Here’s a great explanation, and no, Google didn’t do the video.

Hope we circle up soon!

If you play golf, you’ve probably heard or seen the old infomercials for “The Perfect Club.” Peter Kessler, the spokesman, is pretty well know for it. But before that, Peter was one of the original hosts of The Golf Channel.

I am told that Peter used to be a great golfer. The story goes like this:

Peter, when he lived in NY (a cold place where golf isn’t possible year round) was a legitimate 2 hcp. He shot 75 at Doral from the tips the day he went to work for the Golf Channel.

Soon after, he began to get professional help. He hosted “Golf Academy Live” for TGC. After 600 shows, he had visited with 400+ coaches and had received 50,000 swing tips. How much did his game improve? He couldn’t break 100!

One day, an instructor told him that his left hand knuckles ought to be pointed down at impact. He said, “I had never thought about which way my knuckles were pointing…” The very next day, another instructor – unprompted – told him that his knuckles ought to be pointing up at impact…).

Do you ever find yourself looking for the perfect solution to a problem, only to find that your quest for perfection keeps you busy analyzing, and never actually doing anything?

A wise man once told me: “I would rather go ahead and try to solve a problem with 80% of the answer, than sit around and wait until I have 100% of the answer before doing anything.”

That’s not a universal rule, but it sure seems like a good one for our lives (and for the church).

Try something. Don’t just sit and think.

Better to attempt to do good with 80% of the answer than to do nothing while waiting for perfection.

Comfort sells. How else do you explain the Snuggie?

Whether it’s the comfort of a blanket, or warm coffee, or a fire in the fireplace, comfort is the hot commodity at Christmas.

What word brings you more comfort than any other?

I read a study a while back of psychologists who were asked to discover just that. They brought test subjects in, hooked them up to all sorts of electrodes, machines, and things that make a nice “ping” sound. They read the subjects a list of words while measuring the machines for comfort and relaxation in the subject. What words calmed people down and brought the most comfort?

“Love” was a biggie.

“In-Laws” was not.

Holy words like “church,” “God,” and “Jesus” weren’t at or near the top.

The winner?

Home.

Every time I tell that story, when I say the word “home,” people nod, and say “oh yes.” Home is the longing of every heart. We all have that sense that we need to be there, that we’re sick without it. That we just want to get back home. That’s what makes us look for fireplaces, warm coffee, and that’s why so many of us like to crawl deep into a Snuggie.

When God sent His son into the world, the game changed.

Lots of faiths ask people to take a pilgrimage, or escape the suffering of the world. There is no other God on record who brings our home to us. When God wrapped Jesus in flesh and sent Him to us, He sent us our home.

Looking for comfort? Looking for a place to call home?

It’s right before your eyes.

Running in Houston during the summer has convinced me of this:

I really don’t want to go to hell.

It’s nuclear hot, and running routes are scheduled these days around water fountains.

During a run a while back, I had a major water fountain fail. About 2/3 of the way through my scheduled route, there was a great fountain by one of the schools in the neighborhood.

It was really hot.

A  vision of that fountain formed in my head. I was ready.

Finally, mile 4 clicked by and the fountain was in sight. All was well until I realized that the well was dry. As a wise move, the school (or powers that be) shut down the water since school was out.

I was let down.

I had thoughts that were, “less than pastoral.”

Henry Thoreau once said, “If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.”

I wasn’t quiet. I wasn’t ready. And yet, there was compensation. It was a lesson and a reminder I would share with you.

The water fountains in this world will almost always fail you.

Whether it is disappointment in climbing the ladder of success, the letdown of seeing family breakup or breakdown to severe dysfunction, or the long look in the mirror that is supposed to inspire, but leaves you feeling down; – the things of this world will not quench the deep thirst that lies in the deep recesses of the soul.

The more I thought about my run, the more I realized that Jesus is always providing water.

To a people wandering in the desert, He produced water from a rock. To a Samaritan woman, He gave water that quenched all thirst. When time finally falls exhausted at the Gates of Glory, He will be on the other side with a river clear as crystal and an offer for anyone who trusts Him to drink without price.

Perhaps you’re in a dry season and feeling a little parched.

Maybe the fountain that was going to be your salvation has run dry, been shut down, or has left you feeling unsatisfied. Jesus wants you to know that you can come to Him. He wants you to come to Him when you’re thirsty (not when you’ve got it all together). And He promises not to disappoint you.

Whether you are a golfer, runner, fisherman, or just enjoy getting outside, you may realize that Tuesday was a great day.  With the onset of summer, Tuesday was the longest amount of daylight we will receive for 2011.

My very favorite time to be outside is the late hours of daylight in the summer; second place belongs to early morning sunrises.  Tuesday was the pinnacle for both.  I ran in the morning, and rode my bike in the evening. It was a great day.

Yet even in the midst of a great day of light, I find myself every year a bit melancholy.  From now until December, every day is a bit darker than the one before.

It seems like every summer solstice, I have a great day of activity, only to wake up the next day with a little despair that we’re headed toward darkness.

Do you ever find yourself frustrated that the great moments of life are all too easily gone? That the successes of this world are just too temporary?  Do you ever feel like the days filled with light are waning and increasing darkness is all that’s ahead?

The Bible teaches us that even our greatest achievements are only passing wisps of air, that no matter what we have to enjoy, all will soon be gone. That before we know it, the light in our eyes will be gone and we will be buried and forgotten.

But it also teaches us that there is a permanent Light.

He was up before dawn today…the longest day of the year.  He will be up when all the lights of the world are long extinguished.  You cannot flee His presence.  He is in the dawn.  He is in the darkness.  He was in the beginning, and will be in the end.  For He is the One Permanent Light.

So spend a moment today and ponder this question:  Are you basking in a permanent light or a temporary light?

I find that it is all too easy for me to wander toward the temporary lights of worldly success, health, possessions.  God reminded me this week that all of these wax and wane like the daylight of earth, and all of them come to a quicker close than I would like to think.

But He also reminded me that He has a light that burns on even after the shadows of this world have lengthened, and our busy lives are hushed.  He reminded me of the coming Day of Joy where there is no need for a sun by day or a moon by night.  And he reminded me to spend my brief time on earth drawing closer and closer to that light named Jesus.

May He remind you and comfort you as well.