Yesterday, I was blessed with the opportunity to go to a local country club for the PGA Pro-Am. Essentially, it was a practice event for the actual tournament that begins today. It was interesting being present as some of the best in their field, played a round of golf.

For those of you who have never played golf, it is not easy to get the ball to go where you want it to. A narrow fairway is a death sentence for many. Add sand traps and fast undulating greens and you can forget about good scores. To see some of the best hit great shot after great shot is humbling and depressing.

However, most would never admit to this. To walk around there yesterday, one would have thought they were walking among more professionals on the sidelines than were on the course. Most talked, walked and acted as if they were best friends with whatever pro was on the course, and their own play was good enough to be competing.

If the pomposity and pretentiousness present was measurable, it would have eclipsed the Gross National Product of some small country. Most conversations led people to talk about their own game. The atmospheric pressure from the untruths being told should have induced a lightning storm.

I guess the intensity of the triple digit heat was punishment enough for those of us silly enough to brave the day. Even then, the reading on the thermometer was lower than most scores would have been had we been playing instead of the Pro's.

My family would agree with the "silly" part. Lauren thinks golf is the most ridiculous thing she has ever seen. Just the night before, she was making fun of anyone who would chase a little white ball around a several hundred acre course. To air it on national television then, was beyond all comprehension for her. Wait, I don't think "silly" is the word she used.

I like to watch golf cause it helps put me to sleep on Sunday afternoon. The problem is when I fall to sleep, my girls think that means I am no longer conscious, and they take the remote and change the channel. How is one supposed to get a good nap if the narration during their sleep time goes from "He's using a seven iron," to "You have bewitched me, body and soul?!"

It's not fair. I think television remotes should have DNA readers on them, and only work by the one who is programmed into the set.

People who enjoy particular activities will likely always have an affinity for people who are actually good at that same activity. Fortunately, not all of these activities are aired on television. We are getting close however, and I am living in fear of the day when the national scrapbooking championships come to cable. When that happens, they will start calling scrapbookers, athletes. Shortly after that, it will become an Olympic event.

Instead of trying to improve my golf game, I think I'll just keep trying to be more like Jesus. Attending the occasional golf event just reinforces my drive to do so.

Fortunately, being more like Jesus will have a more significant impact on the world around me than getting better at golf ever could. Should make it a pretty easy decision.

Come to think of it, most congregations are made up of people who play every week, improve their handicap, know who all the pro's are...and can't recite a single verse of Scripture.

Pass me the remote, maybe I do want to change the channel.

dad