Tempo

Years ago, I was on a golf course doing what many beginners do best—getting frustrated.

Every swing felt the same. Slice to the right. Again. And again. And again. My body was tense, my grip was tight, and my expectations were wildly unrealistic. I was new to golf, but I wanted results now. I wanted to hit like the guys I was playing with—men who had years more experience, thousands more swings, and far more patience than I had that day.

I was rushing everything. My backswing. My downswing. My progress.

At one point, the person I was golfing with—who had played for many years—stopped trying to analyze my mechanics altogether. No grip lecture. No foot placement critique. No YouTube swing theory.

He just said one word.

“Tempo.”

Then he had me do something unexpected. As I took practice swings, he asked me to say the word out loud.

Tempo… tempo… tempo…

Slow. Measured. Unhurried.

When I stepped up to the tee box again, I resisted the urge to muscle the ball. I slowed down. I let the club do the work. And for the first time that day, the ball went straight.

Not perfect. But straighter.

It turns out my problem wasn’t power.
It was pace.

What pace are you going at already in 2026?

This blog is for those who want to speed up the process, go 100 miles a minute, and just can’t pause to let the tempo of God’s way lead you through it.

As this new year begins, I feel that same temptation in a much deeper place.

I’ve just stepped into a new calling as a pastor, and almost immediately, I can feel my heart speeding up. My mind races ahead to outcomes, impact, fruit, change. I want to see growth now. Healing now. Momentum now.

But most of what matters cannot be rushed.

Good wine takes years—grapes growing quietly, fermentation happening unseen, flavor developing slowly.

Good bourbon sits patiently in oak barrels, time doing what no shortcut can accomplish.

Deep relationships, mature faith, lasting leadership—they all require a holy tempo.

There is a rhythm to life with God that resists hurry.

Pause right now and be aware that the Spirit is present with you no matter your tempo today.

Pause right now and do a tempo audit.

Where is my tempo of life too fast?

What might a tempo shift look like in my physical, mental, or spiritual life?

Give that to Jesus.

Jesus never seemed rushed. Let Jesus set the perfect and peaceful tempo for your day and year ahead.

Present. Calm. Plenty of room to pause.

Before you go, say out loud to God:

I believe that you God, are working even when I can’t see immediate results.

I believe that you Jesus, are my Savior and Lord - I am secure!

I ask that you Spirit set the tempo of each of my days ahead to the glory of God.

Remember, whether slicing on the golf course or crashing out about all the things you need to do today: Tempo, tempo, tempo.