Today on the From the Touchline podcast, I offer some final thoughts on the 4th Global Congress on Sport and Christianity in Waco, Texas which happened at the beginning of August. It was my fourth congress and I share some of my favorite highlights, a view toward where sports and soccer chaplaincy may be headed […]
Today on the From the Touchline podcast, I am joined by our very own, Kim Beach, affectionately known as Miss Kim. Kim is chaplain to Victory Christian High School in Indiana and also to the newly developed Warehouse — a place where athletes can go and be trained and discipled. Miss Kim attended the 4th […]
Today on the From the Touchline podcast, I am joined by good friend and the long-time chaplain/character coach for Southern Illinois University Salukis, Roger Lipe. Roger recently received the Sport.Faith.Life lifetime achievement award at the 4th Global Congress on Sport and Christianity held in Waco, Texas. He is prolific author (16 books) and a long-time […]
The 4th Global Congress on Sport and Christianity held last week at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary was epic. A great time. Many old friendship revisited. Some new friendships formed. A lot of thoughtful presentations. I am still trying to process it all. In today’s edition of From the Touchline, I share the audio recording from […]
Psalm 126 is another song of ascent. It was a journey song — for those who were coming to worship at the temple. It recalls a time of deprivation and exile and the return of a peoples to their land and the worship of God praising His goodness to them. In many ways, it can feel […]
David in Psalm 12 is describing the trustworthy and true nature of God in spite of all the faithlessness and falseness around him. It’s the difference between flattery and flawlessness. People being liars and God being a protector of the vulnerable. I wrote Soccer Psalm 12 as an appeal to God as the Ultimate Referee. […]
Psalm 8 is a proud boast about God. He is majestic. The work that He has done that is visibly expressed in creation and the way that God considers mankind is mind-blowing to David the psalmist. Perhaps young David has written this while sleeping out underneath the stars and watching over his flocks of sheep. […]
Psalm 7 is a shiggaion, but what that truly is isn’t certain to scholars. Best we can say is that it might be a contextual note like “play with a bluesy feel…” We do know that David (the psalmist) has taken a pretty difficult accusation and it seems that it’s unfair or unjust and he’s […]
Psalm 3 is a cry, a plea to God for help. David wrote it as he flees his son Absalom who was overthrowing the throne. David feels surrounded — like there’s no way out. The Soccer Psalm 3 is also written from a similar perspective — a player who’s been severely criticized. The media pundits […]
It may be a little “late to the game,” but after listening to the ongoing dialogue and controversy surrounding the United States Men’s National Team, I am going to break some silence. I think the Bible has some wisdom and guidance to offer as we consider the question of whether some players ought to press […]
Israel’s first military test and battle coming on the heels of their escape from Egypt could have been disastrous, but God intervened. Exodus 17 records their first military test after a bit of a struggle for water in the desert. They won through the presence and power of God and the obedience of Moses in […]
Injuries are common place in sports, especially in professional soccer. I recently sat with an athlete before surgery and it got me thinking back to the various surgery centers, hospitals, and other clinics where I have been present with people before this often difficult moment in one’s career. Whether it’s the waiting room of a […]
Well, I recently moved office. It didn’t take long—two-three trips to move a couple miles away— but I was certainly in a funk. I don’t like change. Moving is hard (for me), even if it’s just a short ways away. It’s likely more to do with change or dealing with the unexpected. It begs the […]
This is the last in our series on mental health that we’ve been talking about through the month of May. How can one’s faith inform and help heal and sustain our mental health challenges and struggles? The story of Jesus encountering two disciples on the road to Emmaus, found in Luke 24:13-36, is a story […]
May is mental health awareness month. Mental health is an important issue in sports and especially elite level soccer. As a chaplain, I believe that Christian faith can help with mental health challenges and struggles, but I think sometimes we don’t understand or see the different stories and tools and resources that are needed or […]
May is usually carries an emphasis on mental health. Mental health is a massive issue in professional sports, especially soccer. So, as a chaplain, I have been asking, “how can we integrate more of our Christian faith so that it helps with our mental health?” I think certain texts in the Bible stand out to […]
I have podcasted before on The Emmaus Road as a biblical text that helps us to make sense of grief, but as Luke 24:13-35 is one of my favorite texts, it has grown on me a bit more with some new and different insights and I wanted to revisit it again during this month of […]
Psalm 137 is one of those parts of the Bible that can make someone cringe if we don’t look deeper into the text and historical context…known as an “imprecatory psalm” is calls about a curse for a particular city and its people. Can we do that as Christians? It’s a little bit longer of a […]
Psalm 134 is a song that would have been sung by worshippers as they were leaving the temple in Jerusalem and are blessing the Levite workers who remain there readying the temple for the next day. In the Soccer Psalm version from my recent book, I’ve imagined Psalm 134 to come out like a song […]
Today, on the podcast, we look at Psalm 22 in both the Bible and the Soccer Psalm from my recent book. Psalm 22 is the most-oft quoted psalm in the New Testament. All four Gospel writers talk of Jesus saying the opening lines from the cross. The psalm gives language to a person who feels […]