A few months ago, the Colorado Rapids team and organization was shaken terribly. The loss of one of our children at a tender and young age - made all close to the family pause and think - about life, about death, about cherishing what we have been given, and more. It was not the first loss in the history of the organization, but perhaps was the most difficult in my time and experience as the club chaplain. The service that was held at the stadium was the first of its kind - a section of the stadium transformed so that this group, this family could gather and grieve. In the world of professional sport we are rarely confronted with

Last weekend, the Colorado Rapids season home opener was postponed one day for snow. The build up to the storm had a flurry of comments from sports writers and fans - many proudly encouraging a good showing to the club's opening game despite the inclement weather. Visions of players slipping and sliding, nicknaming the stadium as a type of "snow fortress," fans singing full-voice in blizzard-like conditions, and playing with the dreaded "orange ball" (which still has never made an appearance in Major League Soccer) reminiscent of youth soccer games of long-ago filled the Twitterverse and Facebook status updates nearly non-stop until the club finally announced the postponement of the game to the following day. The storm did leave some

If you went away a couple years ago, from Major League Soccer, and came back just yesterday, you might be surprised at the new look uniforms that many teams are now wearing. The Colorado Rapids (the team I chaplain) have a new kit look (see below), but not only is the look new on the outside, but on the inside as well. There has been a tremendous amount of turnover in the player personnel from two seasons ago and as some have declared, this is truly a different team, one that second-year head coach, Oscar Pareja, can truly call his own. New beginnings, while not always easy in football or life, are often necessary. Living in a digital age, most

As I recently watch a road game for the Colorado Rapids, the team was working to come from behind. Down 1 goal to 2, the team was struggling to avoid a record 10-game road stretch without a point (either a win or tie). Then in the 86th minute, with little left in the time of the game it happened: Rapids' Smith Goal As I watched the game-changing event unfold, I thought, "Good finish" and told the team as much in my weekly e-mail to them. That phrase (common amongst soccer fans) though made me stop and reflect on what it means and what it looks like to finish well. Not just by putting the ball in the back of the net on

No, the post title isn't a typo. For the past three seasons, Wells Thompson has played as a midfielder for the Colorado Rapids. But Thompson is not so much known for his on the field contributions (75 appearances, 40 starts, 5 goals, 4 assists), but for his work in the community and with fans. Vocal about his faith in Jesus Christ, Thompson was a player who was a regular at the team bible study (or CoreTraining) and also in living out his faith. He was the kind of person to take extra time to pack up team lunch leftovers and distribute it to the homeless living near the stadium. He made visits to the local rescue mission to play soccer