The War of Attrition

Last week this blog post highlighted the importance of not allowing complacency to stunt our growth early in our faith journey. This week, regular contributor Jeremy Hoover looks at the lessons we can learn from the other end of the season, the Playoffs.

The NHL season, and in particular the Stanley Cup playoffs, represent a war of attrition.

The entire 82-game NHL season is a war, out of which only half the teams survive. Only 16 of 32 teams make the playoffs. The season is a war of attrition. It wears teams down in an attempt to see who can endure and outlast. Teams may start well, but they also have to end well. One example of this is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who began the season with a very successful start through the first twelve games, only to score points in just eight of their last twenty-two games and fall out of a playoff spot.

The playoffs are a war of attrition. Playoff teams engage in up to four rounds of a best-of-seven games format. This means that the two teams that play for the Stanley Cup can potentially play an extra 28 games, or fully one-third of what they already played in the regular season.

The playoffs are tough. They wear teams and players down. Every year it seems as though one team that was fine-tuning for a playoff run takes a big hit through injury and suffers a playoff loss. One example of this is the Tampa Bay Lightning, who lost their top goalie, one of the best in the league this year, to a knee injury in the last week of the season. This loss was devastating and led to the Lightning being swept in the first round.

The team that swept the Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens, suffered a devastating injury of their own. In game one of the Eastern Conference finals, their starting goalie, one of the top goalies in the league and an Olympic gold medal-winning goalie, suffered a knee injury and is out for at least the length of the Eastern Conference finals.

The playoffs force teams to reckon with the forces of attrition and to find ways to carry on. Often the team who wins the Stanley Cup is the team who was able to endure and outlast all others. The key is perseverance. Teams that keep focused, don't lose their cool, avoid serious injury, and press on are the teams that most often win it all.

Many of our churches look like this. We start well but get bogged down in the middle of our "season." We lose a few games and we begin looking for a quick fix, a blockbuster trade, or something to help. Attendance is low, we struggle to find ministry leaders, or we notice spiritual lethargy and are unsure how to overcome it. 

Perhaps we find our churches gaining momentum at the right time, only to be hit right then with a major injury in the form of a personality conflict, a major fight within the church, or a leadership problem. 

Or maybe we feel poised to make a "playoff run"--there is a specific ministry we targeted to build evangelistic zeal--but we fizzle out because our people became tired.

The key is in these situations, the way to avoid the war of attrition waged against us, is to persevere.

In two different places in 1 Timothy, Paul urges Timothy to persevere. In the first place, he provides Timothy with a list of things to teach, a way of life that will instruct people through action, and an encouragement to be diligent. He tells Timothy to persevere in these things (1 Tim. 4:11-16). Later, he charges Timothy to flee from the temptations of wealth and to "pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness" and to "fight the good fight of the faith" by taking hold of eternal life and persevering (1 Tim. 6:11-12).

If we follow Paul's advice to Timothy, we will be able to overcome the forces of attrition that work against us because our focus will be on the eternal nature of the ministry we provide, not the day to day goings on the physical management of that ministry. Like Timothy, we can persevere to the end.

What helps you to persevere in your faith, ministry, or life when adversity strikes?

Every Game Matters

The middle of May is an interesting moment in the sports landscape.

Baseball season began almost 2 months ago, but teams are still less than on quarter of the way through their scheduled 162 games. At this point in the season almost no one pays much attention to the games and a bad start still has plenty of time to turn around.

Aussie Rules season also started 2 months ago and now approaches the halfway mark of the season. As teams take their byes they have a pretty good idea which teams are premiership contenders and which are the easy beats. Teams (like Carlton) that began the year with a string of losses now realise that it will take a lot of wins in a hurry if they want to make the finals.

Basketball (NBA) and Hockey (NHL) find themselves deep in the playoffs. At this point of the season each game undoubtedly means everything. A team (Pacers) that yesterday looked like it had a comfortable 3-1 series lead is now 3-2 and appreciating that the fourth win won't happen automatically. Every game, every shot, every moment matters. They also know that the importance of each action only intensifies as they draw closer to winning the championship.

Fans who show little enthusiasm for their team during the ho-hum matchups in the middle of the season come to life as the playoffs approach. Now the real business is about to begin. Now the emotions come to life. Now the heart leaps with each shot. Now every moment matters

As I considered the difference between baseball fans and supporters of hockey and basketball teams at the moment I realised the danger of complacency early in the season. There are teams that will miss the playoffs by one or two games. As they look back on their year I wonder if they can identify one or two games or moments early in the year where they relaxed, took it easy, didn't push as hard as they could?

I recently heard an interview with Rick Carlisle, the coach of the Dallas Mavericks, who reflected that because their playoff race was so close it felt like every game was super important for at least 2 months before the playoffs began. As the deadline approaches we understand and feel the urgency. But if a team needs a certain number of wins to make the finals, it really doesn't matter if they come early or late in the season.

The Indiana Pacers recognise this truth. They had 40 wins to 12 losses at the All-Star break and the best record in the NBA. In the second half of the season the Pacers barely had more wins than losses. Yet they managed to retain the best record in the Eastern Conference. If they had not achieved those early season wins their seeding in the playoffs would have been considerably lower.

I understand the argument that perhaps the effort to get those early wins tired them out and caused some of the late season losses. I also appreciate the importance of momentum and team cohesion going into the playoffs. Those points may make for a future blog post.

All this got me thinking about our Christian journey. We naturally grow more urgent in our desire to avoid sin and please God as we age. Our evangelistic fervor picks up when someone close to us receives a terminal diagnosis.

At the other end of the spectrum I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone give their life to Christ and then be told, "See you next Sunday." We seldom communicate an urgency to grow. We don't emphasis the importance of early victories in our struggles with sin. We're often content to let our newborn brothers and sisters coast along and "get used to the system" without inspiring them to strive for constant growth. We allow them to put their faith on autopilot. It's like they're playing baseball in March instead of hockey.

Our lives don't have scheduled seasons. Jesus tells us that only God knows the day or the hour of His coming or our going. (Matthew 24:36) The Message phrases 1 Peter 5:8 this way, "Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up." Our competition never takes a break and we can't afford to either.

The NBA MVP is a Servant

I've been attracted to Kevin Durant as a basketball player since he emerged on the national scene during his one year playing for the University of Texas. The guy just knows how to score. He has now won the NBA scoring title four of the last five years. Yesterday, he was named the MVP of the league.

Before I get to his MVP award I really encourage you to take a few minutes and read THIS ARTICLE that I came across back in February.

For those of you who didn't read the article...

In an interview in early 2014, KD commented that he'd prefer the nickname, "The Servant" more than any other. In hindsight Durant later regretted the comment and the interview because giving yourself a nickname that draws attention to your humility doesn't really work. But his desire for that nickname actually stems from his faith and desire to serve others as Jesus did.

Ho hum.... what's that? Another star athlete professing to be a follower of Jesus? Forgive my skepticism, or don't.

I'm always reluctant to highlight athletes who make public faith proclamations because so many of them fall short (as we all do) and their shortcomings catch the media spotlight to the extent that all previous statements of faith are overshadowed.

For example, an ESPN.com article describing the firing of Warriors coach Mark Jackson makes the point at least twice that he's an ordained minister or pastor. However, the tenor of the article is that his cocky demeanor made him difficult to work with and for and led to conflict. Would you want him as your pastor?

Here's a sample from the article:

An ordained minister away from the court, Jackson often spoke of his Christian beliefs and promised to turn the Warriors into one of the best defensive teams in the league and a perennial playoff contender -- and he did. But Jackson's boisterous personality, at times, did not play well with Warriors management, [and] his staff... Jackson's demeanor, which bordered on confidence and cockiness, might have ultimately cost him his job.

So back to Durant... Did you read the article? Did you see the back tatt?

Durant's not just giving in to social pressure when he makes a point of thanking God for his achievements. He's not just fulfilling NBA service obligations when he calls kids with cancer or donates to tornado relief efforts. I don't know where the rest of his life will take him, but right now I've gotta believe he's living out his faith in God as best as he knows how.  (Here's an interesting interview with Durant about his faith journey: Interview with Craig Groeschel)

This brings me to his 2014 MVP acceptance speech.

This is a 25 minute video, but it's truly inspirational. The odds are that you'll tear up. Please do yourself a favor and watch it.

So often when we have a captive audience we want to tell the world about ourselves. We want to convince the world that we're worthy of its love. We want to persuade the world to pull for us. We want to tell a story that's new, that will paint us in a good light, that will make people like us.

Durant used his 30 minutes in the spotlight to deflect its glare on everyone around him. If you didn't hear the introduction you'd swear he was giving his team a pep talk as he went down the line thanking each of them for the ways they encourage and better him. You'd have a hard time believing he was accepting an award recognising him as the Most Valuable Player in the entire NBA throughout this season.

This article on NBA.com is good example of how Durant impressed many people. I heard similar sentiments on sports talk radio throughout the day.

Things he didn't say:

• It's nice to finally beat LeBron James at something.
• Thank-you for recognising me as the MVP this year.
• This is a league of very talented players and it means so much to have my performances this year recognised with this award.
• I WON!!!!!!!!!!!! [while holding up his index finger]
• I couldn't have won this if I wasn't wearing Nikes.
• Russell Westbrook, why don't you take next year off too, so I can win another one of these.

Durant didn't need to ask anyone to call him The Servant. He just went out and lived like one... at the moment of his greatest personal achievement.

As you watch the video of one of the greatest basketball players in the world, it's difficult not to admire his sincerity and authenticity as he thanks those around him for lifting him to the heights he's achieved.

I wonder how this compares to our hearts when we thank God for accomplishments in our lives.

• Do we accept recognition and compliments as "deserved" by us? 
• Or do we truly believe that we couldn't have done it on our own? 
• Do we pay attention and acknowledge the way others in our lives make our accomplishments possible?
• Are there people in your life that you haven't thanked recently?

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." - 2 Corinthians 8:9

"He, Jesus, must take center stage; and I, John the baptiser, must step to His side." John 3:30

Consequences

Is anyone talking about sports this week? Actual ball bouncing, running around, winning and losing sports?

It seems that for most of the week the furor of Clippers owner, Donald Sterling's, racist commentary that was recorded and released to the public has pushed the actual games to the back page. I actually think that is appropriate. Racism is an ugly blight on our society and it should be confronted and opposed when it rears its head.

I've seen quite a few bloggers and commentators (HERE, HERE, and HERE) using Sterling's comments and punishment to raise a whole lot of issues including:

• Why Sterling wasn't previously punished by the NBA for previous racist business practices that were revealed in the courts.
• The role of the media in raising a riot and prompting action.
• Concerns about private conversations being made public.
• Whether or not the punishment is too severe, after all the Clippers have a great track record for hiring minorities.
• Why the American public will riot over these comments but accept disproportionate rates of incarceration and other systemic justice concerns as just the way things are.
• Freedom of speech.

I agree that most of these are interesting conversations. Nevertheless, they are smokescreens that obscure the fundamental principle at play here, namely that our actions, and words, have consequences.

I understand that Sterling should feel upset that the privacy of his home was violated. I understand that the girlfriend who recorded the conversation was acting out of malice rather than as a champion of racial harmony.

But let me ask, how would you respond if you had that conversation with Donald Sterling or with your best friend? Racism is sin and sin has consequences.

In Matthew 18 Jesus lays out a process of raising sin with and individual. If there's no repentance bring some friends and discuss it. If there is still no repentance bring it before the church. If there is still no repentance they are no longer to be regarded as part of the church.

In other words, Jesus says that if a hateful conversation takes place privately between two Christians and there's no repentance it should become a public issue. The sin should be laid before the church, identified and condemned. Obviously Sterling's situation isn't a church, and there were no intermediate steps between his private conversation and public humiliation. However, Christians should be most understanding that sinful behaviour has consequences. Covering up sin and hate is ungodly and destructive to the individual and the church.

The NBA issued Donald Sterling a lifetime ban and will work with the other owners to force him to sell his investment in the Clippers. This is drastic action, but don't let all the other smokescreens confuse the problem.

Sterling is one of just 30 NBA owners. He is a guardian of the sport. If a coach made these comments, he'd be fired. If a player made these comments he'd likely lose his job. When one of the 30 most powerful people in the sport expresses hatred for people with dark skin he should expect consequences. The fact that 29 other billionaires are apparently willing to vote him off the ownership island indicate the severity of his comments.

When we sin we often try to make excuses and deflect responsibility. That's what Adam and Eve did. "It's your fault God, you gave me the woman." "It's the serpents fault, he lied to me."

The Christian faith is all about actions and consequences. Adam and Eve ate the fruit, God punished them. God sent His Son to die on the cross: He offers us forgiveness. We sin: We need forgiveness. God loves us: We love others.

We thank God that no matter how vile our sins He always provides a way back for us. Sterling may never be able to gain public respect again. But God is always willing to forgive. Our actions have consequences, but they're not permanent.

In contrast, God's actions provide eternal security for us. That's a consequence I value.

Bringing the Red Wings to Church

In this NHL playoff season, one of the most remarkable stories is the playoff run of the Detroit Red Wings. This organization has achieved a run of making the playoffs for twenty-three years in a row. In a league where "parity" is seen as the norm, the Red Wings have risen above parity to be successful year after year. This is the fifth longest streak in NHL history. Over these twenty-three years, the Red Wings have won four Stanley Cups. Of the four teams in history that have had a longer streak of consecutive years making the playoffs, only one has won more Cups (the Habs, with 8 Cups in 24 years). Of the remaining three streaks, these teams combined for 82 consecutive seasons with a playoff appearance with only two Cups to show among all three teams (the Blues, 25 years, no Cups; the 'Hawks, 28 years, no Cups; and the Bruins, 29 years, 2 Cups). It is an amazing story of long term success. 

But how did the Detroit Red Wings organization achieve this? They achieved it through building a culture of success and winning across the entire organization, from players to coaches to management.

In an article for the Detroit Free Press, "Long playoff streak a product of players, coaches building culture," Jeff Seidel tracked this culture of success across three categories that led to the streak of consecutive years in the playoffs. The three categories are: good coaches, role models, and hard work. The coaches outline the vision of success and winning and hold the players accountable; the veteran players act as role models and mentors to the younger players; and the younger players work hard, earning their spot on the team and their playing time. These factors working together create the culture that leads to long term success.

In this system, everyone has a part to play. Coaches coach the culture; veteran players live the culture and serve as mentors who model sacrifice for the greater good; and younger players learn and work hard. All contribute to this so the organization will be great from one generation to the next.

Does it sound as though you could apply these principles in your church or ministry? Don’t we all want to build a long term culture of spiritual growth, spiritual success, and faithfulness? A survey of the letters the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus reveals some overlap between the principles in this article and the principles Paul shares. 

Mentoring and Role Models

Just as Red Wings players model the right behaviors, attitudes, and actions of successful and winning teams, so leaders must model the behaviors, attitudes, and actions of the culture you envision within your church. Over and over, Paul exhorted Timothy and Titus to set an example and to teach (i.e., cast the vision of the culture you wish to create). For example, Paul urged Timothy: "Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim. 4:11-12).

Being a role model and mentoring others is time consuming but is also the most effective way to bring people on board with the spiritual culture you are creating. Spend time with people, teaching and coaching them towards the behaviors they need to grow in Christ. Give them access to your life so they can see how the things you teach have taken root in your own life. 

Sacrifice for the Greater Good

In the article, the Red Wings' general manager, Ken Holland, is quoted as saying, "It's not about personal statistics [but] about finding a way to contribute to the hockey team." In the Red Wings system, a selfish player who scored the most goals in the league would not be celebrated if the team failed as a result of his selfishness. Former player Steve Yzerman is held up as an example of someone who was willing to make a sacrifice for the team by accepting less scoring points and making more blocks. He found a way to contribute in ways that helped the whole team and not just himself.

We each need to examine our hearts to see if we are willing to sacrifice to help build the team and the culture around us? If you preach about going out on mission, is your life so busy that you don't have time to interact with your own neighbors? If you hold out simplicity as a spiritual value, are you encumbered by your debt and your materialism? In a discussion about wealth and the evils of the love of money, Paul taught Timothy that "godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Tim. 6:6). He further challenged Timothy to "flee" from the temptations associated with the love of money and instead to "pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness" (1 Tim. 6:11). In other words, Paul challenged Timothy to make a sacrifice for the greater good, to be a leader for the long haul who kept his integrity.

Long Term Focus

The Red Wings are successful because veteran players make sure they model the culture of winning to younger players. The focus is long term; it is from "generation to generation." As Seidel wrote in the article, "You start to understand this is bigger than one person, that the organization is more important than anything else." We must keep focused on the culture we are building. Beyond mentoring, modeling, and sacrifice, we must equip future generations to carry the culture forward with them. We must train and develop leaders who will carry on with, and after, us.

Paul told Timothy, "What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2). This is where Paul discussed the development of culture. He taught Timothy, who is told to teach others, who will then be able to teach others. The culture will be understood, assimilated, and passed on, successively and successfully. 

By focusing on the long term, sacrificing ourselves for the greater good, and modeling the culture before others as we mentor them, we can build a culture of spiritual maturity and faithfulness in our churches and ministries.

Jeremy Hoover is the minister at the Otisville Church of Christ in Otisville, Michigan. His website is at www.jeremyhoover.com. He is an avid sports fan who enjoys biographies about athletes and books by coaches. His favorite sports are hockey, where he roots for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and football, where he pulls for the New England Patriots.

A Tradition Like No Other

Within my christian conversation circles a negative, even sneering, tone of voice often accompanies the idea of tradition (or traditional). Tradition refers to human ideas, not divine. Tradition regurgitates the old rather than celebrating the new. Tradition reflects yesterday it doesn't anticipate tomorrow. Tradition binds and limits us. To meet the challenges of today's world we need to break free from the traditions of yesterday. Innovation, not tradition, provides the key to the future.

Sports are no different from the rest of the world. No one uses tennis racquets with wooden frames just because Rod Laver did in the 1950's. Golfers always look for the latest and greatest material for to help them hit longer and straighter. While drivers today are still referred to as "woods" they're often made of advanced metal alloys.

While golfers embrace new club and ball technology the sport still retains a reputation as a generally quite conservative. The sport has generally done an excellent job of embracing both tradition and innovation. Nothing encapsulates this creative tension better than The Masters.

Masters Tradition

• The tournament is always at the Augusta National Golf Club.
• Previous champions and events at specific holes are referenced frequently.
• Each of the holes is named after a flower.
• The club carefully manages sponsorship and media presentation. According to Wikipedia.com the coverage itself carries a more formal style than other golf telecasts; announcers refer to the gallery as patrons rather than as spectators or fans (gallery itself is also used), and use the term second cut instead of rough.
• For the first 40 years of television coverage, CBS was forbidden from broadcasting from the front 9 holes.
• The Masters requires caddies to wear a uniform consisting of a white jumpsuit, a green Masters cap, and white tennis shoes.
• And of course, the Green Jacket Ceremony as the previous year's winner hands this year's winner their Green Jacket symbolising their membership of the August National Golf Club. (There's a trophy too.)
• You'll find another good list of traditions HERE.

Masters Innovations

• The over-under (+/-) to par scoring system now standard around the world was first developed at the Masters.
• The Masters was the first golf tournament to be televised, starting in 1956.
• In 2014 The Masters provided 5 internet channels totaling 125 hours of additional tournament coverage.
• Over the years, the Masters has frequently adjusted the course. In 2006 the club lengthened the course by about 500 metres. Fairways and greens have also been narrowed over the years to increase the "bite" of the course. A good graphical display of the changes can be found HERE.

Now About the Church...

Churches have always struggled with maintaining appropriate degrees of tradition while responding innovatively to cultural movements around us. Some churches seem so traditional they've almost lost all relevance to their neighbours. Other churches are so innovative and rethink so many methodologies and teachings that they isolate themselves from other churches and seem sometimes to emphasise their innovation rather than the life-changing Good News of Jesus.

The vast majority of churches undertake the same quest: to present the timeless message of God's Good News in culturally relevant ways. 

This statement sounds simple, but churches often disagree about what is methodology and what is message. We all agree that corporate worship plays an important part in the life of a Christian and we mostly agree that music styles represent methodology rather than message, but the history of "worship wars" in the church indicate that this distinction is often lost.

We all agree that reading and studying God's Word is vital to spiritual growth. Yet it is so easy to start a large-scale debate by championing or criticising a particular translation of the Bible. Why? Often it's just because we like the translation with which we're most familiar: a tradition.

I'll close by illustrating the tension and value of tradition using the celebration of Easter.

Easter undoubtedly represents a tradition. The Bible never commands an annual resurrection celebration. Most churches celebrate communion throughout the year as they follow Jesus' instructions at Last Supper to remember his death and resurrection. So celebrating the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday is something almost all churches will do whether they call it Easter or not.

In a very real sense Easter is not really a separate celebration, but an amplification of existing practices. I personally find the practice of pausing throughout Holy Week to remember what Jesus was doing at this exact time the week of his death and resurrection. As I write this on Thursday night Jesus was probably in the Garden of Gethsemane with his disciples. Although the exact date of Passover moves around the calendar I can (in the Northern Hemisphere) approximately experience the same weather as Jesus experienced. I can look at the same stars. I can feel the same winds. History was forever changed on this day!

Easter adds a level of intimacy to the Lord's Supper. We can celebrate the Lord's Supper any Sunday in Summer, or Winter. But only on Easter can we say "This was the day the tomb was found empty." The rest of the year we have to say "This was the day of the week the tomb was found empty." For many people that distinction is significant.

How do we balance tradition and innovation around Easter?

1. Proclaim the Gospel and celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus.
2. Ensure the celebration includes communion.
3. If people with barely a passing interest in the things of God will come and hear the Gospel presented at sunrise... then have a sunrise service. Innovate.
4. If people with children will attend a church service so their kids can gather Easter Eggs afterwards... then hold an Easter Egg Hunt. Innovate.
5. If Up From the Grave He Arose is a traditional Easter song... then sing it. 

Successfully integrating tradition and innovation will always provide a challenge. Easter gives us a great opportunity to practice both extremes at the same time.

Sure, the first century church didn't celebrate Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday the way much of christendom does today. But I'm confident that each year when Jewish Passover rolled around the church paused and remembered the events of that Passover week not so many years earlier.

The great challenge for the church is to avoid confusing the events, the message, and the significance of the last week and hours of Jesus' life with the traditional celebrations many churches practice today. Take away Palm Sunday. Take away Maundy Thursday. Remove Good Friday from the calendar. Turn Easter Sunday into Regular Sunday, and the message of the Gospel is just as true and powerful as it has ever been.

If we create some new traditions in a children's play, a breakfast before worship, a sunrise service, or even an Easter Egg Hunt the Son of God on the cross still carries our sins. Perhaps in the future these traditions will be replaced by a new innovation, a new way of remembering, but the tomb will still be empty.

If the Masters can demonstrate that tradition and innovation can coexist, the church should be able to balance these competing values also. Our greatest responsibility remains to continually preach Christ crucified, resurrected and reigning today.

Excommunication

This week the Philadelphia Eagles released their top wide receiver, DeSean Jackson, who was coming off the best statistical season of his career.

The Washington Redskins quickly signed Jackson to a three year deal.

So why did the Eagles let him go? Did they do the right thing?

The Eagles have not yet explained their reasons for letting Jackson walk out the door. The timing of his release closely followed a report on NJ.com linking him with "gang connections". But that's not the whole story as the team had allegedly attempted to trade Jackson since the trade period began.

Predictably, there are those sympathetic with the Eagles who believe locker room cohesion is important to team success. Since Jackson was apparently a distraction through his attitude and off field behaviour, the team is better off without him.

Others believe the team should have shown Jackson the same patience and grace they've given other players who found themselves in trouble off the field.

Seahawk player, Richard Sherman, even went so far as to accuse the Eagles of treating Jackson harshly because of his skin colour. He did go on to make the valid point that many people raised in the inner-city will have "ties" to gangs because that's the environment in which many of them were raised.

Finally, some people are concerned about what Jackson's treatment for alleged "gang ties" means for other players when teams decide they don't want to keep a player. Will this become the new catch-all accusation that allows teams to void contracts?

Churches often receive criticism for the way we treat people as they go out the door, or when their behaviour doesn't live up to God's expectations. Every situation is different and motivations are seldom clear.

In some ways it's nice to see football teams struggling with the same issues:

• How much grace should we show the individual?
• What's most likely going to help this person make the necessary changes?
• Is the individual or the church/team more important?
• How will this person's behaviour effect others in the church/team?
• How will this person's departure effect others in the church/team?
• Is the church/team being fair about this, or is there an unspoken prejudice?
• Has the church/team consistently applied these standards, or are some shown favoritism?
• Has the person done anything wrong, or are they just hard to get along with?

The Bible makes clear that some sins require that a person leave the church as long as no repentance is demonstrated. It also warns that not everyone should be welcomed into the church because some people will never accept the teaching of the church and will actually actively undermine core beliefs. Yet we're also told to love our enemies and be willing to forgive as many times as we're asked.

Paul gives his apprentice Timothy this sage advice regarding how to deal with Christians opposing his ministry, "Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." (2 Timothy 2:25-26)

God wants us to adopt a "gentle" posture when dealing with sin and disruptive people in the church. It's also clear that the goal of this correction is always repentance and restoration. I really hope these goals are carried out more often in our churches than they are among sports teams.

So DeSean Jackson. May this departure from Philly provide a wake up call. If you need to make some life changes, I hope you do so. If you need to adjust an attitude, I hope you do so. And if the Eagles acted hastily and without grace, they'll sure miss you on the field next year!!