040 | Pitch Imperfect

Season 2
Season 2
040 | Pitch Imperfect
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A single question asked of Brad Kenney on a soccer field prompted a 20 plus year calling into sport ministry.  Reverend Brad Kenney is the Chaplain for the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer USA and founder and executive director of Soccer Chaplains United, an organization created to grow sports chaplaincy in soccer communities, including for coaches and officials, in the US and beyond. Through his stories Brad describes the unique work of a sports chaplain at an elite sport level and passes on the humble wisdom he has learned from his mentors and years of faithful practice from the touchline.

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039 | A Unique Take on Christian Women in Sports

Season 2
Season 2
039 | A Unique Take on Christian Women in Sports
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Why would a self-described non-athlete and atheist write a book about Christian women and sports ministry? We put that question to Annie Blazer, an anthropologist of religion and author of Playing for God: Evangelical Women and the Unintended Consequences of Sports Ministry.  Annie shares her story and the sometimes unexpected discoveries of her study.  Annie raises good questions for us all to explore together as we journey forward in sport and faith.

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038 | Sport and Virtue in Brazil

Season 2
Season 2
038 | Sport and Virtue in Brazil
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In a quickly changing world, families and communities need something to rally around, and Brazilian pastor, author, and sport enthusiast Alexandre Borges de Magalhães believes sport has positive a role to play.  Alexandre works at home in Brazil and though his broad connections across numerous countries to draw out the virtues of sport for youth and families.  His rich Christian vision of the integrated human being encourages all of us to play sport to reach human fullness.

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037 | A Team for Every Child

Season 2
Season 2
037 | A Team for Every Child
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Play Like a Champion Today is a youth sport organization that sees great value in sport. The non-profit organization is leading a worldwide effort to promote a youth sports culture of opportunity, fun, and character development for all children. With deep roots in her Catholic faith, former gymnast, Notre Dame football cheerleader, and current PLCT program director Kristin Sheehan articulates the organization’s underlying theology and justice-oriented approach – helping all children to play like and be, a true champion.

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036 | Love Extravagantly – Serve Selflessly

Season 2
Season 2
036 | Love Extravagantly - Serve Selflessly
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Veteran FCA leader and sport team chaplain Roger Lipe recounts how he entered the world of sport ministry with little knowhow, but instead with a love of sport and a genuine desire to love and serve athletes where they are. Now a quarter century later, Roger shares his learned wisdom on a weekly blog to hundreds of sport chaplains around the world and has written 14 books to help mentor the next generation of team chaplains and life coaches. Join us for our chat with Roger, a natural relationship builder with knack for know what to say, and what not to say, when connecting with all types of coaches and athletes.   

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035 | Technique and Spirit on the Ice

Season 2
Season 2
035 | Technique and Spirit on the Ice
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Lace up your skates and join us for pond hockey with Matt Hoven, Professor of Catholic Religious Education at St. Joseph’s College at the University of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada.  When teaching sport and faith, Matt probes far beyond simple connections, choosing instead to thoughtfully dissect both the turmoil and joy that sport has to offer, then reunite them as central practices for individuals and communities. In this episode Matt explains the rituals of religion and sport and how each can uniquely contribute to human flourishing.  Quoting Pope Pius XXII and Father Bauer of hockey coaching fame, Matt urges us to always use technique, but let the Spirit prevail.

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034 | Colombia, Soccer, and Jesus

Season 2
Season 2
034 | Colombia, Soccer, and Jesus
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The famous ESPN 30 for 30 documentary The Two Escobars describes Colombia soccer by its connection to drug cartels, corruption, and violence.  Christian Union Soccer Club founder Marcos Wittig tells his own Colombian soccer story, but with a much better ending.  In this episode Marcos describes how a small soccer club in Colombia grew into a Gospel spreading mission reaching tens of thousands of young soccer players and their families. The amazing story continues today, and Marcos describes it with humility and gratitude, and invites all of us to Colombia to experience it for ourselves.

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033 | The Tracy Hanson Initiative

Season 2
Season 2
033 | The Tracy Hanson Initiative
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Tee it up! Tracy Hanson was a standout NCAA student athlete at San Jose State University and from there played 15 seasons as a professional golfer on the LPGA tour and around the world. After retirement Tracy began to explore the anxiety and unhappiness that plagued her professional life, leading her to come to terms with the harm and abuse she experienced as a child and young athlete.  Tracy’s life story of sport and faith is one of redemption and hope and has led her to a new ministry helping athletes of all sports who have experienced similar trauma. Join us for this inspiring conversation with Tracy!

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032 | Team Player & Congress 2022!

Season 2
Season 2
032 | Team Player & Congress 2022!
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Don’t know much about Dr. Andrew Parker? He calls himself unremarkable, but he’s not. Dr. Parker has traveled a unique path, combining his expertise in criminal justice, research, and sport with a Christian faith driven heart to help the most vulnerable. Beyond his distinguished career studying the sport-faith connection and sport chaplaincy, he’s a wonderfully modest person with great insight. And, he’s got a secret to share!

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031 | Character Building

Season 2
Season 2
031 | Character Building
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When signing children up for sports programs, people always say that “sports build character.” However, it is obvious to those who play and study sports that that character is not always positive. In this episode, Dr. Bolt and Dr. Carlson talk to Andrew Meyer, associate professor at Baylor University, about the character of sport. Andy Meyer’s speciality revolves around the idea of Muscular Christianity and how many athletes, like Lance Armstrong, embody that ideal (or fail to). As Dr. Meyer says, “sport is what you make of it.”

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030 | Faith & Football

Season 1
Season 1
030 | Faith & Football
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What is it about American football? It draws people in and, love it or hate it, can bring a community together. In this episode Dr. Brian Bolt and Dr. Chad Carlson talk about their own experience with the game – from their own participation to analysis of the daily headlines. They also foreshadow an upcoming talk on football set to take place at the 2nd Global Congress on Sport and Christianity. Not only will there be questions of the game itself, but also discussion of what is theologically sound.

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029 | The Divine Commission – Work & Play

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Season 1
029 | The Divine Commission - Work & Play
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As believers we are told to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s a two-fold task to make the world a better place and to praise and celebrate life. In other words, we are asked to work and play. In this episode we will focus on the play part. Dr. Scott Kretchmar, retired professor at Penn State University and one of world’s leading sport philosophers, helps us understand how sport can fit into our Christian worldview. He takes the drama of the game to a whole different level asking some big questions and providing answers on the place and purpose of sport.

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028 | Who is behind your sports news?

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Season 1
028 | Who is behind your sports news?
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We get our sports news in a variety of ways. To get a final score or highlights we quick check social media. For a bit deeper perspective many of us turn on the TV, radio or tune into our favorite podcast. Behind every platform is a person who works long hours to deliver us the facts and perspective we so love to hear. In this episode, Dr. Brian Bolt and Dr. Chad Carlson talk with Bruce Wawrzyniak from Catholic Sport Radio. Wawrzyniak does sports public relations, which means broadcaster but also podcaster, blogger and author. He juggles many sports and shares how delivers the information through a Christian lens.

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027 | Run The Mile You’re In

Season 1
Season 1
027 | Run The Mile You're In
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When Ryan Hall was a kid he hated running. In fact he still doesn’t enjoy it. The irony, Hall is an Olympic athlete and American record holder in the half marathon. At 13-years old he says he felt God was pushing him to run with the best runners in the world. The best part is that he listened. In this episode, Hall talks to Dr. Brian Bolt and Dr. Chad Carlson about the faith behind his running success. Now a coach, speaker and nonprofit partner, Hall also talks about his new book “Run the Mile You’re In: Finding God in Every Step.” Tune in for some guaranteed motivation today.

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026 | You Never Know

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Season 1
026 | You Never Know
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That last bit of energy, focus, or determination you bring to sport contest may just be what makes the difference in the end, but you never know in the moment. Tim Selgo, the athletic director who built the Grand Valley Lakers into the most prominent NCAA Division II athletic program in the United States, tells the story of how he built a culture of competitive greatness, getting his coaches and student athletes ready and able compete with the mindset of “you never know.” With Chad Carlson away on vacation, Calvin University athletic director Jim Timmer joins Brian to dig deep with Tim Selgo about how his faith served as his foundation as a leader in this very competitive environment.

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025 | World Cup Controversy

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Season 1
025 | World Cup Controversy
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All eyes are on the World Cup. When sport is put on an international stage and the world is watching emotions become magnified. There are emotions with winning and losing and with the controversy within. We have seen plenty of controversy watching Team USA (in the recent tournament and with past social and political issues). In this episode Dr. Brian Bolt and Dr. Chad Carlson dig into some of the headlines. From running up the score to penalty kicks they question: Is the media hype surrounding the controversy legitimate or misplaced labels? And in the end, they’ll bring full circle what the answers tell us about ourselves as humans looking for a place in sport.

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024 | The Power to Stand with Chris Norton

Season 1
Season 1
024 | The Power to Stand with Chris Norton
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Chris Norton is known as the college football player who suffered a spinal cord injury during kick-off that nearly took his life. Doctors gave him a 3% chance to move and feel anything below his neck. Now nearly a decade after his injury Norton shares with Dr. Brian Bolt and Dr. Chad Carlson his story — a story of faithfully pushing past life’s challenges. For Norton the victories are walking across a stage to graduate, walking down the aisle with his wife, and learning to live daily with a devastating injury. It’s all chronicled in his new book “The Seven Longest Yards” and we get to hear a bit of his inspiration live!

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023 | A Season for Everything

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Season 1
023 | A Season for Everything
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Life, like sport, has different seasons. In this episode Dr. Bolt and Dr. Carlson look at the rhythms of both life and sport, including the highs and the lows — the joy, intensity, obsession, guilt and much needed rest. All things that must be put in perspective as we check ourselves on identity and priority. And on a side note, they’ll let you in on some big news with the 2nd Global Congress on Sport and Christianity, an event they’re planning for next fall. The speaker line-up is official and there’s a big name, an icon in the world of sport and faith, they want to share with you.

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022 | March Madness Q&A

Season 1
Season 1
022 | March Madness Q&A
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March Madness is here! Dr. Chad Carlson knows more about this topic and time of year than anyone. He’s played and coached college basketball. He’s also written a book called “Making March Madness: The Early Years of the NCAA, NIT, and College Basketball Championships, 1922-1951”. So this podcast is a little different; the duo does a little Q&A putting the expert in the hot seat. They’ll discuss everything from Chad’s basketball game to the history behind the hype of March Madness. Tune in for some fun!

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021 | Righteous Indignation

Season 1
Season 1
021 | Righteous Indignation
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Is there such a thing as righteous indignation, or justified anger, in sport? Justice and anger are complex topics. God made us to have emotion. And while we are called to be slow to anger, the truth is sport can bring out the worse in us. We quickly realize our zeal for justice is very often self-centered. In this episode Dr. Bolt and Dr. Carlson look at scripture and modern-day sport references to examine this topic. You can also read more in their recent article published by Christian Today titled “Leave Your Righteous Indignation on the Field.”

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020 | The Special Olympics Movement

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Season 1
020 | The Special Olympics Movement
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It’s a grassroots movement for the empowerment of people with intellectual disabilities, and it’s growing. Special Olympics has been around for decades. The organization started with sport at its core but is now evolving to include advocacy and unification in a different way. In this episode Tim Hileman, President and CEO of Special Olympics Michigan, joins us for an honest conversation to talk about the next phase for the movement that aims to find gifts for all athletes, together.

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019 | What does it mean to be a good, loyal fan?

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Season 1
019 | What does it mean to be a good, loyal fan?
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Many of us play sport, but even more of us watch. Walk into any stadium, arena or sports bar and you’ll find passionate, sometimes crazy looking, people cheering on their team. Enter Dr. John Acquaviva, professor of exercise science at Wingate University. He’s made a vocation out of connecting sport and virtue. His books and articles focus on body image, but today he takes the virtue angle a different direction – the role of a sport fan. With the help Dr. Bolt and Dr. Carlson, the trio unpacks what it means to be a good, loyal cheerleader for that team we love so much.

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018 | The Football Nun

Season 1
Season 1
018 | The Football Nun
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Sister Rita Clare Yoches knows a thing or two about sports. She played Division I basketball at Detroit Mercy and then landed on the Detroit Demolition, a team part of the (now de-funct) national women’s football association. She said she grew up with a belief in God but wasn’t prepared for a sermon that would change her life. Her testimony is humbling and this football nun, as she’s been coined, takes us inside the life of a modern day convent.

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017 | Why We Care About Sports

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Season 1
017 | Why We Care About Sports
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Sports fans sometimes wonder, “Why do I care?” In this episode, Dr. Art Remillard, professor of religious studies and author of soon to be released Bodies in Motion: A Religious History of Sports in America, offers an answer. The word “fan” comes from the Latin fanaticus, meaning “possessed by a local deity.” Sport helps define our place, often forming a local identity and connection to others. This “possession” is part of the thrill of sports that has the power both to bring out the best in us, and unfortunately, also our worst.

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016 | How to Play for the Glory of God

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016 | How to Play for the Glory of God
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You can talk the talk, but do you walk the walk? In the media we often hear an athlete profess Glory to God. Instantly, we hold them to a higher standard. But what does it really mean to make a faith statement in sport? Brian Smith is author of “The Assist” (book and website) and is on staff with Athletes In Action at University of Wisconsin-Madison. In this episode he talks with Dr. Bolt and Dr. Carlson about the follow-up questions that the media often neglects. Smith challenges that being a Christian athlete means more than just giving your best and making sure God gets the credit. And that’s just scratching the surface!

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015 | Is the church too soft?

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015 | Is the church too soft?
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What does it mean to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength and mind? In this episode we focus on the word “strength” which translates into the physical. Professor Matthew Ruiz from Lipscomb University joins Dr. Brian Bolt and Dr. Chad Carlson to share his perspective on how physical strength and performance can change our perspective in all aspects of our lives. Ruiz, who has consulted with many coaches, athletes, families and sports medicine professionals, dives into scripture to teach on health and being whole—body and soul.

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014 | Wisdom from The Rev. Dr. Joanne Sanders, Stanford University

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Season 1
014 | Wisdom from The Rev. Dr. Joanne Sanders, Stanford University
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Stanford University is known for its high academic standards, but it also boasts one of the most productive athletic department in the country. Student-athletes at this institution must meet high expectations. In this episode, Dr. Bolt and Dr. Carlson talk with one of the minds on the front lines of support for these student-athletes. The Rev. Dr. Joanne Sanders is the Associate Dean of Religious Life and Priest in the Episcopal Church. As a former athlete, coach and educator, Rev. Dr. Sanders takes her years of experience to discuss some of the issues she confronts and addresses on a daily basis.

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013 | Identity of Athletes with Dr. Amber Warners, National Championship Volleyball Coach

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Season 1
013 | Identity of Athletes with Dr. Amber Warners, National Championship Volleyball Coach
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As athletes, specifically student-athletes, it is easy to find your self-worth in a sport. Often, when a God-given ability is showcased at a high level of play that ability becomes what you’re known for. It’s easy to question your identity. In this episode, Dr. Bolt and Dr. Carlson talk with National Championship Volleyball Coach Dr. Amber Warners. She blends her knowledge from the classroom and the court to address real life experiences she walks through with her athletes. It all is a taste of what’s come at the 2nd Global Congress of Sport and Christianity when Dr. Warners presents more on sport and faith!

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012 | Sport Excellence: A Healthy Diversion

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012 | Sport Excellence: A Healthy Diversion
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It’s been a while since Dr. Bolt and Dr. Carlson have met to chat. So, in this episode they catch-up and share some current events (some from their own lives) all sharing an underlying theme – the quest for sport excellence. When done right they look at ways that sport can have moments of redemption and even diversion in our everyday lives. This curative effect can certainly be healthy calling our greater community, and even our opponents, to play alongside us.

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011 | The Pivotal Role of Sports Ministry

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011 | The Pivotal Role of Sports Ministry
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In collegiate and professional sports there are many support roles, people who walk alongside athletes when the camera is off, and life happens. In this episode Dr. Brian Bolt and Dr. Chad Carlson speak with special guest Bill Houston, a sports chaplain who works for Our Daily Bread Ministries and the NBA G League. Houston says the job is about building authentic, Christ centered relationships. It’s easier said than done when you work in a secular scene. What you’ll hear in this conversation is how pivotal the work is in changing lives.

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010 | The Dog Days of Summer (and Sport)

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010 | The Dog Days of Summer (and Sport)
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Sport, like life, has seasons. All seasons hit a low, a grind, a monotonous time that athletes and coaches must push through. We specifically feel it now in the summer. However, when we chose to play sport we are fully aware that we are entering a two-sided agreement: we will have highs and lows, we will win and lose. Sport is a beautiful analogy of our walk with Christ. Regardless of the final score, we are gifted the ability to play again tomorrow, to work and improve. This episode will encourage you to push through the challenges you face today.

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009 | Realistic Expectations of Youth Sports

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009 | Realistic Expectations of Youth Sports
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The rise of youth sports in today’s culture is a complex topic. Organized sports provides a different sort of opportunity for young kids. It also comes with a price tag—literal and figurative. In this episode Dr. Brian Bolt and Dr. Chad Carlson focus in on one specific question from a listener regarding expectations of practice for young athletes. They challenge parents to find the source of their child’s passion. Is it the sport itself or the outcomes? And, they walk us through the process of nurturing self-directed play and discipline without pressure, all to encourage us to help our kids fall in love with the activity, not the reward.

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008 | Vice & Virtue in Sport: Why do we really play?

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Season 1
008 | Vice & Virtue in Sport: Why do we really play?
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There are many outcomes of sport. Does sport build character? Reveal it? Should we evaluate actions by athletes differently in a sport environment than in our walk around world? Dr. Brian Bolt and Dr. Chad Carlson reflect on these things while discussing the rescue of the youth soccer team in Thailand and the World Cup. They challenge us to unpack the details and context of a specific sport before we arrive at a conclusion of what is good and what is bad. And in the end, give ourselves a gut check on the main question of intent—the questions of how of why we play.

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007 | Celebrating ESPN’s 2018 Body Issue

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007 | Celebrating ESPN's 2018 Body Issue
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A photo of a naked body can make us marvel yet feel uncomfortable at the same time. This week is the 10-year anniversary of the Body Issue, an edition of ESPN The Magazine that features top athletes in nude photographs. It’s often compared to the Sports Illustrated annual Swimsuit Issue, and frankly because of that the conversation stops quickly. But is there more here that we as Christians should talk about? God created us whole, body and soul. Can we celebrate extraordinarily athletic bodies, the disciple to build them, and the vulnerability to share them — all with a certain lens of discernment? There’s much more to hear. Tune in.

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006 | Christian Perspectives in Sport

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006 | Christian Perspectives in Sport
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Listen to the PhDs play a little philosophical game of tackling different perspectives in sport, perspectives that claim Christianity as its vehicle to approach the game. It’s a big topic, but an important one as we look at our motives of connecting sport and faith in our everyday lives. Dr. Brian Bolt puts Dr. Chad Carlson on the spot and asks him to dissect some basic ideas we see in culture, like a Bible verse above a locker room, and draw some conclusions on how these ideas impact us as believers and athletes.

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005 | Overcoming Obstacles & The Stories That Lie Within

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005 | Overcoming Obstacles & The Stories That Lie Within
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004 | The Rivalry

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Season 1
004 | The Rivalry
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003 | March Madness & The Masters: Does God Care Who Wins?

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003 | March Madness & The Masters: Does God Care Who Wins?
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002 | The 2nd Global Congress On Sport And Christianity

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Season 1
002 | The 2nd Global Congress On Sport And Christianity
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001 | The Evolution Of Dig Deep: Sport, Faith, Life

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Season 1
001 | The Evolution Of Dig Deep: Sport, Faith, Life
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