🔨 Rebuilding the Bench – A Lesson in Obedience

This past Saturday morning, something happened that we will never forget.

As we sat on the simple wooden bench where I usually preach, we felt the Holy Spirit speak — not in thunder, but in clarity. The message was short, but it hit deep:

“Rebuild the bench. Make it better than you found it.”

It didn’t matter how much longer we’d be using this space. What mattered was obedience. What mattered was honoring God in the small things, even if no one else would see it.

So we got up, drove to Home Depot, grabbed lumber, screws, and some tools. And together, we rebuilt that bench.

The Power of Obedience

This moment reminded us of Colossians 3:23-24:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters... It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

It wasn’t just about fixing a piece of wood — it was about worship. It was about taking something temporary and treating it as sacred, because when God is in the room, everything becomes holy ground.

It would’ve been easy to ignore the prompting. After all, it’s “just a bench,” right? But we’ve learned that the little things reveal the condition of our hearts. And if we say we want to honor God in the big stuff, we better be willing to start with a few planks and a drill.

Gratitude That Builds

This rebuild wouldn’t have happened without the generosity of the Iron Phoenix family. We want to personally thank Jordy and Kye Miranda — two people who felt called to give this past week and obeyed that prompting.

Their support became the fuel to our faith. Because of them (and others like them), we didn’t hesitate — we acted.

2 Corinthians 9:11 says:

“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”

That’s what happened Saturday. Through their giving, God got glory. That’s the kind of generosity that builds more than benches — it builds legacies.

Leave It Better Than You Found It

Whether we’re on this bench for three more weeks or three more days, we are called to leave every place better than we found it. That’s the Iron Phoenix standard — not for show, not for credit — but because that’s what warriors of God do. We restore what’s broken. We build where others walk past. We honor what seems ordinary.

And we do it all for Him.

Thank you to everyone who gives, serves, prays, or simply shows up.The bench may be rebuilt, but God’s not done building us.

Here are some before and after shots!