July 2026 newsletter

 

June 2026 Newsletter - rogerlipe.com

 

Zoominar re: Sports Chaplaincy in Professional Sport

 A new Zoominar for Sports Chaplains has just been posted at - https://youtu.be/z6LAzzPO_z8

This video shares best practices for those serving in professional sport. Our guest, Bill Rader, served both​ the Denver Broncos of the NFL and ​Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball for many years.

Updated Resources page on rogerlipe.com

 The resources page on rogerlipe.com has been updated with a long list of numerous reflections, Bible studies, discussions, and other tools for your ministry in sport. 

Stop by https://rogerlipe.com/resources/ and take a look. If any of these interest you, please email me and I will send you the document free of charge. 

May 2026 Ministry Newsletter

 

Resources page on line at rogerlipe.com

 The Resources page of https://rogerlipe.com/ is now active!

Please stop by to access links to blogs, colleagues’ websites, podcasts, and published resources for life in sport and ministry.

Outstanding Podcast - give it a listen.

Please, I am begging you, set aside 39 minutes to listen to this podcast featuring my friend and colleague, Rev. Dr. John Ashley Null.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sport-faith-life/id1380516650?i=1000766511262

This is of immense value to everyone in the world of competitive sport.

Discussions with Coaches

 During a recent conversation with a colleague, I mentioned that sports chaplains and character coaches usually want to engage coaches with coaches like those suggested by Joe Ehrmann. "Why do you coach? Why do you coach the way you do? What does it feel like to be coached by you? How do you define and measure success?" Those are certainly questions I want to ask coaches to contemplate and discuss. The problem is, that presupposes they are ready to engage at that level of discussion. Many, if not most, are not.

Rather than simply wait for coaches to express such hunger for growth, I suggested to my colleague a few precursor questions leading toward deeper discussions in the future. Like most communication, speaking with coaches goes best when we start where they are and work to advance the discussion toward their hearts.

Let's think about questions for talking with coaches on three levels: 1 - Facts and Stories. 2 - Values and Opinions. 3 - Heart and Soul. Let's leave the Heart and Soul questions as Coach Ehrmann's listed above. I will offer a few questions for levels 1 and 2 in the following paragraphs.

1 - Facts and Stories. Most anyone will answer questions like these, if you phrase brief questions seeking brief answers. "Who was one of the best coaches you played for or coached with? Tell me about him/her." "Across your years of coaching, what has made for the best players (parents of players, assistant coaches...)?" "What have been some of your most rewarding moments in coaching this sport?" Enabling people to tell their stories can reveal a good deal about their values and approach to sport and coaching. Ask about people, situations, and experiences.

2 - Values and Opinions. If the coach has been forthcoming about level 1 information, and if you have time to talk more, transition to asking a follow up question. "Why was it about that coach you respected so highly?" "Why are those qualities in players  (parents of players, assistant coaches...) so important to you?" "How have those rewarding moments shaped how you coach?" Ask about values, opinions, and significance.

3 - Heart and Soul. Getting to this level of discussion may happen quickly, but probably will not. It could take weeks, months, or years to arrive. "Why do you coach? Why do you coach the way you do? What does it feel like to be coached by you? How do you define and measure success?" Ask about these most consequential, impactful, and transformational matters of the heart and soul.

When we engage coaches in these sorts of discussions, it deepens our relationships with them, it shapes how they coach, and it can enrich their lives immediately and eternally. 

April, 2026 newsletter for rogerlipe.com

 

rogerlipe.com is active!

Friends and colleagues,

A new ministry initiative is being launched today, https://rogerlipe.com/ is now live and I am ready to serve. In the months since my retirement and my wife’s passing, I have been contemplating how I could best fulfill my calling from God through this next season of life. The paragraphs below communicate my game plan.





Sporting organizations and Sports ministries, worldwide, are suffering from a tremendous “brain drain.” The Baby Boom generation is rapidly retiring and leaving the organizations with a deficit of senior leadership. As they depart, much of their organizational history, values, and wisdom for making decisions leaves with them. Further, these senior leaders become unavailable to the new generation of leaders due to relocation or disconnection.

I am making myself available to serve sports organizations and sports ministries as a trainer, a mentor, or a coach, in the USA and anywhere else in the world.In Training, I serve by leading curriculum driven presentations of information and development experiences.
In Mentoring, I serve by lending my expertise and experience to those being served.
In Coaching, I serve by leading growth through asking skillful questions of the one being served.

Please log onto https://rogerlipe.com/ for more information.

Background: Widower, father, and grandfather
Over thirty years of ministry in sport experience:

o 4 years as Character Coach Director with Nations of Coaches

o 27 years with Fellowship of Christian Athletes

o 8 seasons serving professional baseball with Baseball Chapel

o 31 years as Sports Chaplain or Character Coach to coaches and teams at Southern Illinois University in CarbondaleAuthor of sixteen books for ministry in sport
Trainer, mentor, and conference speaker on six continents of the world
Presenter at each of the four Global Congresses on Sport and Christianity
Blogger and YouTube content developer

Areas of Service:Sports Chaplaincy Training & Development (individuals & organizations)
Sports Ministry Leader Mentoring and Coaching
Ministry with Coaches (strategies & resources)
Team Culture Development (strategies & resources)
Team Leadership Development (strategies & resources)

Please contact me if I can be of service to you. My contact information is below.

Sport and Ministry

Training / Mentoring / Coaching

Roger D. Lipe

https://rogerlipe.com/

roger@rogerlipe.com      

 Mobile – 618.559.2735      

 X - @RogerDLipe

Becoming Undone Podcast

I was recently a guest on the Becoming Undone podcast with my friend and colleague, Dr. Toby Brooks of Baylor University.

Here's a link to our candid discussion of the changes I've experienced across the last fourteen months.

https://undonepodcast.com/ep152/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQsBt5leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFqVm9saFQ2MFNJdmVTbFozc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpiX8xPVx4nCYTxb0gCNK8Akj4TPxDfapZqH-bou55jCZqqwjxigQwFkf5ae_aem_DUtxiA-_aXB9zmyB61nAQQ

By the way, this is an excellent podcast to which one can subscribe.

"Coach Said..."

I was recently privileged to be a guest on this show with the Coaches Ministry Director in Jacksonville, Florida, USA.

We both strongly believe in the influence of coaches with those they coach, with whom they coach, and with all those surrounding teams.

https://dailynewsnetwork.com/2026/shows/making-difference/making-a-difference-with-roger-lipe/?sessionId=37c6fed4-a05b-431d-8391-1dbd5788a01c&trigger_link=kMc2cIMbIdr1LkKPKFUs&fbclid=IwY2xjawQsCQ1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEed8J8NtP_EAqkIAfToAjm5msSGWZHMgQ6zN7yvEEDH0sTw5AJc8WZjtWGAy4_aem_l1IM3dzVWenx5y9q8-kg8w

Reflections from the Front Lines of a Cancer Battle

 My wife’s cancer battle consumed the first six months of 2025. It ultimately ended her life on earth, much too soon, and much too painfully. Throughout those months, I was alternately locked in the battle and trying to maintain an equilibrium to our lifestyle. As the weeks, appointments with doctors, treatments, emergency room visits, surgeries, and sleepless nights mounted, I became reflective and tried to make sense of what I was experiencing.

Writing reflections in the notes app of my mobile phone became a helpful way of processing all my heart and mind were experiencing. Below are those reflections. They are often raw, vulnerable, and gut-level honest. Later in the process, after the urgency of things had subsided, I began sitting with my laptop to write the narrative of our experience. I certainly have a long way to go in my grieving and mourning process.

Below, please find the link to a pdf of these reflections. I hope they are of some value to you, or to others who are experiencing disease, loss, grief, or mourning.  

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2jzmx9t7d4xea03cshcrl/Reflections-from-the-Front-Lines-of-a-Cancer-Battle.pdf?rlkey=hf1a6if0k725d9qh0pzrjxyor&dl=0

Reflections, Issue Discussions, and Bible Studies for People of Sport.

For the last thirty years or so, I have been writing Bible studies, reflections, and topical discussions for people in sport. All along the way, I have made them available at no cost to people on social media. I have been very pleased to provide them for my friends and colleagues. 

Recently, I gathered all that material, 221 pages of it, into one pdf file. It is available and you are free to use it as you will in your ministry. Simply email me at lipe6956@gmail.com to request a copy.

It is titled, Reflections, Issue Discussions, and Bible Studies for People of Sport.

Reflections, Issue Discussions, and Bible Studies 

for People of Sport

Reflections with Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

Page 3 - How Would Jesus Coach? Reflections on Coaching from the Gospel of John

Page 28 - Christian Ministry in Sport - Reflections from the Psalms

Page 44 - Christian Reflections on U2 Songs & Scripture

Topical Discussions with Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

Page 65 - Christian Faith Development Devotional Series - 8 Weeks of Reading, Contemplation, and Exercises

Page 74 - Transformed Lives Sports Discussions

Page 84 - Winners - 12 discussions on characteristics of winners

Page 90 - Pursuing Our Life’s Purpose as Sportspeople

Page 95 - Coaching Wisdom from Solomon - The Proverbs Applied to Coaching

Page 112 - Eight Ways to Worship On the Field of Competition

Page 121 - Powerful Strides in Christian Living - 14 discussions and daily exercises for knowing your position.

Bible Studies with Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

Page 135 - Redemptive Relationships - An inductive study of Jesus’ relationships with individuals and groups from the Gospel of Mark.

Page 150 - A Mentor’s Advice for Team Leaders - 25 Bible Studies for Team Leaders from First and Second Timothy

Page 165 - Wisdom for a Young Head Coach - 25 Bible Studies for Coaches from First and Second Timothy

Page 180 - The Battle for Freedom – 13 Discussions for People of Sport from the book of Galatians

Page 186 - Extraordinary Living - Sport Discussions from James

Page 195 - Coaching Points - 11 Sports discussions from the book of Titus

Page 201 – God’s Team at Ephesus – An inductive study of Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians through the lens of sport teams.

Page 211 – Transformed Attitudes – Sport Discussions from Philippians

Appendix:

Page 219 - Leadership of Small Group Discussions with People of Sport​​​

Zoominar - Ministry in the NCAA Transfer Portal Era

The first in a series of Zoominars for sports chaplains and character coaches is now posted on YouTube (link below). 

My guest was Scott Brewer - Nations of Coaches Character Coach for Men's Basketball at Baylor University in Waco, Texas (USA).

The discussion contains vital insight for effective ministry in the NCAA Transfer Portal Era.

https://youtu.be/RE_P1dhAP7M?si=tfoPEUaZmQ8hFYKD

A Reflection on College Football

For twenty-seven years, I lived in the sport for eight months at a time. Sharon and I shared that life for nineteen of our fifty years of marriage. It was a constantly spinning carousel of coaches, players, and support staff. 

Each year we would build relationships, commit deeply, and serve faithfully. Each year we would lose some, graduate more, and send others on to new teams. The steady rhythm of coaches and players moving into and out of the program was both joyful and grievous. 

Hours were invested on practice sidelines, recruiting dinners each winter, long bus rides each fall, exciting victories, and soul crushing defeats on alternating Saturdays. We were in it with the team, all day, every day. Now, thirty-one years after beginning, I am an occasional visitor, more a memory than a real presence. I am well connected with a few coaches, but barely know a handful of players by name. 

The pregame meal and chapel have an air of familiarity, but I am clearly a guest. My presence on the sideline was once deeply engaging and valuable, but now I am more like a relic, mostly invisible when I am not just in the way. I find myself chatting up players from the past, also visitors now, and telling stories from ten years ago. It’s like I’m in a parallel dimension, here in reality but mostly an observer. 

I am forever grateful for my years of service in college football. The relationships built and the lessons learned have been invaluable. My relationships with countless individuals continue, but my relationship with the sport has dramatically changed. The momentary pain of the latter is easily overcome by the enduring joy of the former.

Fourth Global Congress on Sport and Christianity

 From July 31 - August 2 of 2025, Truett Seminary of Baylor University in Waco, Texas USA hosted the Fourth Global Congress on Sport and Christianity. Congress on Sport and Christianity

This was a tremendous gathering of 250+ people from all over the world and from both the sports ministry practitioner community and academia. There were over 170 presentations and panels delivered by the very diverse group of participants.

Dr. Paul Putz and his team were fantastic hosts. The keynote talks and panel discussions were outstanding. The book table featured numerous titles from many of the presenters, even yours truly.

Many of us treasure this event because it's the only time we get to see some of our colleagues and friends from around the globe. 

The event wrapped up on Saturday evening with a banquet hosted by Brian Bolt and Chad Carlson of Faith. Sport. Life. The program included a fun Q and A with a panel and the presentation of the inaugural Faith. Sport. Life. Character Award. Some old guy from the USA was the recipient. 

Mark your calendar for October of 2028, the fifth congress will be hosted in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Below, please find a few photos from the congress.

More Reflections from the Front Lines of a Cancer Battle

 Week Seven as a Widower – August 2025

At my son’s suggestion, more like prodding, I began listening to a podcast by a man whose wife had died of cancer a few years ago. There were dozens of episodes, and I began listening at episode one. I was soon fast forwarding through the introduction and repetitive segments. I found it a little psychobabblish and heavily laden with clichés. I will still listen, but with one eye on the fast forward button.

Jason also suggested I attend the GriefShare Loss of Spouse group at our church. I registered and attended the first session on a Tuesday afternoon. I found the information solid, the facilitators friendly, but the process was very slow and tedious. When the session started late, we were off to a poor start. I was happy to engage in the group discussion that followed the video and a short break, but after the meeting wrapped up and I was asked if I would be joining the group for the thirteen weeks of meetings to follow, I made no commitments.

I’m not sure if it’s due to my normal arrogance, or if it’s true, but it seems I’m doing very well in the grief and mourning process. As I have contemplated this situation, I am inclined to think my decades of walking with people through their grief has prepared my heart and mind for this unique season of my life.

Just in the last fifteen years, I have been with three people as they took their last breaths. First, my mother-in-law in the hospital in the fall of 2015. Two years ago, it was my father. My mother and I stood over Dad in an assisted living center after six days of hospice care. Most recently, it was my bride of fifty years.

In addition to these, I have been in an out of intensive care units, and other hospital rooms with people in their final days or hours. I helped prepare memorial service details for many of their families after they died, speaking at several of the services.

I believe having walked through grief and mourning with so many people, across so many years, has prepared me to handle it well. I may be terribly deceived and standing on the threshold of an emotional crash, but I don’t think so. I told a friend once, I was joining Jesus as He is prophesied about in Isaiah 53, in being, “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.”

This could be a result of my approach to problem solving in general and how I deal with serious illness and crises in particular. I began grieving on January 14, the day we received the preliminary diagnosis of cancer in the emergency room. I began to deal with the worst-case scenario first. As we received more information and a clearer indication of her disease, I began dealing with the prospect of death. Having dealt with that, knowing I could handle it, I began working toward better-case outcomes. That dogged attitude and grieving process continues to the day of this writing.

New Places, New People, New Rhythms – August 2025

I was recently able to establish something of a new rhythm to my daily life, finally. It took a while, a few adjustments, and some experimentation, but I finally landed on a suitable daily agenda. As my body and mind seem unbendingly convinced six and one half hours are enough sleep for an old man, I am up very early. I get a light breakfast, watch some morning news, compose some scriptural text messages, X and Facebook posts, and then prepare for my mile and a quarter walk up the road. It gets my motor running and allows me some time for contemplation and prayer. Watching the sun rise over the city is beautiful. I move on to other things through the morning, go to the clubhouse for lunch and return to my villa. In the early afternoon I work through five sets of forty pushups each, making a weekly total of one thousand. This has me feeling stronger again.

I am taking this transition period purposefully slowly. I want to mourn well, wisely, and healthily. I am contemplating what my next season of life may include. As of today, it’s still murky water, but I expect it to clear significantly as the fall rolls into winter. I intend to have a clear picture and a game plan in January.

Attending a new church, living in a new community, being over an hour away from sixty-nine years of relationships, is a challenge. I feel very alone in my villa, especially at night. One bright spot in this season popped up when I sent a note of my disappointment to the church staff regarding some remarks made by a guest speaker. Amazingly, the senior pastor replied to my email, very diplomatically, but he did reply. We traded more emails and eventually scheduled lunch together. The chat we had was engaging, pastoral, and included potential areas of collaboration in ministry.

More Reflections from the Front Lines of a Cancer Battle

A month after Sharon’s passing - late July and early August 2025

The financial adjustments are less urgent, and a bit clearer now. Some things are still pending, but the sale of our home has closed, and the proceeds are in the bank. I am trudging through the paperwork of life insurance forms, changing car insurance and such. The process is tedious but necessary.

I have begun to schedule some travels to spend time with some seldom seen friends and colleagues around the USA. I have about one trip per month in the works through December. My son and his family continue to welcome me into their active lives, and I usually go along. Being with them is very rewarding and invigorating.

Jason is already anticipating the pain of upcoming family events that will be significantly diminished because of his mother’s absence. Sharon’s birthday in September. The first Thanksgiving and Christmas without her and her elaborate decoration of our home for each. We know these and similar events will have us revisiting the emotional part of our painful grief.

While traveling this week, at the end of an evening, I still have an internal nudge to send Sharon a, “Good night, my love. Sleep well,” text message. I quickly realize she is not available by phone and my heart sinks.

While delivering a talk at this conference, I recalled a football player from twenty-one years ago, and suddenly my heart was in my throat, my eyes were welling up, and my voice was cracking. My emotions are still raw, but I am not anxious for them to dissipate.

People with whom I talk, who don’t know about Sharon’s passing, ask how she’s doing, and I have to find a way to inform them without shocking or embarrassing them.

For years, my practice while traveling has been to send Sharon a text message as I was boarding a plane, landing at my destination, or starting a drive home with an ETA. I am still reflexively picking up my phone to send such messages, to no avail. Each such moment grieves my heart.

Six weeks as a widower – August 2025

Since Sharon’s final days in the hospital, I had a sense that even though she wanted a simple, private, graveside service for her funeral, there were dozens, if not hundreds, of people who would like to get together to honor her memory and to share their Ms. Sharon stories.

After she passed, I mentioned to Jason that I had thoughts of gathering people at Saluki Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University, where she had made so many friends and countless memories. We discussed the possibility, I checked with her siblings, and a couple of others, and then decided to do it. Family and friends immediately offered to help make it a success.

I bounced several ideas around in my mind and eventually settled in on a very simple agenda, aiming for forty-five minutes total:

- Welcome and introductions by Mike Reis, former voice of Saluki Sports, and a trusted friend.

- Remarks from Dr. Phil Anton, a university professor with ties to cancer treatment and rehabilitation. He’s always poignant and funny.

- Memories from 1990s quarterback, Jeff Brune. In his phone’s contacts, Sharon is listed as, “Other Mom.” Such has been their relationship for decades.

- Reflections from 2000s quarterback, Joel Sambursky. We walked with Joel through his playing career, his courtship and marriage to Samantha, and through the birth of their children, two of which have battled serious medical issues.

- Lastly, I would wrap things up by saying, “thank you” a lot and sharing some details from our last days together.

SIU Athletics created a graphic, Jason added details and RSVP information to it, and we shared it widely on multiple social media platforms. We also made direct invitations to many of Sharon’s friends and family.

As the days trudged along, the number of RSVPs steadily grew and so did the excitement for the event. I was stunned by the list as I noticed people were planning to attend from Kansas City, Indianapolis, Minnesota, Chicago, Alabama, and many other places. Sharon’s network of relationships was nationwide.

The big day, Saturday August 9, arrived and to our dismay, the elevator in Saluki Stadium was broken. We pivoted to meeting in the Cook Club of the Banterra Center (basketball arena). People began arriving even before the 2:00 start time. The program went very well, and each one shared his heart very candidly. The crowd was between 150 and 200 people, standing room only. Patty Stokes, an excellent caterer, had prepared snacks just like Sharon used to make for groups we would host in our home in Carbondale. They were delicious. After the program concluded, people stayed around for refreshments, told stories, caught up with each other, cried, laughed, and hugged a lot. The room was almost empty by 4:00, the exact time I planned.

On my way to the Banterra Center, I stopped by Lipe Cemetery to visit Sharon’s burial site. I had ordered our headstone, but it would be months before it is installed. I wanted to see how things looked. When I arrived and walked to the burial location, I suddenly realized I had marked the wrong spot for the burial. Oops. Thankfully, her remains are in an urn and not in a casket with a concrete burial vault. That afternoon, I spoke with Jason and asked if he’d like to help me move the urn to the proper location. He agreed.

Sunday afternoon, August 10, Jason and I loaded up shovels, cleaning materials, cold water, and other gear for excavation in the 90 plus degree afternoon. We made the 75-minute drive, set things up, and made the emotional move of Sharon’s remains in 30 minutes. We drove home while listening to Connor James’ lengthy interview with Sharon from 2019. It was amazing to hear her voice. We both were quite emotional as we listened to our departed love. Later in the afternoon I shared a link to the interview with our closest friends and family. They loved it.

Please pray for the Fourth Global Congress on Sport and Christianity

Please pray for the 250+ men and women from around the world at the Fourth Global Congress on Sport and Christianity at Truett Seminary of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, USA.

It began on Thursday evening, July 31 and will continue through August 2. Over 170 presentations and panel discussions, plus several plenary sessions will challenge and encourage those in attendance.

https://truettseminary.baylor.edu/programs-centers/faith-sports-institute/global-congress-sport-and-christianity

There are remarkable things happening around the world at the intersection of Christian faith and sport. I will report on the event after it is concluded. Please plan to join us at the Fifth Congress in 2028. More details to follow soon.