Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

But they do not lie with the fallen warriors of old, who went down to the realm of the dead with their weapons of war—their swords placed under their heads and their shields resting on their bones—though these warriors also had terrorized the land of the living.

• Ezekiel 32:27

Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

• Luke 9:58

We had Easter a week ago, and we had the conclusion of the Masters Golf Tournament yesterday.  That combination brought back a sweet memory.

I lived in North Augusta, SC for ten years.  And for at least half of those years, I was a member of a church across the highway from where they play the par-three tournament each Wednesday before the real Masters Tournament begins.

There was an agreement that the Masters was not allowed to spill overflow parking into our lot and vice versa.  Actually in those days, the Masters patron parking was a farmer’s grassy field between the highway and an apartment complex.

To reach the church from the northwest, you had to drive past the entrance to Augusta National, with all the magnolia trees, and then pass the grassy parking lot.

One Sunday morning, we had church at the normal time.  One of the elders lived northwest of the church and without thinking, he drove the usual route to the church.  The Masters parking attendant pointed for him to turn left into the grassy field.  He slowed down but made no effort to turn.  The attendant made frantic gestures for him to turn left.  The church elder kept going straight.  The attendant stepped in front of his car.  He gestured for the church elder to turn left.  The church elder stopped with a few inches to spare in not hitting the attendant.

The attendant slammed his fists against the church elder’s hood.  He yelled, “There is no parking further down.  You will turn left or I will call the police and have you talk to a higher power!”

The church elder replied, “I am not going to the tournament.  As you can see, I am dressed for church.  See that church behind you?  If you have directed people to fill that parking lot, you will be answerable to a much higher power than the police.”

The attendant turned red in the face and let him through.  Of course, the elder had to tell his tale at Sunday school.

The next year, the Masters coincided with Easter.  The church had a sunrise service, and we were done with our worship before the Masters parking attendants had started directing traffic.  The pastor retold the elder’s story and said he was going to propose that from now on, the church would have a sunrise service every year on Masters weekend.  At Sunday night church on that Easter Sunday, one of the church members who was also a patron at the Masters said that he talked to a professional golfer at the Masters who was a Christian.  The golfer said that if he knew there was a sunrise service across the street, he would attend.  I don’t know if he ever did, but for the rest of the time we lived in that area, the church had a sunrise service on Masters weekend.  At least there was no further parking lot drama.

It has been nearly 40 years since we left that area.  I wonder if they have maintained that tradition?

And congratulations to Rory McIlroy on consecutive Masters championships.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory