7th Annual Worship Wonk Invitational

The 7th Annual Worship Wonk Invitational took place today at the lovely Ravines Golf Course in Saugatuck. Once again the faithful three--Ron, John, and me--were joined by a worthy fourth. This year it was Nathan.

The day was hot, but our clubs had the true fire as together we shot a 1-over-par. And each of us had moments of true brilliance: Ron's testosterone-laden shot over the big ravine, Nathan's brilliant chip to within a club's length of the cup, John's lovely arced putt that rode the break right into the hole. And me, well, I had a long putt that sealed our birdie on Hole #10.

We played best ball, which has many and varied benefits: no one falls way to the back, our pace is swift, everyone is genuinely cheered by a good shot, and in this group the best ball can be owned by any one of us. Pride and Envy are both held well in check, and Grace and Love are in abundance, followed hard by the Hope of every backswing.

We realized, worship geeks that we are and Calvinists to boot, that so much of golf could be accurately described by the Five Points of Calvinism: Total Depravity--well that's obvious: it's golf; Unconditional Election--the ball that we play is chosen not for being whiter or rounder than the other balls, but simply because we choose it; Limited Atonement--we don't chase all the lost balls, some are simply left to lie where they fall; Irresistible Grace--this is what we extend to each other in the instance of a poorly hit shot (also known as a Mulligan); and Perseverance of the Saints--it was 95 degrees out there with a heat index of 102 and we played 18 holes.

And of course there are those jokes that only play well in this crowd:

--John hits a ball skittering across a water hazard and I immediately dub it the Jesus ball. "Yes," Nathan jumps in, "today I'll be playing the Messiah 3."

--Our energy is waning just a bit so as we walk off a hole John yells, "Give me an L!" I do. "I!" "T!" "U!" "R!" "G!" "Y!" And for reasons known only to us, this sends us into a fit of giggles.

--A ball of mine is sent flying off into the rough. "I believe that one's lost, Pastor Hulst," comments Ron. "Wait," says Nathan, "I thought pastors were supposed to go after the lost." (This serves as the impetus for my thoughts on Limited Atonement, leading to a discussion of all 5 pts as noted above.)

We were a sweaty, smelly, but happy bunch at the end of our 18 holes. Much laughter, good camaraderie, and enough fine shots to make us want to go out on the links again next year. Or maybe in the fall. Or before school starts. Or . . .

So thanks to my compadres Ron "Long Drive" Rienstra, John "Every Bounce Goes His Way" Witvliet, and Nathan "King Divot" Bierma.

Until next time,
Mary "Half-Full/ Forward Movement" Hulst