Wally Armstrong Encourages Readers to Discover a Dynamic Relationship with the Savior
SEATTLE, Oct. 12, 2012 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Although professional golfer Wally Armstrong had pursued a relationship with Jesus for over 35 years, he always sensed that there was something missing. As Armstrong puts it, there's a big difference between believing something is true and experiencing something as real. In
Practicing the Presence of Jesus: Experience the Gift of His Friendship (Summerside Press), Armstrong shares his personal journey of discovering Jesus as a real companion and true friend. Not surprisingly, a major event along the path happened on the golf course.
In the spring of 2004, at the Masters tournament in Augusta he saw something that would open his eyes to seeing Jesus in a new way. That day on the golf course, Armstrong and a friend saw a crowd gathering around a fellow golfer and another man. When Armstrong asked who the other man was, his friend answered, "oh, that's Jesus." Although it was actually only actor Jim Caviezel (who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ), the experience stuck with him. What would Jesus look like if he were on earth today? How would he interact with those around him?
In the months leading up to the Masters, Armstrong had been motivated by a deep spiritual hunger to get a firm grip on who Jesus is today and how to relate to him. Armstrong brought the same performance-driven mentality from the game of golf to his faith walk--working as hard as he could to gain Jesus's approval. He had begun the process of searching out what it meant to not only accept Jesus as Savior, but as friend. His search led him to a dusty old book first published in London almost a century ago. This book made a profound impact on him and provided the basis for the "chair experiment" that Armstrong details in Practicing the Presence of Jesus.
Armstrong shows readers how to discover the same daily, personal relationship with Jesus that he has by doing the same experiment that he did--using, of all things, an empty chair. Envisioning Jesus as an active part of our daily life allows us to better experience him up close and personal, as a companion and friend rather than keeping him at arm's length as a royal judge. He also outlines three daily practices to better experience the presence of Jesus--meet, walk, and share.
