On June 14, the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament was played in Farmingdale, N.Y. It was a cold, wet day that flooded the golf course and caused the afternoon sun to fade fast, making it even more difficult for the golfers to play their best. A sports reporter with The Charlotte Observer wrote: "It was a day only The Weather Channel could love. Any more rain and the USGA might have replaced the caddie on the official tournament logo with Noah." Reporters and commentators talked on and on about how the soggy conditions and pouring rains made it difficult for the professional golfers to do their jobs.

I am not suggesting that John Wesley at any time considered playing golf as a hobby. Although his lifestyle and endurance would have made him an exceptional athlete, there is very little evidence that he ever participated in organized athletic events other than "jogging" and kicking a ball around with other young men.

Anyone who has read much about John Wesley's life knows how tireless he was and how capable he was of walking or riding a horse mile after mile and then preaching early in the morning until late in the evening. His physical conditioning enabled him to overcome many of the natural elements that would have driven the ordinary person indoors very quickly.

Stanley Ayling, a Wesley historian, points out that John Wesley's tolerance for discomfort was immeasurable. He writes that Wesley "simply did not mind the pouring rain and driving wind, the occasional spills from his horse, the unpalatable meals and uncomfortable beds. … And though he was always gratified by receptive attention from large crowds who congregated to hear him … [he] positively relished the challenge of Satan's minions and the drunken sons of Belial, the stones and dirt."

I am impressed with the ability of the professional golfers to play the game at all in the conditions they confronted in the second round of the U.S. Open. I am far more impressed with the ability of John Wesley to continue his ministry day after day regardless of the weather conditions Mother Nature put in his path.