Golf as Ministry
OK, I haven’t been writing much lately.
But I have been thinking!
Believe it or not, this is indeed me
CAUTION: This blog is about to take a turn for the religious. Those of you who are extremely allergic to Christianity, please take prophylactic Benadryl.
I have been thinking about my life, my job, and whether the two work well together. If you don’t know already, I am an orthopaedic surgeon. I think I’m respectable at it. I can operate fairly well, deal with crowds of patients in pain, make good decisions that are beneficial for people.
But I don’t think I’m gifted by God for orthopaedics.
I truly feel, as Max Lucado, Bob Buford (”Halftime”), Richard Bolles (”What Color is Your Parachute?”) and others point out – God creates each of us uniquely. We are who we are – no one else is like us and what we have that is special to us is God’s gift to us and, more importantly, to the world. If we don’t use it, the world will never get it from anyone else.
Sound grandiose? Egotistical? I guess, but God is pretty grandiose, and I don’t think he puts his effort into things that shouldn’t be important to me.
How does all this relate to a golf blog?
Because I feel that my love of golf is part of the gifts God has given me. Not just to play (that isn’t always a gift, believe me), but to be involved in. To be a part of. To use golf to glorify Him, which, after all, should be the focus of every action I perform. Golf is part of the fabric of who I am, and I think it is there for a purpose.
My life is now changing to accept that fact about me.
As of September 30th, I will be moving to very part-time orthopaedic work. I will still see patients 1 1/2 days per week at Triangle Orthopaedics but won’t be operating. I’ll work 5 days per month covering a hospital’s emergency room orthopaedic issues for a company called Delphi Healthcare. But primarily, I’m going to be exploring golf as a ministry opportunity. I have had discussions with Jim Esary, National Director of FCA Golf, as well as Scott Lehman, founder and President of In His Grip Golf Ministry, about working with them in the future. I’ve also thought about starting some type of golf-related ministry of my own. Time will tell which path I’m asked to follow.
I’m hoping to write a bit more than I have in the past – still about golf, the Tour, juniors, but also about my journey to significance (thanks, Bob Buford) in the world of golf. Scary stuff for me – after all, I’ve been an employed physician since 1989 – but for my wife, Lori, and our kids as well. But Lori is on board for the ride and willing to place her faith in God’s calling for me and my willingness to listen. As Steven Curtis Chapman sings, “I’m Divin’ In”.
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Next topic: are sand traps sent from the devil? As proof, consider “Hell Bunker” at St. Andrews.
From the Devil? My 4 strokes in it say yes
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