For many years, I have been the primary "tee-time maker" for my golf "groupies". It is interesting to watch the weather forecasts change and try to pick a fitting day. Monday, January 16 was not a fitting day even though the temperature was within the acceptable range as determined by my aging body's circulation velocity. The brutal "wind sweeping down the plain" was more like a power vacuum and blessed us with added/subtracted distance based on the direction of the hole and this blessing lasted for eighteen wonderful holes. I hope the cynicism is as obvious as I intend.
I say this because of my tendency to believe that the Oklahoma weather should always fit my plans and not the other way around. Joyce and I have embarked on a new Bible reading plan for 2012 using our smart phone application from Life Church and we have chosen the chronological Bible reading plan. This is planned to allow you to read the Bible in order based on the historical dating of the events. Surprisingly, the first few days covered the creation story in Genesis but then we switched to the book of Job which is noted as being the earliest recorded scriptures. Most of you are familiar with the story-line.
God and Satan are having a conversation and God brings up Job's name to Satan. Job is described as "blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil." Oh that God would say that about me and that I was able to live that type of life empowered by the Holy Spirit. Satan then accuses (The Great Accuser) God of building a hedge around Job and states that Job would crumble without God's hedge protecting him and his. God calls Satan's bluff and gives him permission to assail Job as long as he doesn't harm Job's physical body. Satan then heads to Joblahoma (I made that up!)
You know the story: oxen and donkeys and servants die first; sheep and some more servants are burned up; camels and more servants slain by the Chaldeans; and finally a great wind kills his sons and daughers and destroys their houses. Part of Job's response is found in Job 1:21 - The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD. Verse 22 says: Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God. When earthly woes befall us, would that our attitude could match Job's.
Satan isn't satisfied because Job is still honoring God so he makes a return to God's throne. Again, Job is described by God the same as he was the first time. Satan is then given permission to attack Job's flesh but not given permission to slay him. Next come the sore boils from head to toe. Job has a similair response to this calamity. We read in verses 9-10 of Chapter 2: Job 2:9-10 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!" But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Wow! Doesn't that sound just like us when bad things happen to us "good" people?
The most impressive thing about Job's three golfing buddies, er, my mistake, three friends is that they showed up after hearing about Job's troubles and performed an amazing act of kindness. Job 2:12-13 says: When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky. Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great. This must have provided great comfort to Job, but then, as we often do at the wrong times, they opened their mouths. They offer their opinions to Job and Job continues to claim his belief in God although he does have a few pity parties along the way.
Towards the end of the book, Elihu shows up to put his two cents end and finally God shuts them all up during his conversation with Job in Chapters 38-42 and, lastly, God restores Job's fortunes and family. Please take time to read these chapters when you have a few minutes. I need to hear this from God quite often especially when I try to replace him on his throne with myself. What an awesome sovereign God we worship.
Now, back to my griping about the weather. I was struck by Elihu's discourse especially from Job 36:26 - Job 37:24 as he talks about the weather and who controls it for his good pleasure. That passage follows and please notice the details about the rain, lightning, thunder, snow, sunshine, darkness, etc. It is truly awe-inspiring and very convicting. When I gripe about the weather, I am claiming that I could do a better job of controlling it than the creator God of the universe. May I sincerely repent and stop my grumbling.
Job 36:26-37:24 Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him;The number of His years is unsearchable. "For He draws up the drops of water,They distill rain from the mist, Which the clouds pour down,They drip upon man abundantly. "Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,The thundering of His pavilion? "Behold, He spreads His lightning about Him,And He covers the depths of the sea. "For by these He judges peoples;He gives food in abundance. "He covers His hands with the lightning,And commands it to strike the mark. "Its noise declares His presence;The cattle also, concerning what is coming up. "At this also my heart trembles,And leaps from its place. Listen closely to the thunder of His voice,And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth. "Under the whole heaven He lets it loose,And His lightning to the ends of the earth. "After it, a voice roars;He thunders with His majestic voice,And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard. "God thunders with His voice wondrously,Doing great things which we cannot comprehend. "For to the snow He says, 'Fall on the earth,'And to the downpour and the rain, 'Be strong.' "He seals the hand of every man,That all men may know His work. "Then the beast goes into its lairAnd remains in its den. "Out of the south comes the storm,And out of the north the cold. "From the breath of God ice is made,And the expanse of the waters is frozen. "Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud;He disperses the cloud of His lightning. "It changes direction, turning around by His guidance,That it may do whatever He commands itOn the face of the inhabited earth. "Whether for correction, or for His world,Or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen. "Listen to this, O Job,Stand and consider the wonders of God. "Do you know how God establishes them,And makes the lightning of His cloud to shine? "Do you know about the layers of the thick clouds,The wonders of one perfect in knowledge, You whose garments are hot,When the land is still because of the south wind? "Can you, with Him, spread out the skies,Strong as a molten mirror? "Teach us what we shall say to Him;We cannot arrange our case because of darkness. "Shall it be told Him that I would speak?Or should a man say that he would be swallowed up? "Now men do not see the light which is bright in the skies;But the wind has passed and cleared them. "Out of the north comes golden splendor;Around God is awesome majesty. "The Almighty — we cannot find Him;He is exalted in powerAnd He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness. "Therefore men fear Him;He does not regard any who are wise of heart."
When you hear of tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, droughts, floods, typhoons, and other calamitous weather happenings, remember God is in control and he is greatly to be praised. I would like to wrap this up with an excellent excerpt from an article on one of the many websites that discuss Reformed Theology.
The Church at large has tried to put man at the center of the Universe for so long in its sermons, books and articles that today, when we do hear a preacher talk about the Sovereignty or Providence of God, it actually seems very strange to our ears. We think "what new doctrine is this?" But the truth is that this is not a new concept at all, but in fact the classic, orthodox, Christian view of the God of the Bible.
Regarding the Sovereignty of God, Dr. R. C. Sproul makes the point that if there were one maverick molecule out there somewhere apart from the plan of God, we would have no reason to hope in God. That one maverick molecule could be the one detail that defeats God's eternal purpose. If God is not in Sovereign control, perhaps that one "maverick molecule" could have got into the lungs of Jesus as a young baby and God's eternal plan of salvation could well have been derailed with Jesus dieing in infancy. As the old saying goes, "For lack of the nail, the shoe was lost. For lack of the shoe, the horse was lost. For lack of the horse, the rider was lost. For lack of the rider, the battle was lost. For lack of the battle, the war was lost."
In contrast to this picture, our God is All-Powerful (Omnipotent), and all of history is merely the outworking of His eternal plan. God not merely created the world, but His eternal power sustains it and continues its existence by the sheer exertion of His will - were God to "blink," all would come to an end.
May your day be blessed even if the weather doesn't suit you!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Golf Thoughts
When I say I shot in the sixties on the front nine yesterday, I don't mean the temperature. I think our threesome put 10-11 balls in the same pond on a par three. Can you say "Tin Cup"? Isn't it ironic that golf spelled backwards is flog? Whoever named the game definitely had a sense of humor. But, I digress.
My real purpose of playing yesterday, other than enjoying the spring-like weather and being with two good friends, was to give my Callaway driver one more chance to survive. I went to the driving range the day before and tried out the Taylormade R11 and was convinced that it would probably knock ten or so strokes off of my score and the sound of the club striking the ball was beautimous. Every swing for the entire bucket of balls was pure beauty and the solidness of the contact was something to see and hear. Yesterday, I reminded myself that you usually hit better on the driving range because of getting in the groove and hitting the same club many times in succession.
Boy, did I prove that. However, my last three drives of the day were the best of the round. Must have been the FT-i driver telling me that the equipment isn't necessarily the key to a great drive; mechanics are just as important if not more so. I have yet to play a round where my concentration level stayed the same for the entire round. On the way to the course, I tell myself to concentrate on every swing. The problem is that at my age, that thought has completely vanished by the second or third hole and I go back to "flog" instead of golf.
I've heard that as we age, one of our goals as a golfer is to shoot our age. Bet they don't mean on the front nine! I am just glad my score does not indicate my enjoyment of just still being physically and mentally able to go to the course and play 18 holes. Each round always stirs up memories, some good and some not as good. During the past two years, two of my golfing partners have died and I still miss them both very much. Mark Fullerton (Shannon) and Bo Loyd were great friends and enjoyed golf as much as I. Mark was a better golfer than either Bo or me but Bo was a better student of the game and had played it most of his adult like while Mark came to the game later in life. I have more memories of Mark and golf because we played together at 20-25 different courses while Bo and I only teamed up at Kickingbird in the KSMGA (Kickingbird Senior Men's Golf Association).
So, did my Callaway driver convince me that it is ready to retire? Probably, since it has been almost four years since I bought it. However, the R11 has not gotten to the price level on ebay that I am looking for and my trade-in value on the Callaway is next to nothing. So, as in the past, I will make a few bids on ebay and eventually hit the jackpot but until then the FT-i is safe.
To sum it up, I enjoy golf regardless of the score. Would I enjoy it more if the score was lower? Sure, but I must think like Job when he tells Mrs. Job that we should accept the bad from God just as joyfully as the good because he is in control, not us. If that can become our focus in the new year, our golf scores will be insignificant. May God make 2012 your most blessed year yet!
PS - I bought the new Taylormade R11 driver in late January and it is all that it is cracked up to be. I'm still getting used to it but it was a good move.
My real purpose of playing yesterday, other than enjoying the spring-like weather and being with two good friends, was to give my Callaway driver one more chance to survive. I went to the driving range the day before and tried out the Taylormade R11 and was convinced that it would probably knock ten or so strokes off of my score and the sound of the club striking the ball was beautimous. Every swing for the entire bucket of balls was pure beauty and the solidness of the contact was something to see and hear. Yesterday, I reminded myself that you usually hit better on the driving range because of getting in the groove and hitting the same club many times in succession.
Boy, did I prove that. However, my last three drives of the day were the best of the round. Must have been the FT-i driver telling me that the equipment isn't necessarily the key to a great drive; mechanics are just as important if not more so. I have yet to play a round where my concentration level stayed the same for the entire round. On the way to the course, I tell myself to concentrate on every swing. The problem is that at my age, that thought has completely vanished by the second or third hole and I go back to "flog" instead of golf.
I've heard that as we age, one of our goals as a golfer is to shoot our age. Bet they don't mean on the front nine! I am just glad my score does not indicate my enjoyment of just still being physically and mentally able to go to the course and play 18 holes. Each round always stirs up memories, some good and some not as good. During the past two years, two of my golfing partners have died and I still miss them both very much. Mark Fullerton (Shannon) and Bo Loyd were great friends and enjoyed golf as much as I. Mark was a better golfer than either Bo or me but Bo was a better student of the game and had played it most of his adult like while Mark came to the game later in life. I have more memories of Mark and golf because we played together at 20-25 different courses while Bo and I only teamed up at Kickingbird in the KSMGA (Kickingbird Senior Men's Golf Association).
So, did my Callaway driver convince me that it is ready to retire? Probably, since it has been almost four years since I bought it. However, the R11 has not gotten to the price level on ebay that I am looking for and my trade-in value on the Callaway is next to nothing. So, as in the past, I will make a few bids on ebay and eventually hit the jackpot but until then the FT-i is safe.
To sum it up, I enjoy golf regardless of the score. Would I enjoy it more if the score was lower? Sure, but I must think like Job when he tells Mrs. Job that we should accept the bad from God just as joyfully as the good because he is in control, not us. If that can become our focus in the new year, our golf scores will be insignificant. May God make 2012 your most blessed year yet!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Wonderful Words of Life
After attending church yesterday, a single thought has captured my thinking and I recalled a song that I remember from my youth (which keeps getting further and further away). Here are the words:
Our pastor challenged us to read the Bible through this year. His sermon was about the Word of God using Wayne Grudem's points from his systematic theology series. The five main points were as follows:
My challenge to you, as well as to myself, is that the Word is never taken for granted or treated lightly. It is the written word about the Living Word, the Savior, Jesus Christ - it is his story and is the only hope for mankind. The democrats believe that the government is the solution to all of our problems; the republicans believe that the free market system is the solution. Both are wrong. The only solution to all of our problems is a relationship by faith with the Son of God and the creator of everything, God the Son, Jesus Christ.
Is he your Savior? Is the Bible your Wonderful Words of Life? If not, today is the day of salvation.
The Bible says: 2 Cor 6:2 for He says, "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU,
AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU." Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION"
Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."
In Philipians 2:15-16, we read: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
- Sing them over again to me,
Wonderful words of life,
Let me more of their beauty see,
Wonderful words of life;
Words of life and beauty
Teach me faith and duty.
- Refrain:
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life;
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life.
- Refrain:
- Christ, the blessed One, gives to all
Wonderful words of life;
Sinner, list to the loving call,
Wonderful words of life;
All so freely given,
Wooing us to heaven. - Sweetly echo the Gospel call,
Wonderful words of life;
Offer pardon and peace to all,
Wonderful words of life;
Jesus, only Savior,
Sanctify us forever.
Our pastor challenged us to read the Bible through this year. His sermon was about the Word of God using Wayne Grudem's points from his systematic theology series. The five main points were as follows:
- We believe in the authority of Scripture alone.
- We believe in the inerrancy of Scripture alone.
- We beleive in the clarity of Scripture alone.
- We believe in the necessity of Scripture alone.
- We believe in the sufficiency of Scripture alone.
My challenge to you, as well as to myself, is that the Word is never taken for granted or treated lightly. It is the written word about the Living Word, the Savior, Jesus Christ - it is his story and is the only hope for mankind. The democrats believe that the government is the solution to all of our problems; the republicans believe that the free market system is the solution. Both are wrong. The only solution to all of our problems is a relationship by faith with the Son of God and the creator of everything, God the Son, Jesus Christ.
Is he your Savior? Is the Bible your Wonderful Words of Life? If not, today is the day of salvation.
The Bible says: 2 Cor 6:2 for He says, "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU,
AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU." Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION"
Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."
In Philipians 2:15-16, we read: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
To the unbeliever, fall on your face and by faith confess Christ as your Savior. He will save you and give you eternal life. To the believer, cherish the Word. Nothing else matters!
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