Swing Away...

I played in the David J. Dodds Memorial golf tournament yesterday that was a fundraiser for the University of Dubuque. All the proceeds benefitted Aviation scholarships and Athletic programming.

The format for the tournament was a "best ball scramble." In your particular foursome you play the "best ball" that was hit out of the four players. This is a great and fun way to play golf. If I hit a bad shot... no worries... more than likely someone else on the team will have hit a better shot. A few times (very few), I had the best shot and the rest of the team played where my ball had landed.

The whole day and the whole score was based on a "team" effort.

My iWitness...

My Christian life and journey feels like my golf game.
There are days where I make great shots and feel like my swing is right in the groove and everything goes just great...
Then there are the days, weeks and months where I feel totally out of sync where I can't hit the fairway or sink a putt if I was only two feet away.

You've had days like that too?

Here's the good news...

My whole day and my whole score at the end of the round are based on a "team" effort.
The advantage we have is that Jesus is on our team... or more appropriately... I'm on Jesus' team.

Here is what separates Christianity from every other religion...

At the end of my round (life) my score will be judged on what Jesus did and not on what I did.
Christianity is based on what has been done and not on what I do.
Jesus' perfect life, shots and score are ultimately what counts when my scorecard is tallied at the end of the round.
That may not sound fair or logical, but if grace was fair and logical... it wouldn't be grace.

We've been entrusted with the greatest game in the world - Life.
We have an array of clubs in our bag - Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Fruit of the Spirit - Galatians 5. 22)
We have an incredible caddie and playing partner named Jesus who helps us navigate our way throughout the course.

One word of encouragement for the day ahead...

Swing Away!!!

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5. 17-21)