Fade Friday

I've been trying to figure out which Bible verse would be best to describe how thankful I am for God's blessings today. And going through them all, I realize that throughout the entire Bible, old and new testaments, God is constantly telling his people to give thanks and praise to him. In fact, our entire lives should be spent giving Him thanks and praise. I guess Colossians 3:17 sums it up..."And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." There is always something to be thankful for in your life. Think how much happier and positive you would be if you focused on the blessings in your life rather than the hardships. Have a heart of gratitude and be an example for those around you. It may just change someone's life.

I'm pretty tired tonight, so this blog is devoid of any dry humor. Sorry. My brain shut off at about 7 pm. But I do believe the title deserves explanation. Michael has for his entire golf career hit a shot called a fade. This is when the trajectory of the ball comes off the club face moving to the left of the target and then gently curves back to the right. From what I understand, not many people hit a fade out on tour. All I know about a fade is that Michael is always trying to hit it.

As most of you probably know by now, Michael made the cut at the Masters today. I said yesterday that I had no idea how today would go. I just tried to keep a really positive peaceful attitude out there all day and tried to allow God to do his work, whatever he had in mind. Michael started the first 11 holes with lots of birdie chances that just didn't drop and a few par putts he wasn't able to convert. Until #12.

Michael dropped what looked like a 20-25 footer on the par 3 #12 and never looked back after that. It was kind of a delayed celebration from the spectators because the hole was hidden in the shadows so no one actually saw it drop. He then strode over and pulled it out of the cup and only then did everyone start clapping. He birdied #13 as well after hitting his 2nd shot into the #14 fairway before putting it nicely a few feet from the hole with his 3rd shot and making the putt. That got him back to even par for the day, +1 for the tournament with 5 holes to play.

Michael made a couple of clutch par putts coming in, especially on 14 and 17, with tap in pars on 15 and 16. And he played hole 18 perfectly, with a perfect tee shot down the middle, an approach to about 5 feet, and then a birdie putt to finish at -1 for the day, even for the tournament. He hit every green in regulation on the back nine and just looked so solid and confident out there all day. 

And now we find ourselves playing the weekend at the Masters, a position so many people would love to be in. I hope and pray Michael and I can be good role models for those watching us. We are so thankful and grateful to be in this position and know that God is using every second of our lives to advance his kingdom. I pray that when people look at me and Michael, they see Jesus in our actions. When they hear us speak, they hear Jesus in our words. I pray when the media and fans point to us, we point them to Jesus. He is the reason we do this, the reason we are in this position. Thank you everyone for all your love and support, and thank you God for these wonderful opportunities to share your love with those watching us this week!