LDS FC: Keeper

Alright, your patience has paid off, and we're up to the keeper! You've got to have mad respect for keepers. One man is in charge of a goal 24 feet wide and 8 feet tall... that is quite the area to cover, and when you've got 4 or 5 guys trying to kick the ball in any open space they can find, it gets pretty difficult. Plus, the amazing things soccer players are able to do to those balls, like curving them amazing amounts, it's phenomenal what keepers are capable of. If it gets to the point where the midfielders and defenders just can't keep the striker from taking a shot, then it's all up to the keeper. He'll do anything he can to stop it. If it's a corner kick, he'll come out a little bit and try to punch the ball out. If the ball is rolling in, just a little ahead of the offender, he'll slide out to meet it, and try to diffuse the situation right away. And if the shot is to the opposite goal of where he's at, he'll dive for it. There are some great keepers out there that seem to have slinky spines, lightning reflexes, and psychic abilities to know where that ball is going. Some great keepers include Iker Casillas, Oliver Kahn, Edwin van der Sar, and, of course, Tim Howard. If you need rock solid confidence in your keeper, put in the bald American brick wall that is Tim Howard. You'd think he slows down time the way he's always in the right place at the right time. Oh, 2 unguarded Argentina strikers 10 feet in front of the goal? No problem! That's Tim, unstoppable! That's the purpose of the keeper: to save....

Any guesses? That last part gave it away. So, on our little club we got here, who would be our keeper? None other than the Savior and Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. Besides the obvious and blaring reason, being that Jesus saves, we have other reasons. The Keeper is the last line of defense, often the last thing separating the striker from a goal. It's up to him to keep the ball out when all else has failed. When everything seems to be falling apart, and Satan seems awfully close to scoring on us, we still have the Savior. When we've done everything we could, but it just isn't good enough, we still have Christ and his Atonement to save us. And what fantastic saves they are! It's impressive when a keeper blocks a penalty kick. The striker is lined up, 12 yards from the goal, with a major upper hand. It's incredibly difficult to know exactly what he's going to do. Is he going high, middle, or low? Left, right, or center? Upper corner, just inside the post, or dead center? But, when a keeper can pull of a save, it's amazing. Well, Christ can certainly pull off a save like, a seemingly impossible save, in the most necessary time for it. We can always rely on Him, for He will always stay cool under pressure, and perform at His best all the time. No matter how skilled the striker, no matter how tense the situation, He will always make that save. Jesus Saves!