Aaron, you share freely that you are a committed Christian. Can you tell us how you came into a relationship with Christ?

I grew up in a Christian home, my dad was an elder at our church and mum was the Sunday school teacher. I remember vividly the night I committed my life to Christ I was 12 years old and I went to a youth conference where my favorite Australian rules football player was giving his testimony and it was that night I gave my life to Christ.


How important do you think it is that you share your testimony with others as a professional golfer?

I believe, as a Christian, that we all have been given a platform. We all have a responsibility to tell others about Jesus and how He has personally changed our lives through coming into a relationship with Him. Its just that my platform is being a professional golfer and in the public eye. I don’t think my platform is any more important than anyone else’s. Reason being because I know that there are people in someone else’s life that I will never be able to reach and touch for Jesus, and I know that there are people in my life that others won’t be able to reach and touch for Jesus. We are all part of the Body of Christ and without each other we wouldn’t able to reach the world for Jesus.


As many people know, Golf can be a great stress relief or it can cause great stress. How do you handle the stresses of a professional career while at the same time being a husband and a father?

To be honest it’s all about priorities. I have an amazing wife who believes in me and wants me to play great and I have a wonderful daughter who is growing a changing by the day. I love being a dad, a husband and a child of God.
I feel that my priorities need to be in the right order… God and my relationship with Him #1, Richelle and Jewell #2 and golf #3. When God is number one, when I’m spending time with Him in prayer and in the Word, then the rest just flows through that. When God is not number 1 and not my priority and I don’t get that quality time with Him then the rest seems tougher. So I guess the way I handle it is by keeping God and my relationship with Him #1!

I imagine being a professional in any sport brings some added temptations. How do you handle temptations to sin and stay Godly in your personal life?

This is very similar to the last answer, its keeping God #1 in my life – staying in the Word and in prayer that way I feel I am allowing God to show me where I need to change in my life, through the Word of God and through His Holy Spirit He is able to convict me and teach me the way that I am to walk.
2 of my favorite verses are: psalms 139:24 “point out anything in me that offends You and lead me along the path of everlasting life” and 1 peter 1:15-16 “but He who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct because it is written; be holy for I am holy”.
I love these 2 verses because it’s asking God to show me anything in my life that offends Him, and obviously sin offends Him, and then I’m going to walk and live my life in a holy manner because God has commanded me to be holy.


Aaron there are many people who struggle with sin. What would your encouragement be for them?

My best advice is to spend time in the Word daily. The bible says in Hebrews 4:12 “For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” When we spend time in the bible, it will convict us if we are living in sin, it will show us where we are missing it and it will also show us how to live a life that is pleasing to God.
For example – the bible says that we are not to think lustful thoughts after a woman who is not our wife (matt 5:28). Then the Word of God shows us what we are to do – we are to take captive of our thoughts and make them obedient unto Jesus (2 cor 10:5).
Another example – in James 2 – he speaks about showing partiality and favoritism and how that is wrong and a sin. And in James 2:8 he shows you what to do instead, “we are to love your neighbor as yourself”

So if we are struggling with sin, which we all do, we can all make improvements and I am no exception. Remember this: what we would call a “little” sin, like a little lie, is the same as a what people call a “big” sin like committing adultery, is all the same to God, sin is sin.

I know I need to live better, and I am striving each day to live a life a pleasing to God by walking in obedience to His Word. And the amazing thing is when I mess up and sin, when I tell God I’m sorry He is faithful and just to forgive me. 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

What I did, I started with 15 minutes a day, every morning I would get up and spend time in the Word and even journal about what I was reading! It’s the best time of the day what I found was that after the 15 mins was up I wanted to keep reading and soon 15 mins turned into 30 mins, then to 45mins. I just saw how my passion for the Word of God grew the more time I would spend in it.

So I guess my challenge to everyone who reads this is to spend 15-20mins each morning reading Gods Word, open your heart to what you read and just let Him change you. Even write about what you are learning. It will be the best decision you make outside of giving Jesus your life.