08/03/20 DISCARDED GOLF TEES — Another item I can accumulate at the golf course is tees that other golfers have broken and discarded. Or, they’re either so lazy or so rich that they can’t be bothered to bend over and pick up their tee after they hit their tee shot. When I first began playing, I bought a sack of “cheapo” wooden tees for a dollar or two. But on nearly every teebox there are more than a dozen tees lying around. Some are broken. But some are (nearly) brand-new plastic or nylon expensive tees!

On each hole, as a golfer stands in the teebox, he has a special privilege. With a few restrictions, he may stand just about anywhere he wants. AND he/she may choose to place the ball on a tee, raising it up off the ground so that it is easier to hit (far and straight!). He may also choose how high to raise the ball. This is the ONLY time during his round when he has such choices. The rest of his shots are “play it as it lies.” So smart golfers choose short, medium or tall tees carefully to take full advantage of this privilege.

This also reminds me of what happens when we believers share our faith with others. The old saying is “You only get one chance to make a first impression.” We get to choose exactly when and how to begin. After that, how the other person responds very much dictates how we should continue our presentation.

In golf, I often find that I can reuse a tee someone else has discarded. On par 3 holes I use a very short tee, usually a broken tee someone else threw away. In witnessing all we can do is share the Gospel; only the Holy Spirit can change the heart of anyone. So, just because a particular witnessing technique seemed to be unsuccessful, maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to trash it. Even if it seems to be “broken,” maybe we can pick it up, sharpen it and reuse it. LET’S SHOW COURAGE AND HAVE CONFIDENCE IN OUR HELPER, THE HOLY SPIRIT. LET’S IMPROVE OUR GOSPEL STORIES AS WE RETELL THEM OVER AND OVER!