I am writing a book and need your help.
Last week, I was telling a small group of guys some of my recent highs and lows. I told the guys that one of my highs was the progress I was making on this book. One of the guys asked, “What’s the title?”
“Does God Care Who Wins?” I responded.
Another of the guys in the group said, “I am thinking ‘No’ in answer to the question of the title.” Another guy in the group immediately rebutted, “I am thinking ‘Yes’.”
I have found this divergence of responses to be very common among the people I talk with about this question. I am writing this book is to try to bring some clarity to this question.
To bring the issue closer to home, let me ask you, “How would you answer the question?”
Honesty, I don’t like either answer—no or yes—because of the reasons commonly given for either answer. Let me ask you another question, “Why do you think it is yes or no?”
If you say, “No,” why no? Are our games not important enough in the light of other world issues? This is the common reason given. It trivializes sports and leaves us wondering what else isn’t important enough in our lives to garner God’s concern.
If you say “yes”, why yes? Does God favor a particular team over another and if so why? This answer tends to trivialize God and leaves us encouraging different values than those God declares matter to him in the gospel.
I am writing the book to challenge both of these common answers and discuss the implications of either, while encouraging more dialogue on the question. I am also writing the book to give what I see as the answer that not only honors God but also brings meaning and passion to my sports.
It is an answer that has been in the development for over 30 years. It began with my journey into professional golf and came to a head in the midst of my first PGA Tour School, where I was trying to qualify to play on the PGA Tour. It has been formed along the way by discussions with athletes and coaches and parents who wrestle with the question. While this book is more about God than sports, it is not a theoretical approach to the question. Rather, the book comes from a very practical perspective, one that honestly addresses athletes and coaches and parents and the real questions we all ask around this question.
This is where you come in. I have a small team of people who are already helping me with editing, marketing, and graphics. I still need some help with some administrative aspects of the book.
Tim Briggs and Carrie Givens are helping me with the book.
The place I need the most help is in spreading the word.
We will be launching a Kickstarter campaign this spring to help fund the publishing of the book. For those of you who have never been a part of a Kickstarter campaign—Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform. Ideas are presented online in the form of a campaign and rewards are given in exchange for pledges of support. In supporting the project, you help get the book published. I’d love your support but I would also love for you to share the Kickstarter campaign with your spheres of influence. If you’d like to help in this process, please fill out the brief form below and we can give you more details on how you can help:
Also, please pray for the book and for the team. We want God’s glory more than ours on our good days but also know something of our brokenness and how easy it is to get this turned around. We need God’s help and your prayers to keep it straight.
