I Witnessed A Miracle On The Golf Course

I witnessed a miracle on the golf course yesterday.  No, I didn't get a hole in one.  For those who are aware of my golf skills, just a simple birdie would be a miracle.  However, I'm not sure I even managed a bogie during this round.  I didn't hole one from a 100 yards out. I didn't drive the ball 300 yards and I didn't break a hundred.  This "miracle" had little to do with me except, I was simply blessed to watch it happen. 

It had been 6 months since we last played together.  My golf buddy Carl, had walked through a 6 month period that I would wish on no one.  Back in December, his body was hammered and hammered hard.  When he went in the hospital initially, it seemed no big deal.  I thought he would be in and out in a few days.  But, things turned south in a hurry.  The days turned to weeks, and the weeks turned to months.  I would visit him then walk out to my car and cry.  My faith was challenged every time I would see him. I would walk in a man of faith to pray for him, then I would see him laying there and my faith would take a hit.  I knew he was a fighter, and I was praying he had just a little fight left.  When the doctors had done all they could do, we were left with the reality that its all up to God now. So, we just determined to trust God.  We prayed and we trusted God.

Eventually, he woke up.  And day after day, he continued to improve.  Each time I would visit, he was getting a step closer to going home.  Then, he came home.  He still had a long way to go, but he was home after more than two months. Week after week, he continued to improve and build his strength.  Then, he picked up his golf club, stepped into the back yard and began taking some swings.  He would tell me from time to time how many swings he was up to. Then one day, I got the text. "Want to play golf next week? I think I am about up for it."

Just a few months ago, we were praying he would live.  We were believing God that he would walk out of the hospital.  It was all playing back in my mind as I sat there looking at that text.  I thought to myself, whatever I have planned for next week will have to take a back seat to this moment. I assured him I would make it happen.

When I walked outside that morning the weather was incredible.  Absolutely perfect weather for a round of golf.  It was if God, Himself was joining us in our celebration.  I walked up to the tee box and did what I normally do. I hit it into the trees.  Carl then stepped up to the tee box.  He teed up the ball and went through his pre-swing ritual.  I stood there taking in the moment. This was huge.  This was a miracle, I was watching.  God had answered my prayers.  Not just my prayers but the prayers of his family and friends.  There was a few times on this journey when I struggled to see this day as a reality.  But, here it was, playing out right before me.  I took out my phone and snapped a picture, so that I would forever have a memory of this moment.  I didn't care if he hit it ten feet, pulled it left, or pushed it right.  All that mattered in this moment, was that my buddy Carl was back on the golf course. He stepped up to the ball, started his back swing, and then let it rip. When the ball came to a stop it was in the fairway! I chuckled as I thought, you couldn't write a better script than this.

We played on from there.  With each hole, our scores became increasingly irrelevant.  To be honest, I threw the scorecard in the trash immediately following the round without even adding up the score.  This day, it wasn't about pars or bogies.  It wasn't about staying out of the trees and sand traps.  It wasn't about making good putts or pounding out long drives.  This day wasn't about winning and losing and it wasn't even about how you played the game.  Today was about just playing the game.  It was about just getting on the golf course and taking your swings. It was about just showing up, strapping on the golf glove, lacing up the golf shoes, teeing up the ball, and just swinging the club. This round of golf was not about golf balls, golf clubs, and a golf course.  This round of golf was about life and about being alive.  It was about staring death in the face and saying, "I win!". It was about a God who is real.  A God who answers prayer.  A God who has power over death, hell, and the grave.  This round of golf was about so much more than a simple sport.  St. Irenaeus once said, "the glory of God is man fully alive." If that's true, then this day was about seeing that very glory of God. For on this day I witnessed that very miracle, because my golf buddy Carl, was and is fully alive!

Of Squirrels And Men

I'm not sure why, but last night while I was laying in bed, I was recalling an event that happened a few years ago. So, I figure I'll just run with that today. I don't remember exactly how long ago, but I know it was several years back, while I was playing golf one day. I would love to say that I am great at golf, but that would be more than an exaggeration. It would actually be a complete lie. Anyways, I was playing alone this particular day and actually managed to hit the green on a par 3 and was thrilled with the idea that I was walking up to the green carrying only my putter. You every-once-in-a-while golfers know exactly what I mean. As I'm approaching the green, on the other side of the green I see a squirrel, which of course is not out of the ordinary, but this one was a bit different.

Generally, squirrels run away from you, right? Not this one. This one actually starts running toward me. Naturally, I thought that was a bit odd, but as he continued to approach me I began to think perhaps he's more than just a bit odd. Perhaps, he was a card carrying member of squirrels with rabies or something. Needless to say I was getting a bit nervous. I stepped a little to the right and cocked my putter and took up a posture that said, "come, near me and I'll kill you!" The squirrel never deviated from his course and never broke stride. He ran directly over the ground that I had just vacated and continued running in a straight line until he got to a tree and simply scaled the tree as only a squirrel can do.

After my heart slowed down a bit and the adrenaline rush was over, I continued with my round of golf, no doubt missing my birdie putt. I don't really remember the putt, but I had to have missed it, because as poor as I am at golf, trust me if it was a birdie, I would remember it.

Back to last night. As I lay there recalling this event in my mind, I started thinking about how focused that squirrel was on where he was headed. I'm not sure what was in that tree, perhaps its nest, or little baby squirrels, or a hidden stash of acorns. The fact is there were trees all around, but for some reason, this was the only tree this squirrel was interested in. And even though this 5' 11"- 200 and none-of-your-business pounds guy stood directly between him and the tree, this squirrel was determined to get there. He didn’t have rabies. He was just focused and determined.

We've all been in situations like that. We have something we've set our eyes on. Something we long for. Perhaps it's a dream that God has birthed in us. A creative, inspired dream that God planted deep inside of us and we see it clearly up ahead. Maybe it’s a miracle of healing you've had your faith set on or a loved one you've been praying for God to reach. It could be any number of things we've set our heart on but, in between us and it, is some kind of major hurdle.  Something that takes our eyes off of the goal, and therefore causes us to lose focus and get off track. If we are not careful, it can cause the dream to die.

But, if it’s a God dream, we need to be willing to face the hurdle head on. Keeping our eyes on where we are headed and the One who's called us to get there. Like the squirrel on that golf course that day, we need to stop at nothing to reach the place that we long for. We need to determine that whatever stands in the way is going to either move or we'll climb it, hurdle it, overcome it, go over it, go under it, or go around it. Scripture tells us that for the joy that was set before Him, Jesus endured the cross. The cross represented a hurdle for Him in the process of purchasing our salvation. The joy that He kept his eyes on was you and I living the kind of life He created us to live. The cross stood between Him and that goal, but thank God He refused to back down. Thank God, He rolled up His sleeves and took that cross head-on, keeping His eyes on you and I

What is it in your life that you set out to do, but somewhere along the way the enemy got you sidetracked? What dreams have you backed down from because the enemy placed something in the way that intimidated you? God has a word for you today. "Dream again." "Hope again." "Go for it, and let nothing stop you."

I'm not sure what would have happened that day had I not moved aside. Perhaps, the squirrel would have deviated from his course or backed down altogether. But then again, I may have come home with evidence that I had been in a fight with a determined squirrel. I don't know about you, but I think, we need to learn how to send the enemy home looking like he's tangled with a believer who is resolute, determined, and full of fight.

I Hit The House!

I heard it hit the house.  It hit it hard.  I stood there in disbelief as I tried to figure out just how in the world I hit the ball that far off course.  I mean I'm not exactly Tiger Woods on the golf course.  Actually the only similarity you might find is that both of our names start with the letter T.  While most of the time I find myself hitting from the trees along the right side of the fairway, on this rare occasion I yanked one to the left.  This golf course is located in a neighborhood so there are houses lining the golf course.  So, as I set up to hit my second shot there was a home located about 25-30 yards to my left.  The house's location to the ball took it completely out of play, so I thought nothing of the house. There was absolutely no way I could possibly hit this house.  It was not a difficult shot as the only issue was a large oak tree slightly left of where I needed to hit the ball. I pulled out my 3 hybrid and lined up to hit the shot.  Remember most of the time my shots go right.  However, for some reason on this hole I hit two shots in a row to the left.  Yep, that oak tree that was to the left?  It took a direct hit.  As I braced myself for the ball coming back at me, I heard it hit the house that was completely out of play.  To make matters worse there was a lady sitting out on the patio.  Her scream made me think not only did I hit her house but her as well.

My first thought was that thought you get as a little boy when you hit a ball through someone's window. "RUN!!!" "Run, Tim, Run and don't look back!"  Unfortunately at my age and current athletic state, running was not an option.  I couldn't blame it on my golfing partner as he was in the golf cart.  I had no option but to approach the lady.  So with tail tucked I set out to retrieve my golf ball.  She met me half way with golf ball in hand. I apologized half a dozen times, assuring her that I am not that bad, but that stupid oak tree was the real culprit here.  With heart rate still racing, she handed me the ball and told me that was a first for her.  Now, before I go any farther let me just say that I did not hit her with the ball.  I came really close, but thank God I missed.

I don't know how many golfers play that hole every day but multiply that times 365 and that is a massive number of golfers over the course of a year.  Perhaps some have nailed her house while she was not sitting out on her shaded patio, but I was the first to hit her house with her sitting out there? Of course I was because her house is completely out of play for each and every level of golfer.  Yet, somehow I managed to hit the ball that far off course.

Along my Christian journey, I've felt that far off course a few times.  No, it wasn't intentional, but there I found myself nowhere near where I should be.  Where I wanted to be.  Where I was trying to be.  Let's face it, we all miss the target a lot as we play this course called life.  Our efforts at loving one another and forgiving one another, much of the time look like that misdirected golf ball.  Our attempts at obeying God fall way short of where we expected to be when we teed off.  If we'll be honest with ourselves, our motives, thoughts, and desires are often nowhere near the fairway.  Just like my errant golf shot, we often find ourselves doing things or saying things that leave even ourselves scratching our heads.  How in the world can we be this far off course when we are desperately striving to hit our shots down the middle of the fairway?


There are a lot of reasons. I don't know that much about the golf swing to know exactly what I did wrong on that pathetic shot but I'm sure it involved my left elbow, wrists, follow through, swing plane, and what I was thinking before and during the swing among other things.  So it is when we miss it in life.  It could be any number of things.  It could be the result of our approach, our habits, or how we think.  It could be the product of what we think about God, how we see ourselves, or how we view others. Past wounds, unforgiveness, and fears all affect what we do and why we do them.  And sometimes the enemy plants himself, much like that oak tree, in the way to assist us in getting completely off course.

In golf when you make a bad shot, you take a penalty stroke and take a drop.  You're not eliminated.  You just continue to play on.  I did just that.  Unfortunately, I did horrible on that hole.  But, it wasn't just because I hit the ball bad.  Its because I couldn't get that shot out of my head.  Every time I approached my next shot, I was thinking about that pathetic shot.  So, I hit another bad shot. And then another one. And then another one.

Regardless of how off course we find ourselves on our journey, we've got to learn how to forget about the past and play on.  We need to be less concerned about how we got here and more concerned about how we play from here on out.  God is great at forgiving us and extending grace to us.  We need to take notes from Him on how to forgive ourselves and to accept His grace that redeems our past. That bad shot did not define me as a golfer.  I'm not Tiger Woods but I'm also not as bad a golfer as that shot would like to define me as. When you find yourself in the trees on your journey, or on the fairway to a completely different hole, remember that your current location does not define you.  Yep, you are way off course, but take a deep breath, forget about how you got there, take your drop and get back in the fairway.

Now, if you find yourself continuously in the woods as you journey through this life, addressing the issues that consistently get you that off course is a must.  Sometimes that requires a different set of eyes that can see things we are blind to.  Find a believer, a counselor, a minister who can walk you through those issues.  As you humble yourself in that way you'll discover that you end up in the fairway a lot more than you used to.  You won't have to try really hard to hit it straight. You'll hit it straight because its in you to hit it straight and you've decided to deal with the issues in your life that cause you to get off course.