Three years, nearly to the day, CrossTraining held its annual retreat just before the Colorado Rapids home opening match against the Portland Timbers. CrossTraining team members and board advisors gathered in the mountains to pray and discuss the future of the ministry as the 2011 Major League Soccer season was about to get underway. The time together wrapped up with the game in which the Rapids beat the Timbers 3-1. Last night, driving home after the Rapids won 2-0 against the same Timbers, I reflected on the game, the 2014 retreat that had just wrapped up and the ministry of CrossTraining, with an overwhelming sense of deja vu. In some ways, I wondered just how far CrossTraining had come

Firsts. This season, the Colorado Rapids will encounter many firsts - moments where the team and organization find themselves as never before. For example, 2014 is the first season that the team is being coached by a former player (Pablo Mastroeni). This past Saturday's game was the first point for the new head coach, it was also the first time that two homegrown players started the same match, as well as the first professional start by Goalkeeper John Berner, and more. Many times, the firsts in our lives are memorable for one reason or another - first kiss, first girlfriend, first job, first child, etc. The same is true in terms of our faith - when someone comes to faith in Jesus Christ it

I had the privilege of attending portions of the recent ID camp held for Colorado high school student athletes at Valor Christian High School this past week. The camp was put on to give students and college coaches an opportunity to be observed in hopes of receiving scholarships or invitations for possible openings on college teams. Of the 100-some students and 25- some college coaches participating in the event, there was an air of  anticipation and hope  - perhaps this might be an opportunity to receive an offer from a college to study and play the sport that they had come to love. As I reflected further, I was reminded of the life of Jesus and his own ID'ing that

With this past weekend being Valentine's Day there are plenty of stories of love in the air. From the Colorado Rapids' Drew Moor proposing to his girlfriend and Goalkeeping Coach Chris Sharpe getting married to the Major League Soccer #soccergrams that fans could get creative with - there is much ado about showing love to the people and things that mean the most to us. And, of course, living in a house with 5 women (my wife and 4 daughters) there is a lot of cards and hearts and pink and red. In reflecting, upon this "season of love," I was reminded of the Jesus' interaction with Peter on the shore (John 21:15-17) where he asks Peter the question, Simon son of John,

If you were watching the United States vs. Mexico World Cup Qualifier earlier this year, you could hear the familiar chant begin in the crowd as the game got underway: I Believe...I Believe that...I Believe that we... I Believe that we will win! I Believe that we will win! My daughter was watching part of the game with me and asked me, "Daddy, what are they saying?" I explained to my daughter what the chant was and some of the story behind its origins (which are obscure at best, but may point back to a Navy vs. Air Force football game in 2003). As the night continued and the USMNT went on to win 2-0, I reflected back to the chant