rehab stint with the team because of their affiliation with the Houston Dynamo. Isidro, who had recently met the team for the first time, remarked,

I'm pleased to announce the completion and publication of a new devotional book that I've been working on in advance of the 2023 Women's World Cup. The book is entitled, Five Women You Meet in Faith and Football. It is available globally on Amazon. The devotional looks at the lives of the five women that are part of Jesus' genealogy found in the Gospel of Matthew. Each week gives a daily look at one of the visible attributes of these five women and offers a reflection on how this might lead and guide us as we follow Jesus and live out life in this world today. The first week features a look at Tamar. Following on, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and