Soccer can be quite a violent sport. It really can. Of course most of the real violence, like killing people, is left to the fans. But women’s soccer? Yep, on the field at least, it can be even more violent. If you’ve not seen these highlights of New Mexico defender Elizabeth Lambert, whose smile belies her aggressive play, click here. This is quite amazing. Sometimes I wish I would have had the talent to play college sports. But then I watch this video and am thankful I didn’t; I’m sure this would have been me instead on SportsCenter.

Well the Yankees won another world series. I guess it had been a few years. But when you go out in the off season and spend nearly 450 million dollars, you OUGHT to win. Players on a team like that ought to feel a little weird. It’s kind of like a guy playing basketball against a girl. If he wins, he really can’t feel all that proud of himself; he ought to have won. No glory in that. And if he loses, wow, he lost to a girl; that’s worse than just losing. With no real pride and the possibility of deep shame, it’s really a no-win/break-even situation. I think it would feel a little weird suiting up in the New York pin-stripes. Go Rays.

Well the Bucs are now the only team without a win, and at (0-7), I’m liking their chances to be the only team to go winless besides the Detroit Lions last year (0-16) and themselves during their inaugural season in 1976 (0-14). The only hope, if you can call it hope, is that they are starting their 1st round draft pick Josh “soul-glow” Freeman this Sunday against the old rival Green Bay Packers. The main problem with this situation is that Freeman isn’t good. He wasn’t very good in college, and that tends to not bode well for a good pro-career. Usually it works that way.

But the other problem is for the head coach and general manager. They have bet their future, perhaps their very future in coaching and general managing, on one man: Freeman. If he succeeds, they will have jobs for a while. If he fails, they will be out of a job. Perhaps this year, or perhaps next year. Their fate is forever linked with his.

This is reminds me of a term theologians call “union with Christ.” In a nutshell, our past, present, and future are so tied to Christ, that his life, death, and resurrection in someway become our life, death, and resurrection. He died on the cross, so our sins were nailed with him on that cross (Col 2:13). He bodily rose from the dead, so that we will one day bodily rise from the grave (I Cor 15). His death and resurrection also means that presently, we have died to sin, and now no longer are slaves to sin (Romans 6). We struggle, but we are free from slavery. We Christians who are in Union with Christ, are freemen and free-women.

Now when it comes to Josh Freeman, I think the coach and GM are slaves to failure. I’d definitely be worried about being “in union” with Josh Freeman. Fortunately the one who is in union with Christ, has no insecurity. For Christ has already succeeded and we can presently live in that victory. If only I/we would believe this more!