The best thing in soccer (in my opinion from watching the World Cup) is when a player does something unbecoming or commits a foul.  The foul isn’t what’s great, it’s what happens next. The referee runs up to the misbehaving player; doesn’t say a word; but holds high a yellow card. If the untoward behavior was really bad, the player gets a red card and the athlete is kicked out of the match. 

Wouldn’t it be great if we could hand out yellow cards in church too? 

No words. 
Just stand before the deserving, misbehaving individual holding up the “yellow card of shame.” 

Here’s my list of deserving a yellow card church offenders:

1. Cell phone owners whose ringtones blare during a funeral service. (It’s a red card if the song is Cool and the Gang’s “Celebrate Good times, c’mon.”) 
2. People who can’t afford to tithe, but can afford luxury cars, trips, the latest designer clothes and other extravagances.
3. Drivers who don’t take turns in the duo drive thru lanes at Chick-fil-A (technically this is not church issue, but come on– It’s Chick-fil-A, for crying out loud. 
4. Anyone thinking that women preachers are less than men preachers.
5. Church members who exit because “they are not being fed.”
6. Social media users who pick fights; air grievances; and are your garden variety jerks.
7. Authors of cowardly anonymous letters
8. Any person who brings a salmon or Spam dish-to-pass to a church potluck.
9. Those who angrily complain to the pastor about the youth pastor 30 seconds before the worship service is to begin
10. Pineapple on pizza people. (not church related, but true)
11. People who complain about the commercialization/secularization of Christmas but who do not attend Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day services (Prioritize one if not both). 

Some of those were silly, others are far more serious. I’ll not be handing out yellow cards anytime soon, but this is meant to be reminder this Christmas Season: Let’s be kind. Don’t do any yellow-card-worthy annoyances. Do nothing that would land you on the “naughty list.” Keep in mind that kindness is a fruit of the Spirit (being right and annoying is not). 

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:13-15