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.

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

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

 

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.

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