RESOLVE TO LIVE A LIFE OF GREAT LOVE

We must learn to be able to think and behave like Jesus, who is the archetypal human. This becomes the journey of great love and great suffering. This journey leads us to a universal love where we just don’t love those who love us. We must learn to participate in a larger love—divine love.

If we remain autonomous, independent, self-sufficient, we cannot know God nor can we love God. St. John of the Cross says: “God refuses to be known; God can only be loved.”

Any journey of great love or great suffering make us go deeper into our faith and eventually into what can only be called universal truth. Love and suffering are finally the same, because those who love deeply are committing themselves to eventual suffering. Those who suffer often become the greatest lovers.

Starter Prayer:
Guide me in the ways of love and suffering.

I think I was the 12th person to shoot.  I don’t think I’ve been that nervous over a shot.  I was fine until I stood over the ball and looked at the pin then back to my ball.  That’s when I realized my hands were shaking!  That’s never happened before! I took a deep breath and swung.  I hit a slight draw to 7′-10″.  Good for closest to the pin!  It was so much fun!  Several of my golf buddies were also in the event, and before hand were trying to calm their nerves by drinking.  They had rum and beer.  It was funny to see these guys so nervous.  I was fine until I was over my ball.

So I made the final 3 for the big shot.  I wasn’t nervous for this shot at all.  I was second to go, and hit a very good shot.  I was playing it to land short and bounce and roll to the hole.  I hit it online and landed right about where I wanted.  But the ball just stopped, no bounce and roll.  So I finished about 12 feet short of the pin.  No million for me.  Oh well, it was so much fun!

bg

A Christian is someone who’s animated by the spirit of Christ, a person in whom the spirit of Christ can work.  That doesn’t always mean that you consciously know what you are doing.

As it states in Matthew 25, “When have we seen you hungry?  When have we seen you thirsty?”  We may have no idea that we do what we do for Christ.  But Christ said: “Because you did it, you did it for me.”

It never depends upon whether we say the right words, but whether we live the right reality.

Adapted from Simplicity, p. 157

Starter Prayer:
     Lord, send out your spirit
and renew the face of the earth.

My first competitive round didn’t go so well.  I couldn’t hit an iron all day and ended up shooting one of my worst rounds yet.  Really disappointed how that went.  But I am entered in another qualifier at the end of June and then as well the Ottawa Citizen in July.

Its decided I will be heading to Halifax in the middle of July for a weekend visit.  Heard a ton about it and now I’m going.  Unfortunately no PEI this year.  But don’t worry, looks like I may going twice next year.  Here’s Hopin!

bg

Spring has been long and wet out this way.  My term as a Deacon is over at the end of May.  It was a great learning experience, and I picked up the nickname ‘Deacon’.  If you here someone call me that, thats where it came from.  In other news my relationship with Steph has grown and we took the step of moving in together.  I look forward to growing that relationship, and renewed joy in my, and hopefully her, life.  With her came a cat. Named Yoda.  Love it.

The 2011 golf season started and once again I am playing at The Marshes.  I was really excited to see how my swing turned out after the winter golf practice/training sessions.  So far its been great.  My swing is really starting to feel great and my confidence on all parts of my game are really high.  To top things, this past Mens night match play, I won the closest to the pin contest and won a brand new Ogio golf bag!

I have my first competitive tournament this coming Monday for the OVGA A class match play event.  The first round is a qualifier with the top 16 players advancing to the match play event the following days.  This is my first time in the event, so I am really looking forward to competing and testing my swing in tournament play.

that’s all folks!

bg

Rogier van der Heide: Why light needs darkness

bg

Mark Bezos: A life lesson from a volunteer firefighter

bg

Part of the studio winter golf is a fitness review with the Titleist Performance Institute.  It showed where I need to improve my strength and flexibility.  I have my follow up session this coming Saturday.  Looking forward to it!

There is also a putting contest with all the members and professionals.  The game is trying to take as few putts to 4 points at 15′, 20′, 25′, 30′ away, and get the ball within 12″ either side of that line.  So the best you could do is 4.  So far I had the record of least putts (7) until my coach bested me by 1, just yesterday.  I’ll have to show him up.

In other news, the tournament dates and venues for the Ottawa Citizen are now set.  They will be spread out from July 11th to July 26th.  There are 2 new courses on the roster, both I haven’t played before.  I may need to take a trip or 2.  Looking forward doing better this year!

bg

Anyway, you know how one of those goes, a lot of screaming and yelling.  I definitly felt out of place.  But, they had a really good short skit, a few songs, and one lady who did a fairly good job of advertising a classis (similar) meeting that the youth could attend and vote.  She dressed it up real nice.

We didn’t stay for the whole thing, but it brought me back to earlier days of youth services and the like.  Kinda made me glad I grew up.  But considering how awkward it was, it kinda neat to see the difference of the United church vs my CRC background.  But it was still fun and neat to get the perspective of my 2 counterparts.

oh, yeah, point of interest.  The North American wide youth retreat they were also advertising has Shane Claiborne as a speaker!  I don’t remember our events having cool speakers like that!

bg

Precious.

bg