38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.
41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
This calls for the release of spiritual resources, which are available to us in Christ. God is not calling us to not act on conviction, but I do believe that He is directing us not to be contrary. In our flesh, we can become angry and consumed by a desire to "get even," to make sure the score is even or settled. But, in the Spirit, He is not keeping score - He wants the Kingdom to be furthered; He desires the glory to go to Him. We can examine our actions and responses through that mindset; perhaps even asking, "how can God be glorified through me in this situation?"
It's human nature to retaliate when you are reviled; it's God's nature to turn the other cheek and not respond improperly, in anger. Romans 12 reminds us:
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.
The Montgomery Biscuits opened the second half of the 2017 season by dropping a game to Birmingham 5-2. This is a significant series for the home team, because it marks the beginning of new ownership for the team. During this grand re-opening weekend, there are a number of special features, and Family Faith Night is one of them - tomorrow, Calling Glory will present a pre-game concert at 5:00 - come see Faith Radio at the block party outside the stadium at 3:00. We'll have pre-game coverage on Faith Radio tomorrow afternoon.
Last night, on the tail end of a rainy, stormy day, the Biscuits drew over 4,000 fans to Riverwalk Stadium, and if the weather holds up, it could be a very popular weekend.
The Biscuits play in the Southern League, which is a group of 10 AA franchises that are affiliated with major league clubs. The Biscuits are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays. The New York Mets do not have a team in the League; their AA franchise is the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, which plays in the Eastern League, along with the Richmond Flying Squirrels, which has the same owner as the Biscuits. Why I am telling you all this?
Well, because there is a Mets prospect who is certainly turning heads, and if he were to come into the Southern League, he might be visiting some key cities in SEC Country, where he made a name for himself as the Heisman Trophy winner from the Florida Gators - cities like Birmingham, Knoxville, and his hometown of Jacksonville. That's right, Tim Tebow might not be setting the woods on fire statistically, but he's apparently making a big difference in attendance in the South Atlantic League, where he plays for the Columbia Fireflies in South Carolina.
The State newspaper in Columbia says this:
According to Faithwire:
You think there were complaints? Enough to cause the Charleston GM to issue a tepid apology:
Mets GM Sandy Alderson was also not impressed by the opposing team's treatment of their high-profile visitor. He told Newsday that the actions were "all very minor league. He added, "I was a little surprised that halfway through the season that somebody decided to be cute and pursue that,” adding, “But he’s bigger than that.”
And, as Faithwire notes: "As for Tebow, he’s been quiet about the incident thus far."
So, this goes into the "what were they thinking?" category - certainly you can poke fun at a player, but leave his faith out of it. Unfortunately, this reminds us that there is a cultural element that does not revere a person's personal faith, and will demonstrate disrespect in an openly hostile way, or just by exhibiting this type of insensitivity. We see it in so many areas that I discuss regularly on the radio show.
I want to concentrate for a moment on Tebow's response, because it gives us some good lessons. Obviously, he's made an impact on the Mets' general manager - this received attention from the top of the Mets' organization. Alderson said Tebow was "bigger than that." This can really challenge us to think about our response when we face opposition or ridicule. We don't have to respond in kind when we find ourselves in that position, or we don't have to get all defensive when we face criticism.
When someone takes the low road in their dealings with us, we can make it our aim to take the high road, appropriating spiritual resources to enable us to do that.
Also, think about the silence that Tebow exhibited. From what I can see online, he apparently didn't take to the media to blast the fans - he probably didn't let it get under his skin. I would say that silence can be a better reaction that attempting to mix it up when we become angry or frustrated, or if we find ourselves in a disagreement. It can be the things we say that can get us into trouble more than what we don't say. The tongue is hard to control, according to James 3, but we have the Spirit who can give us the power to do that.
And, just an extra note: keep in mind that Tebow is well-regarded because of his character and his countenance - I believe these flow from his relationship with Christ.
+++++
It's human nature to retaliate when you are reviled; it's God's nature to turn the other cheek and not respond improperly, in anger. Romans 12 reminds us:
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.
The Montgomery Biscuits opened the second half of the 2017 season by dropping a game to Birmingham 5-2. This is a significant series for the home team, because it marks the beginning of new ownership for the team. During this grand re-opening weekend, there are a number of special features, and Family Faith Night is one of them - tomorrow, Calling Glory will present a pre-game concert at 5:00 - come see Faith Radio at the block party outside the stadium at 3:00. We'll have pre-game coverage on Faith Radio tomorrow afternoon.
Last night, on the tail end of a rainy, stormy day, the Biscuits drew over 4,000 fans to Riverwalk Stadium, and if the weather holds up, it could be a very popular weekend.
The Biscuits play in the Southern League, which is a group of 10 AA franchises that are affiliated with major league clubs. The Biscuits are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays. The New York Mets do not have a team in the League; their AA franchise is the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, which plays in the Eastern League, along with the Richmond Flying Squirrels, which has the same owner as the Biscuits. Why I am telling you all this?
Well, because there is a Mets prospect who is certainly turning heads, and if he were to come into the Southern League, he might be visiting some key cities in SEC Country, where he made a name for himself as the Heisman Trophy winner from the Florida Gators - cities like Birmingham, Knoxville, and his hometown of Jacksonville. That's right, Tim Tebow might not be setting the woods on fire statistically, but he's apparently making a big difference in attendance in the South Atlantic League, where he plays for the Columbia Fireflies in South Carolina.
The State newspaper in Columbia says this:
Tebow has been a hit at the box office for the Fireflies and the rest of the teams in South Atlantic League.
Tebow’s numbers (. 224 average, 3 HRs, 21 RBI) don’t scream promotion, but given the fact he will turn 30 in August, that might be a big factor in moving him up quicker than normal
Even if Tebow starts the second half in Columbia, it might not be for long. Tebow will eventually need to see how he fares against better pitching in either advanced-A at St. Lucie or with the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies.The article points out that:
Thanks to Tebow’s arrival and a good marketing plan, attendance for Fireflies’ home games is on pace to shatter last season’s mark.
The Fireflies drew 261,134 in their inaugural season.
Through 35 home games, Columbia is second in the South Atlantic League in attendance behind Greensboro by 79 fans per game. The Fireflies drew 182,364 fans, an average of 5,210 per game.And, Tebow's a hit on the road. Baseball America says this in an article from May:
But to better understand the Tebow effect on attendance, we looked at Columbia’s road games. When Columbia hit the road in the first month of the season, they played in front of an average of 4,607 fans. When those same teams hosted non-Tebow teams, they averaged 2,399 fans.
Based on the April attendance data, the Tebow effect appears to be roughly 2,210 fans per night. Minor league teams estimate that the average fan will spend $20 per person if they come to the ballpark. That counts ticket sales, concessions and souvenirs. So Tebow is worth roughly an additional $44,200 per night.
If Tebow remains in the SAL all season, that would mean an additional $3.1 million in revenue over the course of 70 Columbia road games. That doesn’t even count the revenue he generates for Columbia.Well, the Charleston RiverDogs didn't exactly welcome Tebow with open arms at a recent home game, which is too bad, because he probably put more people than normal through the turnstiles. You might even say they came off doing a "reverse" faith night.
According to Faithwire:
First, the team’s mascot, Charlie, sported eye black with “John 3:16” scrawled in white. As you might recall, this is something that Tebow himself did as a football player. The mascot also engaged in “Tebowing” — the term coined to describe how Tebow would often bend on one knee and pray on the football field.
But it didn’t end there. The team also played the “Hallelujah Chorus” every time Tebow came up to bat during the game, the Post and Courier reported.There was also a photo of Tebow crying after the 2009 SEC Championship Game posted when teammates came to bat.
You think there were complaints? Enough to cause the Charleston GM to issue a tepid apology:
“While we believe that our promotions were poking fun at Mr. Tebow’s celebrity status rather than his religion or baseball career, our intent was not to offend anyone, and for the fact that we did offend, we are sorry,” he said in a statement to the Post and Courier.
Echols continued, “Of the many promotional pieces that we executed, there were a handful on Friday’s game that some construed as in poor taste, and we made it a focus to remove those elements and celebrate Mr. Tebow the remainder of his time in Charleston.”A handful? "Some" construed in poor taste? I don't think he won a whole lot of friends by that.
Mets GM Sandy Alderson was also not impressed by the opposing team's treatment of their high-profile visitor. He told Newsday that the actions were "all very minor league. He added, "I was a little surprised that halfway through the season that somebody decided to be cute and pursue that,” adding, “But he’s bigger than that.”
And, as Faithwire notes: "As for Tebow, he’s been quiet about the incident thus far."
So, this goes into the "what were they thinking?" category - certainly you can poke fun at a player, but leave his faith out of it. Unfortunately, this reminds us that there is a cultural element that does not revere a person's personal faith, and will demonstrate disrespect in an openly hostile way, or just by exhibiting this type of insensitivity. We see it in so many areas that I discuss regularly on the radio show.
I want to concentrate for a moment on Tebow's response, because it gives us some good lessons. Obviously, he's made an impact on the Mets' general manager - this received attention from the top of the Mets' organization. Alderson said Tebow was "bigger than that." This can really challenge us to think about our response when we face opposition or ridicule. We don't have to respond in kind when we find ourselves in that position, or we don't have to get all defensive when we face criticism.
When someone takes the low road in their dealings with us, we can make it our aim to take the high road, appropriating spiritual resources to enable us to do that.
Also, think about the silence that Tebow exhibited. From what I can see online, he apparently didn't take to the media to blast the fans - he probably didn't let it get under his skin. I would say that silence can be a better reaction that attempting to mix it up when we become angry or frustrated, or if we find ourselves in a disagreement. It can be the things we say that can get us into trouble more than what we don't say. The tongue is hard to control, according to James 3, but we have the Spirit who can give us the power to do that.
And, just an extra note: keep in mind that Tebow is well-regarded because of his character and his countenance - I believe these flow from his relationship with Christ.
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