Driving Mr Golfer

Over Easter break, I had the pleasure of driving Mr C around a lot; to the driving range, the golf course and a few golf shops.  It was what you would call a golfing weekend.  We watched the Master's Golf Tournament, listened to the PGA channel on FX while driving around, and of course, watched the Golf Channel when the actual tournament wasn't on. 

I grew up in a house that watched the PGA tour too, my dad and grandfather would call each other and talk about Jack, Lee, Arnold and Fuzzy like they were personal friends. I might have even had a little crush on Tom Watson and nearly died at the age of 10 when I saw him walking around Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. 

So watching the Masters with someone so enthusiastic seemed just right.  Mr C and I were thrilled with Bubba Watson's win. How could you not love a guy like this whose tweet early Sunday morning read:
"Thanks everyone for the support! 3 reasons tomorrow will be #awesome, 1. Jesus has risen 2. See my new baby boy & my wife 3. Masters Sunday

I love how the golf bug has really caught Mr C.  I'm serious when I say that he's eating, sleeping and dreaming golf.  He talks about his golf game constantly.  He's analyzing his swing, buying new "used" clubs to improve his score, and asked me to please mow the lawn as it was a little long for chipping purpose.  (I should work on him mowing the lawn - new summer chore)  One day over spring break, he went to the driving range for two hours to chip, putt and drive and came home one happy boy!

 As we were driving to the driving range on Monday, his final day of break he told me of his "new" life plan.  "I'm going to work really hard when I'm young, make a bunch of money, retire early and then play 18 holes everyday."  I responded that his wife may object to the retire young idea since she might not be ready to spend all day every day with him.  He told me not to worry.  He's already prayed that his wife will love golf too!

One of the fun parts of parenting teenagers is watching them try new things and give "it" all they have knowing that this is building in them skills that will carry them into adulthood.  I'm not sure that Mr C will ever win a Green Jacket at Augusta or play a round in a college golf tournament, but I know that the tenacity his learning on and off the course along with his desire to learn all he can about golf will serve him well in whatever the Lord has planned for his life.

For now, I'll just have the car gassed up and ready to drive him to the nearest golf course plus I'll add "golf lover" to my list of prayers for his future spouse.

Lessons from the Cross and the Course

How can I relate lessons of Easter with the Master's Golf Tournament? Guess you could say that watching the Master's Final Round on Sunday afternoon following a wonderful Easter week and a Resurrection Day spent with family, I got to thinking.

Jesus must have felt so rejected. Here he comes in triumphant on Palm Sunday with huge crowds, cheering, and waving Palm Branches at his feet with shouts of Hosanna and by Thursday it's down to 12 quietly hidden away in an upper room. Not only that, but one of those people is going to betray him, one is going to deny him, and the rest still seem confused about his mission on earth and His true Kingdom.

It's like the final round of the Masters. For the days leading up to Sunday, the crowds are evenly dispersed. They are following all the golfers, cheering for all of them, and watching in anticipation of who will pull ahead.

On Sunday the two big guns in golf, Tiger and Phil, are grouped together. Great Golfers, but not Great Friends. The crowds following them are huge. The crowds are having a great round. Phil is dropping putts and Tiger is hitting trees and making the green all at the same time. The excitement is obvious. Cameras follow their every move.

Meanwhile, 5 holes back the leader of the day and the next few in contention are having slim crowds. The stands at Amen Corner are nearly empty when they come through. An announcer says in order to win these guys will have to overcome the quiet and lack of enthusiasm.

Phil and Tiger make a play for the lead, but each falls short. Once they are done, it's like the crowd realized the leaders are still on the course and maybe they should watch. They fall back and watch .....and ..... as they trudge forward to sudden death and extra holes.

I heard an ESPN announcer say that he turned off the set when the big guns were done. What!! This is when the golf got exciting. The 18th hole, the 10th hole. In the end, the guy I was cheering for came in second. He got just missed a final putt. Inches short. No give.

It reminded me a lot of Easter. All the hype for the Big Guy (Easter Bunny) who in the end doesn't deliver anything lasting while the real star of the show, (Jesus) is trudging on towards the cross and final victory. When all his friends desert him, when they can't stay tuned in for a just a little while why he prays, he goes on and stays the course.

It's Sudden Death on the Cross and Jesus made the the ultimate move in dying for our sins and finishing strong with an amazing resurrection from the dead.

That beats any Master's Final Round Victory.