From The Touchline - Soccer Chaplains United

In football, soccer, many fans whose favorite teams are in the throes of relegation and promotion or playoffs, have their hopes dashed and come crashing to the ground. When the team doesn’t have a good season, there are consequences for going down into an inferior tier of soccer. When a team doesn’t produce any winners […]

The post Lessons from Lasso — It’s The Hope That Kills You first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.

There’s actually a number of reasons for Roy Kent to struggle to love Coach Ted Lasso. And maybe this is even the case for some of us when it comes to loving God. There’s likely things that have happened to us in life. There are hard things that God asks us to do. These are […]

The post Lessons from Lasso — Hard to Love You first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.

Ritual is rare in the Western culture and context and while there are things that are unique and specific to football, not even in the Beautiful Game are many times where rites of passage are happening, or are happening well. In today’s Lesson From Lasso, we look at Nate ascending from kit-man or clubhouse attendant […]

The post Lessons from Lasso — Rites of Passage first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.

It’s Holy Week, and in years past I’ve spoken on the podcast about “Spy Wednesday” and the devious and dubious work of Judas to set up the betrayal of Jesus. But this year, I want to give a different view to the day/night and see what is happening to Jesus. In fact, this particular moment […]

The post Anointing Jesus first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.

Who doesn’t love a good victory parade? The music, the ticker tape, all of it — no matter the sport, fans and followers seem to enjoy celebrating alongside their sports heroes a good victory. In soccer, the same is true. But for Christians, as we approach this upcoming Sunday (Palm Sunday), it’s a victory celebration that […]

The post Triumphal Processions first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.

Is the chaplain a team’s good-luck charm? Does the chaplain somehow have some “direct-line connection” to God? What happens when both teams have a chaplain? What happens when the other team doesn’t have a chaplain and they win? What does this say about the chaplain, the team, or about God? We start off the pod […]

The post Superstition first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.

Last week, Major League Soccer (MLS) kicked off — this week, most teams that were on the road are hosting their first home match for 2024. The same is true for the Colorado Rapids (my club) and in today’s podcast, I reflect a little bit on the theme and idea of home. A few years […]

The post The Blessing of Home first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.

As a volunteer chaplain entering my 23rd season with the Colorado Rapids, I have come to find an important rhythm to start a season. You might find it strange, but Deuteronomy 20 has become, for me, an important reference point as I bless athletes, coaches, and others involved in the Beautiful Game. If you’re not […]

The post A Season Blessing For A Season Opening first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.

It’s a curious pairing that doesn’t happen very often, but this year Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day occur on the same day. For 2024, February 14th will commingle Christian themes of repentance of sin with expressions of love and this may not be as strange together as it might seem at first! If you don’t […]

The post Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.

One of the biggest issues faced by elite footballers is the issue of identity. So much time and energy and investment — emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually — goes into the sport, that it can be difficult when our status or position in the game changes or comes to an end. In today’s Lesson From […]

The post Lessons from Lasso — Identity first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.

There will always come a point when we need to have a tough conversation with someone. How do we have the “tough talks” and the “courageous conversations” with people? How do we enter into a place with people where we can bring our best even when they are faced with their worst? In today’s Lesson […]

The post Lessons from Lasso — Tough Talks first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.

Forgiveness. It’s massive when we receive forgiveness for something we’ve said or something that we’ve done. It can be like a massive weight comes off of our proverbial shoulders. But how many times should we forgive a person? Once, twice, seven times? In today’s Lesson From Lasso, we quickly examine a parable that Jesus told […]

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Often times we confuse a simple apology with repentance. Repentance though is a process, a journey. It involves a “re-orienting” of one’s posture and position and going in the opposite (and right) direction. We see Rebecca make the long trek from her upstairs owner’s office to Ted’s coaching office to begin the process of apologizing […]

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In today’s Lesson from Lasso, we look at the work of Kili and Higgins to help Rebecca see that she needs to change. Higgins ends up quitting on the team and leaving his job. Kili, though, hard presses Rebecca to come clean to Ted Lasso. Kili’s posture and push of Rebecca is commendable and a […]

The post Lessons from Lasso — Turning Others Around first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.

In today’s Lesson from Lasso, I take a look at the issue of revenge. Rebecca, owner of AFC Richmond, is continually seeking the demise of her ex-husbands’ beloved club. However, she never seems satisfied or fulfilled with all her attempts and it is eating away at her and destroying others. In this lesson, I take […]

The post Lessons from Lasso — Revenge first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.

Our final Advent antiphon and our last podcast for the year. O come, O come, Emmanuel — “God with us” is the title and name. First used by Isaiah as he attempts to encourage a king who was faced with pressure for all sides. Emmanuel is now a title that Christians associate with Jesus, as Messiah, […]

The post The Advent Antiphons — O come, O come, Emmanuel… first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.

Christmas is almost here, just a few days remain. Today, we listen and reflect on the sixth and next to last antiphon: O come, Desire of nations… This title for the Messiah, for Jesus, begs the question: is he really the Desire of the nations? We look at the words of Haggai the prophet to […]

The post The Advent Antiphons — O come, Desire of nations first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.

This week, we can sense and feel that Christmas is drawing nearer. As listen and reflect on the fifth antiphon: O come, thou Daysprings, come and cheer… we look at this unique title that is given to Jesus through the words of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. On the podcast during this season […]

The post The Advent Antiphons — O come thou Dayspring, come and cheer… first appeared on Soccer Chaplains United.