Category Archives: Devotions

Two Better than One – Pastor Andy Bondurant

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Quirky Quirkiness

Yesterday, Pastor Matt wrote about growing together…better. He used the example of a roommate or spouse’s quirky habits – leaving the toilet seat up, throwing clothes on the ground, chomping ice or other inconsequential by annoying tics.

In our daily staff devotions, we discussed the habits that drive our spouses or significant others crazy. Along with the examples above, we shared these:

  • walking/ambling without purpose
  • excessive hand washing
  • putting a glass still being used in the dishwasher
  • walking in the house with work boots/shoes
  • start eating a meal when the rest of the family hasn’t arrived (so it will be hot)

These are just a few of the annoying habits we have as a staff!

As we discussed our quirks, two scriptures came to my mind.

Sharpened by Quirks

Proverbs 27:17 (MSG)
You use steel to sharpen steel,
and one friend sharpens another.

We need each other. We need each other to rub our rough spots off. We make each other sharper. Many of us in the room have been married 15, 20, 25 years, and we still do the same things!

I need to accept my wife’s quirks (much fewer than my own!). Why? Her quirks rub off my rough edges. It makes me sharper. It teaches me to love and accept her and others unconditionally.

A small group of believers meeting together does the same thing. We don’t all see the same things the same way, so when we mix, we knock off the rough edges of our beliefs, thoughts and actions.

Annoyingly Strong

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (MSG)
9-10It’s better to have a partner than go it alone.
Share the work, share the wealth.
And if one falls down, the other helps,
But if there’s no one to help, tough!
11Two in a bed warm each other.
Alone, you shiver all night.
12By yourself you’re unprotected.
With a friend you can face the worst.
Can you round up a third?
A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.

If you learn to put my quirky, odd habits aside (and me yours), we will be stronger. We’ll connect. We’ll grow. We’ll bond.

My Quirkiness makes you Stronger!

Ultimately, I’ll help you stand, and you’ll help me. Even better…add another person or two to the group. Our strength doesn’t add or multiple…it’s exponential!

Sunday, Pastor Matt challenged us to join a Grow Group. I can guarantee your group will be full of quirkiness – much of it yours and mine. If you let it, that quirkiness will make you a better, stronger and more healthy person.

Grow. Together. Better.

Candy Wrappers, Unicorns, and Community by Pastor Matt

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What does it mean to grow better together? What does it mean that, together, we grow better?

Remember your first roommate? Or those first few weeks…months…years…with your spouse? Personality quirks that flew under the radar for years, well, they’re now a bit more…evident.

You know, like that quirky (let’s quit sugar-coating: annoying) habit of leaving empty wrappers, cereal boxes, or chip bags on the counter. Or putting the empty juice carton back in the fridge. Who does that?! I mean, c’mon, the trash can is just a few feet away! Is it really too much to ask?! (All very benign offenses, if you ask me. I mean, really, if this is the worst someone has to deal with, I think they’ve got it pretty good. I’ll leave you to decide who’s the offender in our home – but that’s enough about us!)

Proximity does that, though. It exposes. (And distance conceals.) It requires a certain amount of unselfishness. You have to be willing to let some things go. You have to be willing to change some things yourself. And, sometimes, you even have to change the way you think.

I recently heard the story of a young woman who was at a party in college. While chatting with some friends about animals on the endangered species list, she brought up unicorns. You know, those magical horses with the horn and wings…that are now, apparently, extinct.

Community has a way of doing that. It brings those kinds of things to the surface.

And this, I think, is another way that we grow better together.

Community

We catch a hint of it in Hebrews:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.    Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)

In laying aside sin, we look to Christ…but we also draw on the strength and example of others. In this case, the writer of Hebrews reminds his readers that they are not alone. They are growing together with one another (Heb 10) and with others who have gone before them (Heb 11). And now, the writer says, with roots fused together, they can lay aside sin and run their race (Heb 12).

We grow better together because we encourage each other, and because we all benefit from belonging. But also, because we all need to be told that it’s annoying when we leave our trash on the counter!

And community – Christian community – does that.

It exposes sinful habits and misguided thinking (like extinct unicorns!), and focuses us again and again on Christ. It exposes those “roots of bitterness” (Heb 12:15) that can spring up within all of us – those sins and weights that cling so closely. That, when alone, tend to fly under the radar. But that, in the presence of community, are brought to the surface and exposed to the light and word of Christ!

And when that happens, we don’t just grow. We grow better…together!

The belonging you seek – Pastor Andy Bondurant

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens

This week, my dad and step-mom are in town. My whole family has been looking forward to their visit, planning different activities and events. My kids were especially excited to take “Dado” to see the new Star Wars movie. Monday we took advantage of a day off to do this.

It was actually my second time to see the movie, so I watched it through different eyes. I saw little events I missed the first time through. Particularly I was focused on the character Rae.

Rae is a young woman who grew up as an orphan. She has fleeting memories of being left on her home planet by her family, so she is afraid to leave. Rae is sure they will be reunited at any moment.

The feeling is so strong that after she leaves home for the first time, she only can think about going back. Then she has a conversation with a wise old woman, Maz Kanata. In the conversation, Rae relays her desire to return home, alluding to her family’s imminent return. Maz has these words of wisdom:

“The belonging you seek is not behind you, it is ahead.”

It’s one of those lines that seems to jump off the screen. I couldn’t get it out of my head. Kia and I talked about it after the movie (we both were moved by it).

As I continued to reflect on it, I thought of the story of Naomi and Ruth…

 

Ruth 1:1-19 (MSG)

1-2 Once upon a time—it was back in the days when judges led Israel— there was a famine in the land. A man from Bethlehem in Judah left home to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The man’s name was Elimelech; his wife’s name was Naomi; his sons were named Mahlon and Kilion—all Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They all went to the country of Moab and settled there.
3-5 Elimelech died and Naomi was left, she and her two sons. The sons took Moabite wives; the name of the first was Orpah, the second Ruth. They lived there in Moab for the next ten years. But then the two brothers, Mahlon and Kilion, died. Now the woman was left without either her young men or her husband.
6-7 One day she got herself together, she and her two daughters-in-law, to leave the country of Moab and set out for home; she had heard that God had been pleased to visit his people and give them food. And so she started out from the place she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law with her, on the road back to the land of Judah.
8-9 After a short while on the road, Naomi told her two daughters-in-law, “Go back. Go home and live with your mothers. And may God treat you as graciously as you treated your deceased husbands and me. May God give each of you a new home and a new husband!” She kissed them and they cried openly.
10 They said, “No, we’re going on with you to your people.”
11-13 But Naomi was firm: “Go back, my dear daughters. Why would you come with me? Do you suppose I still have sons in my womb who can become your future husbands? Go back, dear daughters—on your way, please! I’m too old to get a husband. Why, even if I said, ‘There’s still hope!’ and this very night got a man and had sons, can you imagine being satisfied to wait until they were grown? Would you wait that long to get married again? No, dear daughters; this is a bitter pill for me to swallow—more bitter for me than for you. God has dealt me a hard blow.”
14 Again they cried openly. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye; but Ruth embraced her and held on.
15 Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law is going back home to live with her own people and gods; go with her.”
16-17 But Ruth said, “Don’t force me to leave you; don’t make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I’ll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I’ll die, and that’s where I’ll be buried, so help me God—not even death itself is going to come between us!”
18-19 When Naomi saw that Ruth had her heart set on going with her, she gave in. And so the two of them traveled on together to Bethlehem.

 

It’s ahead.

Somehow Ruth innately knew what Maz told Rae. The belonging Ruth wanted wasn’t in the past, but only found in the future. Ruth so believed this, she forsook everything to cling to the one person she knew she belonged to.

This week, we’re focusing on the idea of GROW TOGETHER. Salvation is a very personal event, but we truly grow and mature by walking together.

These relationships don’t come by looking to the past. What used to be – successful as it might have been. Today, God is calling us to the current and new. He is calling us to look ahead.

Today, ask yourself a couple of questions:
1. Who has God put you with now?
2. Where is God taking you?

Ruth found it – Naomi, Boaz, Obed. She found it in her now and future. You too belong, and you won’t find it behind you. You’ll find it what’s ahead.

Better Together by Pastor David

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Worship: Thrive by Casting Crowns

Pastor Matt preached a great message yesterday.  If you haven’t had a chance to listen to it, I encourage you to watch it here. His main point is that we grow better together.  I’d like to continue that theme today.

I was reading an article a few weeks ago about trees.  Tall trees.  Some of the tallest trees in the world to be exact. The Sequoia sempervirens or Redwood can grow to over 300 feet tall. In fact the tallest tree in the world is affectionately called “Hyperion” and is over 379 feet tall. That’s twice the size of the Statue of Liberty!

 

You would think that a 350-foot-tall tree would need deep roots, but that’s not the case at all with the Sequoia sempervirens. Redwood tree roots are very shallow, often only five or six feet deep. But they make up for it in width, sometimes extending up to 100 feet from the trunk. They thrive in thick groves, where the roots can intertwine and even fuse together. This gives them tremendous strength against the forces of nature. This way they can withstand high winds and raging floods.

Did you catch that?  These tall trees thrive in thick groves where the roots can intertwine.

What a great picture of the Christian walk.  It is true that we grow better when the root systems of our lives intertwine with each other.  We can withstand difficulties, trials and tough decisions when we have other believers walking with us.  But it’s not just during the difficult times, we are called to honor each other and it is as we walk together we experience the greatest of joys!

Numerous Scriptures call us to be those who do life together rather than doing life alone: 

1 John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Ephesians 5:19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

Colossians 2:2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,

Philippians 2:1-2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

We grow better together.  In fact we grow stronger, deeper and better together!  

This month I am encouraging the entire church to join a GROW GROUP.  A six week group that gathers together to read Scripture and grow together.  It’s a great way to meet new friends, learn about God’s purpose for our lives and grow in our faith.  If you haven’t signed up for a group do so now!  We have Grow Groups almost every day of the week.  Click here for a list of groups and sign up.  

Become tall in the faith, by growing better together!

 

Be Meek…Grow Strong by Pastor Andy Bondurant

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Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5:1-12

1Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
The Beatitudes
2And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Blessed are the Meek

A quick look at dictionary.com tells me meek means “humbly patient or docile; overly submissive or compliant; spiritless; tame.” Let’s be real. No red-blooded, American reads the word “meek” and says, “That’s what I want to be!” No, most of us buck at that idea.

Here’s another way or writing that definition. Blaaaahhhhh.

Can you get any more boring, uninspiring and hopeless? Why would Jesus ever ask us to be meek.

So let me ask a question, do we really see what Jesus meant in that word ‘meek’?

What is Meek?

Let me turn the discussion on this just slightly.

As you may know, the Bondurant family adopted a puppy in September. Charlie Louise is a beautiful, Australian Shepherd with a wonderful personality. She is smart, loving and adores our kids.

Meek = broken + tamed

However, there is still quite a bit of puppy in her. Left to her own devices, she would go to the bathroom all over our house, chew up any and all of our things, jump on us, bark and whine at any inconvenience and be a general pest. Our house and it’s contents would be destroyed.

So, we are training her. Sometimes we do a better job than others, but she is a much nicer dog than if we left her to do as she pleased. She has become submissive. She obeys our commands (most times).

Another word for this is ‘broken’.

When she is at her best, Charlie displays her beautiful strength under complete control. She responds to the voice of her master.

When Jesus asks us to be meek, He is asking for us to display our strength under his control. He wants us to be broken. This is an absolutely beautiful picture!

Are you broken?

This week we are focusing on Growing Strong. We are most strong when focused on our master, submissive to him. Are you broken? Are you focused on the master, submissive to him?

Are you meek?

This is why the meek inherit the earth. They are broken, and they are following the master’s orders. The earth will eventually be handed over to Jesus, and He has promised us who follow Him a new heaven and a new earth.

As we head into the weekend, focus on this thought. How do you need to submit to Jesus? What more do you need to surrender to Him in your life? This is the key to being broken – submitting to our master.

What do you need to submit to Jesus?