A Stone's Throw

Veteran golfer, J.P. Hayes, turned himself in for using a golf ball not approved for play by the United States Golf Association.  In doing so, it disqualified him from the Q-School tournament and he did not get a coveted 2009 PGA tour card.  There are many articles and blog posts about this event when you do a Google search. There is also a great discussion on Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio here.

I played golf on my high school golf team (Go Chiefs!!–That’s for Ronnie!).  With those experiences, I learned a lot of lessons about integrity and life.  I also learned that the game of golf is officiated by each player and there is the possibility for a lot of cheating to take place.  I had an experience one time during a match where an opponant’s father was watching the match.  He came up to his son after we left the green and told him something.  The player then told the guy with the score card that he had not properly marked his ball on the putting green and would need to take a two stroke penalty.  Amazing couple of minutes for sure.  Turns out that his team needed those strokes to win and they lost the match.  Again, there is a ton of stories like this that come out of sports, especially golf.

So, for the weekend hacker, don’t kick your ball from behind the tree, play “winter rules” in the middle of the summer, take a mulligan every hole, and the list goes on and on.  Play the game with integrity and most importantly–enjoy the game!  Enjoy the day that the Lord has made!  Enjoy the people you are playing with (though it is extremely difficult at times!). Enjoy this terrible, horrible, exellent, frustrating game we call golf!

When have you seen someone show integrity when no one would have known?

Here is a picture of a car we saw at Maple Leaf. It is the exact same car that was my dad’s first car.

My first car, “The Silver Bullet,” was a 1980 Chevrolet ‘Vette–Chevette that is! It was silver that looked like primer or a homemade paint job with rattle cans–or both! The best part was that it was a standard transmission. Sweetness!

What was your first car? What funny stories or memories do you have of that car?

It is pretty funny (ironic rather than “ha ha”) that every time I seem to feel like I am getting along better as a leader, husband, father, friend, etc., the Lord always tightens the screws a bit and makes me better!  The problem with that is that it, most of the time, is a painful process of humility and putting others ahead of myself and my agenda.  This is the same idea that Christ talked about to his disciples–that we ought to serve other people, that we ought to put others first in all things.  Why?  We ought to serve others and be humble because he served us and humbled himself “even to death on a cross.”  (Phil. 2:8)  He is the ultimate leader and every time I get to thinking I am figuring this stuff out, he lays another nugget of truth on me!

One of the HUGE concepts that God is laying on my plate these days is learning how to listen.  There is a difference between listening and having a person “be heard.”  I think I am a good listener–just ask me!!  We all would probably say the same thing, wouldn’t we?  But maybe we ought to ask those around us if THEY think we are a good listener.  But be careful, as in my situation, the Lord will allow those people to be TOTALLY honest with you and you just might not like what you are hearing!

So we have a choice.  We can deny the problem exists of our lack of listening to people, or we can allow God to shape and mold us into the kind of leaders we were called to be.  For me, it is going to be a pretty long journey of conversations asking if I am a good listener. . . i.e. “do you feel like I ‘heard’ you?”  I am also quite certain that this process of becoming a better leader and listener is going to include me becoming more humble–realizing that only with Christ’s help can I be better.  It is also quite certainly going to include some apologies for a lack of “honor” that I have not given to those I serve alongside each day.  Jesus called us to love our neighbor as ourselves.  I think I’ve got the loving myself down!  I even love to hear myself talk sometimes!  Now God is shaping me into truly learning how to lead–in love.  All the while, making sure that all around me are “being heard.”

When are some times when you thought you heard, but really didn’t hear at all?