At the recent 2015 NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) Convention in Philadelphia, I was waiting in Starbucks for a meeting when I overheard a woman ask a friend to make introductions with a potential employer and influencer in the game. "Maybe if you could just introduce me," she suggested, "it could open the door for me." She was hopeful that her friend had enough influence and rapport to get an opportunity or an audience. As I reflected on the woman's hopeful tone, I realized my own meeting was about an introduction - waiting to meet someone in the new USL-Pro franchise for Charlotte, the Charlotte Independence. I was, too, hopeful for good introductions and the beginning of a trusting

The maelstrom of fan discontent surrounding the recent firing of popular, Red Bulls Head Coach Mike Petke is enough to have team executives call a town hall meeting to try and placate season ticket holders. Major League Soccer contributor Dan Itel, in his The Sideline blog, on Thursday, noted the outpouring of fan support - including a fundraising campaign to purchase billboard signage to express fan disapproval with the firing. Pundits will argue about the seeming waywardness of the move for who knows how long. The New York, New Jersey soccer club has been besieged with a history of poor decision making and the sacking of successful, popular coaches as this fan blog mentions; and, until recently, this club has been somewhat of a

It's a new year and with a new year, come new resolutions - whether a goal to lose weight, spend more time with family, become a better soccer player, or to win a championship - all sorts of things make our initial list to try and "resolve." For the Colorado Rapids, they have some new year resolutions on the field and off the field. And, even for this Rev, there are a few "resolutions" that I have been considering myself. To be honest, though, I am not a big believer in making annual resolutions - unless they have some "SMART"-ness to them; SMART standing for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. New Year, New Resolutions Out of Control? Of course, sometimes we

As a chaplain and minister, much of how I see and understand the world relates to Divine Providence, sometimes known in theological circles as the sovereignty of God. It happens when someone loses their job, only to find a better one some time later. It happens when a player is out of contract, but ends up discovering an opportunity that otherwise would not have been open to them. It can occur when one substitution on the pitch provides the game-winning goal or assist. The sovereignty of God has long been the subject of debate (amongst Christians) - not so much whether God is sovereign, but to what extent does His sovereignty extend into the affairs of humankind? Divine Providence or Human

We discover the shepherds of Advent in Luke 2:8-20. You will recall that Advent has to do with waiting; Advent has to do with living in expectancy. And, as the shepherds of Advent journey to the creche at Christmas their hearts are filled with awe and wonder. The shepherd's story has long captured the imagination of many throughout the years - whether in church Christmas plays and dramas with young kids hitting each other with paper staffs or in the professionally-made films and productions with robed and burly-looking men playing the part. Who were these men, these boys (perhaps), who were visited by an angelic messenger, serenaded by a host of angels, and sent on their way to discover a baby in a