Walking with a King

I was blessed this past week to be given two passes to Arnold Palmer's PGA tournament at Bay Hill here in Orlando. I called a good friend and the two of us enjoyed four days of beautiful Florida weather, the vistas of a spectacular golf course, and the amazing way the pros play the game. Since the "free" passes were for the entire week we even took in the "Pro-Am" event on Wednesday. One tee time we made sure to see was the tee time of the King, 80 year old Arnie, himself. He played that day with hockey great, Bobby Orr, and Homeland Security Director, Tom Ridge. After the grouping finished the first hole they proceeded to walk toward the 2nd tee and during that 100 yard or so walk guess who I ended up walking next to....The King, himself! I even managed to brush his shoulder with mine and offer a humble and polite greeting.

O.K., so you know where this is going. I'm goin' there anyway! I, through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, have been given another "free pass". And with that one I will have the blessing of walking side by side with the "real" King, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lord's.....Jesus Christ, Himself! On that special day I suppose my response will be to get as close as I can and offer a humble and polite greeting. So once again, while I certainly enjoyed the moment, I know that the BEST IS YET TO COME!

Just One More Cast!!!

If you are any kind of fisherman I know that there have been times when, after a great full day of fishing, you have found yourself saying; "Just one more cast!" Why? Because you are just certain that "the big one" is right there underneath that log and although you've already got a "mess" to clean that one more cast might just bring you the best catch of the day.

I went fishing this past week and enjoyed every minute of the day. The weather was beautiful, the water was clear, a gentle breeze helped our drift, and the fish were hitting. I cherished each moment on the lake and soaked it all in the best I could but when the day was almost done I found myself asking my fishing buddy; "can't we make one more drift...just one more" (I said the same thing three separate times). Why? Not because i hadn't enjoyed the entire experience but because I was sure that the BEST WAS YET TO COME!

My youngest son, Drew, now 27, told me the other day he thought my blog "too dark" to much focus on "death". He said he understood that for the Christ follower the best is yet to come but that I didn't need to think about it so much. Then I read my daughter's facebook status that said she found herself looking forward to so many things but maybe missing the moment. And I thought about my fishing trip.

For my entire life I have enjoyed the moment. It is the moments that comprise the life. Discovering true love, watching your children being born, cheering for your favorite teams, seeing someone "come to Christ", experiencing childhood, youth, the young adult years, the middle adult years, and even the senior adult years. Moment after moment after moment to be enjoyed and savored, to be cherished and devoured.

On the fishing trip, with a live well full of fish, I still couldn't wait to make one more cast and see what might happen. In life, with so many wonderful memories filling my heart, I still can't wait to see what lies just around the corner. For me, THE BEST IS NOW and and yet I know that THE BEST IS YET TO COME.