Finding Heaven on Earth

So...Monday is THE day. The day I have been waiting for. I will be in Augusta, GA. For those of you who know anything about golf, then you know why I can't wait to get there. Augusta is the home of the Augusta National Golf Course, probably the second most famous golf course in the world (just behind St. Andrews in Scotland). And since it is April, then you would also know that the most prestigious golf tournament in the world is set to begin: The Masters. Every year, the beauty of spring and the pressure of high stakes golf come together at the beginning of April. The beauty is breathtaking. Legends in golf are made in Augusta. Jack Nicklaus won 6 Masters. Arnie and Tiger have won 4. Faldo and Player and Michelson have 3. There may be no greater place for a golf fan to be than in Augusta in April. Some call the grounds there "heaven on earth."

So I am going! I will be there on Monday, which is the first day of practice (the tournament starts Thursday). It will be my second trip. The last time I was there was April 1998. There is a place on the course, down in a valley, called "Amen Corner." It includes the 11th green that is one of the tougher holes on the course...par is good there. The 12th is the most famous par 3 in the world. It is a short hole (I could hit a 9 iron to the green), but amazingly difficult. The wind swirls, so the flag on 11 may be blowing toward 12, while the flag on 12 may be blowing toward 11! Suddenly, they will both be blowing to the left, then one will shift and blow away from you and the other towards you! Some pros will get a birdie and other triple bogey, just depending on how well they judge the wind. It is BEAUTIFUL, also. The tee on 13 is also in Amen Corner. It is a par 5 that you have to attack. You can easily birdie (or eagle) 13...or you might hit it in the creek. Oh, the creek! Rae's creek runs in front of 12 and along 13. Many Masters have been lost in Rae's Creek.

In 1998, my brother and I met up with Bobby Clampett, a CBS commentator and former pro. He is a Christian and a friend of my brothers. The Sunday round fell on Easter. So he invited us to a worship service, 9am Easter morning, in Amen Corner. Imagine the scene. The most beautiful spot on the most beautiful course on its most important, championship day...Easter...worshipping God. The temperature was either 71 or 72...maybe 73 without a cloud in the sky. HEAVEN...ON...EARTH!

Looking forward to Monday has kept that memory in my mind a lot in the last few weeks. Sometimes we have these "perfect" moments, but life isn't perfect. Looking back 13 years, that perfect moment wouldn't even crack the top 10 best moments I have experienced since then. Of course, there have been many difficult days as well. The reality is that we cannot find "heaven on earth" in its truest sense. God sometimes gives us glimpses of what is to come. And it makes living through the tough times all the more worth it, knowing that Augusta cannot even compare to what heaven is truly like. Following Christ is often a tough path. But the destination is blows Amen Corner away!