The Narrow Way - Week 10 Do I Really Know Him?

Matthew 7:21–23 | 6-Minute Read

Welcome back to The Narrow Way!

What a week it's been. Last week, I shared the exciting news that I earned status on the MENA Tour, and I'm still incredibly thankful for that opportunity. After everything it took to get to Florida, compete, and make it home, I was looking forward to settling back into training and preparing for what's next.

Well, life had a few other plans!

Since getting home, I've been working through tournament schedules, sponsorship conversations, and trying to figure out when I'll be competing again. Earning tour status was an answered prayer, but there are still plenty of unknowns about what the next few months will look like. I'm doing everything I can to prepare while trusting God with the things I can't control.

On top of that, my wife and I experienced a pretty unsettling situation in our neighborhood involving someone behaving aggressively and making threats. Without getting into the details, it was one of those moments where you're trying to protect your family, make wise decisions, and keep your emotions from getting the best of you.

And I'll tell you what, it's a whole lot easier to write about loving your enemies, extending grace, and trusting Jesus than it is to actually live those things out when someone is standing in front of you making it difficult.

We've spent nine weeks walking through the Sermon on the Mount, talking about prayer, worry, forgiveness, and what it means to follow Jesus. Then life gives you an opportunity to put those teachings into practice, and you realize just how much you still need Him.

Which brings us to this week's passage.

Do I Really Know Him?

In Matthew 7:21–23, Jesus says:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

He goes on to describe people who claim to have prophesied, driven out demons, and performed miracles in His name. Yet Jesus responds with some of the most sobering words in Scripture:

"I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"

These aren't people who have never heard of Jesus. They're people calling Him Lord and pointing to everything they've done in His name. But Jesus is showing us that religious activity and genuinely belonging to Him aren't necessarily the same thing.

That really makes me think about my own life.

I write these blogs, share my faith through golf, hand out Golfer's Bibles, and look for opportunities to talk with people about Jesus. I love doing those things, and I believe professional golf is the mission field He's placed me in.

But none of those things are what save me.

It's only through Jesus, His death and resurrection, and the grace He's given us that we can have a relationship with the Father. The good things we do should flow from that relationship, through the work of the Holy Spirit, rather than being an attempt to earn God's acceptance.

And that brings up a question I've been asking myself lately. Am I spending so much time doing things for Jesus that I'm forgetting to spend time actually getting to know Him?

Knowing Him Changes Everything

Last week, I shared the story of the elderly gentleman I met on the driving range in Florida. He was battling cancer, and after I gave him a Golfer's Bible, we had an incredible conversation about Jesus. I eventually learned he was a pastor, and he told me how cancer had changed the way he understood his relationship with God.

He said that now he just wants to be a little kid hanging onto his Father's leg.

I've thought about that quite a bit.

Here's a man who has spent years in ministry, and through one of the most difficult seasons of his life, he's learning to depend on his Heavenly Father in an even deeper way.

I think about that when I look at my own life. I have some pretty big goals in professional golf, and I'm going to work incredibly hard to pursue them. But I also know how easily those goals can consume my thoughts.

There's nothing wrong with preparing, making plans, or working toward something. Those are responsibilities I need to take seriously. But I never want to become so focused on the opportunities God has given me that I forget to spend time with the One who gave them to me.

And the same goes for how I respond when life gets uncomfortable. I can talk about forgiveness, but am I willing to forgive someone who's hurt me? I can tell people about the peace I've found in Christ, but am I turning to Him when I'm frustrated or uncertain?

I'm certainly not perfect at any of those things. But that's why I'm so thankful for the Holy Spirit, who continues to convict me, teach me, and help me become more like Jesus.

Pray With Me

Jesus, thank You for loving us and making a way for us to have a relationship with the Father. Thank You that our salvation isn't something we can earn through our accomplishments, but a gift of Your grace.

Forgive us for the times we become so focused on what we're doing that we forget to spend time with You. Help us recognize the areas of our lives we haven't fully surrendered and give us the courage to trust You with them.

Holy Spirit, continue working in our hearts. Teach us to love people the way Jesus loves us, extend grace when it's difficult, and find our peace in You when life doesn't go according to plan.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Take It to the Tee

This week, I want to leave you with a question.

Am I spending more time doing things for Jesus than I am actually spending time getting to know Him?

It's easy to get caught up in our schedules, responsibilities, goals, and even serving at church while our personal relationship with Jesus gets pushed aside.

For me, that means being intentional about spending time in His Word, praying, and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in my life, especially when things get busy.

I still want to play on the PGA TOUR. I'm going to keep preparing, training, and competing with everything I've got. And I want to use every opportunity golf gives me to share the good news of Jesus.

But if all of that disappeared tomorrow, I would still have the greatest gift I could ever receive.

I have Jesus.

And that's why the mission has always been:

Know Him and make Him more known.

Notice the order. Before we can make Him more known, we have to know Him ourselves.

See you next week.

The Narrow Way - Week 9 You Will Know Them by Their Fruit

Welcome back to The Narrow Way!

What an incredible week it's been. I'm writing this back home in Nashville after driving nine hours to St. Augustine, Florida, competing in the first-ever MENA Tour U.S. Q-School, and making the nine-hour drive home. All of that happened in less than a week, and I couldn't be more thankful.

If you read last week's message, you know how quickly this opportunity came together. On Thursday, I received an invitation to compete, and by Sunday I was driving to Florida. There was a lot to figure out in a very short amount of time, but through God's grace and the incredible people He's placed around me, everything came together.

And I'm excited to share that I earned status on the MENA Tour!

God has been answering prayers all week, and I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am. This road isn't easy. Professional golf requires a tremendous amount of time, money, preparation and sacrifice, and there are plenty of moments when I wonder how everything is going to come together. But God continues to remind me that He's right here with me through all of it.

As excited as I am about earning tour status, something else happened in Florida that I think I'll remember long after the tournament.

An Unexpected Conversation on the Range

While I was practicing, I met an elderly gentleman on the driving range. We started talking, and I learned that he was battling cancer. I had some In His Grip Golfer's Bibles with me and felt led to give him one.

What started as a normal conversation on the range turned into one of those moments where you can just feel the Holy Spirit working. As we continued talking, I found out that he was actually a pastor.

Then he shared something with me that I haven't been able to stop thinking about.

He told me that for much of his life, he thought he knew God. He had spent years in ministry, but going through cancer had completely changed the way he understood his relationship with the Father.

He said that now, more than anything, he just wants to be like a little kid hanging onto his Father's leg.

Here's a gentleman who's spent years in ministry and is now walking through something incredibly difficult. And through all of that, what he wants most isn't to have all the answers or understand why he's going through cancer. He just wants to be close to his Father.

I went to Florida to earn professional tour status, and by God's grace, I did. But I also got to stand on a driving range and talk about Jesus with somebody I'd never met before.

That's what this whole mission is about.

You Will Know Them by Their Fruit

In Matthew 7:15–20, Jesus says:

"By their fruit you will recognize them." — Matthew 7:16

We're getting toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus has just finished teaching about the narrow and wide roads. Now He's warning His followers about false prophets, people who might look and sound like they're speaking for God but whose lives and teaching tell a different story.

Jesus compares them to trees. A healthy tree produces good fruit, while a bad tree produces bad fruit. Eventually, what a tree produces reveals something about the tree itself.

He's teaching us to be careful about who we listen to and whose teaching we follow. Just because someone talks about God doesn't necessarily mean they're leading people toward Him.

This passage also makes me think about my own life.

If I tell people I'm a follower of Jesus, what kind of fruit is my life actually producing?

I can write these blogs, post Bible verses and tell people that golf is my mission field. But if the way I treat my wife, my caddie, my competitors or the people I meet doesn't reflect the love of Jesus, then I need to take a look at what's going on in my heart.

That doesn't mean I'm going to get everything right. Trust me, the Lord still has plenty of work to do in me.

But I want people to experience something different because of what Jesus is doing in my life.

Galatians 5:22–23 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

And I think about that gentleman on the range. I didn't know he was a pastor when we started talking. I didn't know what he was going through or where our conversation would lead. I just had an opportunity to love somebody and share something that's completely changed my life.

And in return, God used him to teach me something about knowing Him.

Holding Onto the Father

I've thought about that conversation quite a bit since getting home.

I spend so much time thinking about my next tournament, how I'm going to improve and what opportunities might be coming. I want to be prepared, and I want to make the absolute most of the abilities God has given me.

But I never want to become so focused on everything I'm trying to accomplish that I forget the simplicity of just being close to Jesus.

This week, I earned status on a professional tour. That's something I've been praying for, and I'm incredibly thankful.

But I also met a man battling cancer who reminded me that the greatest thing we can have in this life isn't a career, an accomplishment or even good health.

It's knowing our Heavenly Father.

And the more I get to know Him, the more I want my life to reflect Him.

Pray With Me

Jesus, thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness. Thank You for the opportunities You've given us, the prayers You've answered and the people You've placed in our lives.

Lord, I pray for the gentleman I met on the range and for everyone walking through sickness or difficult seasons Remind them that you are Jehovah Rapha. You are the Healer. Draw them close to You and remind them that they are never alone.

Help us produce fruit that reflects Your love. Teach us to be patient, kind, faithful and gentle with the people around us. And when we get too caught up in our own plans, remind us that the greatest thing we can do is draw closer to You.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Take It to the Tee

This week, I want to leave you with a question I've been asking myself.

If someone watched the way I lived this past week, would they see evidence of Jesus in my life?

It's easy to measure progress by the things we accomplish. In golf, that's scores, rankings, tournament finishes and, for me this week, earning status on the MENA Tour.

But those things don't tell the whole story.

I want to be a great golfer. I want to win tournaments, compete on the PGA TOUR and make the most of the abilities God has given me. But more than any of that, I want to be someone who knows Jesus and makes Him more known.

So this week, look for an opportunity to encourage somebody, pray with somebody or simply have a conversation. You never know what someone is walking through or how God might use a few minutes of your day.

And don't forget what that gentleman reminded me of.

Sometimes the best thing we can do is stop trying to figure everything out and just be a little kid hanging onto our Father's leg.

Know Him and make Him more known.

See you next week.

The Narrow Way - Week 8 The Narrow Gate Matthew 7:13–14

Welcome back to The Narrow Way!

Well, what a week it's been. If you had asked me last Monday what I'd be doing this week, I can promise you my answer wouldn't have included playing another Q-School in Florida. But here we are, and I couldn't be more thankful.

If you've been following along, you know I came up short at PGA TOUR Q-School in California a few weeks ago. My caddie and I felt like we played some really good golf, but ultimately we didn't get the result we wanted. Since then, I've been home practicing, training and praying for opportunities to compete while trying to figure out what comes next.

Then Thursday rolled around.

I received an invitation to compete in the first-ever MENA Tour U.S. Q-School in St. Augustine, Florida. Another opportunity to earn professional tour status and continue pursuing what I believe God has called me to do.

The only catch? The tournament starts Tuesday!

That gave me just a few days to figure out registration, travel, accommodations and how I was going to pay for everything. If you've followed my journey, you know professional golf isn't cheap. But through a whole lot of prayer, God's provision and the generosity of some incredible people He's placed around me, everything came together.

By Sunday, I was loading up my car for a nine-hour drive to St. Augustine.

I couldn't help but laugh thinking about it on the drive. Here I am spending all this time trying to figure out my schedule and what the next six months should look like, and suddenly I'm heading to a tournament that wasn't even on my radar a few days earlier.

It's another reminder that I can prepare, make plans and work incredibly hard, but I don't have to have everything figured out. God's timing and His plan are so much better than my own.

I don't know what the results will be this week. I'm going to show up Tuesday prepared, compete to the best of my ability and enjoy every minute. Regardless of what happens, I'm incredibly thankful to be here.

And with everything that's happened, this week's passage couldn't be more fitting.

The Narrow Gate

In Matthew 7:13–14, Jesus says:

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

We're getting toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has spent all this time teaching us about prayer, worry, loving our enemies, trusting the Father and how we treat people. Now He's bringing us to a decision about how we're actually going to live.

Living in Nashville, I can't read this passage without thinking about Broadway.

If you've ever spent a Saturday night downtown, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Music blasting, bars packed, alcohol flowing and thousands of people looking for a good time. I love live music, and there are some incredibly talented people down there, but there's also plenty happening that doesn't line up with how Jesus calls us to live.

And isn't it interesting that Nashville's most famous street is literally called Broadway?

Now, I'm not saying everyone who goes downtown is living on the broad road Jesus describes. But think about how easy it is to follow the crowd without ever stopping to ask where you're actually going. I was there and I have lived that.

That's what stands out to me. Jesus tells us the broad road leads to destruction, while the narrow road leads to life. He's talking about something much bigger than which road is more popular. He's talking about our relationship with Him and where we're spending eternity.

And you don't have to spend a single night on Broadway to find yourself on the wrong road. You can have a great job, plenty of money and look like you've got everything figured out while living completely apart from Jesus.

I know what it's like to build your life around something other than Him.

For a long time, that was golf for me. If I played well, I felt great. If I played poorly, it could ruin the next few days. I cared way too much about what people thought of me and what my scores said about who I was.

I was chasing the same dream I'm chasing today, but my heart was in a completely different place.

Then Jesus got ahold of my life.

Following Him hasn't meant giving up my dream of professional golf. It's meant surrendering my life to Him and allowing Him to change why I'm pursuing it.

I still want to win tournaments and play on the PGA TOUR. But my identity isn't riding on whether I shoot 65 or 85 anymore.

Golf is what I do. Christ is why I do it.

Trusting the Road I'm On

A few weeks ago, I was leaving California disappointed because the door I wanted hadn't opened. Now I'm in Florida preparing for another Q-School that wasn't even on my schedule a week ago.

Proverbs 16:9 says:

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps."

I love that verse because it doesn't tell us to stop making plans or working toward things. It reminds us Who ultimately directs our steps.

But I also don't want us to miss what Jesus is saying in Matthew 7. The narrow gate isn't about God opening the right tournament opportunity or making everything work out how we hoped. Jesus is calling us to follow Him, and He's the One who gives us eternal life.

There will be doors that open and doors that close. There will be prayers answered differently than we expected, and following Jesus does not promise comfort.

I don't know whether I'll earn tour status this week or where I'll be competing six months from now. But I know Who I'm following, and I'm becoming a lot more comfortable not knowing every detail of what's next.

If things aren't going how you planned, I want to encourage you to keep seeking Jesus. I can't promise another opportunity will show up for your right away. But I can tell you that knowing Him has completely changed how I walk through seasons like this.

Pray With Me

Jesus, thank You for Your goodness, Your grace and the way You continue to work in our lives, even when we don't know what's coming next. Thank You for the opportunities You've given us and the people You've placed around us.

Forgive us for the times we get so caught up in our own plans that we forget to seek You first. Help us recognize the things we've put ahead of You and give us the courage to surrender them.

Teach us to follow You down the narrow road, even when it's uncomfortable or different from what we planned. Remind us that our identity, hope and salvation are found in You alone.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Take It to the Tee

Here's a question I've been asking myself lately.

Am I actually following Jesus, or am I just asking Him to bless the road I've already decided to take?

It's easy to make plans, set goals and ask God to make everything happen the way we want. But what if He's calling us in a different direction? Are we willing to follow Him?

For me, that doesn't mean I'm going to stop chasing the PGA TOUR. I'm going to keep practicing, training and competing with everything I've got. Tuesday morning, I'll tee it up here in St. Augustine, thankful for another opportunity to do what I love.

But while I'm chasing this dream, I want to make sure I'm actually following the One who gave me life.

Because as thankful as I am for another chance to compete, the greatest thing Jesus has given me isn't another golf tournament. It's the opportunity to know Him, have a relationship with Him and spend eternity in His presence.

And that's worth more than anything I could ever accomplish on a golf course.

Know Him and make Him more known.

See you next week.

The Narrow Way - Week 7 The Golden Rule

Matthew 7:12

Welcome back to The Narrow Way.

This weekend started off pretty normal until we found a snake skin in our garage. And not a tiny one either. Based on what we could tell, this thing was probably around three feet long, which immediately changed what we were doing that day.

We started pulling everything out of the garage trying to figure out if the snake was still in there. We basically cleared the whole thing out and never found it. We did find what looked like snake droppings farther back in the garage, but they were really dry and hard, so hopefully our visitor had been gone for a while.

But we never actually found the snake.

So now every time I walk into the garage, there’s still a little part of my brain wondering where that thing went.

As funny as the whole situation was, it got me thinking about how quickly something can take over our attention when it happens in our world. It’s my garage, so suddenly this snake is a really big deal.

I think we naturally go through life like that. I know I do. My golf game, my score, my schedule, my career, my next tournament, what I need to get done today. We experience everything through our own eyes, so we spend a lot of time thinking about how things affect us.

Then you get to Matthew 7:12 and Jesus says:

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Most of us know this as the Golden Rule. I probably heard some version of “treat people how you want to be treated” long before I knew Jesus was the One who said it.

But Jesus is saying a lot more than just “be nice to people.”

In Everything

We’re getting toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has spent all this time showing His followers what a life following Him actually looks like. We’ve walked through a lot of it during this series: being salt and light, loving our enemies, prayer, where our treasure is, worry, asking, seeking and knocking.

Then Jesus says, “So in everything…”

Those first three words MATTER.

Everything Jesus has been teaching about our relationship with God eventually has to show up in how we treat the people around us. And He doesn’t say to treat people well if they treat you well first.

He tells us to go first.

That sounds incredibly simple until you actually try to live it out.

It’s easy to be kind to somebody who’s kind to me. It’s easy to give grace to somebody who has always given me grace. It gets harder when somebody annoys me, interrupts what I’m doing or doesn’t give me the same treatment in return.

But Jesus doesn’t add any of those exceptions.

The People Right in Front of Me

Golf has shown me how easy it is to become incredibly focused on yourself without even noticing it. A huge part of my job is thinking about my own game. What do I need to practice? When am I training? What’s my next tournament? What needs to improve?

Those aren’t bad questions. I need to ask them if I’m going to pursue this game at the level I want to.

But they can’t become the only questions I ask.

My wife isn’t a supporting character in my golf career. My friends aren’t just people I call when I have extra time. The person working behind the counter isn’t just there to get me what I need. Even the guy standing next to me on the first tee who I’m trying to beat is someone Jesus loves.

That’s where this verse has been challenging me.

If I were standing in their shoes, how would I want to be treated? Would I want somebody to actually listen? Would I want a little patience if I made a mistake? Would I want somebody to notice the work I’m doing or encourage me on a hard day?

Then Jesus says to go do that for them.

Not because they earned it or because you know they’ll return it. Do it because that’s how Jesus is teaching us to live.

The natural tendency is to walk into a room thinking about what I need, where I need to go or what somebody can do for me. Jesus keeps turning that around and teaching me to actually see the person standing in front of me.

And the best example of going first is Jesus Himself.

He didn’t wait for us to get everything right before He loved us. He didn’t wait until we deserved grace before giving it to us. Jesus went first.

So when He tells me to love people this way, He isn’t asking me to do something He hasn’t already done for me.

Pray With Me

Jesus, thank You for loving us first and for the people You’ve placed around us. Forgive us for the times we get so focused on ourselves and what we have going on that we stop seeing the people right in front of us.

Give us eyes to notice people. Help us be patient, encouraging, gracious and willing to listen. Teach us not to wait for somebody else to go first, but to love people because You loved us first.

Let the way we treat people point them back to You.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Take It to the Tee

This week, before I walk into work, onto the golf course, back into my house or anywhere else, I want to ask myself:

How would I want to be treated if I were the person on the other side of this interaction?

Then actually do something about it.

Send the text. Actually listen when somebody is talking. Give somebody grace when they mess up. Thank the person who normally goes unnoticed. Be present with your spouse.

Jesus doesn’t tell us to wait and see how people treat us first. He tells us how we’re supposed to treat them.

I’m still going to work incredibly hard at golf and chase what I believe God has called me to chase. But I don’t want to become so focused on building my own life that I miss the people God has put right in the middle of it.

And for the foreseeable future, apparently I’m going to be doing all of that while checking every corner of my garage before I walk in.

Know Him and make Him more known.

See you next week.

The Narrow Way - Week 6 Ask, Seek, Knock. Matthew 7:7–11

Welcome back to The Narrow Way.

If you’re new here, I’m a follower of Jesus pursuing professional golf and ultimately the PGA TOUR. Golf is a huge part of my life, but more importantly, it’s one of the mission fields God has put in front of me. Through this series, I’m sharing what Jesus is teaching me as I try to follow Him on and off the golf course.

Last week we talked about worry. I was fresh off Q-School, I didn’t get the result I went there for, and naturally there were a lot of questions about what comes next.

Some of those questions are still there. I know I’m supposed to keep playing golf. I know this game is still a mission field for me, and I’m already preparing for the next big tournament.

But the question I’ve been asking has changed a little.

Instead of constantly asking, “God, what’s next?” I’ve started asking, “God, what have You already put in front of me?”

Maybe I don’t need to spend all of my energy trying to create the next door. Maybe I need to pay attention to the ones that are already open.

Ask, Seek, Knock

In Matthew 7, Jesus says:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

That’s one of those verses that sounds really good by itself. Ask God for something, keep asking, and eventually He’ll give it to you.

Except that’s not really what Jesus is saying.

Remember where we are in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has been teaching His followers an entirely different way to live. He’s talked about being salt and light, loving our enemies, how to pray, where our treasure is, worry, and even how we look at and judge the people around us.

Then He tells us to ask, seek and knock.

This isn’t Jesus handing us a formula for getting everything we want. He’s teaching us what it looks like to live dependent on our Father.

And He explains it by talking about a parent and a child.

Jesus basically says, if your child asks you for bread, would you give him a stone? If he asks for a fish, would you hand him a snake? Of course not. Then Jesus points us toward our Heavenly Father and says, essentially, if imperfect earthly parents know how to give good things to their children, how much more does your Father in Heaven?

That changes this passage for me.

The promise isn’t that God will always give me exactly what I ask for. The promise is that I can keep coming to Him because He is good.

Trust me, I have plenty I’m asking Him for right now. I want to keep playing professional golf. I want the resources and opportunities to keep doing this. I want to get better. I want to play on the PGA TOUR. There are also some things Sarah and I are praying through right now that I would love for God to make incredibly obvious.

But maybe asking, seeking and knocking also means trusting Him enough to accept that His answer might look different than mine.

I’m not just trusting that a door will open. I’m trusting the Father who knows which doors should.

The Story Behind the Painting

This weekend Sarah and I got to experience something really cool.

We went to the newly restored John Henry House in Franklin for opening day to see the work of our friend Dane Howard, the one and only Tennessee Cowboy. It was awesome. We walked around together, supported our friend and got to see something Dane had poured so much of himself into. One of my favorite parts was the QR code next to each piece of art. You could scan it and actually hear the story behind the paintings.

That completely changed the experience.

You could already appreciate the art, but then you’d hear the story and notice things you had completely missed. You understood where it came from, what inspired it and what it meant to Dane.

Sarah and I loved it. There’s something really special about getting to watch someone you care about bring something they’ve worked incredibly hard on to life.

Later, I kept thinking about those QR codes and how often I look at one piece of my own life and think I understand the whole story. Q-School didn’t go how I wanted, so naturally my brain wants answers. What does this mean? What’s next? What do I need to do?

But I don’t have the QR code for my life. I don’t get to scan something and have God explain exactly why something happened or how it connects to what comes next.

I can see the piece hanging in front of me. God knows the story that goes with it.

And maybe that’s part of what Jesus is teaching here. I can keep coming to my Father. I can ask Him. I can seek Him. I can knock. But at some point I also have to trust that the Father I’m asking is good, even when I don’t fully understand His answer yet.

What’s Already Open?

Professional golf trains you to constantly look for the next opportunity. The next tournament, the next qualifier, the next improvement, the next step toward where you want to go.

I’m still pursuing all of that.

But I don’t want to become so focused on creating the next opportunity that I miss what God has already put right in front of me.

My marriage. My relationships. Fellowship with other believers. My health and fitness. My golf game. The people God has already placed around me.

There are also some things I’m praying through that I’m not ready to share publicly yet. I’m learning there’s value in letting God work on something before immediately telling everybody about it.

Over these next six months, I want to steward what He has already given me really well. I want a stronger marriage, deeper relationships and real fellowship. I want to get stronger, healthier and become a better golfer so I’m completely prepared when the next big tournament comes.

Most importantly, I want to know Jesus more through all of it.

I’m going to keep asking, seeking and knocking. I’m going to pray big prayers, pursue opportunities and work my butt off.

I just don’t want to spend all my time pounding on a door that isn’t opening while ignoring one God has already opened beside me.

Pray With Me

Jesus, thank You that we can come to You with what’s on our hearts. Teach us to ask, seek and knock, but more than anything, help us trust the Father we’re asking. Give us eyes to see what You’ve already put in front of us and faith to trust You when we don’t understand the whole story yet. Help us be faithful today and trust You with whatever comes next.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Take It to the Tee

Here’s the question I’m taking with me this week:

Am I asking God to open another door while ignoring one that’s already open?

Matthew 7 isn’t telling me to ask God enough times until He finally gives me what I want. Jesus is reminding me that I have a Father I can keep coming back to.

So ask Him. Seek Him. Knock on the door. Tell Him what you want and what you’re afraid of. Ask for the big thing.

Then trust Him enough to let Him be the Father.

I don’t want to get so focused on where I’m trying to go that I miss what Jesus is doing right where I am.

I can see the piece hanging in front of me.

God knows the story that goes with it.

Know Him and make Him more known.

See you next week.

Narrow Way Series - Week 5

Do Not Worry

Matthew 6:25–34

Welcome back to the Narrow Way Series. If you’re new here, I’m a follower of Jesus pursuing a career in professional golf and ultimately the PGA TOUR. Golf is a huge part of my life, but it’s also the mission field God has put in front of me. Through this series, I’m sharing what He’s teaching me as I try to live out my faith on and off the golf course. I do not have it all figured out but my mission is simple: to know Him and make Him more known.

And this week, that looked a little different than I hoped it would. Q-School has officially come and gone, and I did not qualify.

For those of you who have been following along, you know how much I wanted to make it through. I didn’t go there just excited to have the opportunity. I went there to qualify. I felt prepared, my game felt good, my caddie and I had a plan and I truly believed I was ready.

It didn’t happen.

And I want to be careful when I say what I’m about to say because I don’t want it to sound like I’m trying to put a positive spin on something that I’m disappointed about. Not qualifying is frustrating. I wanted it badly. My wife wanted it for me. My caddie wanted it. My family, friends, sponsors and so many of you were praying for me and following along all week.

But in the middle of that disappointment, I have an incredible amount of peace about it. Not because I suddenly don't care about qualifying or because the goal has changed. I absolutely do, and it hasn't. I just know that this result isn't the end of the story.

Some people probably won’t understand that. How can you work that hard for something, not get it and still be at peace?

God has been teaching me that peace and disappointment can exist at the same time. I can be frustrated with the result without questioning God because of it. I can want something with everything I have without needing to get it for God to still be good.

God had already been preparing my heart for this before I teed it up last week.

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been doing a daily devotional on Paul. If you’ve spent much time reading about Paul’s life, you know his mission was anything but easy. He’s beaten, thrown in prison, rejected and threatened. Then in Acts 27, while he’s being taken to Rome, the ship he’s on gets caught in this massive storm.

The ship eventually wrecks, but everyone makes it safely to shore.

You’d think Paul might get a little break at that point.

Nope.

They land on Malta. Everyone is soaked and freezing, so they build a fire. Paul gathers some sticks, throws them on the fire and a venomous snake comes out and latches onto his hand.

I was reading this thinking, you have got to be kidding me. The guy just survived a shipwreck while doing what God called him to do, and now there’s a snake hanging off his hand.

Acts 28 says Paul simply shook the snake off into the fire. The people around him expected him to swell up or fall over dead, but he didn’t. He kept going, and God continued using him.

Sometimes I think we convince ourselves that if we’re following God’s calling, things should work out the way we expect. If we’re praying, preparing and doing what we believe He’s asking us to do, surely the door is going to open.

Sometimes the ship crashes. Sometimes the snake bites. Sometimes you show up to Q-School believing you’re ready and you don’t qualify.

The mission doesn't change.

Not qualifying doesn’t change why I’m playing golf. I still want to know Him and make Him more known. Golf is still my mission field. I still believe I’m supposed to pursue professional golf with everything I have, and we’re working on what comes next.

We just don’t know exactly what that looks like yet.

And that brings us to Matthew 6.

Do Not Worry

In Matthew 6:25–34, Jesus tells His followers not to worry about their lives. Then He basically tells them to look around. Look at the birds. They aren’t storing everything away wondering if they’ll have enough tomorrow, yet their Heavenly Father feeds them. Look at the flowers. They aren’t worried about how they’re going to be clothed, yet God takes care of them.

Jesus is reminding us who our Father is.

That feels pretty relevant to me right now because I have plenty I could worry about. What’s next? Where am I going to play? How are we going to fund the next stretch? How long is this going to take?

Those are real questions my team and I have to work through. And I don’t think Jesus is telling me to ignore them. I still need to make decisions, raise money, practice, train and figure out where I need to improve.

But there’s a difference between preparing for tomorrow and worrying about tomorrow.

Golf has taught me a lot about that. You can have a game plan for the entire round, but eventually you have to hit the shot that’s in front of you. If I’m standing on the 10th tee thinking about the putt I missed on 7 and worrying about what might happen coming down 18, I’m not really on the 10th tee anymore.

I’m everywhere except where my feet are.

I can do the same thing with my life. I can spend today replaying Q-School or worrying about how I’m going to get where I want to go next year.

Meanwhile, God gave me today.

Jesus says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”

Prepare for tomorrow. Be faithful today.

Seek First

Right in the middle of this teaching, Jesus tells us where our attention should actually be: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…”

Seek first.

I still want to make the PGA TOUR. Not qualifying didn’t make that dream smaller. I’m ready to get home, figure out what needs to improve and get back to work. But professional golf can’t be first.

Jesus has to be.

There was a time when a week like this probably would have wrecked me because my score was way too connected to who I thought I was. God has changed that.

That’s why I can walk away disappointed and still have peace.

I don’t need the results to know who I am.

Trusting God doesn’t mean believing He’s going to give me every outcome I ask Him for. We prayed about Q-School. We wanted to qualify. We didn’t. God is still good, and the mission is still the mission.

Pray With Me

Jesus, thank You for today. Thank You that our peace doesn’t have to depend on the outcome we wanted. When things don’t go the way we planned, help us trust You instead of trying to figure everything out on our own.

Forgive us for the times we let worry take our eyes off of You. When we start carrying tomorrow before it gets here, remind us that You’ve already given us everything we need to be faithful today.

Help us seek You first. Give us the courage to keep going when the ship crashes, when the snake bites and when the door we wanted doesn’t open. Remind us that a disappointing result doesn’t change who You are or who You’ve called us to be.

Whatever comes next, help us trust You with it.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Take It to the Tee

Maybe something in your life hasn’t gone the way you thought it would. Maybe you prayed about it, prepared for it and genuinely believed the door was going to open.

It’s okay to be disappointed. Learn what you need to learn. Make the changes you need to make. But don’t spend today carrying something that belongs to tomorrow.

Jesus tells us to seek Him first.

So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to keep pursuing this game as hard as I know how and trust God with where it leads.

And when the ship crashes or the snake bites, I’m going to remember Paul.

Shake it off. The mission is still the mission.

I don’t know exactly what comes next. But I know Who I’m following.

Know Him and make Him more known.

See you next week.

Narrow Way Series: Week 4 — Where Your Treasure Is

Matthew 6:19–24

Welcome back to Week 4 of the Narrow Way Series, and it is officially Q-School week!

My caddie and I are here in Woodland, California, and after months of preparation, practice, travel and everything else that has gone into getting here, we're ready to show up to the course prepared, not perfect. At this point we're not trying to reinvent anything. The work has been done. Now it's time to trust it, enjoy the opportunity in front of us and compete.

If you've followed along for a while, you know how much I want to play on the PGA TOUR. I'm chasing this dream with everything I've got, but one of the biggest things Jesus has been teaching me is that golf can't be the reason I do any of this. My mission is to know Him and make Him more known. Golf is what I do, Christ is why I do it, and professional golf happens to be the mission field He's placed in front of me.

Which makes this week's passage pretty timely.

Over the last few weeks we've been walking through the Sermon on the Mount and asking what it actually looks like to follow Jesus. We've talked about being salt and light, loving our enemies and, last week, prayer and the invitation to come as we are. This week Jesus goes after our treasure.

He says:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:19–21

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I've been thinking about that sentence a lot because Jesus is being incredibly practical. He's talking about what we do with the things that are valuable to us. Our money, our time and our resources. Where those things continually go, our hearts have a tendency to follow.

Jesus isn't talking about treasure because He needs something from us. He's talking about treasure because He's after our hearts.

Treasure Looked Different Then

When Jesus taught this, treasure looked different than it does today. People weren't checking investment accounts on their phones. Wealth could be stored in clothing, crops, precious metals and physical possessions. Those things could also disappear pretty quickly. Moths could destroy expensive clothing, stored goods could spoil and thieves could break in and take what someone had accumulated.

So when Jesus talked about moths and thieves, the people listening knew exactly what He meant. He was pointing toward things people spent their lives accumulating and protecting and reminding them that none of it was permanent.

Thousands of years later, our treasure might look different, but I don't think our hearts are all that different. Our treasure might be a bank account, a house, a business, a career, status, followers or, in my case, maybe even a PGA TOUR card.

Where I'm Spending My Treasure

I've been thinking about this a lot recently because I mentioned in a video just how expensive professional golf actually is.

People see the tournament and the scorecard. Maybe you see some practice videos or pictures from the course. What you don't always see are the flights, hotels, rental cars, gas, entry fees, coaching, practice and everything else that comes with traveling week after week trying to play professional golf.

It adds up really fast.

The truth is, I'm only able to keep chasing this because of the incredible team the Lord has placed around me. People have believed in me, prayed for me, encouraged me and invested their own money and resources into this journey. That's something I don't take lightly.

Standing here at Q-School, I can see God's provision all around me. There are a lot of people represented in the fact that my caddie and I are even here.

And that gives me a really practical picture of what Jesus is talking about.

If I told you becoming the best golfer I can possibly be was incredibly important to me, but I never practiced, never trained, never traveled and wasn't willing to invest anything into getting better, you'd probably question how important golf actually was to me. What I said I valued wouldn't match where I was putting my time and resources.

Our faith can be the same way.

We can say Jesus is the most important thing in our lives, but where are we actually putting our treasure? Where does our money go? Where does our time go? What gets our best energy, and what gets whatever happens to be left over?

I know how easy it is for me to invest into golf. I'll get on an airplane, drive across the country, spend hours practicing, get up early, train and rearrange my schedule because I care deeply about it. That's where I have to be careful.

Golf can be something I invest my treasure into without allowing golf to become my treasure.

Stewarding the Gift

I believe God has given me the ability to play this game, and I believe He's opened doors and placed people around me that have allowed me to continue chasing the PGA TOUR. Because of that, I want to steward this opportunity as well as I possibly can.

I want to practice hard, prepare well and compete my butt off. I want to find out how far I can take the gifts He's given me.

But there's a big difference between stewarding a gift and worshiping it.

I've gotten that wrong before.

There was a time when a good score made me feel valuable and a bad score made me question who I was. Someone's opinion about my golf could stay in my head for days. Golf had way too much access to my heart because I was asking the game to give me something it was never capable of giving me.

Jesus has been changing that.

Following Him hasn't made me want the PGA TOUR less. It's changed why I'm chasing it.

If my ability, opportunities, finances and even the people God has placed around me are gifts from Him, then my responsibility is to steward those gifts faithfully. Instead of constantly asking, “What can I get out of this?” I'm learning to ask, “Lord, what do You want me to do with what You've given me?”

That applies to golf, but it also applies to our money, businesses, relationships, careers and time. We can work hard, build things, save money and chase huge dreams. We just have to remember who owns it all.

Who Gets Your Heart?

Jesus finishes this section with some incredibly direct words:

“No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve both God and money.”

Matthew 6:24

Jesus doesn't say we can't have money. He says we can't serve it.

The same thing is true for success, recognition, careers and golf. These things can be incredible gifts, but they make terrible masters.

That's something I want to remember walking onto the course this week.

I desperately want to play well. I want to advance. My caddie and I are going to show up prepared, trust the work we've put in and compete. But I don't need that golf course to give me something Jesus hasn't already given me.

I don't need a scorecard to tell me who I am, and I don't need a PGA TOUR card to give me an identity.

My mission doesn't change based on what I shoot.

Know Him and make Him more known.

Golf is what I do. Christ is why I do it.

So I'm going to chase this dream as hard as I can while holding it with open hands. I'm going to try to steward every gift, dollar, opportunity and relationship He's placed in my life well, without allowing the gift to take the place of the Giver.

That's where I want my treasure.

And that's where I want my heart.

Prayer

Jesus, thank You for everything You have placed in our hands. Thank You for our abilities, opportunities, finances, relationships and the dreams You've allowed us to chase. Thank You for the people You place around us and the ways You provide that we don't always see.

Teach us to steward what You've given us without worshiping it. Show us where we're putting our treasure and where our hearts are following. Give us wisdom with our money, make us generous and help us hold the things You've given us with open hands.

When a gift starts becoming more important to us than the Giver, bring our eyes and our hearts back to You. You are our treasure.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Take It to the Tee

This week, take an honest look at where you're spending your treasure. Look at your bank statement. Look at your calendar. Think about what gets most of your attention and energy.

Then ask yourself:

If my heart follows my treasure, where am I leading my heart?

Maybe something good God has given you has slowly started taking a place in your heart it was never supposed to have. That doesn't mean you have to stop chasing the dream, building the business or pursuing the opportunity. It means we need to learn to hold those things with open hands.

Be a good steward of what God has placed in your hands. Use it, enjoy it and be generous with it, but don't let the gift replace the Giver.

Fix your eyes on Jesus, put your treasure where you want your heart to go and let your heart follow Him.

Narrow Road Series: Week 3 — Prayer

Matthew 6:5–13

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.”
— Matthew 6:6

Welcome back to Golf Church.

If this is your first time here, I'm really glad you're here. My name is Cooper, and I'm a professional golfer preparing for PGA TOUR Q-School while learning what it looks like to faithfully follow Jesus one day at a time.

We're in Week 3 of the Narrow Road Series, walking through Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount and looking at what it actually means to follow Him.

Last week we talked about loving your enemies, which is one of those teachings that's a lot easier to read than it is to live out.

For me, a lot of that came back to identity. For a long time I gave way too much power to what other people thought about me, especially with golf. Somebody could make a comment about my game, my swing or a bad round, and I would let it take up way too much space in my head.

Jesus has been teaching me that I don't have to carry everything people hand me. I can bring it to Him.

Which brings us right into this week. Prayer.

One Week Out

As I'm writing this, we're officially one week out from Q-School.

I'm back on the Central Coast finishing up my prep before heading to the tournament site, and I'm really enjoying this part of the process. I've worked toward this for a long time, so of course there's a lot going through my head.

On Sunday, I got away from golf for most of the day and spent some time at Morro Rock.

Morro Rock holds a pretty special place in my life. It's where I learned how to surf, it's where I was baptized as a kid, and it's also the place my dad technically illegally climbed over 40 years ago with a group of friends on Christmas night.

If you know Jim Coles, you're probably having a hard time picturing that right now. So am I.

I spent some time sitting on the beach in the Word and then went for a prayer walk up the coast. Nothing complicated. I was just walking and talking with God.

At some point I looked down and noticed all the sand covering my feet.

If you've spent any time barefoot at the beach, you know how it goes. Sand gets everywhere and you don't even notice it happening. There was no way I could tell where every grain came from. Some might have been there for the last half mile. Some probably came from the step.

And as I was walking and noticing all the sand, I started thinking about sin.

Walking through this world can look a lot like walking down the beach.

We pick things up along the way. Pride, anger, jealousy, lust, selfishness, unforgiveness, the need for approval or the desire to control everything. Sometimes we know exactly where something came from. Other times we don't even realize we've been carrying it until Jesus brings it to our attention.

Eventually I walked down toward the water and stepped into the ocean.

The sand just washed off.

I didn't have to figure out where every grain came from first. I didn't have to pick each one off before I could get into the water.

I just stepped in.

That picture stuck with me.

Come Confidently

Hebrews 4:16 says:

“Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

I love that Scripture says to come confidently.

Not because we're confident in ourselves or because we've done such a great job cleaning ourselves up. We can come confidently because of Jesus.

Sometimes I think we make prayer more complicated than it needs to be. We think we need the right words, the right place or that we need to get ourselves back on track before coming to God.

But that's backwards.

Just like I didn't have to clean the sand off my feet before stepping into the ocean, I don't have to clean myself up before coming to Jesus.

That's the Gospel.

Jesus lived the life we couldn't live, died for our sin and rose again. Because of Him, we have access to the Father.

So when I mess up, I don't have to hide from God. When I'm anxious, I don't have to pretend I'm not. When I'm struggling to forgive somebody, I can tell Him.

And when I'm one week away from Q-School with a dream I've worked toward for years sitting right in front of me, I can bring Him that too. He already knows anyway.

When You Pray

That's one of the things I love about Matthew 6.

Jesus says, “When you pray…”

He doesn't say if.

Prayer is assumed to be part of following Him. But Jesus also makes it clear that prayer isn't a performance. We don't pray so other people think we're spiritual, and we don't need impressive words to convince God to listen.

Jesus says our Father already knows what we need before we ask Him.

I'm not updating God when I pray. He already knows how badly I want Q-School. He knows the work that's gone into it, the excitement, the nerves and everything I haven't said out loud.

So why pray if He already knows?

Because prayer isn't about giving God information. It's about relationship with Him. It's learning to depend on Him instead of ourselves.

Your Will Be Done

Jesus gives us the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6, and one part has been hitting me differently as Q-School gets closer:

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

That's a lot easier to say when you don't really care about the outcome.

It's different when you're praying over something you've spent years working toward.

Of course I want to play well. I want to make it through Q-School. I want to play on the PGA TOUR. Those are real desires, and I don't need to pretend otherwise when I talk to God.

But there's a difference between bringing God my desires and asking Him to bless my plans, and actually surrendering those plans to Him.

“Your will be done” means I trust His plan more than mine.

That can be hard, but it's also incredibly freeing.

I can prepare as well as I possibly can, show up, compete my butt off and trust God with everything I can't control.

A few lines later Jesus says:

“Give us today our daily bread.”

I love the word daily, especially right now.

It would be easy for me to mentally play Q-School a hundred times before I ever get there. I could start thinking about scores, cuts, the next Stage and everything that could happen afterward.

But that's not where God has me today.

Today I get to practice. Today I get to spend time with my wife. Today I get to be in the Word. Today I get another opportunity to be obedient with whatever God puts in front of me.

Tomorrow will get here when it gets here.

Prayer Is Access

That's what I walked away thinking about after that day at Morro Rock.

Obviously, Jesus doesn't need us to go to the beach to meet with Him. You don't need Morro Rock, the ocean, the perfect worship song or a quiet morning with your Bible and coffee.

Those things can be awesome, but they're not what gives us access to God.

Jesus does.

We have access to Him on the beach, in the car, at work, sitting at home, walking down a fairway or standing on the first tee at Q-School.

That's what I want this next week to look like.

I'm going to prepare as well as I possibly can. I'm going to work hard, show up ready to compete because I love competing and believe this is one of the places God has called me.

But I don't want to spend the week gripping tighter trying to control what happens next.

I want to talk with God while I'm practicing. I want to thank Him that I even get to do this. I want to bring Him the nerves when they show up and keep handing this dream back to Him.

Because prayer isn't ultimately about getting God to give me the outcome I want.

Because of Jesus, I get to know God and walk with Him.

Q-School can't give me that. The PGA TOUR can't give me that. Golf can't give me that.

Jesus already has.

Golf is what I do. Christ is why I do it.

And prayer keeps reminding me who I'm walking with.

Let’s Pray

Father,

Thank You that because of Jesus we can come to You confidently. Thank You that we don't have to clean ourselves up first or pretend to have everything together.

Search our hearts and show us what we've picked up walking through this world. Help us bring those things to You instead of hiding them.

Teach us to pray, listen and trust You enough to actually mean it when we say, “Your will be done.”

Give us what we need for today and help us stop trying to live tomorrow before it gets here.

Wherever You've placed us this week, remind us that we have access to You right there.

Thank You for Jesus, thank You for Your grace and thank You that we never have to walk alone.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Take It to the Tee

This week, keep prayer simple.

Find some time to go for a walk with God. Leave the headphones behind and put the phone away for a little while. Talk to Him about what's actually going on in your life.

Tell Him what you're thankful for, what you're worried about and what He's revealing in your heart. Then spend some time being quiet enough to listen.

You don't need to figure everything out before you come to Him. You just need to come.

Sandy feet and all.

Golf Church: The Narrow Way — Week Two: Love Your Enemies

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:44–45

Welcome back to Golf Church and week two of The Narrow Way, where we're walking through some of Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount and what it actually looks like to live it.

If this is your first time here, my name is Cooper. I'm a professional golfer preparing for PGA TOUR Q-School, and every week I use this space to share a little of what God is teaching me through His Word, golf and life along the way.

This week Jesus gives us one that's really easy to read and really hard to live:

Love your enemies.

Being a professional athlete is a strange thing sometimes. When you decide to pursue something publicly, people don't just watch what you're doing. A lot of them also feel pretty comfortable telling you how you should be doing it.

Everyone has an opinion.

What I should be practicing. How much I should be playing. How much I should be resting. What tournaments I should play. What my swing should look like. What I should be doing in the gym. Whether I'm good enough. Sometimes even whether I should still be chasing this at all. And heaven forbid I make a mistake during a round of golf.

Hit one bad shot and somebody knows exactly what I've been doing wrong for the last six months. Miss a short putt and somebody has the fix. Play a bad round and people who weren't there, haven't seen the work and have no idea what was happening suddenly feel comfortable telling you exactly what went wrong.

Some people genuinely want to help. Some criticism is fair. Some advice has made me better.

And some of it is just noise.

For most of my life, I wasn't very good at telling the difference.

I would replay comments over and over. Someone could say one thing about my game and I would give that person hours of my life without them even knowing it. I'd wonder if they were right, think about what I should've said back and usually think about how I was going to prove them wrong.

Meanwhile, they probably moved on with their day. I was still having the conversation six hours later in my own head. Looking back, I understand why. As I have mentioned in other posts, for a long time, golf wasn't just something I did. Golf was where I found my identity.

A bad tournament wasn't just a bad tournament. It became evidence that maybe I didn't belong. Maybe I wasn't going to make it. Maybe everybody who doubted me was right. And when you live that way, everybody gets a vote on who you are.

That's exhausting.

One of the things God has been teaching me is that following Jesus was never meant to happen alone. As Pastor Kevin Queen says "Faith is personal, but it isn't private." God uses people to shape us, encourage us, pray for us, challenge us and sometimes help us see what we can't see ourselves.

But that doesn't mean every voice gets the same weight.

I'm learning there's a big difference between having people around me and having the right people around me.

I need people who know my story. People who will tell me the truth when I need to hear it. People who will believe in me, challenge me and pray for me. People who can remind me who I am when I'm tempted to believe what a scorecard or somebody else's opinion says about me.

The book of Acts doesn't show us a bunch of isolated Christians trying harder on their own. We see people following Jesus together.

Saul encounters Jesus personally on the road to Damascus, but almost immediately God begins surrounding him with people. Ananias comes alongside him. Barnabas advocates for him. Other believers pray with him and walk with him.

His encounter with Jesus was personal. His discipleship wasn't isolated.

That's challenging for someone like me because golf can become incredibly individual.

It's my name on the scorecard. My swing. My preparation. My result.

And our culture loves the idea of being self-made.

But the more I look at my own story, the more I realize there really isn't anything self-made about it.

God has placed a wife beside me who knows me far beyond the golfer. He's given me coaches, mentors, friends, pastors and brothers in Christ who encourage me, challenge me and pray for me. He's given me people who remind me who I am when I forget.

And that's been a huge shift, because everyone doesn't get a vote anymore. My score doesn't.

The leaderboard doesn't.

The person watching from the cart doesn't.

The person who thinks I should quit doesn't.

And honestly, even the people closest to me don't ultimately get to define me.

I love them. I listen to them. I value their wisdom.

But even their wisdom sits underneath the authority of God's Word.

Jesus gets the final word.

Before I shoot 65, I belong to Him. After I shoot 75, I still belong to Him.

When everybody understands what I'm doing, I'm His.

When nobody understands it, I'm still His.

And maybe that's actually where loving our enemies starts.

Because when I don't need somebody else's approval to know who I am, I also don't need their failure to feel better about myself.

I can forgive them, pray for them and extend grace to them without giving their voice authority over my identity.

Jesus already settled that.

And that's exactly what He tells us in Matthew 5:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

My natural reaction isn't always love.

Sometimes I want to defend myself. Sometimes I want to explain everything they don't understand. And if I'm being completely truthful, there have absolutely been times when I've wanted to succeed partly because I wanted certain people to have to watch me prove them wrong.

Then I read Jesus' words.

He doesn't say, Go prove them wrong.

He says, Love them.

He doesn't say, Win the argument.

He says, Pray for them.

That's the Narrow Way.

I'm also learning that forgiveness doesn't mean pretending something didn't hurt. It doesn't mean somebody was right, and it doesn't mean you can't have boundaries.

Forgiveness is becoming more about refusing to keep carrying something Jesus is asking me to put down. 

Don't keep replaying the argument. Don't let resentment take up space in my mind. Don't secretly hope something goes wrong for somebody so you feel vindicated.

Give it to Jesus. What do we do after we give it to Jesus? Pray.

Pray for them.

It's one thing to decide I'm not going to stay angry with somebody. It's another thing to genuinely pray that God would bless them, work in their life, take care of their family and draw them closer to Him.

My coach has a saying that's become really important to me:

“Breathe in gratitude and breathe out grace.”

I love that, especially on a golf course, because golf gives you plenty of opportunities to do the exact opposite.

You hit a bad shot. Miss a putt. Get a bad bounce. Hear a comment. Get frustrated and suddenly you're carrying the last hole into the next one.

When I breathe in gratitude, I'm reminding myself: Thank You, Jesus, that I get to be here. Thank You that I get to play this game. Thank You for another shot. Thank You that my identity isn't riding on where this golf ball goes. Thank You that I'm Yours.

Then I breathe out grace.

Grace for myself when I make a mistake. Grace for my caddie. Grace for my playing partners. Grace for the person watching. Grace for the person who made the comment. Grace for the person I'd really like to prove wrong.

Because how can I spend my life celebrating the grace Jesus has given me while refusing to extend grace to somebody else?

For years, I think there were times I was playing golf against people who weren't even on the golf course.

Trying to prove something.

To critics. To people who doubted. Probably to myself more than anybody.

That's a heavy golf bag to carry.

Jesus is teaching us to put it down.

I'm not going to Q-School to prove somebody wrong. I'm going because I believe this is the mission God has called me to.

I'm going to prepare as well as I possibly can, show up and compete my butt off. I want to beat the guys I'm playing against. That's competition, and I love competition.

Following Jesus doesn't mean I suddenly stop wanting to compete or stop wanting to win. It means the person standing across from me doesn't have to become my enemy just because we're both trying to beat each other. I can want to win with everything I have and still want good for them. I can compete hard without carrying hatred, jealousy or resentment in my heart.

And I think that's where Jesus' teaching really starts to challenge us, because loving people who are for us isn't all that difficult. What about the person competing against us? The person criticizing us? The person who has hurt us or who we know doesn't really want to see us succeed?

Toward the end of this passage, Jesus asks:

“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?”

It's easy to love people who love you back.

Jesus says His followers should look different.

Love the difficult person. Pray for the person talking about you. Forgive the person who hurt you. Give grace to the person who doesn't deserve it.

Not because they earned it.

Because neither did I.

Jesus didn't wait for me to get my life together before He loved me. Romans 5:8 tells us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

So when Jesus asks me to love somebody who doesn't deserve my love, He's not asking me to give something I haven't already received. And remember that the "somebody" Jesus is asking you to love, is EVERYONE. 

He's asking us to live from what He's already given us.

I definitely haven't mastered that.

But He's teaching me.

Listen closely to the people God has intentionally placed around you.

Hold their wisdom underneath His Word.

Let the noise be noise.

Forgive quickly.

Pray for the people we'd rather prove wrong.

And give people something they may not deserve, something Jesus has freely given:

Grace.

Prayer

Jesus,

Thank You that my identity isn't found in what people say about me, what I accomplish or what number I write on a scorecard. Thank You that because of You, I know who I am and Whose I am.

Thank You for the people You've intentionally placed around me. Give me humility to listen when You're using someone to challenge me, wisdom to know which voices deserve weight and discernment to let go of the noise.

Teach me to forgive quickly and help me stop carrying conversations You never asked me to carry.

Help me love the people who are difficult for me to love and pray for the people I'd rather prove wrong. Remind me of the grace You've given me so freely and teach me to give that same grace away.

Let the way I compete, speak, forgive and love point people back to You.

Breathe in gratitude.

Breathe out grace.

Amen.

Take It to the Tee

This week, pay attention to whose voice you're allowing to shape you.

Do you have people around you who actually know you, pray for you, challenge you and continually point you back to Jesus?

Then think about the person whose words still take up space in your head.

Maybe they criticized you. Maybe they betrayed you. Maybe they embarrassed you, doubted you or simply got under your skin.

You don't have to pretend it didn't hurt.

But you also don't have to keep carrying it.

So this week, actually do what Jesus said.

Pray for them. Ask God to bless them. Ask Him to work in their life. Ask Him to help you forgive them. Then remember who gets the final word over your life.

Jesus.

So take a breath.

Breathe in gratitude. Breathe out grace.

Narrow Way: Week One — Salt & Light

“You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.”
Matthew 5:13–14

Welcome back to Golf Church.

If this is your first time here, my name is Cooper. I’m a professional golfer preparing for PGA TOUR Q-School, but more importantly, I’m a follower of Jesus learning what it looks like to say yes to Him wherever He leads me.

This week we're starting something new. For the next several weeks, we're going to walk through parts of the Sermon on the Mount together. I'm calling it The Narrow Way Series.

Jesus says later in this sermon:

“Enter through the narrow gate… small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life.”
Matthew 7:13–14

The Narrow Way isn't about trying harder, cleaning ourselves up, or proving we're good Christians.

The Narrow Way begins and ends with Jesus.

And that's important before we talk about being salt and light.

You Are

Something stood out to me reading Matthew 5.

Jesus doesn't say, “Try really hard to become the light of the world.”

For most of my life I thought that if I tried hard enough, put in the hours and achieved something notable then I would finally be enough. But Jesus says the opposite. 

He says:

“You are the light of the world.”

We don't become light because we're good people, go to church, know Scripture, or serve enough.

It's only because of Jesus.

Jesus says in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world.”

So when He calls us the light of the world, He's not telling us to create our own light.

He's telling us to carry His.

That takes so much pressure off.

My job isn't to walk onto a golf course and convince everyone I have it figured out. I don't.

My job is to stay close to Jesus and allow His light to shine through the life He's given me.

Why Are You Here?

I've been thinking about this question:

Why are you wherever God has placed you?

For me, one of those places is golf.

I believe God has called me to pursue professional golf. I'm preparing for Q-School and working my butt off to become the best golfer I can possibly become.

But I'm realizing this calling isn't only about golf.

There are people all along this road. Players. Caddies. Coaches. Volunteers. Sponsors. People working at the course. Someone sitting next to me on an airplane.

I've spent most of my life looking at golf courses thinking about scores.

Now I'm learning to look around and see people.

God has me standing on a particular driving range or playing with a particular person for a reason that has absolutely nothing to do with golf.

Golf Means Something Different Now

For a long time, golf carried way too much weight in my life.

How I played could determine how I felt about myself.

Then came an injury and a season of pain where the things I thought I could control suddenly weren't in my control anymore. There was a point where I couldn't even walk, let alone chase professional golf.

Then Jesus changed my life.

He didn't just give me golf back.

He gave golf a different purpose.

I still want to make the PGA TOUR. Probably more than I ever have.

But I don't want to become so focused on where I'm trying to go that I miss why God has me where I am today.

Making the PGA TOUR doesn't make my light brighter.

Winning doesn't make my light brighter.

Having a great testimony doesn't make my light brighter. 

Only Jesus does.

Without Him, I have nothing to shine.

Don't Hide It

Jesus continues:

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16

That's the whole point.

They glorify the Father. Not us.

The goal isn't for someone to walk away thinking, Cooper is such a great guy.

I want them wondering:

What is different about him?

And I want the answer to be Jesus.

The joy isn't mine. The peace isn't mine. The hope isn't mine.

The light isn't mine. It's Jesus.

Anything good coming through me is evidence of what He has done and is doing in me.

As You Go

Following Jesus doesn't require a stage or a microphone.

It's lived out as you go.

As you go to work. As you raise your kids. As you walk onto the golf course. As you travel. As you chase whatever calling God has placed on your life.

You need Jesus, and then you faithfully walk the road He's put in front of you.

For me, that road includes golf. So yes, I'm going to practice. I'm going to compete. I'm going to prepare for Q-School with everything I've got.

But I don't want to walk past the people God puts directly in front of me because I'm too busy looking at where I'm trying to get.

God didn't put us where we are only to succeed there.

A Prayer

Jesus,

Thank You that we don't have to create our own light. You are the Light of the world.

Help us stay close to You and open our eyes to the people You've placed around us. Wherever You have us today, help us remember we're there for a reason.

Let our lives point away from ourselves and toward You.

Amen.

Take It to the Tee

Before you walk into work, onto the golf course, into school, or wherever God has placed you this week, pray:

“Jesus, show me why You have me here today.”

Then look up and pay attention to the people around you.

You don't have to create the light. You just have to stay close to the One who is.