Asking the wrong questions is the surest way to get the wrong answers!
And sometimes…
…asking questions is the surest way to get answers that, right or wrong, will distract us from the path of action in front of us.
Remember, “Knowing the path, and walking the path, are not the same thing.”
Our relationship to God is not about answers to questions but about interaction with a super-personal being who fathered the whole of creation. To reduce that interaction to a series of propositional truths is to miss the whole point (not that these too, do not have their time and place as God is immediate as well as transcendent). It is akin to reducing our whole network of pains and pleasures, familiarity, love and sacrifice, that we call “family,” to a genealogical record. It is not the real thing, it is a statement about the real thing (albeit an accurate one).
Or, as someone once wrote, “Faith without works is dead.”
It is a dangerous thing to be consumed with knowledge, it can inhibit action; we can be so consumed with the minutia of theological definition that we fail at loving the individual in front of us or the God who created, MAY THIS NEVER BE!
There is a disconnect between what we know and how we act. We must be wary of this; knowing something about God does not make us close to Him, knowing much about the Bible does not equate to living a life shaped by its pages. We should seek first to live our faith, in that pursuit our faith will grow. If we seek however, to grow our knowledge as an end in itself, it will cause our very selves to whither away.
How wonderful that God is not this way. Who He is and what He does are not inconsistent; when Moses asked God who He was, He answered Moses, “I AM.”
May we also, in this same simple yet transcendent way, BE…
I have always been a great fan of C. S. Lewis. I have said that, “I am at home in his mind.” I have grown up reading his fantasies, and been influenced by his concepts, always, I am amazed at his uncanny ability to approach an issue from an odd angle. I read recently a chapter out of Miracles that spoke to me about the nature of God.
“The Pantheist’s God does nothing, demands nothing. He is there if you wish for Him, like a book on a shelf. He will not pursue you. There is no danger that at any time heaven and earth should flee away at His glance. If He were the truth, then we could really say that all the Christian images of kingship were a historical accident of which our religion ought to be cleansed. It is with a shock that we discover them to be indispensable. You have had a shock like that before, in connection with smaller matters-when the line pulls a your hand, when something breathes beside you in the darkness. So here; the shock comes at the precise moment when the thrill of life is communicated to us along the clue we have been following. It is always shocking to meet life where we thought we were alone. ‘Look out!’ we cry, ‘it’s alive’. And therefore this is the very point at which so many draw back-I would have done so myself if I could-and proceed no further with Christianity. An ‘impersonal God’-well and good. A subjective God of beauty, truth and goodness, inside our own heads-better still. A formless life-force surging through us, a vast power which we can tap-best of all. But God Himself, alive, pulling at the other end of the cord, perhaps approaching at an infinite speed, the hunter, king, husband-that is quite another matter. There comes a moment when the children who have been playing at burglars hush suddenly: was that a real footstep in the hall? There comes a moment when people who have been dabbling in religion (‘Man’s search for God!’) suddenly draw back. Supposing we really found Him? We never meant it to come to that! Worse still, supposing He had found us?
So it is a sort of Rubicon. One goes across: or not. But if one does, there is no manner of security against miracles. One may be in for anything.”
Chapter 11 - Christianity and ‘Religion’
All of us want God to be a ‘tame’ lion… (which is to cease to be a lion)
…none of us are truly comfortable with the ‘good’ lion; who’s very goodness promises us no such security or comfort, only life eternal and infinite and abundant.
“I know deep down there must be an exciting world waiting for us if we would only pull back the curtain or jump to the other side of the ravine – but we're all too afraid to make the leap. My inner being says, ‘Jump!’”
Burlap Bob
12.28.2006
12.16.2006
What do you see?
Do you see your enemies. or do you see the armies of God?
Are you overwhelmed by the darkness of your present circumstances, or are you too busy glorifying the God of Light?
A vision:
Standing in the dark, inky, blackness; looking through grey shades of increasing light. A pile of rusted, dirty, blooded, chains and shackles lies on the ground; a door of metal bars is flung open wide, and beyond...
...a man walks, free! ...into a world of glorious color and brightness, free and alive!
The Word:
Acts 16:22-34
If we will simply do what we are called to do, God will shake the very foundations of the earth; He will bring His glory, He will reveal Himself to those around us. Are you in prison, sing mightily to the God of Hope so that others in prison might know of His Glory!
2 Kings 6:15-17
Are you overwhelmed by the darkness of your present circumstances, or are you too busy glorifying the God of Light?
A vision:
Standing in the dark, inky, blackness; looking through grey shades of increasing light. A pile of rusted, dirty, blooded, chains and shackles lies on the ground; a door of metal bars is flung open wide, and beyond...
...a man walks, free! ...into a world of glorious color and brightness, free and alive!
The Word:
Acts 16:22-34
If we will simply do what we are called to do, God will shake the very foundations of the earth; He will bring His glory, He will reveal Himself to those around us. Are you in prison, sing mightily to the God of Hope so that others in prison might know of His Glory!
2 Kings 6:15-17
12.08.2006
What would it take to make you leave?
I realize that few people will like or agree with every circumstance or problem that they find themselves in. Something is bound to strike you the wrong way or simply be misunderstood.
Often when people don't like something or someone for whatever reason, they will simply say they are quitting. I remember one case in particular after a magazine issue, "Cat Got Your Chum?" where I explained that I had to give away my cats because my wife was terrified of cats. A lady emailed to say that she was not subscribing because she couldn't respect any man who would put his wife over his cats. Perhaps she had one too many 'good cat/bad man' experiences.
Many instances are similar. I began to see the parallel with other relationships in life: Job - marriage - siblings - friends - parent and child - churches - schools - even countries.
Many will leave a relationship for the slightest reason. Marriages break up over trivial things. Lifelong friendships are destroyed in a blink. Brothers and sisters won't speak to each other nor children to parents. You'd be surprised how many prayer requests I get from grandparents asking for prayer to soften the hearts of their children to let them see their
grandchildren.
Something made them leave. Something broke the relationship. Something caused the split.
I told my wife when we married what it would take for me to leave her. She would have to leave this earth; other than that, I was committed, come cats or high water.
With every relationship that you have, that question looms. With the increased sensitivities these days, the answers on that list are often long.
When you ask yourself the question, "What would it take to make me leave?" the shorter and more traumatic the list, the more likely the relationship will endure because with all
relationships, sooner or later something is likely to happen.
So think about your relationships, and ask yourself the question:
What would it take to make me leave?
...and for the relationships that you really want to last, perhaps you should shorten the list.
Have a great weekend ahead.
(AUTHOR UNKNOWN).
Often when people don't like something or someone for whatever reason, they will simply say they are quitting. I remember one case in particular after a magazine issue, "Cat Got Your Chum?" where I explained that I had to give away my cats because my wife was terrified of cats. A lady emailed to say that she was not subscribing because she couldn't respect any man who would put his wife over his cats. Perhaps she had one too many 'good cat/bad man' experiences.
Many instances are similar. I began to see the parallel with other relationships in life: Job - marriage - siblings - friends - parent and child - churches - schools - even countries.
Many will leave a relationship for the slightest reason. Marriages break up over trivial things. Lifelong friendships are destroyed in a blink. Brothers and sisters won't speak to each other nor children to parents. You'd be surprised how many prayer requests I get from grandparents asking for prayer to soften the hearts of their children to let them see their
grandchildren.
Something made them leave. Something broke the relationship. Something caused the split.
I told my wife when we married what it would take for me to leave her. She would have to leave this earth; other than that, I was committed, come cats or high water.
With every relationship that you have, that question looms. With the increased sensitivities these days, the answers on that list are often long.
When you ask yourself the question, "What would it take to make me leave?" the shorter and more traumatic the list, the more likely the relationship will endure because with all
relationships, sooner or later something is likely to happen.
So think about your relationships, and ask yourself the question:
What would it take to make me leave?
...and for the relationships that you really want to last, perhaps you should shorten the list.
Have a great weekend ahead.
(AUTHOR UNKNOWN).
11.23.2006
11.19.2006
God of Wonders!
What an amazing God we serve!
He has been busy with us! He has spent the last few months teaching us how to live together, settling us into the routines of our new life in Buffalo, and giving us endless opportunities for relationships. We have began many relationships, and settled into a few regular routines of blessing. Our Sunday mornings have been a regular visit to a nursing home a block away; it seems to be a real blessing to the residents and staff of the facility. Our Wednesdays consist of a cell group meeting; fellowship and a meal, worship and prayer, and the Bible and discussion. We have had a handful of visitors to our cell meeting, and it seems as though some of them are connecting.
Our friend, Tommy, has been a real source of joy to me personally. He is constantly encouraging us with how blessed He is by our relationship. He continues to come with us to the retirement home and draw portraits, he was even doing portraits of staff members this past Sunday; he is becoming quite a hit! Pray for him, he struggles with demons of which most of us will never have the faintest comprehension...
Frank is a student from Taiwan at Buffalo State University whom we have adopted for the year. He has come over for lunch, and we have met for breakfast. I have had several spiritual conversations with him. He is a Daoist as is his family. Pray that God would bless his studies, and spark his heart with passion for Him.
Tamy and Dre are beginning their training to volunteer at Literacy Volunteers which is an organization that helps ESL children and adults learn the English language. There is a large Spanish-speaking population in Buffalo (Puerto Rican) as well as a surprisingly significant population of refugees from a couple of African nations. (We are excited to begin frequenting a local Somali restaurant when our budget loosens up a bit!) Pray that God sends us the nations right here in our own City!
Mary is now officially a volunteer at a local AIDS clinic. She went to her first event, she helped setup, and tear down, for a banquet in support of the organization. It was quite an experience for her (Dre also went with her), with dancing drag queens, chocolate fountains, tango lessons, wine-tasting, and prizes including an autographed photo of Ru-Paul. Exactly the type of party that the Pharisees wouldn't approve of Jesus going to... We have begun following in the footsteps of our sending church. We gave a tithe of our monthly church budget as an 'outreach offering' to the AIDS clinic, along with a letter explaining to them that we love Jesus and want to serve them as they serve a group of people that He loves. After reading the letter and receiving the money, the volunteer coordinator asked Mary some questions about our church and then opened the door for us to serve their clients.
I have finally begun to see some headway in my desire to get involved at the BSU campus. I had the leader of the InterVarsity group on campus over for lunch. (IV is a Christian student organization that is nationwide) She explained to me that at this time their only real need is for someone to 'disciple the young men!' We are moving forward (much to slowly for me!), and needless to say, I am very excited at the prospect of being involved in the lives of the men God wants to use to change the face of the city of Buffalo and the world! Pray for open doors to reach out to the students who are unconnected to student ministries already in existence.
All this to say that, God is beginning to open doors, and open other doors wider. Our relationships, and service, are starting to show the signs of fruit. However, I saved the best story for last...
We have had several opportunities to serve at the local Mission. We are still in the process of setting up a regular schedule to help out in the kitchen, but we have led worship and spoken at the chapel service a few times already. The pastor who lives across the street from me (his name is Paul, he is from Nigeria), invited us to come with him to the mission this past Sunday evening. He was going to preach, but he was hoping we could lead worship. We had fun preparing, we decided Sam would lead some, I would lead some, we would both play guitar, and Mary would play drums. Paul's worship leader, Edward, plays piano very well, and so he showed up and simply played along with us.
The night began with Carl, a young man (18) who has been coming to our small group and our Sunday outreach for the past two weeks, sharing with me that he had read the beginning of a book I gave him, The Father Heart of God, and it made him cry. Pray for Carl, he is a year into his faith journey and needs all the prayers he can get.
We met up with a couple from another Church in the area, ran through our worship set, and began to pray. We opened with the song 'God of Wonders' and when the chorus began you could hear the voices of many of the men shouting their praise to God. It was awesome... but only the beginning of the night.
The men continued to praise God with loud voices. Paul got up and preached on the many choices we make in our lives and the only choice that matters, surrender to the Lord of Life. We then got up and led the men in a spirited rendition of 'I Surrender All,' at which point Paul asked any who would want to surrender to Jesus to come and pray with us. A man named Tyrone walked up to me...
Tyrone is a large, soft-spoken, southern man. He has been in the chapel service every time I have been there so far, very engaged in what is being said and sung. I assumed he was already given to Christ. He told me, "I've never done this before, I don't know how to pray."
I prayed for him, that God would bless him; my friend Carl also prayed for him. Tyrone took out his cell phone and called his girlfriend, said hello, and then handed the phone to me, introducing me as, "one of God's people." I asked her if she were a spiritual person, she responded, "I believe in God." I asked if she were connected to a Church, she was not; I asked if she would like to be, "Yes," she said. I told her I would give Tyrone my number and we would get together. I then asked Tyrone, "Would you like to pray, is there anything on your heart that God has been doing with you tonight, anything you would want to say to him?"
Tyrone asked me how to pray. "You talk to God just the same way you are talking to me..."
"Hello, this is Tyrone, I'm just here with some of your people..." he began his first conversation with his Creator! How meek, humble, amazing, and earth-shattering!
When Tyrone finished praying I told him, "You can call God Papa, you can call Him Father, you can call Him Daddy, you can call Him whatever you like; He is your Father and He loves you dearly, you are his Son and He loves you tremendously."
This big, soft-spoken man began to weep, "I love you Daddy, I love you Father!"
He grabbed onto me, continuing to proclaim his love for our Father in between sobs; I began to cry...
We prayed together. I asked Tyrone what he was doing for Thanksgiving. He ecstatically agreed to come for dinner.
Pray that Tyrone's new-found faith is a new beginning, not merely an 'event.' Pray that he and his girlfriend take our invitation for Thanksgiving dinner.
Pray for us that God would continue to use us to love the city of Buffalo.
Never cease to praise Him for his glorious wonder!
This is a picture from the night at the mission; Paul is the man in the center, Edward is the worship leader of Paul's church, he is the man on the right. The gray-haired man and the other woman are Curt and Linda from a church outside of Buffalo.
He has been busy with us! He has spent the last few months teaching us how to live together, settling us into the routines of our new life in Buffalo, and giving us endless opportunities for relationships. We have began many relationships, and settled into a few regular routines of blessing. Our Sunday mornings have been a regular visit to a nursing home a block away; it seems to be a real blessing to the residents and staff of the facility. Our Wednesdays consist of a cell group meeting; fellowship and a meal, worship and prayer, and the Bible and discussion. We have had a handful of visitors to our cell meeting, and it seems as though some of them are connecting.
Our friend, Tommy, has been a real source of joy to me personally. He is constantly encouraging us with how blessed He is by our relationship. He continues to come with us to the retirement home and draw portraits, he was even doing portraits of staff members this past Sunday; he is becoming quite a hit! Pray for him, he struggles with demons of which most of us will never have the faintest comprehension...
Frank is a student from Taiwan at Buffalo State University whom we have adopted for the year. He has come over for lunch, and we have met for breakfast. I have had several spiritual conversations with him. He is a Daoist as is his family. Pray that God would bless his studies, and spark his heart with passion for Him.
Tamy and Dre are beginning their training to volunteer at Literacy Volunteers which is an organization that helps ESL children and adults learn the English language. There is a large Spanish-speaking population in Buffalo (Puerto Rican) as well as a surprisingly significant population of refugees from a couple of African nations. (We are excited to begin frequenting a local Somali restaurant when our budget loosens up a bit!) Pray that God sends us the nations right here in our own City!
Mary is now officially a volunteer at a local AIDS clinic. She went to her first event, she helped setup, and tear down, for a banquet in support of the organization. It was quite an experience for her (Dre also went with her), with dancing drag queens, chocolate fountains, tango lessons, wine-tasting, and prizes including an autographed photo of Ru-Paul. Exactly the type of party that the Pharisees wouldn't approve of Jesus going to... We have begun following in the footsteps of our sending church. We gave a tithe of our monthly church budget as an 'outreach offering' to the AIDS clinic, along with a letter explaining to them that we love Jesus and want to serve them as they serve a group of people that He loves. After reading the letter and receiving the money, the volunteer coordinator asked Mary some questions about our church and then opened the door for us to serve their clients.
I have finally begun to see some headway in my desire to get involved at the BSU campus. I had the leader of the InterVarsity group on campus over for lunch. (IV is a Christian student organization that is nationwide) She explained to me that at this time their only real need is for someone to 'disciple the young men!' We are moving forward (much to slowly for me!), and needless to say, I am very excited at the prospect of being involved in the lives of the men God wants to use to change the face of the city of Buffalo and the world! Pray for open doors to reach out to the students who are unconnected to student ministries already in existence.
All this to say that, God is beginning to open doors, and open other doors wider. Our relationships, and service, are starting to show the signs of fruit. However, I saved the best story for last...
We have had several opportunities to serve at the local Mission. We are still in the process of setting up a regular schedule to help out in the kitchen, but we have led worship and spoken at the chapel service a few times already. The pastor who lives across the street from me (his name is Paul, he is from Nigeria), invited us to come with him to the mission this past Sunday evening. He was going to preach, but he was hoping we could lead worship. We had fun preparing, we decided Sam would lead some, I would lead some, we would both play guitar, and Mary would play drums. Paul's worship leader, Edward, plays piano very well, and so he showed up and simply played along with us.
The night began with Carl, a young man (18) who has been coming to our small group and our Sunday outreach for the past two weeks, sharing with me that he had read the beginning of a book I gave him, The Father Heart of God, and it made him cry. Pray for Carl, he is a year into his faith journey and needs all the prayers he can get.
We met up with a couple from another Church in the area, ran through our worship set, and began to pray. We opened with the song 'God of Wonders' and when the chorus began you could hear the voices of many of the men shouting their praise to God. It was awesome... but only the beginning of the night.
The men continued to praise God with loud voices. Paul got up and preached on the many choices we make in our lives and the only choice that matters, surrender to the Lord of Life. We then got up and led the men in a spirited rendition of 'I Surrender All,' at which point Paul asked any who would want to surrender to Jesus to come and pray with us. A man named Tyrone walked up to me...
Tyrone is a large, soft-spoken, southern man. He has been in the chapel service every time I have been there so far, very engaged in what is being said and sung. I assumed he was already given to Christ. He told me, "I've never done this before, I don't know how to pray."
I prayed for him, that God would bless him; my friend Carl also prayed for him. Tyrone took out his cell phone and called his girlfriend, said hello, and then handed the phone to me, introducing me as, "one of God's people." I asked her if she were a spiritual person, she responded, "I believe in God." I asked if she were connected to a Church, she was not; I asked if she would like to be, "Yes," she said. I told her I would give Tyrone my number and we would get together. I then asked Tyrone, "Would you like to pray, is there anything on your heart that God has been doing with you tonight, anything you would want to say to him?"
Tyrone asked me how to pray. "You talk to God just the same way you are talking to me..."
"Hello, this is Tyrone, I'm just here with some of your people..." he began his first conversation with his Creator! How meek, humble, amazing, and earth-shattering!
When Tyrone finished praying I told him, "You can call God Papa, you can call Him Father, you can call Him Daddy, you can call Him whatever you like; He is your Father and He loves you dearly, you are his Son and He loves you tremendously."
This big, soft-spoken man began to weep, "I love you Daddy, I love you Father!"
He grabbed onto me, continuing to proclaim his love for our Father in between sobs; I began to cry...
We prayed together. I asked Tyrone what he was doing for Thanksgiving. He ecstatically agreed to come for dinner.
Pray that Tyrone's new-found faith is a new beginning, not merely an 'event.' Pray that he and his girlfriend take our invitation for Thanksgiving dinner.
Pray for us that God would continue to use us to love the city of Buffalo.
Never cease to praise Him for his glorious wonder!
This is a picture from the night at the mission; Paul is the man in the center, Edward is the worship leader of Paul's church, he is the man on the right. The gray-haired man and the other woman are Curt and Linda from a church outside of Buffalo.
11.16.2006
compassion and mercy, reflection of love?
This is something that I was thinking about the other day. I was talking with a friend of mine about a passage of scripture
"For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
Romans 9:15" and what we thought about that. My friend was saying how this passage made her angry because it seems like God is showing partiality to some and not to others but he tells us not to do this. The next day I was thinking about this and praying and I felt like I was being given a revalation about this subject...
These are the thoughts that I had about this topic while praying and it was so clear that I had to write it down for my friend and she told me that it spoke to her. So here were my thoughts about it:
God's mercy and compassion in not a reflection of his love. In most of us, we are usually able to show mercy and compassion to those that we love and so it is a reflection of our love for a person. However I believe that God loves everyone and that his mercy and compassion is not dished out to those that he loves more. Rather that mercy, compassion, and hard lives are the tool with which God uses to help us fulfill our destiny.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:28.
I was thinking that at times those of us who have had really hard lives feel slighted, like God loves those who have had an easier life more but I don't think that this is the case. I think that it really is just each of us have different things that God uses in our lives to develop us into the people that he has called us to be. We all need to know the whole love of God if we are ever to really love the world and I don't think that God would tell us to love each other as he has loved us, if his love for us was slighted or if we were loved less than others.
So my thought is that to everyone that has ever felt like they wish that the could have been God's favorite don't fret you are, If your life has been hard be encouraged that it was not because you were loved less but rather that God knows and loves you more intimately that anyone and he alone knows what will or will not make you into the man or woman he has destined you to be. So we all must grab the bull by the horns and embrace all that is good, and all that is bad knowing that you been given these opportunites because you are so loved that you will not be left to stagnate but rather always in everything given the opportunity to grow...
(please remember these are just my thoughts and ponderings while praying)
"For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
Romans 9:15" and what we thought about that. My friend was saying how this passage made her angry because it seems like God is showing partiality to some and not to others but he tells us not to do this. The next day I was thinking about this and praying and I felt like I was being given a revalation about this subject...
These are the thoughts that I had about this topic while praying and it was so clear that I had to write it down for my friend and she told me that it spoke to her. So here were my thoughts about it:
God's mercy and compassion in not a reflection of his love. In most of us, we are usually able to show mercy and compassion to those that we love and so it is a reflection of our love for a person. However I believe that God loves everyone and that his mercy and compassion is not dished out to those that he loves more. Rather that mercy, compassion, and hard lives are the tool with which God uses to help us fulfill our destiny.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:28.
I was thinking that at times those of us who have had really hard lives feel slighted, like God loves those who have had an easier life more but I don't think that this is the case. I think that it really is just each of us have different things that God uses in our lives to develop us into the people that he has called us to be. We all need to know the whole love of God if we are ever to really love the world and I don't think that God would tell us to love each other as he has loved us, if his love for us was slighted or if we were loved less than others.
So my thought is that to everyone that has ever felt like they wish that the could have been God's favorite don't fret you are, If your life has been hard be encouraged that it was not because you were loved less but rather that God knows and loves you more intimately that anyone and he alone knows what will or will not make you into the man or woman he has destined you to be. So we all must grab the bull by the horns and embrace all that is good, and all that is bad knowing that you been given these opportunites because you are so loved that you will not be left to stagnate but rather always in everything given the opportunity to grow...
(please remember these are just my thoughts and ponderings while praying)
11.11.2006
Cells
*These are old thoughts, I just found them, and cleaned up to make them comprehensible*
I have come to the conclusion that health consists of a unique blend of structure and no structure; clarity and ambiguity. To use a natural metaphor a plant grows best when we combine the completely spontaneous with a structure that does not prohibit the natural growth of the plant but rather aids it. A ditch for water, a watering schedule to maintain proper ammounts, soil additives, weeding, posts for growing vines, etc. Just so, when we speak of Church health, there are quite natural and spontaneous effects of the Spirit of God within a human being. Once the Spirit has been 'planted' we do not make it grow, and we can kill it by over-structure (thinking that we can make the growth happen by our administration), but we can also help its growth by optimal levels of structure properly implemented.
The pro's and con's:
First we must state that amorphism itself is a structure. In order to have 'no structure' one must have a void. A random structure is still a structure. A neglected garden in one sense does not lack structure, rather it lacks intentionality. There are still the structures provided by the natural processes themselves (fiber structures, chemical processes, various ecological niches, etc.), there is simply not the rows, schedules, etc. that allow for the plants protection, care, and harvest.
Secondly we must state that it is easier to change a plan than to create one. The one more likely to be able to creatively adapt to new situations is the one who has deeply thought out the current situation and mapped out a plan to deal with it. The individual who has neglected a proscribed course of action, will not even have a framework with which to engage the future, much less to creatively change to meet it.
Structure is beneficial in that it helps to provide direction. Just as a vine needs something to climb, so do our spiritual lives need direction. Boundaries are immensely helpful to prevent injury, or even just redundancy. Freedom is beneficial in that it allows for growth.
Too much structure will actually impede growth.
Not enough structure will fail to protect and guide growth, and ultimately hinder the harvest.
Too much structure will prohibit spontenaity...
...not enough structure will prevent purposeful direction
An adequate ammount of structure will provide needed direction and prevent useless redundancy...
...an adequate ammount of freedom will allow for creative response to new contexts, and will prevent the reduction of what is inherently organic to a formula.
For this reason, I believe Churches should structure around relationships. We have seen that structure is ubiquitous and unavoidable, even (in spite of my own proclivity to 'kill structure') necessary. Yet in structuring our Church around a program we lose the thing that is important; this would be akin to structuring your apple orchard as an assembly line. The opposite error would be to refuse to intentionally structure the Church; this would be akin to letting the apples take root wherever they fell. Neither makes sense. The central aspect of the apple orchard is the living, growing, healthy apple tree. The orchard needs to be structured in such a way as to maintain the health of the tree and produce healthy fruit. However, the purpose of the apple orchard is providing fruit to the customer at a reasonable price. The orchard needs to be structured in a way so as to make the fruit accessable for harvesting it (hence the rows). So too, in a Church we must structure the Church around the most important thing, relationships; the individual with Jesus, and the individuals with each other. This could look like a myriad of different structural possibilities, however, there would be some commonalities:
The structure would serve and encourage the individual relationship with Jesus.
The structure would serve and encourage the individual relationship with other disciples.
The structure would serve and encourage the inclusion of individuals outside the community.
The structure would serve and encourage propagation, at the individual, relational, and community levels.
We must be confident that whatever structures we implement, whether by intentional planning or unintentional neglect, should accomplish these purposes.
I have come to the conclusion that health consists of a unique blend of structure and no structure; clarity and ambiguity. To use a natural metaphor a plant grows best when we combine the completely spontaneous with a structure that does not prohibit the natural growth of the plant but rather aids it. A ditch for water, a watering schedule to maintain proper ammounts, soil additives, weeding, posts for growing vines, etc. Just so, when we speak of Church health, there are quite natural and spontaneous effects of the Spirit of God within a human being. Once the Spirit has been 'planted' we do not make it grow, and we can kill it by over-structure (thinking that we can make the growth happen by our administration), but we can also help its growth by optimal levels of structure properly implemented.
The pro's and con's:
First we must state that amorphism itself is a structure. In order to have 'no structure' one must have a void. A random structure is still a structure. A neglected garden in one sense does not lack structure, rather it lacks intentionality. There are still the structures provided by the natural processes themselves (fiber structures, chemical processes, various ecological niches, etc.), there is simply not the rows, schedules, etc. that allow for the plants protection, care, and harvest.
Secondly we must state that it is easier to change a plan than to create one. The one more likely to be able to creatively adapt to new situations is the one who has deeply thought out the current situation and mapped out a plan to deal with it. The individual who has neglected a proscribed course of action, will not even have a framework with which to engage the future, much less to creatively change to meet it.
Structure is beneficial in that it helps to provide direction. Just as a vine needs something to climb, so do our spiritual lives need direction. Boundaries are immensely helpful to prevent injury, or even just redundancy. Freedom is beneficial in that it allows for growth.
Too much structure will actually impede growth.
Not enough structure will fail to protect and guide growth, and ultimately hinder the harvest.
Too much structure will prohibit spontenaity...
...not enough structure will prevent purposeful direction
An adequate ammount of structure will provide needed direction and prevent useless redundancy...
...an adequate ammount of freedom will allow for creative response to new contexts, and will prevent the reduction of what is inherently organic to a formula.
For this reason, I believe Churches should structure around relationships. We have seen that structure is ubiquitous and unavoidable, even (in spite of my own proclivity to 'kill structure') necessary. Yet in structuring our Church around a program we lose the thing that is important; this would be akin to structuring your apple orchard as an assembly line. The opposite error would be to refuse to intentionally structure the Church; this would be akin to letting the apples take root wherever they fell. Neither makes sense. The central aspect of the apple orchard is the living, growing, healthy apple tree. The orchard needs to be structured in such a way as to maintain the health of the tree and produce healthy fruit. However, the purpose of the apple orchard is providing fruit to the customer at a reasonable price. The orchard needs to be structured in a way so as to make the fruit accessable for harvesting it (hence the rows). So too, in a Church we must structure the Church around the most important thing, relationships; the individual with Jesus, and the individuals with each other. This could look like a myriad of different structural possibilities, however, there would be some commonalities:
The structure would serve and encourage the individual relationship with Jesus.
The structure would serve and encourage the individual relationship with other disciples.
The structure would serve and encourage the inclusion of individuals outside the community.
The structure would serve and encourage propagation, at the individual, relational, and community levels.
We must be confident that whatever structures we implement, whether by intentional planning or unintentional neglect, should accomplish these purposes.
11.02.2006
Community
Community is soap in your omlette!
To all who fantasize about the wonderful joys of communal living, let me burst your bubble...
Community is decaf coffee when you really want caffeinated, cold food, warm toilet seats, dealing with night owls in the morning (and at night), having marital disputes in front of an audience, dissappointed expectations, frustrated desires, confused statements, and endless inconveniences. Community is what keeps me from finishing this post in less than three sittings...
So why do it?
Why subject yourself to the whims of others?
Tell me if this sounds familiar:
"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."
There is a road that is easy, that appeals to our desires, and that leads to death. There is another road that, even to travel down is to experience a kind of death, and yet, this is the road that leads to infinite blessing, and eternal life. The way of community is the way of self sacrifice, and the way of life. The way of community is the way of Jesus.
The same person who drinks the last cup of coffee, is the one who loves my children as if they were their very own; the person who is moody with me in the morning is the one who encourages me in the evening; the community who watches my pettiness with my wife, is the same community who also reveals their own personal struggles with me; the person who 'selfishly' eats the last of the food is the one who goes out of their way to bless me with some small treat they know I like.
The simple truth is, community is the way of loving others before ourselves, loving others before ourselves means death to our self, and the one only prerequisite of a full, abundant, eternal life, is the execution of our self.
So...
...while the community experience continues to provide me with those wonderful experiences I have heard described as 'having the edges knocked off in God's spiritual rock tumbler' I am also experiencing the joy of Christ surrounded by people who love me in spite of my blemishes, and whom I dearly love.
To all who fantasize about the wonderful joys of communal living, let me burst your bubble...
Community is decaf coffee when you really want caffeinated, cold food, warm toilet seats, dealing with night owls in the morning (and at night), having marital disputes in front of an audience, dissappointed expectations, frustrated desires, confused statements, and endless inconveniences. Community is what keeps me from finishing this post in less than three sittings...
So why do it?
Why subject yourself to the whims of others?
Tell me if this sounds familiar:
"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."
There is a road that is easy, that appeals to our desires, and that leads to death. There is another road that, even to travel down is to experience a kind of death, and yet, this is the road that leads to infinite blessing, and eternal life. The way of community is the way of self sacrifice, and the way of life. The way of community is the way of Jesus.
The same person who drinks the last cup of coffee, is the one who loves my children as if they were their very own; the person who is moody with me in the morning is the one who encourages me in the evening; the community who watches my pettiness with my wife, is the same community who also reveals their own personal struggles with me; the person who 'selfishly' eats the last of the food is the one who goes out of their way to bless me with some small treat they know I like.
The simple truth is, community is the way of loving others before ourselves, loving others before ourselves means death to our self, and the one only prerequisite of a full, abundant, eternal life, is the execution of our self.
So...
...while the community experience continues to provide me with those wonderful experiences I have heard described as 'having the edges knocked off in God's spiritual rock tumbler' I am also experiencing the joy of Christ surrounded by people who love me in spite of my blemishes, and whom I dearly love.
10.30.2006
Life Together
Well what can I say? NY is a big change from California and life here has been a big change as well. I am so thankful that we did not get just sent out in 2's but in a family of 7 this time what a blessing. God is teaching us all so many new things about things like "love, sacrafice, humility, joy in all situations, compassion and mercy on a truly broken world." Those are just a few great things that God is teaching all of us about.
Ponder thoughts...
Love is not an emotion but a choice of action..
I am realizing more and more what love really is and what it isn't, this is the conclusion that I have came to lately about love. It is not a warm feeling that you have for someone, but rather it is when you orientate your decisions around what will benefit and bless this other person. Love may not be love until it is tested. I am learning to love and I am so thankful for this because I desire to understand better the love that is extended to us by God and I may only come to understand it by first learning how to really love, by choosing to.
I have had opportunites to really think through the nature of sacrifice, and what really constitutes sacrifice?
I have been able to determine in myself that there are things that I will gladly sacrifice for and others that I have to struggle through, this has been humbling..
I have seen so much beauty in my fellow servants in Christ that live with me, we all are growing and changing and embracing a life that is unlike anything else we have yet expereinced. There are so many things that come from community and living and loving each other that you really can't ever know without it. Living in community is incredibly hard, painful, beautiful, fulfilling, humbling, sacrificial. I think that what I am trying to say is that in community you experience both ends of the spectrum, both great pain and hardship, and great joy and blessing. Those people that rub you the wrong way and force you to deal with all the ugliness inside your own heart are the same one's that offer up prayers for you while you walk it out. They are the same people that love you inspite of the ugliness and offer grace to you. They are the one's you celebrate with and laugh with. I have lived with people and without and even though I have seen more sin in myself being forced to the surface, I thank God that he has blessed me with people to really share life with. Humility is a much more joyful walk than loneliness. May our love for each other show others Christ love for the world...
Ponder thoughts...
Love is not an emotion but a choice of action..
I am realizing more and more what love really is and what it isn't, this is the conclusion that I have came to lately about love. It is not a warm feeling that you have for someone, but rather it is when you orientate your decisions around what will benefit and bless this other person. Love may not be love until it is tested. I am learning to love and I am so thankful for this because I desire to understand better the love that is extended to us by God and I may only come to understand it by first learning how to really love, by choosing to.
I have had opportunites to really think through the nature of sacrifice, and what really constitutes sacrifice?
I have been able to determine in myself that there are things that I will gladly sacrifice for and others that I have to struggle through, this has been humbling..
I have seen so much beauty in my fellow servants in Christ that live with me, we all are growing and changing and embracing a life that is unlike anything else we have yet expereinced. There are so many things that come from community and living and loving each other that you really can't ever know without it. Living in community is incredibly hard, painful, beautiful, fulfilling, humbling, sacrificial. I think that what I am trying to say is that in community you experience both ends of the spectrum, both great pain and hardship, and great joy and blessing. Those people that rub you the wrong way and force you to deal with all the ugliness inside your own heart are the same one's that offer up prayers for you while you walk it out. They are the same people that love you inspite of the ugliness and offer grace to you. They are the one's you celebrate with and laugh with. I have lived with people and without and even though I have seen more sin in myself being forced to the surface, I thank God that he has blessed me with people to really share life with. Humility is a much more joyful walk than loneliness. May our love for each other show others Christ love for the world...
10.29.2006
DID YOU KNOW..?
The world's 225 richest people now have a combined wealth of $1 trillion. That's equal to the combined annual income of the world's 2.5 billion poorest people.
(Check the title link)
(Check the title link)
10.15.2006
Welcome to Buffalo!
We were greeted, by all who knew we were new to the city, with loud and gleeful choruses of, "Welcome to Buffalo!"
Yet in the midst of the devastation, and the loss of power (this is being touted as the worst power loss in the history of Western New York) God was able to bless us, and to use us to bless others.
We were able to dig several cars out of the snow, shovel half the sidewalks on our block, and share meals with many of our neighbors, all because of the snow.
I have posted pictures of the downed trees, power poles, blocked roads, destroyed houses, and also some pictures of some of our new friends. The one in the black sweat shirt is Tommy, he has 'joined' our church. He is drawing characatures of the residents at the home we visit; he was a smash hit!
10.12.2006
We ain't in Kansas
Well, it's official...
...we no longer live in California.
First snow of the year, October 12. We got a good four inches and it is still coming down.
The picture in my car is from my work truck. Notice the lack of windshield wiper action, yeah that's right I drive through blizzards in a work truck that has a tempermental electrical personality.
Also, praise God, our church just increased by fifty percent! We had two new people at our small group last night!
10.07.2006
He Brews!
Hey long time no post! All I really have to say is if you want to read the history of Jesus and you want to better understand his sacrifice and what it meant, or you just want to be spiritually spanked then you need to read Hebrews. It was such an amazing quiet time to read that book this morning. It was like good Jesus context and I think good Theology. I don't know if that is the right word for it but it was good. So there you have it! Read Hebrews!
10.03.2006
The Opposite Spirit
Lord, make me a channel of thy peace,
that where there is hatred, I may bring love;
that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
that where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
that where there is error, I may bring truth;
that where there is doubt, I may bring faith;
that where there is despair, I may bring hope;
that where there are shadows, I may bring light;
that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;
to understand, than to be understood;
to love, than to be loved.
For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.
It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.
Saint Francis of Assisi
that where there is hatred, I may bring love;
that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
that where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
that where there is error, I may bring truth;
that where there is doubt, I may bring faith;
that where there is despair, I may bring hope;
that where there are shadows, I may bring light;
that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;
to understand, than to be understood;
to love, than to be loved.
For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.
It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.
Saint Francis of Assisi
9.28.2006
Schizophrenic Submission
I had another discussion this past week on the topic and yet again ran into the dichotomous view of authority that I have found within my thoughts on the subject. I believe this is healthy...
It is healthy to believe that those under authority should submit whole-heartedly to those authorities.
It is healthy to believe that those in authority should not weild their authority without fear and trembling.
When looking at the topic from the perspective of one under authority, we should take a very hard view of the nature of authority; when looking from the perspective of one in authority, we should take a soft view.
I was reflecting on the way I talk to my boss ...I believe it is right for me to continue to address him as, "Sir;" and I believe it is right for him to insist I call him, "Danny." Just so, I always refer to my pastor as, "Pastor Mike," yet I have never heard him ask anyone to call him by his title. I believe those under authority should emphasize the authority of the one they are submitted to, and the one in authority should emphasize her or his role as a servant.
Oh yeah...
...check out our 'official' Buffalo Vineyard website!
It is healthy to believe that those under authority should submit whole-heartedly to those authorities.
It is healthy to believe that those in authority should not weild their authority without fear and trembling.
When looking at the topic from the perspective of one under authority, we should take a very hard view of the nature of authority; when looking from the perspective of one in authority, we should take a soft view.
I was reflecting on the way I talk to my boss ...I believe it is right for me to continue to address him as, "Sir;" and I believe it is right for him to insist I call him, "Danny." Just so, I always refer to my pastor as, "Pastor Mike," yet I have never heard him ask anyone to call him by his title. I believe those under authority should emphasize the authority of the one they are submitted to, and the one in authority should emphasize her or his role as a servant.
Oh yeah...
...check out our 'official' Buffalo Vineyard website!
9.14.2006
Finally there...
Here is the house:
God is good!
We have been so blessed by God, all of the details taken care of, and in such a providential fashion!
Sam and Dre's arrival was a real blessing, we did not feel like a whole team until they arrived.
Jobs:
God has given us a tremendous grace in a city where everyone is talking about the dearth of quality occupational opportunities. I have been working for the past two weeks now for the local cable contractor (the same thing I was doing in Redding), and the company here only works five days a week; this is a real blessing compared to the six-day weeks I was putting in back in CA. Sam arrived late on a Friday, waited out the weekend, placed one phone call on Monday morning, and then went to work for a framing crew on Tuesday. Mary has been working for two weeks now at a local coffee-shop. It is not the one she thought she would end up at, but it is another one that is right in the heart of the art/homosexual community (not to confuse artists with homosexuals, that just happens to be where both communities are centered). Dre appears to have a job lined up at a drug store less than a block away.
The neighborhood:
In the span of 5 or 6 hours we met a someone from Cuba, someone from Nigeria, someone from Haiti, and someone from Switzerland; all on our block!
The man from Nigeria is named Paul. He is a pastor at a local church here in Buffalo. It is a small church, he is essentially planting it by himself as his wife is still in Nigeria. She has been waiting for two years now on her visa to go through. They are hopeful that she will join him in the next few months. Pray for him!
We had asked God for a house that had alot of foot traffic. From the very first night that we moved in people have been walking by constantly. We have encounters with new people everyday, and are getting to know our neghbors very easily. We are planning for our first neighborhood get together, an 'ice-cream social.' Pray that people show up!
Opportunities to serve abound. We are still praying for God to direct us to clear open doors into the community, it appears that we will be spending our Sunday mornings at the nursing home a block away. They sounded very excited about having us come in and sing some songs and then visit with the people who don't get visited. We have also met with a chaplain from the local Good News Rescue Mission and we are hoping to spend an evening with them. Our group has a desire to work with the Literacy Volunteers as an open door into some of the minority populations in the area. At this point, however, we are waiting as there is a time and money commitment that we don't want to just jump into. Most of the ESL groups in the city are on the West Side (we are on the edge of the West Side) not too far from us. There is a significantly large Puerto Rican population, as well as refugee groups from Somalia and Sudan. We have also adopted a Buffalo State College international student from Taiwan, his name is Cheng-Yuan (he insists we call him Frank).
This week we have just started having morning prayer together as a house. This has been a real blessing! We had been waiting until schedules began to settle into an established rhythm.
We have had some real opportunities to bless and serve. The very first day in the house there was a man vomiting on the street corner. I went over, helped him clean up his mess, and gave him some water. He has been hanging out ever since. He has been homeless off and on for the past few years. We were able to get the ball rolling and help him get into a hotel room (he has access to money, but lacks the mental resources to get himself into a place), and we are trying to get him into an apartment. He has expressed on many occasions that he wants to join our church, and he has been a part of our lives for the past weeks. His name is Tommy.
Mary has had opportunities to share what we are doing with her co-workers and has talked to her friend/co-worker about Jesus, and has committed to praying for a situation she is in.
Just yesterday I was able to pray with one of my co-workers whos wife had just left him and taken his daughter.
God is giving us many opportunities to bless and serve!
God is good!
We have been so blessed by God, all of the details taken care of, and in such a providential fashion!
Sam and Dre's arrival was a real blessing, we did not feel like a whole team until they arrived.
Jobs:
God has given us a tremendous grace in a city where everyone is talking about the dearth of quality occupational opportunities. I have been working for the past two weeks now for the local cable contractor (the same thing I was doing in Redding), and the company here only works five days a week; this is a real blessing compared to the six-day weeks I was putting in back in CA. Sam arrived late on a Friday, waited out the weekend, placed one phone call on Monday morning, and then went to work for a framing crew on Tuesday. Mary has been working for two weeks now at a local coffee-shop. It is not the one she thought she would end up at, but it is another one that is right in the heart of the art/homosexual community (not to confuse artists with homosexuals, that just happens to be where both communities are centered). Dre appears to have a job lined up at a drug store less than a block away.
The neighborhood:
In the span of 5 or 6 hours we met a someone from Cuba, someone from Nigeria, someone from Haiti, and someone from Switzerland; all on our block!
The man from Nigeria is named Paul. He is a pastor at a local church here in Buffalo. It is a small church, he is essentially planting it by himself as his wife is still in Nigeria. She has been waiting for two years now on her visa to go through. They are hopeful that she will join him in the next few months. Pray for him!
We had asked God for a house that had alot of foot traffic. From the very first night that we moved in people have been walking by constantly. We have encounters with new people everyday, and are getting to know our neghbors very easily. We are planning for our first neighborhood get together, an 'ice-cream social.' Pray that people show up!
Opportunities to serve abound. We are still praying for God to direct us to clear open doors into the community, it appears that we will be spending our Sunday mornings at the nursing home a block away. They sounded very excited about having us come in and sing some songs and then visit with the people who don't get visited. We have also met with a chaplain from the local Good News Rescue Mission and we are hoping to spend an evening with them. Our group has a desire to work with the Literacy Volunteers as an open door into some of the minority populations in the area. At this point, however, we are waiting as there is a time and money commitment that we don't want to just jump into. Most of the ESL groups in the city are on the West Side (we are on the edge of the West Side) not too far from us. There is a significantly large Puerto Rican population, as well as refugee groups from Somalia and Sudan. We have also adopted a Buffalo State College international student from Taiwan, his name is Cheng-Yuan (he insists we call him Frank).
This week we have just started having morning prayer together as a house. This has been a real blessing! We had been waiting until schedules began to settle into an established rhythm.
We have had some real opportunities to bless and serve. The very first day in the house there was a man vomiting on the street corner. I went over, helped him clean up his mess, and gave him some water. He has been hanging out ever since. He has been homeless off and on for the past few years. We were able to get the ball rolling and help him get into a hotel room (he has access to money, but lacks the mental resources to get himself into a place), and we are trying to get him into an apartment. He has expressed on many occasions that he wants to join our church, and he has been a part of our lives for the past weeks. His name is Tommy.
Mary has had opportunities to share what we are doing with her co-workers and has talked to her friend/co-worker about Jesus, and has committed to praying for a situation she is in.
Just yesterday I was able to pray with one of my co-workers whos wife had just left him and taken his daughter.
God is giving us many opportunities to bless and serve!
9.05.2006
I am here !!!!!!!!!
Hello We are here and boy is it something!!!
The neighborhood is fun and the neighbors and great!! The kids are adjusting, the house has a history (we'll talk about that later) but is seems ok now!! Now I can settle in and stop moving around soo much. God has taken care of us sooo well! I'd love to write mor
The neighborhood is fun and the neighbors and great!! The kids are adjusting, the house has a history (we'll talk about that later) but is seems ok now!! Now I can settle in and stop moving around soo much. God has taken care of us sooo well! I'd love to write mor
8.30.2006
Spiritual Authority Revisited
I had a few comments and conversations about my previous post on authority (see the title link) that gave me pause and caused me to reflect further on the subject. One comment in particular sparked this current post: "it seems your views on authority have changed over the years." This was in reference to a conversation years ago about the place of discipleship in our lives. I then (and now) took the position that it was beneficial to all Christians to have an authority figure in their lives.* I believe that we benefit from spiritual authority over us, and I believe that submission to authority is an issue of monumental significance in the spiritual well-being of all women and men, especially in today's spiritual-social-political climate. Apparently my previous post, "Spiritual Authority" appeared to have a 'soft' view of the place of authority and my previous comments (in conversation) appeared to have a 'hard' view.
The apparent disparity between this call to submission, and the understanding of authority that I wrote about in the former post, are not a disparity in thought, but rather a disparity in perspective. The former post could be seen as a view of authority from the perspective of one in a position of authority, what I am about to write can be seen as a view of authority from the perspective of one under authority.
Authority From the Other Side: Submission to Authority
What is submission?
I have the idea that there is a fundamental inward bent to all of Christian ethics. Much of the history of morality has emphasized the outward actions of individuals, which leads to all sorts of moral predicaments; questions about the worth of the individual in comparison to the greater good of all, questions about the importance of the motivation behind the action, questions about the conformity to an absolute standard or a mutually agreed upon social standard, ad infinitum; Jesus brilliantly cuts through all of this. The issue for Jesus is never the outward action, but the inner reality. Is the heart turned towards God and others in love? Is the tree fundamentally ‘good?’**
When this same outlook is applied to the conversation on submission we see that there must therefore be a difference between submission and mere obedience. Obedience to a set of rules is very different from a heartfelt pursuit of the internalization of those rules. Obedience to the commands of an individual is a very different thing than coming under that person to serve their needs, to build them up, to learn from them, to desire their ultimate good, in a word, to submit.
What we see is that it is possible to obey an individual without submitting to them, to obey without loving them, to obey without taking responsibility for our own actions, to obey without serving them; obedience can be given with gritted teeth, submission comes only and always from a willing heart.
It is not obedience that we are called to, but rather submission; and this is the greater and more expansive call, it is the call of Christ.
*It is important to note that, by 'authority over us' I do not intend that all people should have a 'pastor' who 'teaches' them. I fail to see this as a real source of authority on a spiritual level, it is rather authority on an intellectual level. When I speak of being 'under' authority, I am speaking primarily of a mentor or spiritual advisor. There must be the relational connection for the authority to be truly functioning on a spiritual level. It is good to have authoritative sources for sound teaching in our lives, however, this fails to amount to the submission that is the call of Christ on all of His followers. Submission to a teaching is much easier than submission to a person. In submitting to another we learn selflessness, in submitting to a teaching it is even possible to reinforce selfishness, as we often gain a sense of self-importance through increased knowledge.
**Of course, we must never make the mistake of believing that actions therefore have no part of Christian life. (Luke 6:43-49) Jesus is unequivocal on this point, our actions will flow out of our heart, and this will reveal the true nature of our hearts. A heart of love for God and others will not be capable of producing evil actions, a ‘good’ tree will produce ‘good’ fruit.
More to come…
The apparent disparity between this call to submission, and the understanding of authority that I wrote about in the former post, are not a disparity in thought, but rather a disparity in perspective. The former post could be seen as a view of authority from the perspective of one in a position of authority, what I am about to write can be seen as a view of authority from the perspective of one under authority.
Authority From the Other Side: Submission to Authority
What is submission?
I have the idea that there is a fundamental inward bent to all of Christian ethics. Much of the history of morality has emphasized the outward actions of individuals, which leads to all sorts of moral predicaments; questions about the worth of the individual in comparison to the greater good of all, questions about the importance of the motivation behind the action, questions about the conformity to an absolute standard or a mutually agreed upon social standard, ad infinitum; Jesus brilliantly cuts through all of this. The issue for Jesus is never the outward action, but the inner reality. Is the heart turned towards God and others in love? Is the tree fundamentally ‘good?’**
When this same outlook is applied to the conversation on submission we see that there must therefore be a difference between submission and mere obedience. Obedience to a set of rules is very different from a heartfelt pursuit of the internalization of those rules. Obedience to the commands of an individual is a very different thing than coming under that person to serve their needs, to build them up, to learn from them, to desire their ultimate good, in a word, to submit.
What we see is that it is possible to obey an individual without submitting to them, to obey without loving them, to obey without taking responsibility for our own actions, to obey without serving them; obedience can be given with gritted teeth, submission comes only and always from a willing heart.
It is not obedience that we are called to, but rather submission; and this is the greater and more expansive call, it is the call of Christ.
*It is important to note that, by 'authority over us' I do not intend that all people should have a 'pastor' who 'teaches' them. I fail to see this as a real source of authority on a spiritual level, it is rather authority on an intellectual level. When I speak of being 'under' authority, I am speaking primarily of a mentor or spiritual advisor. There must be the relational connection for the authority to be truly functioning on a spiritual level. It is good to have authoritative sources for sound teaching in our lives, however, this fails to amount to the submission that is the call of Christ on all of His followers. Submission to a teaching is much easier than submission to a person. In submitting to another we learn selflessness, in submitting to a teaching it is even possible to reinforce selfishness, as we often gain a sense of self-importance through increased knowledge.
**Of course, we must never make the mistake of believing that actions therefore have no part of Christian life. (Luke 6:43-49) Jesus is unequivocal on this point, our actions will flow out of our heart, and this will reveal the true nature of our hearts. A heart of love for God and others will not be capable of producing evil actions, a ‘good’ tree will produce ‘good’ fruit.
More to come…
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