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The Paradox of the Microsubmission

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Hi Friends,

The term microaggression is not a favorite of mine since I believe we are called to overlook offenses (Proverbs 19:11), but the term undoubtedly planted the seed for a new one that occurred to me on Sunday.

Our sermon, based on Psalm 100, was excellent. I particularly liked the teaching on verse 3 which says, “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”

My pastor said, “We are not our own.” As I was taking notes, that’s when the new term came to me: microsubmission. We should regularly acknowledge that we are not our own. We are His. We are sheep. We are His sheep. These acknowledgments are microsubmissions. We should be in church each week to worship and to acknowledge we are His. We should wake up each day, thanking the Lord for a new day, acknowledging that we are His and that He loves us with an unquenchable love.

On a different, but somewhat related note, I think we can apply the microsubmission principle to many aspects of our lives. It is useful to remind ourselves that the world is not about us. We are here to be like Jesus — to serve, not to be served. We are here to treat others well, often swallowing our own pride to do it: microsubmission. We are called to forgive others as we have been forgiven which can be a microsubmission, or it can be a daily battle only accomplished through the Holy Spirit.

Every time I visit the South, I am reminded of how much I admire good manners. It’s not just about pleasantries; it is a posture of the heart to treat others with the utmost respect. It’s a microsubmission and one I wish was more widely valued. The act of the will to use formal manners requires you to surrender a tiny little piece of your pride. What could be more worthy of practice? Plus good manners, a smile, and an ability to converse make encounters with strangers delightful. Why did we ever get away from teaching formal manners?

The parent/child relationship can be sanctifying in all sorts of ways. We understand a tiny bit about how God loves us when have a baby. We understand a little bit about how God knows better than we do. We understand a minuscule fraction of Jesus’ willingness to die for us. The sanctification can go the other way as well. Submitting to parents in obedience and in the microsubmission of using respectful manners helps a child maintain a soft heart and a godly reverence for rightful authority.

We know that in the end, every knee will bow. In my Bible reading plan I am in Ezekiel. It’s a tough book. There’s a lot of judgment, a whole lot of judgment. But the phrase “Then they will know that I am God” appears more than twenty times. If our microsubmissions are daily, even hourly, doesn’t it make sense that we have an advantage? No one can stand in front of our Holy, Perfect, Almighty God. We can live into that ultimate reality by practicing now.

As an aside, maybe you are not a Christian. Maybe the the idea of submitting to God is off-putting to you. I want you to know that the God of the Bible is so full of love that even our praise, worship and submission ultimately benefit us. The happiest people I’ve ever known are the ones who praise, worship, obey and submit the best. Yes, it may sound paradoxical, but as G.K. Chesterton said, “Paradox is indeed at the heart of Christianity, for it is precisely the paradoxical shape of its doctrines that allows it to answer deep and philosophical problems.”

The least will be greatest, the last will be first. Justice and Mercy met on the Cross. And submission is joyful freedom.

With Love,

Kristie

Tacos, Piper and MacArthur

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A few months ago I told my sister-in-law Sara about a taco place I like to go to after church.  She said something like, “You have an after-church taco place everywhere you live.”  It’s funny because she’s right.  I have never thought about it before.  I mean every day is a great day for tacos.  But Sunday is the best day of the week and so it only makes sense that tacos would make a strong Sunday showing.  Honestly, if Sundays are not your very favorite day of the week by a landslide, I think you are doing it wrong.

Yesterday my taco place sign said, “It’s okay to fall apart sometimes – tacos do and we still love them.”  Maybe that doesn’t seem especially thought-provoking, but on Saturday I watched this little clip of John Piper speaking at John MacArthur’s funeral.  In the clip, Piper acknowledges that he is a melancholy type – sometimes not even being able to explain away his blues.  Evidently, this was so far from MacArthur’s own experience that he found it baffling.  One time he said he didn’t have time to get discouraged.  He just moved on to the next thing.

So here’s my question:  Who’s right?  The taco sign?  It’s fine for us to fall apart .  Or is MacArthur right?  We should be too busy to get depressed.   Obviously, God created us all.  Some of us are naturally more Fall-Apart-Pipers, while others are more Press-On-MacArthurs.  But I fear our culture has normalized the falling apart and discounted the wisdom of pressing on.  The mindset of incessantly asking about how one is feeling is not healthy.  Working hard is healthy.  Maybe counselors need to more often trumpet the MacArthur view. 

I’d like to imagine a counselor, at least once, saying, “You know what your problem is?  You have too much time for navel-gazing.  You don’t need an Rx.  You need manual labor.  How about spending Saturday doing yardwork for Gramma?”   

Maybe that sounds a little harsh, but who do you know that has truly benefitted from more introspection? I know for sure that obsessing about my own thoughts and feelings has never proven beneficial for me.  I know for sure doing something for someone else has helped me.  I know for sure that the Bible says give all our worries to Jesus and to turn our eyes to him.  (1 Peter 5:7, Hebrews 12:2).

Obviously we are not aiming to have hard rock shells that never crumble — as believers we have hearts of flesh, not stone (Ezekiel 36:26).  But if we trust God’s plan for our life, maintain an eternal perspective and rest in Jesus’ completed work, falling apart should the exception, just like it is for the best tacos!

With Love,

Kristie

The Sun Rises

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Hi Friends,

Will and I went to the gym this morning and then I took a short walk on the beach to see this sunrise. God is so good to give me such a lovely morning to ponder this new era of my life.

His kindness to me feels so tender and loving. Yesterday we visited a church in Tuscaloosa that ended up being too far from campus to be a regular choice, but the sermon felt like it was just for me. It was exactly what I needed to hear and probably the only time I will ever be there.

We stopped on the way back to campus to take a few pictures along the river. There was only one other person at the park, a woman named Erma, sitting there studying Ephesians. Sweet Erma took pictures of the three of us and wished us well.

On the way to the airport Will and I hit a favorite lunch spot, and chatted about new things we might do as empty nesters. Our connecting flight in Atlanta was delayed and so we hit the SkyClub. We do not travel that much, but wonder of wonders the gentlemen who was checking us into the lounge was a guy named Eddie. We know Eddie! In May of 2024, Eddie helped us get to graduation at University of Tennessee despite some crazy cancellations and delays. He remembered us too. What are the chances that this sweet man would be part of our firstborn’s graduation story AND our youngest son’s send off?

Yesterday I got quite a few texts of friends checking on me. I felt prayed for and loved in so many ways. As the sun rises on this new season, I am filled with gratitude for how God has felt so present in the details. I’m in awe that the grace upon grace that has marked my life never seems to fade.

And yet I know that change of this magnitude is not diminished by a few sweet little details and a gorgeous morning. Just nine days ago we attended a funeral of a man who spiraled into a depression when his only child went to college, and I can sympathize. Change is hard. When I lost my brother Craig in 2002 I felt like having an infant son to care for was the best thing for me. The sweetness of a darling but needy baby forces you to put one foot in front of the other, to march on. And major change, even when it’s happy change, can also require resolve. Yesterday’s sermon was about making every effort. That’s going to be my mantra these next few months, as I try to finish some writing projects before I go get a real job.

As the pastor said yesterday — in essence — there is power to make every effort. We can tap into that power by knowing and relying on God’s “precious and very great promises.”

What “precious and very great promises” do you especially need to meditate on today?

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises… 2 Peter 1:3-4a

Blessings,

Kristie

A Wedding, a Birthday and Sweet Home Alabama

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Hi Friends,

Hi Friends,

I haven’t written much lately with lots of summer travel and some big things happening.

Last weekend our oldest son got engaged. It’s impossible convey all that we love about our future daughter but I’ll share a few tidbits. One time, when we still lived in Tennessee, we drove up to Knoxville to take them to dinner. When they arrived at the restaurant her hair was still wet and she didn’t have an ounce of make-up on. The two of them had just beaten a male duo at spikeball. Her effortless beauty, insane athleticism, chill vibe and infectious laugh immediately set an insurmountable bar. But the years since have only given us more reasons to adore her.

Today is our middle son’s 22nd birthday. It’s the first birthday he is not with us. Fortunately we will see him this coming week as we move him in at Auburn where he will be a graduate assistant and earn his masters in accounting.

From Auburn we’ll go on to Tuscaloosa and drop off our baby. If you think of me next Sunday please pray for me. I am 100% thrilled about how things have fallen into place but I am also mourning the end of an incredibly sweet era.

One thing I have been thinking about amidst the blessing of these milestones is how I need to do better with deeper Bible study. The last couple of years I have been faithful in my reading plan, and being renewed by the whole counsel of God is important, obviously. But I have struggled with also doing deeper contemplation on a consistent basis. But God, in His mercy, has made it clear what I am missing: memorization.

Years ago I used to memorize Scripture in part because I could then contemplate Truth even while supervising my young sons playing outside. When you have Scripture in your mind, you are never without it. My husband sent this John Piper podcast in our family group chat last week. It is so good and makes the case for committing verses or chapters to memory, which my husband has been remarkably faithful with the last few years.

So, I am vowing, in this new season which presents an odd tension between busyness and empty nesting, to memorize more Scripture. I am starting with Isaiah 55.

One of my favorite parts of this chapter says:

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

May we all go out in JOY, be lead in PEACE and know that even if we fail to praise the Lord the trees clap their hands and the rocks cry out to give Him glory!

With Love,

Kristie

The First 200 Days

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Hi Friends,

How’s your summer going? Did you know tomorrow marks the 200th day of the year? I know this because my Bible reading plan numbers the days, and by God’s grace I have kept up with my reading and just finished the book of Proverbs yesterday. There is so much wisdom in Proverbs. It’s almost hard to fathom that an ancient author could possibly have advice on such a wide range of topics. I find it impossible to believe that these words are merely human.

The devotional writer Paul David Tripp says that the “Fear of God — life shaping, worship-producing, and obedience-motivating awe of God — is the only thing that can capture our heart and has the capacity to give us life.” We can look around and see the foundational truth of Proverbs lived out — the beginning of wisdom is this fear of God. Those who truly allow their lives to be shaped by God, those who worship and obey Him tend towards wisdom.

But I find it interesting that we also have a very strong sense of right and wrong even without wisdom. The awful Coldplay concert outing is proof of that. Who doesn’t see that and feel sick? You don’t need an ounce of wisdom to recognize that sin has led these people to act like fools, and that this foolishness will result in all kinds of pain.

Instead of rejoicing over it, we are called to mourn with those who mourn and to examine our own lives for the kinds of folly that could lead to such destruction. Examine our hearts, Lord. Help us to remain on the narrow path. As Tripp puts it, “Because sin reduces us to fools, the greatest danger in our lives is inside of us.” That’s a sobering thought, but the great news is that God’s love for us is never based on merit. It is a free gift. He is there at all times waiting for us to turn to him, promising a robe of righteousness bought by Jesus. The robe is ever available for me, for you, and all concert goers.

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9 (ESV).

There’s nothing like a clean slate — praise God His mercies truly are new every morning!

With Love,

Kristie

Peopled Out

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Hi Friends,

I feel bad saying this, but sometimes I get peopled out. My day-to-day life is pretty quiet. Some might even describe it as dull. And then on rare occasions, I have one social engagement after another. I wish these events could be evenly distributed. I think I would be better at socializing if these things didn’t tend to get stacked up. Living in Florida, people want to visit in the spring. I would too. It’s incredible. But I wish people would visit…not all at once.

In the last two weeks, I have seen a slew of people I love. On June 25, Will and I drove up to Orlando to have dinner with his two best friends from childhood, one of whom lives in Texas. Their wives are wonderful and I loved being with them. It was such a sweet night. Two days later, we flew to Michigan and stayed with my sister and her husband and son. My cousin and her daughter swung by too. The next day, we hung out with my best friend from sixth grade, and then we landed at our vacation spot, where I am related, somewhat distantly, with a fantastic crew of probably fifty people. A few hours after we checked in, my niece arrived with her four children, all seven and under. I adore these people. The ten-month-old baby fell asleep on me and really, what is better? Plus, all my guys were there. We had fun plans to see some beautiful places and also chill on the beach. I want to be thankful for every minute, but the truth is I get peopled out. My social battery, as one of my sons puts it, gets depleted. Add any element of hurt feelings (kind of inevitable every once in a while) and I crave some time alone.

But God has a sense of humor. On Thursday afternoon, my last day in Michigan, I found myself with a book on a bench outside of a library. I sat down and exhaled like it was a spa. The sun was shining. A gentle breeze was blowing, intermittently. But before I got through a chapter, an older woman came and sat, too. She struck up a conversation by commenting on my tan. Ninety minutes later I had not read another word, but this woman, Linda, felt like a dear friend. Her husband passed away unexpectedly at the end of May. She was in the midst of unbearable grief and I hope I provided some encouragement. She told me some hilarious stories as well, and I oddly walked away feeling lighter. Somehow the old social battery wasn’t as dead as I thought. Or Linda somehow charged it.

Either way it was further proof of the Proverb: “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9).

Making a new friend was not at all what I thought I needed, but God knew. I am going to send Linda a book or two on grief, if you happen to have any good recommendations.

With Love,

Kristie

The One-on-One Era

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Hi Friends,

I hope you are having a fabulous start to the summer! In 2024 my oldest son graduated from college and we ended up doing a seventeen day stretch together, spanning a wedding in Virginia, Olympic Trials in Indiana, and a family vacation in Michigan. We were mostly with lots of friends and family, but had quite a bit of one-on-one time amidst those seventeen days driving from place to place.

This year my middle son graduated from college and although we didn’t do much of a multi-state tour, we did have some sweet one-on-one time. One day we drove to Fort Lauderdale (just an hour south), hopped on a high speed ferry and spent the day in the Bahamas. The weather was perfect, the seas were calm and we will never forget it.

This new era with our sons being in three different places this fall feels like an invitation to make special memories with just them. Whether Will and I both pop in for the weekend, or I go for just a night, I can envision doing things that each would specifically enjoy. It’s fantastic when we can all be together but I hope to make the most of this new season.

Plus, it’s biblical. God has made us in His image but also as individuals, uniquely reflective of His glory. We should love and affirm our sons as the one-of-a-kind men that they are.

Do you find it easier to engage with loved ones as a group or one-on-one? We can always grow in the grace of loving others by more fully understanding how we are loved without condition and beyond all measure.

This passage from Ephesians 3 conveys such tender, one-on-one love from a faithful God.

“…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith — that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may filled with all the fullness of God.”

May we be rooted and grounded in Love that surpasses knowledge enabling us to pour into others!

With Love,

Kristie

P.S. The throwback is from ten years ago today — the last day of school in 2015. The beach picture is from Bimini on May 28th.

Rock On! or Mock On!

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Hi Friends,

I have had a busy few weeks. We attended graduation at Georgia, I finished my little teaching job (although I absolutely loved it, I am praying about what’s next because as an empty nester I should probably work more than two days a week). I’ve been spending quite a bit of time with Nate who leaves in a few days for his internship in Atlanta. Then this weekend we had the whole Jackson Five together, which is always a tremendous gift. One of my favorite things in the whole world is to drift off to sleep while hearing the brothers laugh together in the next room. Is there a better lullaby?

This morning, before we headed to church together (The Jackson Five at our beloved little church is another favorite of mine), I was reading from my Everyday Gospel Bible in the Book of Job. A line from Chapter 21 was an odd epiphany. Do you ever read a verse you have definitely read multiple times in the past and yet it hits hard, as if you have never in your life heard it? This is the line spoken by Job: “Bear with me, and I will speak, and after I have spoken, mock on.” In other words, “Let me speak my piece, but then mock me all you want.” My epiphany was that this is one of THE problems that plagues our culture in the 21st Century. People are so concerned about what others think. Mockery is avoided at all costs.

This should not be. We should not care in the least if the culture mocks us, or even, at times, our so-called friends. If the last five years have proven anything, it is the absurdity of groupthink. Could the majority be more wrong than they were in 2020? Who would want to fit in with that crowd? Yet it was not a unique era. It is a common occurrence for the majority to be dead wrong. We need to be committed to praying for wisdom and discernment and to saturate our thinking with the Word of God. The prevailing view may sometimes align with the straight and narrow path that God calls us to, but we shouldn’t be surprised if that alignment is rare.

Mantras like “You do you,” or “Rock on” affirm your chosen path, but “Mock on” acknowledges that there is a right path. You can mock me, Job says, my life may be in shambles, but “My Redeemer lives!”

Your Redeemer lives. Even the laughter of loved ones as a lullaby cannot compare to this truth.

With Love,

Kristie

The Making of a Commencement Speech

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Hi Friends,

I’ve been feeling a little run down this week. I sound like I’ve screamed my head off at a hockey game or something, but I haven’t. Then yesterday I had a terrible headache all day. Maybe it’s natural after last weekend. My 21-year-old son, Nate, graduated from The University of Georgia, which he did in just three years. This required a ton of hard work and was only possible because he started college with more than 25 credit hours from AP classes. Plus it was Mother’s Day. There was a lot of celebrating and a lot of roadtripping.

We heard two commencement speeches, one for the Terry College of Business and one for the whole school. Both of them were quite good. Both referenced Scripture — one gave the verse and reference, the other just used the wisdom without acknowledging that it came from the Bible. It made me realize the formula for a great commencement speech is to share a few personal stories, the funnier and more self-deprecating the better, and then share some biblical wisdom. A pastor once said a good sermon is just telling a joke and running to the Cross. But it applies beyond the pulpit because laughing is not just medicine — it’s heart-softening balm. It prepares you to receive truth and hope. Colleges should only platform speakers who can be funny. After the audience is softened up with a few laughs, then the speaker can share a few worthy points to ponder. Have you ever noticed that it is practically impossible to share a worthwhile message that is not somewhere in the Bible?

Yet many people do not look to the Bible for wisdom. In fact, there are people who treat the Bible as irrelevant for life in the 21st Century. What a profound victory for darkness to convince whole groups of people to avoid cracking open God’s Word. I am praying this morning for my friends who never read the Bible. May they have an openness to reading even just The Book of John and Proverbs.

And let’s be honest too about the results of ignoring God’s Word in the earliest stages of life. The cute photo above is Nate on Wednesday holding his birthday twin and second cousin, Bennett. Like Nate, this little baby isn’t being raised in a household that believes that children should figure out the truth for themselves. Hopefully the world is waking up to the horrifying effects of that nonsense. No, Bennett is being raised in a home where biblical wisdom is a part of daily life. He is being pointed to the truth with love. He is prayed over and cherished as wonderfully and uniquely made.

Maybe in 21 short years I’ll attend Bennett’s college graduation and hear a few fun tidbits and a message that sprints to the Cross. Maybe Nate will give the address. That wouldn’t surprise me at all.

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1b-2.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Love,

Kristie

Jackson Five Friday: Alabama Edition

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Hi Friends,

Intra-familial sports rivalries have been part of our family culture for a long time, but we’ve decided to up our game a bit. You may wonder — with an University of Tennessee graduate and an University of Georgia graduate (as of a week from today) – – how we could possibly turn up the heat, but we’ve found a way.

This fall Nate will be a graduate assistant at Auburn University while he earns a Masters of Accounting. Sam will be up down the road a bit as a Blount Scholar at the University of Alabama. I’m excited about us all converging in Alabama this fall to cheer on whichever team is playing. I will never stop singing lots of Rocky Top, and my Georgia Bulldogs won the football championship Nate’s freshman year. Still, I am willing to spread my SEC love.

The truth is, being an Auburn fan is not exactly new for me. If you’ve ever been there you know: it’s a special place. Likewise, the University of Alabama has an incredibly beautiful campus and the program Sam is doing is perfect for him. Plus, I realized on my visit to Tennessee in February that I really do miss the South and its alluring charm. Next month marks a full three years in Florida and while I never tire of swaying palms and sunshine, I do appreciate a little variation now and then. Lookout Mountain’s four distinct seasons, with just a dash of winter and daffodils by the end of January, made it ideal, but Alabama is similar. So I am excited to be able to combine getting a taste of seasons with seeing my sons.

Some families do not follow sports at all, but for us it has been a fun way to spend time together. Now with 25% of the SEC covered by Jacksons, we are almost guaranteed a winning Saturday every week!

Later this month, I am speaking to a Moms’ group about building a strong family culture. I will probably mention sports, but that won’t be my main focus, obviously. But I’d love to know some of the ways you have bonded with your own family. Are there things that pop to mind immediately? Are there things maybe you wish you had done more of? Or maybe less of? What kinds of things have especially glued you together?

Of course I believe the most important foundation is God and His Word. We are knit more closely together as we grow closer to Jesus. That is just the basic design.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:5-9.

Love,

Kristie

P.S. These fierce logos are my favorites!