I love God’s sense of humor, timing, and use of juxtapositions in life. About 15 years ago I was temporarily living in Utopia, Texas in an 1875 farmhouse on our family’s ranch. The Links of Utopia golf course, where I practiced and played, was fairly new and was an absolute “goat ranch” for sure. The worst golf course I have ever played, yet the most beautiful golf course for my soul. God chose it for the book He wrote through me.

One day the phone rang and an individual on the other end of the line wanted to know if I would be available to come speak at a men’s golf retreat in New Jersey. The sights I had seen on a train ride from DC to New York had polluted my image of New Jersey. It took us through all the impoverished areas of the major cities. You can imagine my enthusiasm was not yet engaged and I was about to tell him my calendar was pretty full. Then he mentioned the words, “Pine Valley.” Immediately my attitude changed and my calendar was clear. He actually was inviting me to Pine Valley to play golf and speak to men about Jesus. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

And so I made the date and hung up the phone dumbfounded and chuckling to myself. God was taking me from the worst golf course in the world to the number one golf course in the world and I was going to be sharing Jesus. Only God can orchestrate such an adventure.

I attended that event in Pine Valley for the next 10 years. The event has moved this year to the new PGA headquarters in Frisco, Texas where we will be staying at the new fabulous Omni Resort Hotel and playing the latest Gil Hanse masterpiece that will eventually host a Ryder Cup and other prestigious events. I will be there when you read this. Some of my greatest friends on this side of heaven have evolved from this event, which evolved from a single phone call, and one of God’s great juxtapositions He shared with me—from worst to first. I’m still in Awe.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory…”

- Ephesians 3:20