The evangelist, D.L. Moody once said, "Character is what you are in the dark." Who are we when no one is looking? Who are we when no one is around? Perhaps, for the professional athlete, this question seems irrelevant - much of the professional life is spent in front of cameras, events and comments are captured by smartphones, minutia is tweeted, facebooked, instagrammed and more.  Is there any dark in an athletes' life? Is there any moment when the crowds or coaches, family or friends aren't watching? Well, regardless if we are professional athletes or have another vocational capacity there are no moments when we are ever truly alone or unseen. Proverbs 15:3 tells us, The eyes of the LORD are everywhere,

Through the course of my life's work, there have been many moments in which I have been confronted with death. Perhaps this has made me more melancholy as I age; however, there is for me a realization that many of these places - difficult as they may be, are sacred spaces or "thin places" as the Celtic people use to call them. Thin places were those places where heaven and earth seemed to touch - there is a solemnity to many of these moments and sometimes there is a strange sense of relief, even joy for those that are present when someone they love dies. In more recent years, there have been several babies and young children whom I have

If you are part of the CrossTraining or Colorado Rapids community, we have been praying for a former player and his wife and their three children that were recently born. Today, one of the babies, a girl, died from complications. The other two are clinging to life in the neonatal unit and there are many prayers that are being said on their behalf and for this husband and wife. For my own family, we have wept tears in knowing that this couple have lost a child. In these times, as people of faith, we are confronted with the question of, What do we do with the enigma of unanswered prayers? For some, unanswered prayers can become a breaking point of one's

The Colorado Rapids latest loss on Saturday meant the longest slump of the season with three losses in the last three games, and only one win in the last seven. While not the longest losing streak in recent times (a six game stretch during 2012), it comes at a difficult point in time for the team during this season with many difficult opponents yet to play. Slumps are not uncommon in sports - every athlete in every sport can slump at any time and sometimes it is difficult to get back into a winning or successful rhythm. Many athletes and organizations put a lot of time, money, research, and energy into overcoming the droughts that come in performance-oriented environments. But

I recently had the privilege to take in the Manchester United vs. AS Roma match that was held in Denver, CO as part of the Guinness International Champions Cup held in the summer of 2014 through the United States. It was a chance to see, up close, some of the world's best teams and best players. As an addition to this past summer's World Cup, it made for a wonderful summer-filled with soccer. For me, part of the joy was to be able to share the game with my oldest daughter, Brianna (pictured below). Now, to be honest, my daughter is still probably more excited about getting Dippin' Dots at the game than seeing the likes of Wayne Rooney score