A Post For My Dad

I am a lousy golfer.  Go figure, I play about once a year.  Being naturally non-athletic to begin with, possessing skills and aptitudes of a more decidedly 'cerebral' nature, the fine art of hitting a ball with a club continues to elude me.

But again, I don't practice much!

This past Thursday, my Dad and I went for 18 holes at the Dorchester Golf Club, and we were blessed with a beautiful day, perfect for a walk in the park with a ball and a stick.  I'll tell you at the end of the post more about our game (remember, I'm a lousy golfer!), but wanted to take some time to write about my reflections on the way back home that afternoon.

I am blessed to have a very good relationship with my Dad.  Ours has morphed over the years into something that is a friendship, which is what they say should happen in all good parent-child relationships once the child has grown up.  I think I've pretty much grown up, although Carina might argue that from time to time :~)

For several years, my Dad and I were in the same line of work (Worship Pastor), and it is my Dad more than anyone who has had the most profound influence on me as a musician and as a pastor of worship.  Everything I know about singing, I learned from Dave Gast.  He was my vocal major prof at OBC and supervised that major part of my training.  I also remember as a kid wathcing my Dad direct choirs and musicals, and many of us in the Bramalea Baptist youth group have him to thank for three consecutive years of youth choir musicals and tours that were a huge part of our youth group experience.  It wasn't all fun and games for him, but somehow he stuck with it and saw us through!  Dad has tracked with me as I have continued to work in worship, navigating these interesting waters called contemporary edgy worship - contemporary because it's youthful, edgy, because sometimes it makes me edgy (kidding!).  Seriously, Dad has been my guiding light as I have wrestled with balancing needs, vision, agendae and opportunity in our church.  Someone I can vent to, someone who's wisdom I always seek out, and also (most significantly) someone who lets me be me and lets me follow my heart as best I can sense it's following the heart of God.

I also really love that my Dad doesn't pressure me to perform or 'measure up', but at the same time he also feels free to express what's in his heart about his likes and dislikes in worship these days.  I don't feel judged or threatened, but I'm also given good food for thought that helps me to keep the most important things first.

Maybe that's what it is - my Dad knows how to encourage me to excel in the things that matter.  A lot of stuff in life doesn't matter, a precious few but very key things do.

And so to golf.  I'm a lousy golfer, my Dad is better than I, but when we play it's all fun and no pressure.  The time together today was low key and relaxed.  Thanks Dad!  Happy Father's Day.

(You're curious about the score - I averaged 6 per hole, Dad averaged somewhere around 5 - loosely counting.   Very loosely.  We played the same 9 twice, so do the math and in my case, add about 20, plus several extra throw ins)