The Mulligan Moment

Could it actually be better for you to take in a round of golf on Sunday morning instead of worshiping in Church? Maybe. Maybe not. But some suggest that it's wise to know when to get away and find a place of peace and sanctuary. Jesus knew the importance of getting away, and he had to leave his disciples to do it.

Could it be that Jesus was getting stressed?

A Maalox moment?

Perhaps a mulligan moment.

Consider: In one day, Jesus is teaching in the synagogue, healing Peter's mother-in-law, healing the sick, and casting out demons. Pushing through the crowds; more healing, more casting out. Crowds. The city. Demands. Noise.

So, the next morning, while it is still dark, Jesus slips out of the city to find some solitude in a "deserted place."It was what he needed to do. And it is what thousands of people do, often on a Sunday morning when they go out with a bag of clubs and play a round of golf.

When Jesus went to a "deserted place,"he prayed. That's not what most golfers do when they set up on the first tee, unless it is a prayer concerning their slice. And there is no way the experience of golf can be equated with a deeply spiritual, mystical experience. But there are some lessons for our spiritual lives to be learned from both Jesus' flight to a quiet place, and a golfer's drive to the...