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3 Things I Learned From A Golfer

Was the end of a long day and I sat down down on the couch to decompress. Navigating the endless channels of ‘nothing to watch’ on cable, I stumbled on a movie called Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius

Bobby Jones was a child prodigy who became The Man.

A short-tempered, club-throwing youth, Jones turned into an even-dispositioned and unruffled champion. In the Golden Age of Sport, Jones took his place alongside such giants as Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Red Grange and Bill Tilden. From 1923 to 1929, the Georgia gentleman dominated golf, birdieing his way into this country’s heart by winning nine major championships.

Then in 1930, he won the Grand Slam, which one writer picturesquely called “the impregnable quadrilateral.” He was so popular that he was accorded a ticker-tape parade in New York — before he won the final two legs of the Slam.ⁱ

So, what did I learn from a golfer? Was it golf?

Life Is A Beautiful Struggle

A colleague of mine let me borrow ‘Ragamuffin: the true story of Rich Mullins’ and wow did it wreck me in a very positive way.

Here is a quick synopsis from the DVD box:

Ragamuffin is based on the life of Rich Mullins, a musical prodigy who rose to Christian music fame and fortune only to walk away and live on a Navajo reservation. An artistic genius, raised on a tree farm in Indiana by a callous father, Rich wrestled all of his life with the brokenness and crippling insecurity born of his childhood. A lover of Jesus and a rebel in the church, Rich refused to let his struggles with his own darkness tear him away from a God he was determined to love. As he struggled with success in Nashville and depression in Wichita, Rich desired most of all to live a life of honest and reckless faith amidst a culture of religion and conformity.

As I was being drawn into the story with vivid similarities with my own life, minus the music success, I froze as the movie came to the scene where Brennan Manning was sharing a word with a church congregation. I couldn’t hold back the tears as this message went through me like a plow.

Here is that narrative by Brennan Manning…

Paulo Coelho

When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.

What Redlining And The Sabbath Can Teach Us About Faith

Our lives are so busy and fast-paced that it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important. Is your life crazy busy? Is your schedule jam packed?

I recently listened to a series by Andy Stanley called “Breathing Room” and wow could I relate. Not having breathing room in my life almost cost me everything.

Breathing room is the space between our current pace and our limits.

-Andy Stanley

I was addicted to a high paced lifestyle. I always looked for my value, my self-worth, and my identity with position and success — selling my soul to my work.

Can’t Change Your Thinking? 2 Ways We Can Learn How From RoboCop

Recently saw the new reboot of RoboCop with my son. Underneath the very cool special effects I noticed that there was a powerful theme emerging. This theme was was also in the original RoboCop.

The ability to change your thinking. The power of choice!

If you haven’t seen the move yet or need a refresher, here is the basic story line:

3 Things I Learned From A Golfer

Life Is A Beautiful Struggle

Paulo Coelho

What Redlining And The Sabbath Can Teach Us About Faith

Can’t Change Your Thinking? 2 Ways We Can Learn How From RoboCop

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Never Out Of The Fight!

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