November 15 marks the beginning of Orthodox and Celtic Christian observances of the season of Advent. 40 days before Christmas — likely the sights and sounds of the season are already visible; however, the consumeristic nature of this time of year might have you seeing more than just holiday red. The truth is, we are waiting for more than a present or gift. We await a Messiah, a Savior. It is Jesus Christ, the Lord. During the season, and on the podcast for the next few weeks, we will look at a particular 'hymn' that has helped worshippers prepare for Jesus's arrival. Since the 8th century, the Church has been singing the “O” antiphons. An antiphon is a short sentence

November 15 marks the beginning of Orthodox and Celtic Christian observances of the season of Advent. 40 days before Christmas — likely the sights and sounds of the season are already visible; however, the consumeristic nature of this time of year might have you seeing more than just holiday red. The truth is, we are waiting for more than a present or gift. We await a Messiah, a Savior. It is Jesus Christ, the Lord. During the season, and on the podcast for the next few weeks, we will look at a particular 'hymn' that has helped worshippers prepare for Jesus's arrival. Since the 8th century, the Church has been singing the “O” antiphons. An antiphon is a short sentence

Every year around the middle of November, I talk about Saint Martin. Martin (as you hopefully know) is the patron saint of France and of chaplaincy and it's from his life and story that we understand and see the origins of chaplaincy. In sports and especially in football (soccer), these days, there is more and more attention on "coaching trees." These are a bit of historical record and a tracing of different coaching influence and "family" tree kind of connections. When did a particular philosophy emerge? Who developed a style of play or formation? And whom has been an influencer or had a following and disciples? On today's episode of From the Touchline, I (Rev Brad) take a look at

One year on from our first publication and we've revised and republished our first devotional. Last year, for the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup, Soccer Chaplains United published an 8-week devotional designed to cover Advent and Christmas and the World Cup, all at the same time. The original devotional which is still available on Amazon (and in Spanish and Portuguese) went through some slight revisions to make the book and writing more timeless and more useful for other 8-week periods in a given season. The book title and cover art has been changed. You can find it on Amazon under the title The Light is Coming | A Soccer Devotional. On today's episode of From the Touchline, Rev Brad talks

The 2023 Major League Soccer playoffs begin today with the 8th and 9th seed play-in games and even though Colorado Rapids and the Portland Timbers are out of the playoffs, there is plenty to talk about. Or, at least when you get Ben, Troy, and Brad together — there's stuff to talk about. On today's episode of From the Touchline, the three MLS chaplains talk about some of the highlights from this past season with their teams and the clubs that they serve. Troy Ready takes his first ever shot at Crosses with Rev — and it goes horribly wrong, no thanks to spotty internet in the Pacific Northwest. Ben gets inspired and writes two songs through the power of