We have been working through Ecclesiastes at North Church. It has been really hard because the book is very dark and depressing. Solomon is terribly redundant by saying that everything is meaningless. As I am honest with the text and with myself it leaves me in a dark place as I study to prepare to preach it.
Many times when studying or when I lay down to sleep or when I prepare to go to work or when I speak to my wife and children, I find myself asking why? I ask why on deep and on surface levels. When I lay down to sleep, I ask, "Why did I do what I did today?" When I correct or speak to my kids I ask, "Why am I doing what I am doing as a parent? What am I teaching my kids and how is this going to impact them?"
I stress over my kids, my family, the election, my church, the people who go to my church, the things that the people that go to my church stress over, my weekly sermon, stuff at the office that is left undone, what people at the office think of me and the job that I am doing, the future of North Church. Ecclesiastes leads me to think dark thoughts about these things and the stress that they bring to me.
As I prepare to preach the verses that I will preach this week, I note that they are especially dark and they remind me of my situation. Each of the things that I listed above that bring stress to me are pressing in presently. My mind reals and so I try to pray, but my disheveled mind goes back to carrying that stress like a super heavy backpack, even as I pray.
Then I am reminded of Psalm 131. Three short verses. These three verses are nourishment to my soul. Just as I am being nourished by it, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" pops up on my study playlist.
We serve a faithful God. I would like to invite you to come and explore these ideas with us at 10:00 am this week at North Church (660 Charbonier in Florissant).
Take Courage
32
"Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone ; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
33
"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
Jesus spoke these words prior to going into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray the night before he died.
You will have tribulation, but in Jesus you HAVE peace. Take courage! The Greek word that is translated here as courage here is the marriage of joy and courage. Imagine a boy finished with his homework finished flying out of his front door and bounding down the porch out to play with his best friends on perfect day. Imagine Todd Beamer's state of mind aboard flight 93 and overtaking hijackers.
This is the state of mind that is ours because Jesus has overcome the world.
When hardness of life and uncertainty presses in, remember these words of our Savior.
Take courage, I have overcome the world.
Jesus spoke these words prior to going into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray the night before he died.
You will have tribulation, but in Jesus you HAVE peace. Take courage! The Greek word that is translated here as courage here is the marriage of joy and courage. Imagine a boy finished with his homework finished flying out of his front door and bounding down the porch out to play with his best friends on perfect day. Imagine Todd Beamer's state of mind aboard flight 93 and overtaking hijackers.
This is the state of mind that is ours because Jesus has overcome the world.
When hardness of life and uncertainty presses in, remember these words of our Savior.
Take courage, I have overcome the world.
The Gospel and a New Home
I say that intentionally. I say it because we could never afford a new house. When I say new, I mean that everything in it is new. Only the exterior walls and the sub floor remains from the Thursday before Good Friday. The interior walls, the lighting, the electric, the plumbing, the HVAC, the furniture...all of it is brand new and we could never afford it on our own.
All of that reminds me of grace.
I sit in my dining room as I type this. My dining room used to be a garage with a door that rarely worked and cob webs everywhere. There was a big plastic bin with my kids sports equipment, yard work tools and other junk . There was an old tire to a van I no longer own. Now that space is filled with a huge table and 10 chairs and friends and family. I don't deserve it.
Earlier today I sat on my porch. My porch used to be a small concrete surface with steps that were falling apart. Today, the porch is bigger and is covered. It is more than I deserve.
The walls used to be made of plaster that would fall apart if you ever tried to hang something on them. I always had a fresh jar of plaster patch on a shelf in that worn out garage. But I was never any good at using the plaster patch. I was also never any good at sealing the jar, so I had four or five jars of dried out plaster patch. That really sounds like grace to me. The broken walls that fall apart are gone, the need for me to try to patch the brokenness is gone, the jars of dried out plaster patch found their way into the dumpster.
That dumpster sat in our driveway for 9 months and was filled with yesterday's ruined stuff that was torn down and thrown into the dumpster and hauled off to some land fill. That dumpster reminds me of the cross.
Then there is the kitchen. My bride has always wanted a new kitchen. Our cabinets and drawers used to be part metal and part wood. The wooden parts did not quite shut right and splinters would drop into our silverware drawer all the time. The metal cabinet doors had hinges that were slightly off and the wooden doors never seated properly. The sink leaked and the space below the sink was too small and when I would try to get in there to fix the leaks, my back would hurt for a few days after. Jen got her cabinets and all new appliances too. It is more than we deserve.
All of this reminds me of grace. Many times I just stop and think about all of this and exhale and my mind goes to grace. Traces of grace are all around us. Come by sometime and pop in and ask for the Grace Tour.
Thanks for reading.
Tuesday Link of the Week
This week's Link of the Week is to a .pdf of A.W. Tozer's classic The Pursuit of God.
There are two books that I go back to several times a year. Sometimes I read them all the way through some times I read a few chapters. This is one of those books. It is a classic book that drives the heart to worship and the mind to deep thoughts about God.
Bookmark this link on your computer and on your phone. The chapters are short and can be read in just a few minutes. Visit this link often and enjoy this classic work.
There are two books that I go back to several times a year. Sometimes I read them all the way through some times I read a few chapters. This is one of those books. It is a classic book that drives the heart to worship and the mind to deep thoughts about God.
Bookmark this link on your computer and on your phone. The chapters are short and can be read in just a few minutes. Visit this link often and enjoy this classic work.
Tuesday Link of the Week
This week's link of the week is one of my favorites. It is an interlinear bible. With this link you can type in any Bible verse or series of verses or even entire chapters and it will pull up the Greek or Hebrew version of the verses. Many of the words will have clickable links to the Greek words as well as links to verse that word appears elsewhere in scripture.
This is an extremely valuable tool and it is free.
I want to walk you through a practice of using the link. Romans 5:8 is my favorite verse. As you click on the reference, you will be linked to the page for Romans 5:8. When you are there, click on the word "demonstrates". It will pull up the Greek word Sunistao.
Along the left column you will see the transliterated word and phonetic spelling (you can click on the speaker there and it will pronounce the word for you) and the definition of the word.
Through middle is the Word Origin, you will see that Sunistao comes from two root words. You can click on each to examine definitions and uses of the the root words.
Along the right column is a list of the times in scripture where this word is used. You can see that Sunistao is used a total of 15 times throughout scripture. If you click on the particular book of the Bible, it will bring up each verse in that book where Sunistao appears.
This is a great tool, spend sometime with some of your favorite verses and key words.
Thanks for reading!
This is an extremely valuable tool and it is free.
I want to walk you through a practice of using the link. Romans 5:8 is my favorite verse. As you click on the reference, you will be linked to the page for Romans 5:8. When you are there, click on the word "demonstrates". It will pull up the Greek word Sunistao.
Along the left column you will see the transliterated word and phonetic spelling (you can click on the speaker there and it will pronounce the word for you) and the definition of the word.
Through middle is the Word Origin, you will see that Sunistao comes from two root words. You can click on each to examine definitions and uses of the the root words.
Along the right column is a list of the times in scripture where this word is used. You can see that Sunistao is used a total of 15 times throughout scripture. If you click on the particular book of the Bible, it will bring up each verse in that book where Sunistao appears.
This is a great tool, spend sometime with some of your favorite verses and key words.
Thanks for reading!
Be Transformed
A few times each year, my mind will center around a word or a phrase in scripture. Currently, I my mind is camping on the notion of being transformed.
Romans 12:2 calls us to be transformed. Transformed is the Greek word Metamorphoo. It is the same word that is used when scripture recounts the transfiguration in Matthew 17 when Jesus literally took on a different physical presence.
The definition of the word is to change into a different form. So to be transformed, as we are called to be, is to take on a different form. If we give more than a cursory look at this idea, we realize that it is not something that we are capable of on our own. It is a supernatural act.
To be transformed is the foremost prayer that I am praying for North Church people.
So what does this mean and how does it happen? Romans 12:2 is a natural response to the grace and mercy of God that appears in Romans 11. But to be changed is not something that starts in us, it is a response to the grace and mercy of God. In order to be transformed, we must press into grace, we must long to be transformed, we must engage God through prayer and scripture, we must think and meditate on grace and mercy.
On the other side of transformation lies the joy that motivated Jesus to endure the intensity of the pain of the cross and to condescend the shame of being alone, broken, naked, bleeding and on display for the world to mock.
I am praying for transformation in our husbands as they lead wives. Men, read scripture to your bride and pray with her. Be the catalyst for the transformation in you and in her.
I am praying this sort of transformation for the single population of North Church. "When Jesus was here on the earth, the crowds would follow Him because they saw He gave good things. But that’s not what He wanted. He wanted their hearts for Himself. So He would turn to them and say things like, “If you don’t love Me so much that every other relationship in your life looks like hate by comparison, you can’t follow Me.”(from gracefortheroad.com)
I am praying for transformation in our wives as they submit and fill the role of "Azur" in their marriages. Women, nurture and pray for your husbands and gently ask them to lead you.
I am praying for us all that God would give us a thirst that only He can satisfy. I am praying for that to be a tangible thirst that we feel deep in the back of our throats that makes us noticeably uncomfortable.
Will you join me in these prayers?
Romans 12:2 calls us to be transformed. Transformed is the Greek word Metamorphoo. It is the same word that is used when scripture recounts the transfiguration in Matthew 17 when Jesus literally took on a different physical presence.
The definition of the word is to change into a different form. So to be transformed, as we are called to be, is to take on a different form. If we give more than a cursory look at this idea, we realize that it is not something that we are capable of on our own. It is a supernatural act.
To be transformed is the foremost prayer that I am praying for North Church people.
So what does this mean and how does it happen? Romans 12:2 is a natural response to the grace and mercy of God that appears in Romans 11. But to be changed is not something that starts in us, it is a response to the grace and mercy of God. In order to be transformed, we must press into grace, we must long to be transformed, we must engage God through prayer and scripture, we must think and meditate on grace and mercy.
On the other side of transformation lies the joy that motivated Jesus to endure the intensity of the pain of the cross and to condescend the shame of being alone, broken, naked, bleeding and on display for the world to mock.
I am praying for transformation in our husbands as they lead wives. Men, read scripture to your bride and pray with her. Be the catalyst for the transformation in you and in her.
I am praying this sort of transformation for the single population of North Church. "When Jesus was here on the earth, the crowds would follow Him because they saw He gave good things. But that’s not what He wanted. He wanted their hearts for Himself. So He would turn to them and say things like, “If you don’t love Me so much that every other relationship in your life looks like hate by comparison, you can’t follow Me.”(from gracefortheroad.com)
I am praying for transformation in our wives as they submit and fill the role of "Azur" in their marriages. Women, nurture and pray for your husbands and gently ask them to lead you.
I am praying for us all that God would give us a thirst that only He can satisfy. I am praying for that to be a tangible thirst that we feel deep in the back of our throats that makes us noticeably uncomfortable.
Will you join me in these prayers?
Tuesday Link of the Week
We are bringing back a new feature. It is our Link of the Week. Each Tuesday we will post a link that we think will help, encourage and/or challenge our readers. Be sure to check back each Tuesday and spend sometime with our Link of the Week.
This week is a video of a conversation between John Piper and Tim Keller about sanctification. In the message on Sunday we talked about the process of being transformed and being sanctified. You can listen to the conversation between Keller and Piper here.
The video is 15 minutes long, but well worth it. Take sometime this week to check it out, you might want to have a pen and paper as you do. There are some very good practical helps that you will find in the video.
Thanks for reading.
This week is a video of a conversation between John Piper and Tim Keller about sanctification. In the message on Sunday we talked about the process of being transformed and being sanctified. You can listen to the conversation between Keller and Piper here.
The video is 15 minutes long, but well worth it. Take sometime this week to check it out, you might want to have a pen and paper as you do. There are some very good practical helps that you will find in the video.
Thanks for reading.
A Masterful God
A few years ago, I wrote a devotional for the season of Advent. It was a series of daily readings about love, joy, peace and hope. Each week was about one of those for things and how at Christmas, we celebrated that Jesus came to bring each of them to this world.
The devotional was called "THE COMING". Here is an excerpt::
Joy is not found in the circumstances of your life. Circumstances can change; health can fade, the economy can fall apart, jobs can be lost. If your joy is found in these things, it can fade, fall apart or be lost. The joy that THE COMING of Jesus brought to this world is deeper than that.
Scripture says in 1 Peter that the follower of Christ has an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading. That same passage says that we are strangers in this world and that we were not meant to live in a broken and fallen world. It is a world with death and disease and heartache. But God has given us a hope and a peace that is the epicenter of our joy.
I have a friend named Denny. Denny had a son named Jon who died in a tragic accident just after his junior year of high school. The days and weeks following his death were very difficult on Denny and the rest of his family. I do not remember a father and son closer than Denny and Jon. They were best friends.
As time went by, Denny began to talk about how grateful he was that God gave him the 17 years with Jon and the great memories that would never be lost. He was grateful for the fact they were best friends. There is a lot that Denny likes to talk about in regards to Jon, but this is the most profound for me. Denny doesn’t simply mourn the loss of his son. Denny celebrates his son. Denny celebrates the God who allowed him to spend 17 great years with Jon.
Denny’s joy was not and is not bound by his circumstances. In John 14:6, Jesus calls himself the truth. The definition of the type of truth Jesus uses here is a truth that is unaffected by circumstances. Think of a concrete pillar holding up a great bridge. The waves and boats that pass by do not affect the pillar. This is Jesus. This is the kind of joy THE COMING brought.
If the joy in your life is bound to the circumstances in your life, I invite you to investigate this Jesus that came to bring you real joy that is unaffected by circumstances. Think on that joy – the joy brought by THE COMING of Jesus.
I got a message from Denny's wife (Debbie) tonight saying that Denny had lost his job recently and asked for prayer about it. As she asked me, she found this reading from the devotional.
Take a second to reread the excerpt and thank God for the way he moves in beautiful ways.
May you be blessed tonight with the presence of God.
Thanks for reading.
The devotional was called "THE COMING". Here is an excerpt::
Joy is not found in the circumstances of your life. Circumstances can change; health can fade, the economy can fall apart, jobs can be lost. If your joy is found in these things, it can fade, fall apart or be lost. The joy that THE COMING of Jesus brought to this world is deeper than that.
Scripture says in 1 Peter that the follower of Christ has an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading. That same passage says that we are strangers in this world and that we were not meant to live in a broken and fallen world. It is a world with death and disease and heartache. But God has given us a hope and a peace that is the epicenter of our joy.
I have a friend named Denny. Denny had a son named Jon who died in a tragic accident just after his junior year of high school. The days and weeks following his death were very difficult on Denny and the rest of his family. I do not remember a father and son closer than Denny and Jon. They were best friends.
As time went by, Denny began to talk about how grateful he was that God gave him the 17 years with Jon and the great memories that would never be lost. He was grateful for the fact they were best friends. There is a lot that Denny likes to talk about in regards to Jon, but this is the most profound for me. Denny doesn’t simply mourn the loss of his son. Denny celebrates his son. Denny celebrates the God who allowed him to spend 17 great years with Jon.
Denny’s joy was not and is not bound by his circumstances. In John 14:6, Jesus calls himself the truth. The definition of the type of truth Jesus uses here is a truth that is unaffected by circumstances. Think of a concrete pillar holding up a great bridge. The waves and boats that pass by do not affect the pillar. This is Jesus. This is the kind of joy THE COMING brought.
If the joy in your life is bound to the circumstances in your life, I invite you to investigate this Jesus that came to bring you real joy that is unaffected by circumstances. Think on that joy – the joy brought by THE COMING of Jesus.
I got a message from Denny's wife (Debbie) tonight saying that Denny had lost his job recently and asked for prayer about it. As she asked me, she found this reading from the devotional.
Take a second to reread the excerpt and thank God for the way he moves in beautiful ways.
May you be blessed tonight with the presence of God.
Thanks for reading.
Sex, Culture, Bible
I read a Tweet from Darrin Patrick the other day. "When tempted
to harshly judge others, remember that all of us violate our own convictions
with embarrassing regularity." I am not sure Darrin was tweeting about the homosexuality/gay marriage issue that is such a hot discussion point or not. But it connects in the conversation.
Starting this week at North Church we will take the next three weeks to tackle this issue. We will not say all that needs to be said on the matter. We probably will ask more question than we answer. We will be faithful to what the Bible says. Even if you are not a believer in the authority of the Bible, we invite you to come and hear an honest declaration of what it has to say on the matter.
The Bible is not about
ethics or morality. This series is not about sexual ethics, it is about a God
who loves us and has provided a means to know him and live life in a
relationship with him, the way we were created to be. This whole question that
culture is asking about sexuality and gay marriage and first amendment and
everything else can send us into the fray and get drawn into an argument about
sexual ethics.
For the Christian, I want to add this...God has called us to be salt and light in this world. As
such, I want to use this current debate to bring to the forefront the grand
meta-narrative that God is telling about his love for us and how he has overcome
our failures. God seeks to leave no one in the margins and alone.
Tim Keller Wisdom on Marriage
"...determine to see your own selfishness as a fundamental problem and to treat it more seriously that you do your spouse's. Why? You only have complete access to your own selfishness, and only you have complete responsibility for it. So each spouse should take the Bible seriously, should make a commitment to "give yourself up." You should stop making excuses for your selfishness, you should begin to root it out as it's being revealed to you, and you should do so regardless of what your spouse is doing. If tow spouses each say, 'I'm going to treat my self-centeredness as the main problem in the marriage,' you have the prospect of a great marriage."
Timothy Keller
Man, if we could also embrace this notion! Marriage, as God intended it, is the greatest tool to teach us about how we relate to Jesus and how Jesus relates to us. In Ephesians 5:32 Paul calls this a Mega Mystery.
It is my prayer for your the marriages of North Church.
Timothy Keller
Man, if we could also embrace this notion! Marriage, as God intended it, is the greatest tool to teach us about how we relate to Jesus and how Jesus relates to us. In Ephesians 5:32 Paul calls this a Mega Mystery.
It is my prayer for your the marriages of North Church.
Ephesians 5:21 tells us to be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
I know that I preached on this verse this morning. But my mind is stirred to think, pray and blog about it. It is so crucial for the Christian who is serious about his faith.
It appears in Ephesians when Paul is writing to a young church (in terms of the age of the church, not the people in the church). Paul is writing to tell them how to BE. In this particular part, he is warning his readers that they live in a evil time and that as such, the need to walk wisely. He goes on to tell us to be subject because of what Jesus has done.
This word that is translated as subject is the transliterated Greek word hupotasso. It is a compound word that is in part the preposition under and the word that means to place in order. If we were to place names in alphabetical order, we would be those named Allen in front of those named Baker. So in alphabetical order, Baker would be hupotasso to Allen by virtue of A coming before B.
This is scratching the surface of the beauty of this verse. We WILLINGLY place ourselves under one another. We do so because of Christ.
Jesus had every right and authority to demand worship at any time. He was and is God. But we know that Jesus did not cling to His rights as God but made Himself nothing. Instead He became obedient to the point of death even when we were rejecting Him.
More than that, Paul does not use the name Jesus, but instead uses the office that Jesus held. He uses Christ. Christ is not Jesus' name, it is the office that He held. Christ means the anointed one sent by God, as God, to empty Himself of His rights as God to die an awful death so that our inescapable predicament might be overcome.
In short, hupotasso. Because we have seen and experienced the hupotasso of Jesus. That is what informs, motivates and dictates our hupotasso.
My prayer for myself and for those God has given me charge to shepherd is that we would be daily reminded of this and seize moments to willing place ourselves under one another.
As always, thanks for reading.
I know that I preached on this verse this morning. But my mind is stirred to think, pray and blog about it. It is so crucial for the Christian who is serious about his faith.
It appears in Ephesians when Paul is writing to a young church (in terms of the age of the church, not the people in the church). Paul is writing to tell them how to BE. In this particular part, he is warning his readers that they live in a evil time and that as such, the need to walk wisely. He goes on to tell us to be subject because of what Jesus has done.
This word that is translated as subject is the transliterated Greek word hupotasso. It is a compound word that is in part the preposition under and the word that means to place in order. If we were to place names in alphabetical order, we would be those named Allen in front of those named Baker. So in alphabetical order, Baker would be hupotasso to Allen by virtue of A coming before B.
This is scratching the surface of the beauty of this verse. We WILLINGLY place ourselves under one another. We do so because of Christ.
Jesus had every right and authority to demand worship at any time. He was and is God. But we know that Jesus did not cling to His rights as God but made Himself nothing. Instead He became obedient to the point of death even when we were rejecting Him.
More than that, Paul does not use the name Jesus, but instead uses the office that Jesus held. He uses Christ. Christ is not Jesus' name, it is the office that He held. Christ means the anointed one sent by God, as God, to empty Himself of His rights as God to die an awful death so that our inescapable predicament might be overcome.
In short, hupotasso. Because we have seen and experienced the hupotasso of Jesus. That is what informs, motivates and dictates our hupotasso.
My prayer for myself and for those God has given me charge to shepherd is that we would be daily reminded of this and seize moments to willing place ourselves under one another.
As always, thanks for reading.
Gospel, gospel, gospel
The word "Gospel" has become a word crutch. What I mean is that when you can't think of something to say, you say "Gospel". I am guilty of this in my preaching many times and in my conversation about spiritual things even more.
We hear about gospel centered Bible studies, gospel centered mission, gospel center relationships. All of this leads to confusion and serves to move us away from the actual gospel.
That being said, my favorite teacher on the subject of the gospel is Matt Chandler and he came with a book recently called, "The Explicit Gospel". I picked up a copy with the above two paragraphs in mind and sort of fed up with our fascination and misuse of the term. But, it was Chandler, so I bought it and gave it a read.
This whole blog post is about me asking you to go get this book and read every word. Please, go here and get a copy. They are also on sale at Lifeway.
I have been reading this book in the park this week during my lunch hour. Every time, as I walk back to my office, I find myself thanking God for the gospel and for Matt Chandler.
Thanks for reading.
We hear about gospel centered Bible studies, gospel centered mission, gospel center relationships. All of this leads to confusion and serves to move us away from the actual gospel.
That being said, my favorite teacher on the subject of the gospel is Matt Chandler and he came with a book recently called, "The Explicit Gospel". I picked up a copy with the above two paragraphs in mind and sort of fed up with our fascination and misuse of the term. But, it was Chandler, so I bought it and gave it a read.
This whole blog post is about me asking you to go get this book and read every word. Please, go here and get a copy. They are also on sale at Lifeway.
I have been reading this book in the park this week during my lunch hour. Every time, as I walk back to my office, I find myself thanking God for the gospel and for Matt Chandler.
Thanks for reading.
Men, husbands and sacrifice
A recent post on Facebook got a bit of attention and I have had some men talk to me recently saying they desire to be a better husband. It is also a big purpose for my life to lead men to be better husbands and fathers.
With that in my consciousness, I read this excerpt from The Explicit Gospel today. "The hard-won lesson I've learned in marriage, something I'm very grateful for knowing now, is that there are some thing in my wife's heart and some struggles she faces in life that I cannot fix. It doesn't matter how romantic I am; it doesn't matter how loving I am; it doesn't matter how many flowers I send, or if I write her poetry, or if I clean the kitchen, or if I take the kids and let her go have girl time- I am powerless to fix Lauren (Matt's wife).
Doing all those things to minister to her are right and good, but there are things in my girl I just can't fix, things that are between her and the Lord. Just like there are things in me that she can't love me enough to overcome. But the only way I would ever have learned this is the try, try, try- try to fix her, let her try to fix me and then watch the escalating conflict that takes place when we try to do that."
This excerpt comes from a chapter where Chandler is talking about the Old Testament sacrificial system and manipulating God or earning something from Him. All of those things that he lists in this excerpt are things that I have told men to do, they are things that I strive to do for Jen on a consistent basis. But many times when we do these things we do them out of self centered motives. When they are rooted there, they are worthless. In fact, they are worse that worthless they are counter productive. These actions flow out of a desire that is birthed by the gospel. Don't quit reading now, this is the important part.
The spiritual well being and communion of her heart with God is the primary focus of our husbandhood. The spiritual well being of my bride and her pure communion with the Father is at the center of my ministry. What I mean is that there is nothing more important in what I do that the spiritual well being and pure communion with the Father. Preaching, parenting, vision casting for church, teaching Bible studies, leading men, blogging, and anything else I spend my time doing are secondary at best to that one thing. Because I know this and because I preach it to myself 20 times a day, it has become part of me.
So I spend my day in prayer for my bride. Prayer is not always, "Dear God...blah blah blah...Amen." Many times it is just carrying burdens, a thought directed to the Spirit of God or just thinking about her in a prayerful mindset. I also have a longing in me as a result to read scripture to her as we go to sleep each night. These things usually turn me into the sort of husband who does the things that Chandler listed in the excerpt above.
Take a moment now to pray for your wife and pray for God to put her on your heart to pray for without ceasing.
Thanks for reading.
With that in my consciousness, I read this excerpt from The Explicit Gospel today. "The hard-won lesson I've learned in marriage, something I'm very grateful for knowing now, is that there are some thing in my wife's heart and some struggles she faces in life that I cannot fix. It doesn't matter how romantic I am; it doesn't matter how loving I am; it doesn't matter how many flowers I send, or if I write her poetry, or if I clean the kitchen, or if I take the kids and let her go have girl time- I am powerless to fix Lauren (Matt's wife).
Doing all those things to minister to her are right and good, but there are things in my girl I just can't fix, things that are between her and the Lord. Just like there are things in me that she can't love me enough to overcome. But the only way I would ever have learned this is the try, try, try- try to fix her, let her try to fix me and then watch the escalating conflict that takes place when we try to do that."
This excerpt comes from a chapter where Chandler is talking about the Old Testament sacrificial system and manipulating God or earning something from Him. All of those things that he lists in this excerpt are things that I have told men to do, they are things that I strive to do for Jen on a consistent basis. But many times when we do these things we do them out of self centered motives. When they are rooted there, they are worthless. In fact, they are worse that worthless they are counter productive. These actions flow out of a desire that is birthed by the gospel. Don't quit reading now, this is the important part.
The spiritual well being and communion of her heart with God is the primary focus of our husbandhood. The spiritual well being of my bride and her pure communion with the Father is at the center of my ministry. What I mean is that there is nothing more important in what I do that the spiritual well being and pure communion with the Father. Preaching, parenting, vision casting for church, teaching Bible studies, leading men, blogging, and anything else I spend my time doing are secondary at best to that one thing. Because I know this and because I preach it to myself 20 times a day, it has become part of me.
So I spend my day in prayer for my bride. Prayer is not always, "Dear God...blah blah blah...Amen." Many times it is just carrying burdens, a thought directed to the Spirit of God or just thinking about her in a prayerful mindset. I also have a longing in me as a result to read scripture to her as we go to sleep each night. These things usually turn me into the sort of husband who does the things that Chandler listed in the excerpt above.
Take a moment now to pray for your wife and pray for God to put her on your heart to pray for without ceasing.
Thanks for reading.
Pulling Weeds
A couple of nights ago my wife and I got into a fight. I could tell you about the details of the fight, but I would rather tell you about the root of the fight and the lesson God taught me in it.
After the fight blew up, I went outside to our back patio to sit and be angry. The anger gave way to the Spirit of God nudging me to my failings as a husband and pastor in the midst of the fight. That gave way to prayers of repentance. That gave way to me seeking find a way to serve my wife.
In the midst of all that I read the Bible on my phone. I began reading James. Specifically James 1:12-20 with special emphasis on James 1:19-20. The anger of a man does not produce the righteousness of God. This leveled me. I talk to my wife and the people who God has given me to pastor about loving their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. I say this often. Yet here I was yelling in anger at her trying to get her to see things my way. The anger of a man does not produce the righteousness of God.
So after this leveling, I start looking for something to do to serve her. I am outside sitting on the patio. Many who read this know that my house was hit by a tornado about a year ago and we just moved back in about 2 months ago. That meant the flower beds that border our patio have had no attention in 12 months. So I start pulling weeds. Did I mention that it is midnight? I have my phone's flashlight rigged up to shine on the area and I start digging weeds.
As I do, my mind goes to this idea. I have enjoyed the fruit of my marriage for a long time with little to know work on pulling the weeds. So now instead of colorful flowers in the flower bed, there are weeds and glass from broken windows from the tornado scattered around the flower bed.
Scriptures calls men to be to their wives as Christ was the to the church. Scripture calls us to act as Christ did by not clinging to our rights but instead to take on the nature of a servant.
My lesson is this, I have to engage in the continual practice of repentance and removing sin from my heart. This is a tweet that sent out that night in the middle of the literal and spiritual weed pulling, "Simply enjoying the provision of God w/o engaging the pruning work of repentance will leave your soul filled with weeds. #firsthandknowledge"
Thanks for reading.
After the fight blew up, I went outside to our back patio to sit and be angry. The anger gave way to the Spirit of God nudging me to my failings as a husband and pastor in the midst of the fight. That gave way to prayers of repentance. That gave way to me seeking find a way to serve my wife.
In the midst of all that I read the Bible on my phone. I began reading James. Specifically James 1:12-20 with special emphasis on James 1:19-20. The anger of a man does not produce the righteousness of God. This leveled me. I talk to my wife and the people who God has given me to pastor about loving their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. I say this often. Yet here I was yelling in anger at her trying to get her to see things my way. The anger of a man does not produce the righteousness of God.
So after this leveling, I start looking for something to do to serve her. I am outside sitting on the patio. Many who read this know that my house was hit by a tornado about a year ago and we just moved back in about 2 months ago. That meant the flower beds that border our patio have had no attention in 12 months. So I start pulling weeds. Did I mention that it is midnight? I have my phone's flashlight rigged up to shine on the area and I start digging weeds.
As I do, my mind goes to this idea. I have enjoyed the fruit of my marriage for a long time with little to know work on pulling the weeds. So now instead of colorful flowers in the flower bed, there are weeds and glass from broken windows from the tornado scattered around the flower bed.
Scriptures calls men to be to their wives as Christ was the to the church. Scripture calls us to act as Christ did by not clinging to our rights but instead to take on the nature of a servant.
My lesson is this, I have to engage in the continual practice of repentance and removing sin from my heart. This is a tweet that sent out that night in the middle of the literal and spiritual weed pulling, "Simply enjoying the provision of God w/o engaging the pruning work of repentance will leave your soul filled with weeds. #firsthandknowledge"
Thanks for reading.
House Fire :: Update and new needs
Thanks so much to all who have responded to the needs of the Bass Family who lost everything in their rental house to a fire with no insurance. We've raised $1000 and tons of clothes, shoes & toys, etc. I spent several hours with the Bass Family yesterday. They joined us for brunch after church and then I helped them get all the donations to their new temporary residence. Today, Monday, they are moving in with family until the rental house is remodeled. The house they are staying in will have 11 kids (6 of their own) and 4 adults, so it will be a bit crazy for them but they are very thankful to have a place to stay. If any of you ever want to take their kids out for a few hours, they would love it. They have been overwhelmed by the response of many and haven't stopped saying thank you.
Updated needs:
As they receive donations, they are keeping me up to speed on what they still need and no longer need. Here is the updated list of needs:
3 Comforters & Sheets (Twin)
Socks
Under clothes / Underwear (Bras 34a & 36b)
T-shirts
Toys
Food
Boy's shorts (sizes 4, 7, 8, 12)
Girl's shorts (size 5)
Men's shorts (size 32 & 38)
Towels
Washing powder
Ladies clothes size 7 & med tops
Wii video games & controllers for boys
Soap, lotion, toothpaste, etc
School supplies - 4 book bags for kids (3 boy, 1 girl), paper, pencils, notebooks, etc
Clothing sizes: boy's 4T, 7, 8 & 12; girls 5 junior & small tops; men's size 32 pants & medium top. Women's size 6-8 and men's XL
Their greatest need is financial. Carlos has a good job but the time he has had to take off work is unpaid. Tessie does not have a job as a stay-at-home mom, but I'm working with her to try to find a job (if you have any leads let me know).
(Put "house fire" in the designation box)
Here is a link to the previous blog I wrote with the story.
Thanks for being the hands and feet of Jesus to this amazing family! I'll keep you posted!
For His Name!
Dave
dave@northchurchstl.com
Eph 3:20
Updated needs:
As they receive donations, they are keeping me up to speed on what they still need and no longer need. Here is the updated list of needs:
3 Comforters & Sheets (Twin)
Socks
Under clothes / Underwear (Bras 34a & 36b)
T-shirts
Toys
Food
Boy's shorts (sizes 4, 7, 8, 12)
Girl's shorts (size 5)
Men's shorts (size 32 & 38)
Towels
Washing powder
Ladies clothes size 7 & med tops
Wii video games & controllers for boys
Soap, lotion, toothpaste, etc
School supplies - 4 book bags for kids (3 boy, 1 girl), paper, pencils, notebooks, etc
Clothing sizes: boy's 4T, 7, 8 & 12; girls 5 junior & small tops; men's size 32 pants & medium top. Women's size 6-8 and men's XL
Their greatest need is financial. Carlos has a good job but the time he has had to take off work is unpaid. Tessie does not have a job as a stay-at-home mom, but I'm working with her to try to find a job (if you have any leads let me know).
(Put "house fire" in the designation box)
Here is a link to the previous blog I wrote with the story.
Thanks for being the hands and feet of Jesus to this amazing family! I'll keep you posted!
For His Name!
Dave
dave@northchurchstl.com
Eph 3:20
House Fire :: Help a family who lost nearly everything
A family of 8 who live in North St. Louis County had a tragic house fire on Thursday morning, March 29. Thankfully no one was injured but they lost nearly everything due to fire, water or smoke damage. Their living room, kitchen and dining room were salvageable but their bedrooms were a total loss. Carlos and Tessie have 6 children, 5 boys (4, 7, 9, 11, 17) and 1 girl (14). Tessie isn't working right now, and they don't have a lot of extra money for this type of unexpected expense. They have been staying in a hotel, but I don't know how long that arrangement will be in place. When I spoke with Tessie earlier, she said they pretty much need everything, but especially need things for the kids. I am wondering if there is any way you could help them - if you have unused household items or items for the children would you please let us know. We are trying to do as much as we can to help them out - especially by praying for Tessie, Carlos and the 6 kids. Praise God no one was injured in the fire, but all are shaken up and having trouble dealing with this.
Currently their biggest need is a place to live. Also the need for toiletries, everyday items, toys, clothes, money, etc...
Clothing sizes: boy's 4T, 7, 8 & 12; girls 5 junior & small tops; men's size 32 pants & medium top. She says they can use any and all clothing. Women's size 6-8 and men's XL
Shoe sizes: Size 9 toddler (boy), Size 11 ½ kids (boy), Size 2 kids (boy), Size 5 (boy), Adult ladies 7, Adult male 9, Adult ladies 6 ½.
(Put "house fire" in the comment box)
For other donation information please call Dave at 314.504.2864. Thanks to all who have already responded and those who will respond. Above all else please pray for this family in their terrible loss.
In Christ,
Pastor Dave Kuntz
Currently their biggest need is a place to live. Also the need for toiletries, everyday items, toys, clothes, money, etc...
Clothing sizes: boy's 4T, 7, 8 & 12; girls 5 junior & small tops; men's size 32 pants & medium top. She says they can use any and all clothing. Women's size 6-8 and men's XL
Shoe sizes: Size 9 toddler (boy), Size 11 ½ kids (boy), Size 2 kids (boy), Size 5 (boy), Adult ladies 7, Adult male 9, Adult ladies 6 ½.
(Put "house fire" in the comment box)
For other donation information please call Dave at 314.504.2864. Thanks to all who have already responded and those who will respond. Above all else please pray for this family in their terrible loss.
In Christ,
Pastor Dave Kuntz
Financial giving principle #3
3. How you manage your money is a lens into the condition of your heart.
Matthew 6:21 (ESV)
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
It makes sense right? Where a person invests himself shows what he loves most. Time is one way we invest in something. Take sports for example, we invest time in watching, playing, reading and talking about the sports we love. But if you think about it, it's very difficult to invest time into something for very long without eventually investing money into it as well. Before too long we are buying tickets to games, getting the sports cable package, paying to get in a league, buying new equipment, etc. Or take for example dating. You find someone you are interested in and you begin to spend time with that person. The more time you spend with them the more you being to invest financially into that relationship. Why? Because simply going to the park and hanging out talking isn't enough. You want to go on a date, get dinner, go to the movies, get them a gift, etc. Before you know it, you are buying them a ring and a house. It's a natural progression that Jesus is saying shows your passions. Neither a love for sports or relationships are wrong by any means. They are just simply to be very secondary to our pursuit and love for Jesus. He isn't our hobby - "I'm a musician, love art, fix cars, follow Jesus, etc.” Rather, your identity as a follower of Jesus encompasses everything you do as a musician, artist and mechanic. This mission of God defines those hobbies where you live and act within them as a child of the King seeking to bring redemption to those spheres of life. Let’s be honest, simply going to church is a pretty lame hobby…and Jesus teaches us that our money reveals much about our motives and passions.
Financial giving principle #2
2. God wants your heart before he wants your money.
2 Corinthians 8:5 (ESV)
5 They gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.
Most Christians have a bent toward religion (God accepts me because I obey him). There is a great danger here especially when it come to giving financially to the local church. If we are not careful, we'll view it as buying God's favor (literally), which will breed begrudging submission, rather than joyful obedience. Joyful obedience always flows out of unearned favor wrought through the finished work of the Son of God in his righteous life, perfect death and fulfilling resurrection. Naturally we just want to give God some of our money so he'll "get off our back" and then we can do whatever we want. That natural tendency says, "God be my savior, but I'll be my own lord." But God's got something so much bigger and better for us. He says, "I want to be your savior AND Lord" and how you handle your money, specifically in your giving to the local church, indicates whether he is your God or you are your own god.
To the Praise of His Glorious Grace
Ephesian 2:5-8 is the motivation behind our series, Stories:The Grace of God on Display. I wanted to spend a bit of time laying out the thought that these verses give us.
First, your adoption is born in the grace of God. There is forgiveness and redemption that is a major part of everyone's story. That forgiveness and redemption is there because of the grace of God. Because gravity exists, you and I do not float away. Because gravity exists to extent that it does we do not ever so slightly float away. Because grace is exists, redemption and forgiveness are ours. We do nothing to earn gravity, we do nothing to earn grace. But our lives are a testimony to its existence.
Your adoption is to praise of his glorious grace. In other words, you are really jacked up and God still brings good out of you (REDEMPTION) and you are really sinful and God still loves you (FORGIVENESS). When this is put on display attention is brought to God who is the giver of this grace.
Our series seeks to bring attention to redemption and forgiveness that the grace of God has brought into the lives of people. Think about how this is true in your own life and tell someone about it.
First, your adoption is born in the grace of God. There is forgiveness and redemption that is a major part of everyone's story. That forgiveness and redemption is there because of the grace of God. Because gravity exists, you and I do not float away. Because gravity exists to extent that it does we do not ever so slightly float away. Because grace is exists, redemption and forgiveness are ours. We do nothing to earn gravity, we do nothing to earn grace. But our lives are a testimony to its existence.
Your adoption is to praise of his glorious grace. In other words, you are really jacked up and God still brings good out of you (REDEMPTION) and you are really sinful and God still loves you (FORGIVENESS). When this is put on display attention is brought to God who is the giver of this grace.
Our series seeks to bring attention to redemption and forgiveness that the grace of God has brought into the lives of people. Think about how this is true in your own life and tell someone about it.
Financial giving principle #1
This month is budget projection month and I want to put some more practical things in your hands about giving and what the Bible teaches about it. So throughout this week I will post several biblical principles about giving in the local church. Here's #1...
1. Everything belongs to the Lord in the first place.
1 Chronicles 29:14–16 (ESV)
14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15 For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. 16 O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own.
Let's be honest, we know this but we just don't want to fully accept it and operate within it. Why? Because if God owns it, then he determines how it's managed, but if we own it we can determine how it's managed, right? On a fundamental level, we have a real problem with authority and fully submitting to Jesus. We must, by his grace, come to grips with the reality that He created everything, include us, and he has absolute authority and ownership over everything, even the money we worked hard to "earn."
Learning to trust Him with you,
Dave
1. Everything belongs to the Lord in the first place.
1 Chronicles 29:14–16 (ESV)
14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15 For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. 16 O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own.
Let's be honest, we know this but we just don't want to fully accept it and operate within it. Why? Because if God owns it, then he determines how it's managed, but if we own it we can determine how it's managed, right? On a fundamental level, we have a real problem with authority and fully submitting to Jesus. We must, by his grace, come to grips with the reality that He created everything, include us, and he has absolute authority and ownership over everything, even the money we worked hard to "earn."
Learning to trust Him with you,
Dave
