A Blessing for Football Work

For many years, I struggled with some of the derision for the work and the environment of soccer where my work gets played out as a volunteer chaplain. I was the only one, either, as some athletes and coaches had friends and family who would comment — when will you grow up? when will you get a real job? I think a commonly shared desire amongst people is that we can know and feel confident that our work is worthy, that our work is needed and valued or valuable. When we don’t feel those things we tend to move on to find something more fulfilling and something that can wake us up in the morning and get us out of bed. Today, on the podcast, I talk about a bit of my own journey at coming to grips with seeing my volunteer chaplaincy work in soccer as a place that God has called me to. I share the words of Presbyterian minister and author, Frederick Buechner, and his definition of “vocation” as a possible start point for the one who is considering the question of calling and our work. I end the pod with an adapted blessing for the work of football (soccer). From the Touchline is a short-feature (10-15 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer). Also, don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccrChapUtd, in the Apple and Google store.