It's A God Thing

Here's an interesting real-life story about how God works in our everyday lives.

I met with our local school this week and made my pitch for installing the last four holes on their disc golf course. They had been reluctant to allow it because they couldn't afford to purchase the baskets.

I told them about all the people who had come up to me during the past few weeks offering ideas for funding the basket purchase ourselves. All of those ideas were greatly appreciated.

I am a Christian and before my meeting, I prayed. I didn't pray, "Lord, make them let us do this!" Instead, I prayed this prayer. "Lord, whatever happens at this meeting today, let it be according to your will. I will be fine with it, no matter how it turns out."

At the school, the meeting began, and then this happened. I was introduced to the new building and grounds guy. A nice young man as far as I could tell. Then the business manager looked at his watch and asked me, "Would you have time to show us the course?"

That was unexpected but welcomed.

"Sure!"

As we got up to leave the conference room, I heard someone say, "Hi Bob!" from the lobby. It was a friend of mine. A little chat ensued and it was clear to all that we knew each other. Now, this is where one can see just how God works.

My friend in the lobby, who "just happened" to show up during our meeting, is the pastor of a local church. He is also the head of another local charitable organization that helps the homeless. And now, get this. He is also a member of the School Board. He is one of the bosses of the guys I was meeting with! Yes!

Was this a sign? An answer to prayer? It sure seemed like it to me.

On last thing. When I got dressed for the meeting that day I chose a disc golf shirt with a message. It reads, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Amen to that!

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." - 1 Timothy 2:1-5

Watermelon Time

Sometimes there are things that happen in this world that are beyond explanation. That was the case yesterday. I am STILL amazed by this particular example as I write this.

Have you ever lost one of your most favorite things? I have. I'm sure you have too. What we wouldn't give to have that lost treasure back again.

Last year I was teaching a kid's disc golf class in the community where I live. We were on the last hole on the last night of class. Long story, short, I left my favorite disc on that hole, and it was gone. I was pretty sad.

That disc did whatever I asked of it. Plus, it was a fundraiser disc for a friend of mine.

It took a while to recover from that loss. Long enough for my wife to notice. As Christmas rolled arond, she went on Ebay and found a replacement. How sweet of her to do that! I had another watermelon 🍉 disc in my bag for this year. Still, everytime I looked at it, I thought about the one I had lost.

Our salvation is like that watermelon disc, only it's far more valuable. When we repent of our sins and place our hope in Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit. We become saved.

I've seen some videos where people are wondering if they can lose their salvation. Wouldn't that be a terrible thing to lose? It's absolutely priceless!

Thankfully, we cannot lose what God so freely gave to us.

"When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession - to the praise of his glory." - Ephesians 1:13-14

Amen!

Yesterday, I was working at our local course when two players came through. They were both league players and friends of mine so I stopped working to talk with them. That's when I noticed that one of them was carrying, you guessed it, a watermelon disc, just like the one I had lost. 

"Is that a watermelon disc?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Where'd you get it?"

"Oh, I found it out here."

"Where? Was it on Hole 18?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"I think that's my disc!"

My friend gave me the disc right then and there. In return, I've got a few drivers I'm going to be giving him. 🥏 The original watermelon disc, the one that came back home to me, is back in my bag. And the one my wife gave me? It's on the wall in my office, to remind me just how much she lives me.

I lost that disc almost exactly one year ago. Yet, it wasn't really lost, was it? No. God was just waiting for the right moment to reunite us.

Discs are a thing of this world. They can provide both happiness and sorrow. "But the gift of God is salvation through Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). We can NEVER lose that, if you believe with all your heart and submit to His lordship.

Our salvation is a gift from God. It is nothing that we have done. It's always been Jesus. Place your faith in Him today. Then have a slice of watermelon today and celebrate this great country of ours.🇺🇸 Another great gift from God. 😊❤️🙏

Your Every Need

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:19

That verse has proven true time and time again in my life. The latest example of God's provision is a young, strong, 18-year old man. Just what I needed as this old man works on area disc golf courses. God has provided my every need in SO many ways.

We had some storm damage at our local course. Half of a big oak tree fell on Hole 2. I was able to cut it up, but when it came time to actually move the wood out of the way, my old body was lacking the strength that was needed. Enter my young friend.

While we were moving logs, I bent down and asked my friend to help me pick up a big one. He came over and said, "Here, let me get that." He picked up the entire long, all by himself, and moved it out of the way.

"God will supply your every need."

I want you to notice something about that opening verse from Philippians. It doesn't say anything about praying for help or earning God's favor by doing things. It simply says that God will supply your every need. In Christ Jesus.

Do you see what God is doing here with this kid? And me? Let's examine the basic facts.

1. I am a Christian. I am IN Christ Jesus.
2. I am an old and fragile man.
3. I mentor young teens at my church. I have been doing that since being saved, through God's Holy Spirit.
4. Several years ago I met this young man, then a struggling kid, and his mentor. Both of them have helped build three area disc golf courses with me.
5. As I was beginning this year's work, this young man called me, out of the blue, and asked if he could help.
6. He needs a mentor, as he has been in and out of jail (his previous mentor has moved away).

Do you see how God is working here? He is providing for both MY need AND this young man's. All for His ultimate glory. And for that I give Him thanks and praise!

God does amazing things, even when we don't ask Him. Imagine if we DID ask for something, in prayer. 

How has God supplied your every need in YOUR life?

Subliminal

It's hard to see perhaps, due to my poor photography skills, but the above picture is a hand-drawn cross on one of my disc golf putters. Inside the cross are the words to Psalm 23.

As part of the class I teach for the local Parks & Rec Department, we play "Best Shot" on some of the holes at the local course. I use this disc to mark what the kids think is the best shot. And everyone throws from its position. Everyone sees it.

I don't preach the Gospel or tell the kids about Jesus. But I do let my actions, and this disc, do my talking for me.

During the last class one of the dad's picked up my disc and looked at it. And I began to pray a quick prayer.

"What's this say?" he asked.

"It's Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want."

My "conversation starter disc" was working. Soon the dad was telling me about his faith and a program he supports called Project Bible Runners. They give out donated Bibles to anyone in need, anywhere in the world. Sometimes countries don't allow people to import their bibles. That's why they are called 'runners,' because they literally run them in.

Anyway I thought that was cool. Check them out at the link below.

My new friend had a daughter in the class. I taught her to throw a "roller." Soon she was out-rolling the older, stronger boys. You should have seen the smile on her face. 😁

Perhaps she will be the first Bible "roller," spreading to gospel of Jesus . . . and also the gospel of disc golf.

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." - Matthew 24:14

Come, Lord Jesus!

Project Bible Runners

The Journey of The Lost Disc

So . . . a guy comes walking up to me in church . . . carrying a golf disc.

"This is not normal," I thought to myself.

"I have something for you," he said. "You'll never guess where I found it."

"Okay. Try me."

"The Apostle Islands, a half mile off shore, in the winter. At night."

Well, he was right. I NEVER would have guessed that. How the heck did it get out there? There IS a disc golf course in Bayfield, Wisconsin, but it's not a half mile off shore IN Lake Superior.

So he gave it too me, knowing that I was a disc golfer. It's a faster speed disc than my ancient arm can handle, so I was planning on giving it away to someone else, but that's when the idea for this story popped into my head.

Think about the story I just described to you. If tou remove the word "disc" and substitute the word "soul" in it's place, it would go something like this:

My friend was out walking in the wilderness one day when he came across a lost soul. He stopped and lifted up that pour soul, ultimately taking it back to his own house.

After staying there for a while, the lost soul was introduced to someone who knew exactly what it was going through. This person had seen many other souls sink out of sight. He knew the dangers of being alone in the cold. He also knew what awaited this lost soul if it wasn't rescued. Jesus saves us all from sinking into the pit.

The Lake Superior ice has melted now as I write this. If it wasn't for my friend, this disc would have been lost for a very long time. But my friend saved that disc by lifting it up and putting it into the hands of someone who he knew would find a safe place for it.

Isn't that what Jesus does for us? He lifts us up. And He WILL take us someplace safe one day.

I now carry that disc in my golf bag. I seldom use it, but what a conversation starter!

"O Lord, you have brought my soul up from Sheol, You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit." - Psalm 30:3

God's Provision

I'm sitting on a bench behind the #6 tee pad at my local disc golf course, known as The WEDGE. This place is where I often go to spend time with God. Like this morning . . .

When I think about this course in particular I think about the man who first put it in. His name Is Neil and he worked many hours to build this place. My friend Neil is a believer, and he goes to my church.

I was out here the other day with another man who was helping me clean up all of the fairways. He is my friend Devin. He too is a believer. He also goes to my church, and has been a great help.

There are two other courses in our area. Two other men helped put those in. One was a mentor of the other - a teenage boy. The mentor is my friend Alex. Alex is a believer. Are you sensing a pattern yet?

All of us men love disc golf, but we also love the Lord. More.

I sit here in awe, contemplating just how much the Lord has provided in this place. I work out here every week. And how did I get permission to create new holes, to put in baskets, and tee pads? I got permission from the high school grounds guy. That's my friend Matt. And he too is a believer in Jesus.

Oh yeah, speaking of sitting on the bench. My friend David helped assemble many of them. Dave is also a believer. We met at a disc golf tournament.

God has truly provided everything on this disc golf course. He has provided inspiration, friendship, and opportunity to reach others with the Gospel. How can we NOT praise Him!

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." - Matthew 6:33

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:19

Trees

Nate Sexton wrote a poem once called Why Are Trees? If you play disc golf, or ball golf for that matter, you know WHY trees are there. Trees are there to teach us a lesson.

Sometimes, when our disc is going in the wrong direction it hits a tree and stops its flight or redirects it in some positive way. "Good tree!" we say. If it weren't for that tree our disc would have ended up in a far worse place.

More often though, when our drive or approach shot hits a tree, it's a bad thing. "Stupid tree!" We threw a really good line and then some random tree reaches out and swats our disc right to the ground.

Then there's the ultimate in tree misdirection. It's called "First Available." Hitting the first available tree is NEVER a good thing.

Who created these darn trees anyway?

Well, God did. God created them to produce oxygen. Without trees we'd have a much more difficult time breathing. Or we'd be dead.

A better question would be to ask, 'Who puts a disc golf course in the middle of the woods? The answer is humans. But why?!? Well, the course designer is probably trying to challenge our game. Providing us with a variety of challenges and making us use different shot shapes. But it could also be to torture us.

Let's switch gears and look at each of our lives for a moment. Every life is filled with relationships. People are to our lives what trees are to the life of a disc. Think about it.

The people we encounter in life present different challenges. Some are there to teach us something. Others are there to save us from ourselves.

God created trees and He also created people. The cool thing about good people, as opposed to good trees, is that we can often take them with us on life's journey.

Tree love, and human love, help us when things are going bad. And they can continue to help us throughout our lives, no matter where we are. The important thing to remember is that God created these people. God created the opportunity for us to learn and to love. Why? Because God loves us.

"We love because he first loved us." - 1 John 4:19

God provides us with both challenges and helps as we walk though this life, Trees can do the same for us on the disc golf course. All were made by God for specific purposes. How we deal with each of them defines us.

Gannon Buhr Tree Kick

Disc Golf Devos

Same Difference

I am teaching a disc golf class this summer for area kids. One of the first things I teach them is a good life lesson for all of us.

Discs come in different colors, shapes and sizes. They all are basically the same. It's just that some of them do things a little differently.

The key to playing disc golf successfully is to know how each of your discs fly and when to use them.

You can see this lesson play out in us humans. It might be at work or at school. Maybe it's in line at the grocery store or at a restaurant. Or maybe it's just the way we live our lives, interacting with others.

We come in different colors, Each of us acts differently in certain situations. We come with different backgrounds and a variety of experiences. We also have different gifts and talents. How we use those gifts is really what defines us as humans.

Do we use our gifts for God's glory or for our own personal gain?

One of the joys I get from teaching kids disc golf is to watch their eyes light up when they learn something new. They always had a certain ability within themselves and when they discover they can actually DO something they didn't think they could, well, that's the joy of teaching.

I think that's one of the joys of becoming a Christian. We carry all of this baggage around with us. Maybe it's something we did in the past that we're not proud of. Perhaps it's an addiction to something or some deep, dark secret we carry around with us.

Jesus is that discovery! He gives us the ability to think and to reason. God gives us gifts and skills that allow us to earn a living or to play a game. But it is the discovery of Jesus that really makes us excel.

Soon after discovering Christ we find ourselves playing a different game. Life no longer is about US - our money, jobs or social status. Our lives become changed. WE use our gifts for God's glory, not our own. Life is not about OUR success, but about the love of others and helping THEM succeed.

We are all different but we are made by the same Creator. We all have different skills and gifts. But whatever we do we should use them to glorify God.

"Why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? 30If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God - 33even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved." - 1 Corinthians 10:29-33

Who's Your Caddy?

When a golfer walks onto the tee he has already done several things. He has examined the length and layout of the hole he is about to play, tested the wind speed and direction, and selected a club to use. He already knows his strengths and weaknesses. Executing the shot is all that remains.

Life is a fairway. God designed the hole, He designed and created you, and you, my friends, are the ball.

Think about it. At the beginning of our lives we are on the tee. At the end of our lives we wind up in a hole in the ground. And in between those two things there are obstacles to navigate. Trees, bunkers, ponds, out-of-bounds areas for the golfer. "Life" is what we call those challenges for a human.

We humans might battle cancer or a disability, we might have other challenges that make our goal a struggle but it is how we meet those obstacles in life that really defines who we are.

All golfers get frustrated, some might break a club over their knee in their anger. It's not the club's fault, it's the wielder's fault and his lack of ability to use the club properly.

Do we face life's challenges correctly? Do we make good life decisions as we encounter obstacles or "sand traps" on a given day? We each take our best shot and live with the results, right?

I'm forgetting to mention one thing here. The caddy.

We've all seen golfers on television as they try to sink that long putt or make that perfect fairway drive. But have we noticed the caddy at all? He's the one who hands the golfer the right club. The caddy knows the course. He knows all the distances and pin placements.

The caddy offers experienced suggestions to the golfer. It's up to the golfer to heed them or ignore them.

Our walk with Jesus is much like playing golf. The course has been deigned for us. We have a set of rules we must follow. It's our job to navigate life's course, within the rules - obstacles and all. If we listen to our "caddy" (The Holy Spirit), use all the tools and gifts God has given us to use, we will do just fine.

And when we are done "playing" in this life we who listen to and follow our caddy's advice will enjoy a nice cold one in the clubhouse when it's all over. I'm just guessing on that one . . .

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." - Proverbs 16:9

The Lightbulb

We have all had those moments of enlightenment when, all of a sudden, we actually get it. Maybe it was the first time that someone said "I love you" or when we first realized that God is real. The lightbulb goes on and we become changed.

I got to witness one of those "lightbulb moments" this week in the eyes of a 12-year-old girl named Savana. I have known this pre-teen kid for ten whole days now. She is a student in one of the disc golf classes I teach. When we first met she was the stereotypical kid - shy, quiet, self-conscious and awkward . . . with glasses.

Savana couldn't throw very well in our first class but in class number two something happened. Something clicked and the lightbulb came on.

The class that day was about different ways to throw a disc. Discs were flying everywhere and I do mean everywhere! We got around to a throw called "the flick roller" and for Savana, that was her lightbulb moment. She could really throw those things! She was throwing them better than the football guy standing next to her!

You should have seen her smile. Her confidence level soared. A smile came to her face that never left. She was experiencing joy in the knowledge that she actually was GOOD at something.

Do you remember how you felt when you first came to faith in Christ? That moment when you first came to believe? The knowledge that God chose you! Even though you were awkward and felt unworthy.

None of us measures up to God's high standard of perfection. But Jesus did! It is through our faith in Jesus and His substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf that MAKES us good enough. Doesn't that bring a smile to your face? Doesn't that lift your confidence? It should! Because we are all children of God!

"So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise." - Galatians 3:26-29

I Will Come Back Stronger - Paige Shue
Forehand Rollers - Eric Oakley

For What Purpose?

Do you believe that things happen for a reason? I do. Does someone orchestrate these "coincidences" that life throws at us? Is it God? It has to be!

I have been a born-again believer in Jesus for over 14 years now and have seen enough amazing "coincidences" in my life to convince me that things do in fact happen for a reason. God is that reason. He is the cause, the perpetrator, and the orchestrator of ALL things.

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." - Colossians 1:17

A friend and I were playing disc golf on Saturday when my buddy's tee shot went wide left on Hole #3. We searched for it in the thick brush and finally found it but not before finding another disc as well (see picture).

The found disc was an older model. Some might consider it a collector disc. My friend who found it  definitely thought it was worthy. As he gave me the disc he said, "If you don't find the owner, let me know, I'll put it in my collection."

You see, I run our league's Facebook page and we advertise lost and found discs. Most disc never make it back to their owners. No name or phone number on them. That's MOST discs. This particular found disc had the owner's name, phone number and PDGA number on it! This disc really wanted to go home!

Isn't it odd that the person who now had the disc also had access to the PDGA player database. Hmm. Strange. A search was made and the disc's owner was found. He lives in Stevens Point - a community about 20 minutes down the road.

I also just happen to be a member of the Point Disc Golf group on Facebook. Hmm. I wonder. So I searched their membership list and there was the disc's owner! So I sent him a message. You won't believe the reply I received.

"Oh my gosh! That's awesome!"

And WHY was it awesome, you might ask?

"That disc was one that I had in my bag when it was stolen out of my truck."

Wow! And now here it was, heading back to its owner . . . tomorrow. But for what reason? What purpose?

You see, this whole thing, in my opinion, this whole chain of events, is too weird to be strung together by anyone other than the God Himself. His name is written all over it, just like this golf disc had it's owner's name written on it. But why would God do this?

Well, on Tuesday I am driving up to Point to meet this guy. He will be happy to get his disc back. He will also be happy to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And how do I know that? God didn't bring that disc this far without having a purpose behind it. And God placed it in the hands of one of His children, who once was lost. And now I can tell the disc's owner a story about how "I once was lost but now am found."

"But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'" - Luke 15:32

God is very good at finding lost things and reuniting them with their owner. You and I were lost. But then we were found. Let us thank God for His willingness to pursue us and search for us and for calling us to Himself like He did. We were all hopelessly lost. But God never gave up the search. And now we are going back home to our Owner where we belong.

[This story will also be appearing on Disc Golf Devo's Facebook page]

Disc Golf Devos

Always Be Reppin'

There is an old adage that goes, "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." There may be some truth to that but there is also another old adage that says, "Never underestimate an old man who plays disc golf."

This summer I am going to be teaching a couple of disc golf classes for our local park and rec department. The main focus will be for kids as part of an after-summer school program. But the other class is designed for seniors, like myself. We like to do things too you know! Lol!

During my research for these classes I found a video. There's a link to it at the bottom of this story. It featured a handful of today's top disc golfers - teaching. They were doing exactly what I will be doing this summer. Except they taught a class of 450 kids. Yikes!

My challenge in teaching disc golf will be in bringing Jesus with me as I teach. As one of the disc golfers says in the video, "Always reppin'." As Christians we always want to be "representing" our faith in whatever we do. Reppin' for Jesus!

So, how do we represent Him in a world that doesn't seem to like Him all that much? I think it's not so much with our words but with our actions. The key being love.

The Book of Galatians has a list of ways we can be reppin' Jesus.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23

If we can show others these qualities in our relationships I think we've done a wonderful job telling people about Jesus. And then, should anyone ask why we act this way, then we tell them. Then the words will come, after the relationship building. Then, all glory, praise and honor are to be given to God. If I can do that this summer, my class will be a success, at least in God's eyes.

And we ALL  can do the same thing in our everyday relationships. Today. What a great day to get started doing that!

How To Help Grow The Sport - Simon Lizotte

Winning

Have you ever won anything? It's kind of a weird feeling - being given something you didn't actually earn.

I was scrolling down through the ol' Facebook news feed the other day when I came across a picture of this beautiful blue golf disc. Purtty!!

The post said that all I had to do to have a chance of winning the disc was to say what color was by favorite. Seemed easy enough so I typed in "blue". Well, out of 318 comments, mine was somehow chosen. And that's really weird because I had been praying about something disc golf related all week and then . . . Boom! This gift drops in my lap. A sign?

You know what this gift reminds me of? The Gospel of salvation through our faith in Jesus.

Our salvation is a free gift from God. It's called grace. It's not earned, it is given. All we have to do is repent of our sins and call on the name of The Lord. That's it! Pretty easy.

"For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." - Romans 10:13

But the gift I received did come with a price. Someone bought the disc and then customized it. Made it more beautiful. That's what Jesus did. He paid the price for OUR sins by His shed blood on the cross. He "customized" us when we came to believe. We are different now with our belief compared to before without it.

Do you see the words "First Run"? It means that there were never any like it before. This disc is the first of its kind. There has never been anyone like Jesus before either. Fully God, fully many, born to die, a holy sacrifice, given once for all.

And look at the crown! What could that be a sign of? Oh, I don't know. Maybe Jesus, our King?

"On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords." - Revelation 19:6

Do you see that pattern in the background on the disc - kind of a sunburst, like the sun shining through some clouds? That's actually the name of the disc. Its official title is a Burst First Run Hyzer Dyes Maverick. A light shining through the storms in our lives? That's Jesus! He IS The Light!

I know I'm probably reading too much into all this but I am seeing this gift as a kind of answer to my prayers about how I should proceed in a new venture I am considering.

Will I ever throw this special gift? Probably. That's what these things were made to do. But I know this. I will treasure this free gift fir sure . . . and we all should do the same with our free gift of salvation.

Eagles Wings Disc Golf
Hyzer Dyes Facebook Page

Follow Me

I am getting back into disc golf after a multi-year layoff due to injuries sustained in a car accident. It didn't take me too long to figure out that I am VERY rusty. I still know WHAT to do. I just have trouble doing it. I need practice and perhaps some instruction.

So, I took to YouTube for some of tips. I witnessed the results the pros were getting with their putting styles. Impressive. So I have decided to begin emulating them in hopes of lowering my golf score.

The Bible teaches us to do the same thing in our faith. Paul encouraged the church in Corinth to copy him and what he was doing.

"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." - 1 Corinthians 11:1

When Jesus was gathering His apostles He spoke two words to them. "Follow me." That's it. And they followed. I'm sure there was a little work being done by the Holy Spirit there. Why else would they just drop everything and follow unless they somehow knew that this "stranger" was worth following.

How do we know our pastors and teachers are worth following? Do they just "feel" right? Or do we study the results of their teaching to see if it lines up with God's Word? Most people tend to examine a bunch of things when selecting a new church but few examine the teaching. Most check out the building, the music, friends who might be going there. etc. And that's sad.

Following someone's example can be good or bad - it all depends upon the teacher - the one who is being followed.

In the case of my putting, I first recognized that I was lacking in that area. Then I found an example of someone who was good at putting and chose to follow him. Our example for how we should be living our lives is found in Jesus. He doesn't post YouTube videos but we CAN read the Bible.

Following someone's example will only get us to the same level as they are at. Why not follow the best? In disc golf I follow the best in an effort to improve my game. In my faith and in life I follow Jesus. He IS the best so I follow. We all should strive to be more like Jesus in every way. Today is a good day to start.

The Truth About Following Jesus - Billy Graham
Ricky Wysocki - The Best Putter In Disc Golf

The Favorite Toy

This time of year the newspapers and television ads are filled with things people want us to buy. You will look "fabulous" in a new fur coat. Mom and dad waking the kids and running outside to see the new Mercedes that Santa brought them. All the materialism is WAY beyond me! Or so I thought.

Everybody loves Christmas. The decorations, the wonder of it all, presents under the Christmas tree. But it IS possible to get too much "Christmas." The true meaning of Christmas can be fleeting or lost, just like last years favorite toy, which now lies under the bed, broken and forgotten.

I was at Fleet Farm (a.k.a. The Man Mall) the other day. I was just wandering around looking for nothing in particular. That's when I saw it. A brand new, never before seen (by me), shiny golf disc. I LOVE to play disc golf. Yes, I know it's December, but time has no meaning when appreciating the beautiful things in life. Like a new driver!

So I picked it up and held it. It was smooth and new. It had never hit a tree or gotten lost. It had never felt the air as it knifed its way toward its destination. And it was only $16. I thought about buying it. I had the money and the desire, but I put it back on the shelf, sighing. Tempted to be sure but also practical. It will still be here five months from now when I could actually use it, so I walked away.

On the way home I was thinking about my faith and my life and how easy it is to fall into temptation. Then yesterday in church our pastor throws this at me.

"God gives us all the we need, to do all that He asks of us."

That sentence led me to search for similar verses. I found this.

^"3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

¹⁰ Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, ¹¹ and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." - 2 Peter 1:3-11

My temptation with the shiny object at Fleet Farm was relatively easy to overcome. There are more difficult temptations in this world - lust, drunkenness, gluttony, sexual perversion, sloth, false worship, idolatry, the list goes on and on. Everybody has their favorite "toy." What's yours?

I think what I need to remember is that, when I am tempted, I need to remember God and His promises. I need to remember He has given me everything I need. It's all in the Bible.

When we are tempted we must first recognize the temptation and then ask ourselves, "Is what I am about to do honoring to God? Is this the best thing I can do in this situation? Or should I turn and leave?"

There is one thing we can do to overcome temptation. It can be found in the Book of Hebrews. Five little words is all we need to remember.

"Fix your eyes on Jesus." -  Hebrews 12:2

I Am Buzz Lightyear - Toy Story
When Sin Looks More Enjoyable Than God - Francis Chan