Links Players founder Jim Hiskey will take some time in the months to come to look at the meaning behind the LINKS in our name, one letter at a time.
“And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” (Matthew 22:37, ESV)
Who is a Links Player? What does he or she do?
I thought it might be of value to our readers to know what the original core values were when we started the Links Players.
About 30 years ago, our team of Tom Flory, Mark Rougeux, my son Peter, Stewart Rawley and Dave Hentschel, our Board Chairman, bounced around many ideas but were agreed that our core values should be embedded in the five letters, L-I-N-K-S.
We agreed the beginning point should be the Great Commandment: “You shall love God with all your heart, mind and soul…”
And end with the Great Commission: “Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations.”
Mission was of great importance, but we felt that it should flow out of the Great Commandment, not precede it. Emphasizing both, our logo capitalized the L and the S in LinkS.
We also wanted to impress on the amateur golfers at golf clubs, which were our target audience, that they were to be players. Links Players. Not spectators.
Though we had more than five core values, within 60 days we had agreed on the following:
Love God and others (Matthew 22:37-39)
Integrate Christ’s reign into family and vocation (Matthew 6:33)
Network friends together in Christ (Acts 2:42)
Kindle compassion for the poor and needy (Matthew 25:40)
Share Christ through the great game of Golf (2 Corinthians 5:20)
As I look at the L in the LinkS acrostic today, I ask myself the same question Jesus asked Peter three times shortly after the resurrection: “Do you love me?” (John 21:15-17).
Jesus gave us the acid test of genuine love for God found in these words: “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me” (John 14:21a).
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Jim Hiskey
March 22, 2016
Copyright 2016 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.