Spiritual Lessons From The Golden Bear

Years ago I attempted to take up the game of golf. In so doing I like so many others decided on my golfing hero and mentor of the game. No although I never met "the Golden Bear personally, I did read every instructional book and watch every instructional VHS video I could rent in order to learn the lessons from the best. Even to this day occasionally someone will ask me after I (attempt to ) strike the ball, "Why do you tilt your head to the left?" In case you do not know this was a trait of Jack Nicklaus, one of the world's greatest golfer.
Jack Nicklaus, the Golden Bear, is one of the greatest golfers of all time. Jack hold the record for the most wins of the Master’s with six. He holds the record for being the oldest person to ever win the Masters when he won in 1986 at the age of 46. Yet there was a time when Jack Nicklaus faced a career down run. He describes this period in his life:

"I was playing good golf, but it really wasn't that big a deal to me one way or the other. And then my father passed away and I sort of realized that he had certainly lived his life through my golf game. I really hadn't probably given him the best of that. So I sort of got myself back to work. So '70 was an emotional one for me from that standpoint. ... It was a big boost"

Jack had won 7 major tournaments from 1962-1967, 0 wins in 1968-1969, but then he won 11 Major Tournaments from 1970 –1986. Of these wins he won the Open Championship twice, the US Open twice, the PGA Championship four times, and the Masters three more times.

       

You may be wondering what Jack Nicklaus has to do with our Christian Life and our lack of growth and commitment, let me explain. Jack stated that the problem with his game was in his heart and head and not in his swing. He realized how important his golf was to his dad and in an attempt to please his dad Jack recommitted himself to be the best golfer he could be.

My thoughts are these. Our problem is not in our programs as much as the problem is in our hearts and in our heads. Maybe we have forgotten how important we are to God and how much God wants the best for us and from us. May we be reminded of our Father’s love for us, for His church and for the unchurched that it will motivate each of us to get back to work and to be His best.

       

Two important rules of making solid contact with the ball is to keep your head still and do not have too tight of grip on the club. Therefore may our minds remain focused on the Godly and our grip not be too tight on the worldly.

When You Can't See It All

Each year our school systems enjoy a break from school which is called Fall Break. Several years back during Fall Break Sebrenia and I carried our two grandchildren to Pigeon Forge TN. We enjoyed playing Putt-Putt golf, riding Go Carts and just hanging out. We went down town Gatlinburg and all that that entails. We made our may over to Cades Cove in order to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation and while we were there we could see from the distance the Great Smoky Mountains. The leaves were beginning to change into their beautiful yellows, red and golden colors, it was wonderful. It was great seeing first hand God’s majestic handiwork. Yet due to the clouds when we looked to the mountain we could not see the peak. The clouds were so thick that they hid the peak, the highest points, the summit. Look as hard as we might we could not see the peak, the top.

As we would look at the sides of the mountain Austin made the statement, “Look Mattie how big!” To which I replied, “Son that’s not all of the mountain. It’s a lot bigger than we can see. The clouds are keeping us from seeing how big it really is.” I went on to explain to them that although we could not see the top of the mountain it was still there.

That reminded me that there are times in our lives when just as we could not see the summit because of the clouds, there are times when because of clouds we cannot see God. Sometimes clouds of distress, disappointments, tragedy, and fear block the Summit God from our view. But let me remind you that God is still there. God is still there even when our eyes cannot see him, and when our hearts are troubled. Not only is He still there but He is still as large as ever. Don’t let the clouds of doubt, or the clouds of distress cause you to lose sight of the majesty and might of our God.

Austin and Mattie believed that the mountains were much bigger than they could see because their Pawpaw told them that the mountains were bigger than they could see. Our Father has preserved black ink on white paper His Word which describes His greatness. When the clouds come in and you cannot see the summit with your eyes, in these times see the summit God through eyes of faith. We can you know. He’s still there and He always will be.

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

How Should I Vote

With the quickly approaching election there are still a number of folks who are uncertain about who to vote for as President. The reason is because it can be very confusing when you listen to all the speeches and the hype form the media. To be honest with you some of the information which we receive comes from bias sources. I do not know for sure that there is a truly non bias source of information. So how can we make a good decision about how we vote? The answer is quite simple. You gather the information, pray for guidance and cast your vote with a clear conscience. What the candidate does after he goes into office is another issue. But listen to me, if a candidate is a snake before being elected he will be a snake after the election and probably more so. Once in the office he will not be so concerned about being elected. Therefore it is important that we cast an informed vote.

Let me offer some suggestions for casting an informed vote. I am not writing this to tell you how you are to vote. First I can’t do that. Secondly I would not do that if I could because if I tell you how you must vote I have removed your freedom that our forefathers fought for and the principle on which this nation is governed.

1. Prayerfully make a list of what you personally believe to be the important issues and then prioritize them from most important to least important. The reason for this is because no candidate will support all of the issues which we consider personally to be important. But when deciding who to vote for we should vote for the candidate that supports the more important issues. Before making your list please pray and ask God for wisdom. (James 1:5)

Here is a sample list: gas prices, cost of living, abortion, Biblical view of family or marriage, Iran, the war on terrorism, the Bible, global warming, health care, etc.

Now prioritize your list: 1. The Bible, 2. Biblical view of Family, 3. Gas Prices, 4. Health care, 5. Getting our soldiers home, 6. Global Warming, Etc.

2. Research the candidates

There are several ways to accomplish this.

1. Listen to what they have to say but equally important listen to what they do not say. By this I mean what questions pertaining to certain important issues do they avoid giving a direct answer? A candidate may avoid answering a question by wanting to discuss something other issue. (Example: in an attempt to explain support for same sex marriages a person may say something like I believe every one ought to have equal benefits or to be treated equally.)
2. Look at who supports the candidate. People do not endorse verbally nor do they financially support candidates that will oppose what they believe. I am not going to give money to Planned Parenthood if I oppose the act of abortion. I am not going give to the Gay and Lesbian Society if I am against homosexuality even if they have a plan to help abused women.
3. Look at their track record. I know that people make mistakes and anyone can make a wrong decision, but when an individual’s record shows a pattern of decisions that are opposite your beliefs then stay clear.
4. Consider the party that is endorsing the candidate and what does the party support? The parties are different. Neither one is going to support everything that you desire but again consider your priority of issues list. If a party has a history of being against an issue that you support then their candidate will probably take the same stance as the party.
5. Look at the past actions of states that are led by individuals who are of the same party. What have they done? Example, Alabama has a recent history of being a Republican state. What has Alabama stood against and what has the state fought for?

Again I ask you to be prayerful (2 Chronicles 7:14) and honest in prioritizing your list. Is what is important to God important to you? Again I am not telling you who to vote for. My desire is for you to be informed and for you to cast an informed vote for the best candidate, one who will stand for what is important to God and then what is important to you.