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So, one of the more interesting parts of Costa Rica and our time there was seeing the many different animals in the wild. Not usual for someone from Colorado! Sleeping bats in the morning hut where we did devotions. Monkeys dropping mangos on to cars in the hotel parking lot to break them open for a mid-morning snack. Gila monsters crossing the road. Gecko lizards in the luggage and more! One of my favorite moments was seeing a stick bug who had found one of our green walls to have a similar color to a tree. Such a small and fragile feeling creature. An amazing wonder and complement to God's created world. I literally thought a small twig or branch

Driving through some of the towns and villages in Costa Rica, it was amazing to see some things which stood out. Namely, the cancha fields. Here in the midst of tin roof buildings on the side of a road would be a beautiful turf field with lights and netting. "Cancha" in Spanish means court. The small-sided field would host a 5 v. 5 match. Games were fast-paced. The ball, more like a futsal ball, had less bounce and a softer feel. (I know because one hit my face!) After several hours at the work site, our Valor Discovery Team made up of members of the boys and girls soccer team at Valor Christian High School would play small-sided games against

Today is Spy Wednesday, a curious name for this special day in the middle of Holy Week. Rev Brad reflects on the background of Spy Wednesday and how it can be a realization of hope — even for those of us who feel as though we have no hope. Inquiries and feedback can be sent to podcast@soccerchaplainsunited.org. 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. Check out the Soccer Chaplains United App and go to the Media section. Under podcasts you will see a new podcast for 3/28/2018 entitled "Spy Wednesday - There is Hope." If you don't have the app yet, you can

The third stop over on my recent 10-day business trip was in Costa Rica. The Valor Boys and Girls Soccer Teams had a Discovery Trip. Discovery is a program through Valor Christian High School that gives students experiences serving others around the world. This particular trip combined members from the boys and girl's teams. The students and leaders worked during the day to build two homes. After a short break in the afternoon, the students would then dress and get ready to play small-sided soccer games against local Ticos (Costa Ricans) or to host soccer camps and clinics for children in the different towns and villages. As the chaplain for the boys soccer team, one of my roles on the

During my recent 10-day trip, Charlotte, NC and spending some time with our chaplain to the Charlotte Independence was high on my priority list. Last year, Gustavo Bentos took over the chaplaincy while we were still operating under our former name. With some personal and professional challenges arising, it was difficult for Gustavo to really invest the time into the team during the latter part of 2017. At a meal with Independence representatives, part of my own and Gustavo's understanding was focused on how we might serve the team better this year. A transition to a new stadium venue in Matthews, NC and the moving of office space along with a new ownership represented changes on the Independence side that might

The second part of my trip included meetings in Charlotte. The International Sports Chaplaincy Federation had a second summit, again hosted by Cede Network at the Joe Gibbs Racing Center. The summit took place over the course of a couple of days and much was accomplished toward creating and defining chaplaincy standards in sport around the world. I was privileged to be part of last year's summit and again invited to contribute to this year. Amongst some of the moments, the group adopted the name Global Sports Chaplaincy Association as a way of moving forward and starting to reach out in the development of chaplaincy across different countries and continents. My own contribution includes helping serve on the training