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.

Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5:1-12

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.

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?

BOLD Business

Elon Musk may not be a name you know, but I’m sure you know of his business ventures. Over the years he has founded PayPal, Tesla Motors, SpaceX, Zip2 and X.com. He’s also the chairman of SolarCity and co-chairman of OpenAI. He’s a very busy and very successful man (worth over $13 Billion).

So what drives him? According to Musk himself, it’s this:

“I didn’t go into the rocket business, the car business, or the solar business thinking this is a great opportunity. I just thought, in order to make a difference, something needed to be done. I wanted to have an impact. I wanted to create something substantially better than what came before.”

Elon Musk is driven by making a difference, having an impact and doing something substantially better. Elon Musk is all about being BOLD in business.

BOLD Prayers

Sunday evening, Pastor David asked us to pray BOLD prayers. What is a BOLD prayer? I suggest a BOLD prayer is one that makes a difference, has an impact and makes things substantially better (key word is substantially).

This week, are you praying BOLD prayers?

I’ve been thinking a lot about BOLD prayers recently because BOLD is my Word of the Year. I realized I’m not very good at being BOLD – especially in my dreams and prayers. I tend to play things safe…better, but not substantially better.

What is a BOLD Prayer?

Today’s scripture reading is from the story of Isaac and Rebekah. Isaac’s father, Abraham, has sent his most trusted servant to find a wife for Isaac. The servant has promised to find a wife from Abraham’s people (not a Canaanite woman) and to bring her to Isaac (Isaac must stay in Canaan).

When the servant shows up to Abraham’s hometown, this is his prayer (Genesis 24:12-15):

This is a BOLD prayer. What makes it BOLD (substantially better)?

1. He asks for success.

Notice how this man begins his prayer asking for success. I think too often we pray asking for success if God wants it. Why wouldn’t God want us to be successful? Everything He puts his hand to is successful, and we are made in God’s image!

When you ask something of God, be BOLD! Pray for success. Believe God wants it for you as much as you want it for you.

2. He asks for specifics.

Abraham’s servant knows he is searching for a needle in a haystack. How can he possibly choose the right person when he knows no one in this town? So, he prays a specific BOLD prayer.

“May she not just get me a drink, but water all my camels.”

By reading the entire story, we know he has 10 camels. A quick Google search tells me a camel can drink up to 30 gallons of water in 13 minutes. That’s up to 300 gallons of water this servant is asking for. Another Google search tells me a gallon of water is about 8 pounds. This servant is asking for a literal ton of water. I hope Rebekah had help.

That’s BOLD (it’s substantially more than just a drink for himself).

Here’s the beauty. When the specifics of his prayer is answered, there are no more questions to ask. He knows God has sent the perfect woman.

And how awesome is God? Before he finishes praying, God has answered him.

Be BOLD!

This week, as you finish our time of prayer and fasting, I encourage you to pray BOLD prayers. Look for things that will make a substantial difference. Ask for success. Be specific.