Football and the Church

I read an article yesterday on Adrian Peterson. He's a running back for the Minnesota Vikings. He's actually having a tremendous season. Just last week he ran for an NFL record for most yards in a single game (296). He's on pace to break the single season rushing record set by Eric Dickerson in the 80's. There are already talks of him being the best running back in the NFL at this moment, which is quite an accomplishment for being in the same league as Ladanian Tomlinson. Oh yeah, Adrian Peterson is a rookie. This is his first year in the NFL. The article was about Peterson's vision. What does he see to make him break the tackles that he does? Many have remarked that Peterson's vision is much like the great Walter Payton's. He doesn't see the tacklers, he only sees the goal line. In other words, he doesn't focus on making mistakes so much as he focuses on the purpose.

I wonder if this isn't anything like the church. I am a part of a Monday night group that meets together for a meal. We're all younger married couples that bring a meal, share our time and lives, and we read and discuss the Bible or another book. We're working on a book by a guy named Kinlaw. He once was the President of Asbury. I am not a big fan of the premise of the book, "How every person can have the Mind of Christ." It sounds too much like one of those "if you follow this book then you too can be holy" kind of things. (7 Steps to your Best Life Now). The second chapter talks about the difference between doing right and being righteous. I found it odd that the criteria for doing right was abstaining from alcohol, drugs, sexual promiscuity, smoking, and the like. In other words, doing right is not doing wrong. It sounds to me like we try so hard on avoiding sin that we miss the joy of Christ. It kind of makes me think that perhaps "doing right" is not in the things that we need to avoid but in the things that we as a church don't seem to actually do.

Matthew 25 gives a clear picture of what God desires. This chapter talks about the final judgment in terms of what we did or did not do for the Kingdom of God. It is very clear that Kingdom is more concerned about loving the sick, the dying, the poor, the outcast, the prisoner, and the single mothers than it is about the dangers of social drinking. I hope that we can start focusing on these purposes, and the joy that comes from being part of the Kingdom, rather than constantly getting bogged down by avoiding sin. It seems like a healthier way to live.