Not to boast, but I actually like to hear about folks' good shots and where they have played. I don't care if it is boasting or just sharing good news. IT is nice to hear.
Have you ever given a really great sermon about boasting? I have always enjoyed reading about your golf exploits in the context of your vocation. I found it interesting while doing research for this topic that boasting is referred to as a vice in many religions. I always thought it more of a sin. The very fact that you say above that you do not care if people boast as long as it is good information makes me believe that perhaps it is just a vice. Kind of like overeating where the harm is more to oneself than society.
Personally I need to be convinced that constant boasting on this site is not like a cruise that never docks. Eventually we all get so fat from the buffet that we lose our taste for anything special. I click on the top ten thread just to read the names and skip over the courses.
John, my answer was in reference to this site and not as a general statement. That said, let me offer a few thoughts on boasting in a more general sense. St. Paul wrote, " Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Romans 12:3 Growing up in a Norwegian pietist home, I was taught not to brag or boast. I took it so seriously that when someone would make a positive comment on a sermon, I would try to deflect it. St. Paul didn't say don't think highly of yourself but "don't think more highly of yourself than you ought."
One of my favorite books is
Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen. Nouwen maintains that the world constantly tells us, "You don't work hard enough," "You don't have enough," 'You aren't a good enough parent," "You aren't good enough," etc. Nouwen says we need to be reminded that we are God's beloved precious people. The Psalmist wrote, "For it was you who created my being, knit me together in my mother's womb, I thank you for the wonder of my being, for the wonders of all your creation." What I find more often than not, are folks who can't appreciate the wonder of their being. Sometimes boasting is just a way for someone to celebrate their wonder. The goal I think is to be able to celebrate your wonder and belovedness without having to boast.
In the mean time I want to hear more about Dismal River from you. I played it a year after it opened and am really curious to know more of what Nicklaus did to the course in the past couple of years.
Have a blessed Christmas.