JDS MILESTONES

APRIL 2021

Sacred Journey

FCA of North Texas hosts a golf tournament every year. It’s called the Tom Landy Open. I was able to jump in and help as a “bag boy”, welcoming guests, helping them locate their golf carts, and transporting their bags from their trunk. It was a fun way to interact with the guests and utilize my brawn rather than my brain – usually the better way to go 😊.

A man pulled up to the curb. We asked for his name, just like we did for all the other participants so that we can locate their registration. He said his name was David Cook. I froze for a minute. I knew that name, but I needed to search my files for the exact reference. Suddenly it came to me. “Are you the author of Golf’s Sacred Journey?” I asked him.

Sure enough, it was Dr. David Cook, the author of a book called “Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia”. It’s a book about principles of performance psychology set in a narrative about a young golfer who loses his cool, storms off in a fury, and finds himself lost on an old goat farm in the middle-of-nowhere, Texas. He’s united with an old farmer who helps him recover his game, and his identity.

I looked at Dr. Cook with eyes as big as dinner plates and said, “No way. That book changed my life!”

I’ll keep a long story short, but we were both thrilled to meet each other and share stories. His book truly did change my life as a sophomore in college when I was struggling through one of my most challenging seasons as a football player. Meeting him nearly brought me to tears.

We exchanged contact info and Dr. Cook sent me copies of two of his new books (pictured below). His love for Jesus, performance/sports psychology, and the way those two things can intermingle is right in line with my great passion for Gospel ministry and sports performance. Needless to say, I intend to stay in touch with him and hope to develop more of a relationship.