The Obama Golf Czar has announced there will be rule changes to the game of golf. These will be effective March 1, 2010.

This is only a preview as the complete rule book is being rewritten now.

Here are a few basic changes:

Golfers with handicaps:
- below 10 will have their green fees increased by 35%.
- between 11 and 18 will see no increase in green fees.
- above 18 will get a check each time they play.

The dollar amount placed in bets will be as follows:
- for handicaps below 10, an additional $10.
- between 11 and 18, no additional amount.
- above 18, you will receive the total amount in the pot even if you do not play.

The term “gimme” will be changed to “entitlement” and will be used as follows:
- handicaps below 10, no entitlements.
- handicaps from 11 to 17, entitlements for putter length putts.
- handicaps above 18, if your ball is on green, no need to putt, just pick it up.

These entitlements are intended to bring about fairness and, most importantly, equality in scoring.

In addition, a Player will be limited to a maximum of one birdie or six pars in any given round. Any excess must be given to those fellow players who have not yet scored a birdie or par. Only after all players have received a birdie or par from the player actually making the birdie or par, can that player begin to count his pars and birdies again.

The current USGA handicap system will be used for the above purposes but the term ‘net score’ will be available only for scoring those players with handicaps of 18 and above.

This is intended to ‘redistribute’ the success of winning by making sure that in every competition, the above 18 handicap players will post only ‘net score’ against every other player’s gross score.

These new Rules are intended to CHANGE the game of golf. Golf must be about Fairness. It should have nothing to do with Ability.

We’re studying Revelation in church on Sunday morning.  In Revelation 1:5, John is in the midst of describing from whom he wishes grace and peace to come (emphasis mine)

and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us …

What’s with that past tense (loved)?  Doesn’t Jesus continue to love us now?  Of course He does. But the verse is particularly referring to a past event that demonstrated that love. If we look at the whole verse (emphasis mine, again):

and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood

The ultimate manifestation of Jesus’ love was to wash the believer in His own blood.  Everything else pales in comparison to the forgiveness of our sins.

So when you start to wonder (as I have done 1 or 2 — or maybe 100 — times), “How can God love me when He lets me go through XYZ ?”, there’s your answer.