Submission and stuff

Submission is a spiritual discipline as much as prayer, meditation and scripture study, but it seems to work in the opposite direction of the other disciplines. As I mature in my faith, I feel that there is a natural progression toward more prayer, more study, more meditation etc............ but less and less submission. As my maturity increases, my maturity decreases.

The problem is that everything in my life is moving in the direction of more independence, more freedom and fewer bosses. I am a husband and father who works as a leader in a local church and lives in the USA. I am less and less in a place where I regularly must submit. More often than not, I am the decision maker not the follower. And that can be a problem.

This past weekend was a reminder, to me, of the need for submission in the church body. Our church was voting on an issue. The end result was that 1/3 of the people did not back the proposed leaders' initiative and were unwilling to submit to the presented direction of the church even when they were asked to do so directly by the senior pastor. This reaction/vote of 36% of the people frustrated me to no end. How could they not get in line with what the leadership was asking? It wasn't a moral issue at stake or a question of doctrine. How could they not... submit?

As I pondered this, I was struck by a poignant contradiction in my own soul. The very thing, I was internally demanding of others is so often absent in my own life. In this case, I wanted submission from everyone to the leadership because the leadership AGREED with ME. But what happens when I don't agree with the leadership? How submissive am I? How many times have I complained about the leadership or wished I had a vote? How many times have I lamented that I should be the one making all the decisions (yikes)? When don't I submit? Answer: when the leaders don't agree with me. And that is the problem. We as a people, I, chief among sinners, don't understand submission. We are a nation of independents founded on rebellion living in a culture of self.

Submission is not going along with leadership when they agree with me.

Submission is not being coerced to go along with leadership when they don't agree with me, but complaining to my wife and anyone else who will listen about it.

Submission is being a leader and still being last. Submission is a posture of the soul. Submission is a discipline, one that I pray increases in my life as I age.

Thomas a'Kempis roulette

Cracking the book to page 92 of my edition of the Imitation of Christ, this is what assaulted me this morning.

"Jesus has many lovers of His kingdom of heaven, but He has few bearers of His Cross. Many desire His consolation, but few desire His tribulation. He finds many comrades in eating and drinking, but He finds few who will be with Him in His abstinence and fasting. All men would joy with Christ, but few will suffer anything for Christ. Many follow Him to the breaking of the His bread, for their bodily refreshment, but few will follow Him to drink of the chalice of His passion."

I daily wrestle with my heart for Christ. Does He alone satisfy? Or do I merely enjoy the blessings of being around other believers, and do I simply desire to appease my guilt through my ritual. Is my fascination ultimately with Christ or myself?

A typical car ride when you have 3 sons

"1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...7...3...8...9...10 Hey Griffin did you hear me count my burps? I did ten of them" Nolan

The "beautiful" side of Hell?

"Hell is God's great compliment to the reality of human freedom and the dignity of human personality." G.K. Chesterton

Lost and Found

Do these stats surprise you? I know- I know- the church is supposed to be in full fledge decline and the next generation is sprinting headlong into destruction... or maybe not. These stats are from Ed Stetzer's book Lost and Found.

(those who somewhat or strongly agree)

God, a higher or supreme being, actually exists.

• 20-29: 81%
• 30+: 73%

There exists only one God, the God described in the Bible.

• 20-29: 57%
• 30+: 48%

Jesus died and came back to life.

• 20-29: 66%
• 30+: 54%

I do not think my lifestyle would be accepted at most Christian churches.

• 20-29: 39%
• 30+: 30%

I consider myself to be spiritual because I am interested in knowing more about God, or a higher supreme being.

• 20-29: 73%
• 30+: 62%

When a person dies, his or her spirit continues to exist in an afterlife.

• 20-29: 82%
• 30+: 69%

There exists a place of reward in the afterlife, sometimes called heaven.

• 20-29: 77%
• 30+: 58%

There exists a place of punishment in the afterlife, sometimes called hell.

• 20-29: 60%
• 30+: 44%

If someone wanted to tell me what she or he believed about Christianity, I would be willing to listen.

• 20-29: 89%
• 30+: 75%

I would be willing to study the Bible if a friend asked me to.

• 20-29: 61%
• 30+: 42%

If a church presented truth to me in an understandable way that relates to my life now, I would attend.

• 20-29: 63%
• 30+: 47%

If people at church cared about me as a person, I would be more likely to attend.

• 20-29: 58%
• 30+: 38%

I would be willing to join a small group of people to learn more about the Bible and Jesus.

• 20-29: 46%
• 30+: 27%