I started Golf and Gospel with two things in mind.

First, I love Jesus, and I genuinely yearn for people to come to know Him.
Second, as a former NFL athlete, I miss competing. Golf became the place where those two worlds met.

That was the birth of Golf and Gospel.

From the beginning, I’ve received pushback for openly evangelizing in the golf space. I’ve heard things like, “Take that religious stuff elsewhere,” or “Why don’t you just start a Christian page?”

My response has always been simple:
I did start a Christian page. I just happen to be golfing on it.

To be honest, at first I was really happy doing this. It felt like there weren’t many—if any—people openly talking about Jesus in the YouTube golf space. I felt called to step into a lane that seemed largely untouched.

Then something interesting happened.

Other creators began messaging me privately or commenting publicly, saying things like, “This is awesome, man. I love what you’re doing.” That encouragement meant a lot.

Then suddenly, I began seeing those same creators openly talking about Jesus as well.

If I’m being fully transparent, my flesh felt weird about it. There was a sense of envy that crept in—not because Jesus was being talked about, but because the competitor in me felt like a blueprint had been taken from a smaller creator and repackaged by bigger ones.

What made it even more difficult was seeing people who followed both me and those creators celebrate it when they did it, while largely disregarding it when I did.

It reminded me of when a mainstream rapper takes a line from a SoundCloud artist no one knows, gets praised for it, and never gives credit. That frustration sat heavy with me.

But as I prayed through it and reflected on what was really going on in my heart, the Lord led me to humility.

Here’s the truth I had to confront—and continue to confront:
If more people are coming to know Jesus through someone else’s platform, then I should rejoice.

Paul faced something similar in Philippians 1:15–18 (ESV), where some preached Christ out of envy and rivalry, but he wrote:

“Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others also from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.”

Even if it isn’t my page.
Even if I don’t receive the credit.
Even if my flesh wants recognition.

This is something I have to continually purge from my heart. Part of me felt like I “birthed” evangelizing in the YouTube golf space. And seeing others take that and receive celebration can feel like a nuisance.

But the question I have to ask myself every time is this, echoing Galatians 1:10 (ESV):

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

So I choose to deny those feelings of envy and instead rejoice.

Because at the end of the day, if more people are talking about Jesus, if more people are hearing the gospel, and if more hearts are being pointed toward Him, then that is a win.

And I’m grateful that Jesus’ name is being spoken more and more in the YouTube golf space