Podcasts about like martha

Send us a textStanding at the tomb of his friend Lazarus, Jesus did something unthinkable—he commanded a man dead for four days to walk out of his grave. But why did Jesus deliberately wait until Lazarus died before coming to Bethany? The answer reveals a profound truth about God's work in our darkest moments.We often wonder why God allows suffering or seems absent when we need him most. Like Martha and Mary who confronted Jesus with their grief—"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died"—we question divine timing. Yet what appears to be divine delay often positions us to witness God's most spectacular work. Before commanding Lazarus to emerge from darkness, Jesus wept alongside the mourners, showing that even when he's about to perform an extraordinary miracle, he first enters our grief.The resurrection of Lazarus wasn't just about restoring one man's life. It was Jesus demonstrating that nothing—not even death itself—could stand against his authority. This story offers hope to anyone feeling abandoned in their darkest hour. Mary and Martha's confusion turned to astonishment as their brother walked out of the tomb, still wrapped in grave clothes. Their story reminds us that whatever burden, sickness, brokenness, or addiction we face, we serve the one who raises the dead.Have you experienced this life-changing encounter with Jesus? If you're still keeping him at arm's length, consider diving deeper. As the sermon concludes, "I would rather drown in an ocean of Jesus than die on land by myself." Share your questions, doubts, and struggles with us as you explore what it means to follow the one who promises resurrection not just after death, but in this life too.

Feeling constantly overwhelmed by life's demands? You're not alone. Christian men everywhere struggle with packed schedules and relentless to-do lists that leave little room for what truly matters. This powerful episode unpacks the biblical concept of margin through the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:41-42. Jesus' gentle correction to Martha - "You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed, or indeed only one" - speaks directly to our modern dilemma of productivity versus purpose. Like Martha, we can become so consumed with doing good things that we miss Christ's presence right in front of us.For full show note details, go to the episode webpage:

I started The Dear Daughters Podcast way back in 2016 as a way to encourage younger women. Especially women in the midst of what I call: the ‘decade of big decisions.' It's the time in life when you're finishing school, deciding on a career, getting married, starting a family. All these kinds of momental decisions that lay a path for the rest of your life.  I wanted to be a voice – and provide voices of wisdom via interviews with people I felt could encourage you in living your one beautiful life before God. That's why way back in the beginning days of the podcast, I invited my friend Liz Benigno on the show. In that interview (Dear Daughters Episode 5) we talked about a lot of things. In particular, how she had recently finished treatment for breast cancer. At that time of course, we had no idea that her cancer would resurface nor would her fight be complete and that eventually, the cancer would be discovered in different parts of her body. She was re-diagnosed in September 2022. She has now gone through months of treatment. She's rode the roller coaster feeling good and not good at all, been in and out of the hospital, grieved her prognosis, and even planned her funeral.  Right now she uses this analogy to describe her life: She's at the airport but her flight is delayed – and she's waiting. She says, while she's waiting, she's attentive to God's voice. She wants to do all the things he has planned for her. One of those things is recording her thoughts in this interview. I offered a couple weeks ago. She accepted. Here we are. Without further ado – my dear friend, Liz Benigno.  SHOW NOTES Check out my shop for some goodies! Little loveys show up there all the time.  My FAVORITES on Amazon.  Sign up for my weekly newsletter.  Listen to my second podcast, The Simple Prayers Podcast. Join us Sundays at my home church, Austin Christian Fellowship. Stay at The Franklin our treasure in small town, Texas! Airbnb link here. Listen to more of Sara Davis Regan's music.

This week, we're joined by Melvin Peña for a day trip to the Thames Frost Fair in 1814, expecting a jolly afternoon of daydrinking, sword swallowers and juicy sheep hearts, only to find ourselves tied to a bomb and engaged in an intriguing discussion about race, class, death and the ethics of killing. It's Thin Ice. Notes and links Once again, Friend from the Future was a promotional short designed to introduce Bill Potts. Nathan makes fun of the fact that at the end of the short, the on-screen caption reads Introducing Pearl Mackie asBill. You can see the entire short, including that unfortunate typo, here. Like Martha before her and Ruby after her, Bill is concerned that treading on a butterfly in the past will change the present in terrible ways. That concern comes from Ray Bradbury's 1952 short story A Sound of Thunder, which you should really just go off and read right now. In Bong Joon-ho's post-apocalyptic film Snowpiercer (2013), the poor people who live in the back of the train are fed on glistening black protein bars, which we discover are made from ground-up cockroaches. Flight Through Entirety only occasionally advocates for political violence (see Episode 182: The Icy Moral High Ground), but this week we are pleased to bring you this clip of neo-Nazi Richard Spencer being punched in the head during an interview on ABC-TV in January 2017. Melvin alludes to the Slave Compensation Act 1837, which authorised the payment of about £20 million in compensation to slave owners in the British colonies. This sum was finally paid off when the British Government restructured its debt in 2015. (The people who had been enslaved didn't receive any compensation, of course.) Follow us Nathan is on Bluesky at @nathanbottomley.bsky.social, Todd is on X at @toddbeilby, and here's Melvin's profile on about.me. The Flight Through Entirety theme was arranged by Cameron Lam. You can follow Flight Through Entirety on Mastodon and Bluesky, as well as on X and Facebook. Our website is at flightthroughentirety.com. Please consider rating or reviewing us on Apple Podcasts, or we won't tell you what's in those fish pies that you're so looking forward to for dinner this evening. And more You can find links to all of the podcasts we're involved in on our podcasts page. But here's a summary of where we're up to right now. 500 Year Diary is our latest new Doctor Who podcast, going back through the history of the show and examining new themes and ideas. It's first season came out early this year, under the title New Beginnings. Check it out. It will be back for a second season early in 2025. The Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire has broadcast our hot takes on every new episode of Doctor Who since November last year, and it will be back again in 2025 for Season 2. Brendan and Bjay's gaming poscast is called The Bjay BJ Game Show. In the most recent episode, they discuss The Talos Principle (2014), a puzzle-based game with a sentient robot protagonist, which raises questions about identity, consciousness and religion. Brendan, Richard and Steven have released another episode of their Avengers podcast The Three Handed Game. It's the third episode of their triptych The Cool War, covering an early Season 2 episode called The Decapod, featuring Julie Stevens as Venus Smith. And finally there's our Star Trek commentary podcast, Untitled Star Trek Project, featuring Nathan and friend-of-the-podcast Joe Ford. Last week, they dropped in on the Q Continuum in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager called Death Wish.

Serial stalker Kobi Jane Langshaw, whose obsessive contact with two men had chilling similarities with the Netflix smash-hit Baby Reindeer, has been banned for life from ever contacting her latest victims again. This is the TRUE story of a case that has eerie similarities to the Netflix smash hit. Like Martha, Kobi Jane Langshaw had a background in the law, presented as affable, intelligent, and professional.  Also like Martha, her obsessions, compulsions and delusions ravaged lives – and led to a stalker being slowly but surely exposed.  The trial played out in WA's Court, with the Magistrate stating “She is a highly intelligent woman, and she is skilled at lying to take advantage of others.  It is clear that she uses charm to manipulate others for personal gain. She holds a sense of superiority, and is very opinionated. When challenged, she becomes hostile, but can instantly switch back to being sweet and unassuming.” In this episode Tim is joined by clinical and psychologist Professor Troy McEwan, from Swinburne University of Technology to discuss what constitutes stalking. With 400 000 registered cases of stalking in Australia in just one year, they examine who stalkers are, and why their victims often must leap through hurdles to be taken seriously.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Casey Miller as she shares a message called “I Want To Be Like Martha”.   Click here to go to the official Revival Cry YouTube channel. To see the Revival Cry podcast on another streaming service, click here.   Listen to Revival Cry on Mango Radio every:  ⏵ Thursday evenings | 6:30pm — 7:00pm PHT ⏵ Saturday mornings | 6:30am — 7:00am PHT available at: ⏵ 102.7 FM (Davao)  ⏵ 91.5 FM (Zamboanga)  ⏵ or listen online via TuneIn   To support Revival Cry or find out more information, go to revivalcry.org Email us at info@revivalcry.org  Follow @RevivalCryInternational on Facebook and Instagram.   Purchase Eric's 30-Day Devotional Books:  ⏵ “How to Become a Burning Bush”, available in English and Italian ⏵ “Hearing God through His Creation”, available in English, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese

Opening Bible verse: Luke 10:38-42 Raise your hand if the story of Mary and Martha has been confusing and maddening your whole life?  We all have stuff we need to get done, a home to take care of, children who need us, a husband who wants to eat dinner.  The to-do list is a mile long.  Yet, there's Mary, just sitting with Jesus.  What's a girl to do To work with me 1:1 or to schedule a 30 minute complimentary discovery call, please email me at: tightshipmama@gmail.com Services offered: Decluttering:  If you live in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, I offer in-person decluttering.  We work together to declutter your home while I teach you skills to prevent clutter from returning.  Includes a 5 hour declutter session along with removal of any item(s) that fit in my minivan. I donate all items to a local thrift store and mail you a tax donation receipt. Cost $300 Virtual Declutter Coaching: Wherever you live, we can work together. In one hour zoom sessions I talk you through your toughest declutter issues.  I offer advice and hold you accountable.  Perfect for those outside of my travel area or as an option for those needing less than 5 hours. Cost $60 Virtual Budget Coaching: Wherever you live, we can work together to get your finances on track.  I offer a 4 month coaching package for $300. This includes a one hour zoom meeting per month to set your monthly budget and review your journey.  I create a debt snowball tracking sheet with estimated debt payoff day.  Weekly emails/check-ins to keep you on task and motivated.  Coaching clients are always welcome to the free monthly budget zooms as well! Faith Groups: Throughout the year I offer different faith-based women's groups.  If one is available, it will be listed in these show notes. Pruning To Prosper Group Coaching Course: Offered as announced throughout the year.  If you want to create your own group of at least 6 women, I can try to make accommodations to teach this course at a time convenient for your group.  It is a 6 week Catholic program for women where we focus on Who You Are Called To Be, Decluttering, Budgeting For Food, Meal Planning, Routines/Overwhelm and Finding Your Tribe. We meet twice per week.  Once for lesson (2 hours) and once for questions/accountability (1hour). Cost $250 per person. To follow me on Facebook and join in live chats and classes, click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2099615896871716/  If Instagram is your jam, here you go: https://www.instagram.com/pruningtoprosperpodcast/ If you'd like to be added to my mailing list to receive the zoom link for free monthly budget Q&A's, please sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/0846ee7f69b6/fun If you'd like a list of 100 days of decluttering, click here: https://mailchi.mp/c363e05f5a90/cui0gx37s9  

This week Cassidy shares her tips and tricks for hosting people in your home comfortably without feeling the stress of hosting people in your home. Reflecting back on the monthly supper club meet ups in Denver, she reminds us that the best hosts are the ones who know when to delegate and the perfect playlist and lighting combo has the potential to curate the perfect environment for relaxing with friends.  bud vases  favorite hand soap & candles bamboo guest napkins playlist: friday night dinner party playlist: rat pack italian jazz the AND friends edition (conversation starters) takeout containers  -- keep up with cassidy cassidyeats.com

The boys jump head first into the awkwardness of shopping with security watching. Josh gets excited about the technological advancements for cancelling plans with friends, and Michael admits how he feels about Martha's friends.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen today as Pastor Brad discusses Martha's encounter with Jesus in the book of Luke. Like Martha, we are invited to remove the distractions in our life to make room for God to move. 

Hey, Where are my "Martha's" at?! The doers, the ones who are looking to accomplish things and feel productive? Usually we feel good about this quality but sometimes it takes over and some guilt can creep in. We think we need a little more "Mary" in us... Well, our guest today highlights a whole new side to the popular Martha and Mary story from the bible. You will walk away from today's episode feeling encouraged about your natural desire to get things done. And you're going to have practical insights into how to check your heart and make sure you're not missing the presence of God when you're so distracted by your to-do list.   Today's guest: Karina Dusenbury is the founder of We Abide Together, a company that equips Christian women with tools and skills to live out spiritual habits and prayed-over priorities. She combines her love for God and productivity-nerd research to develop practical, faith-based planners and goal journals. Karina lives in the sunny South with her husband and two children under 7. That means simplifying, prioritizing, and getting a little messy are a part of her everyday life.   Focused His Way Podcast: https://weabidetogether.com/podcast Free Spiritual Habits Starter Guide: https://weabidetogether.com/spiritual  We Abide Together shop to access 2023 planner and spiritual habits workbook: https://weabidetogether.com/shop Instagram: @weabidetogether.com With bold love, peace and intention, Julie / / /   / / /   / / /   Connect with Me Website >  www.mommadeplans.com Productivity Printables >  https://tinyurl.com/papermadeplans Instagram >  https://www.instagram.com/mommadeplans/ Email >  julie@papermadeplans.com Email Signup > https://tinyurl.com/mommadeplansemail

Four speakers and a moderator were presenting at a conference. That sounds like the beginning of a joke, but according to the 2022 ILTACon Conference Co-Chair, Martha Breil, that type of conference presentation just won't draw in the next generation of conference attendees. Workshops, hands-on experiences, and interactive presentations are needed for conferences to stay relevant as we emerge from the two and a half years of lost conferences due to COVID. While ILTACon made an appearance in 2021, it was this year's conference which was extremely successful. With nearly 3,000 attendees, the conference held at the National Harbor, MD, was completely sold out (thanks to those pesky fire codes!) Breil was very happy with how she and the team of ILTA staffers and volunteers pulled together the 2022 ILTACon and shares with us some of the experiences and comments from the event. Legal Conferences are a collaboration of Association leaders, members, volunteers, as well as partnerships with vendors and sponsors. As more and more conferences take place over the next few years, there will be different expectations from all of those different groups on how to attract attendees, volunteers, and sponsors. Once the honeymoon of 2022 is over, those expectations will need to be met to continue making conferences, and the money they bring in to organizations like ILTA, a success. LVNx Crystal Ball Answer Speaking of conferences, Greg just returned from the Legal Value Network eXperience in Chicago with a fresh batch of answers to our Crystal Ball Question. First up is Kate Boyd, COO at Sente Advisors on the new generation of professionals and the diversity of experiences and knowledge they are bringing to the legal industry. Contact Us: Twitter: @gebauerm or @glambert (We have stickers... tweet Greg for more info!) Voicemail: 713-487-7821 (note the NEW NUMBER!) Email: geekinreviewpodcast@gmail.com Music by Jerry David DeCicca Transcript available on 3 Geeks and a Law Blog

Having parent teacher conferences can be stressful, a little uncomfortable, and uneasy, depending on the conversations you're going to have with parents. But have you ever thought about what it's like on the parent side? We can guarantee that parents are feeling the exact same emotions as you are. In fact, their emotions may even be elevated since they're in an unfamiliar environment. So what can you do about it? Throughout this episode, we want you to remember the acronym WWMSD: What would Martha Stewart do? Sounds silly, right? But if you think like Martha Stewart, your parent teacher conferences are going to run smoothly by being the perfect host. So in today's episode, we're sharing why thinking like Martha Stewart will transform your conferences.  Check out our mini course Conferences with Confidence here!  Connect with us on Instagram @2ndstorywindow. For all the resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/transform-your-conferences

Today's guest is Claire McGarry and she's bringing us a lot of wisdom to ponder as we discuss the gospel story of Martha and Mary. Claire writes on her blog: “I'm finding that motherhood is impacting my faith in ways I never would have imagined, and my faith is doing the same to my motherhood.” Isn't that the truth? Our motherhood stretches us in unimaginable ways and it's how God is helping us to look more like Him! Press play on today's interview and meditation, and learn what this familiar gospel story can teach us mamas. Claire McGarry is the author of Grace in Tension: Discover Peace with Martha and Mary, as well as the Lenten family devotionals With Our Savior and Abundant Mercy. [ click here to grab her newest book that we talk about today - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1681926431?pf_rd_r=C0G72FKYEFEFMVQ61M9G&pf_rd_p=1ab92b69-98d7-4842-a89b-ad387c54783f&pd_rd_r=5e18d71d-e1de-4a19-80ae-55efd27360ee&pd_rd_w=Mws5i&pd_rd_wg=GRdWx&linkCode=sl1&tag=shiftin-20&linkId=0d8e201b1c49981f45118178467452cc&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl ]. She contributes regularly to Living Faith, CatholicMom.com, and blogs at ShiftingMyPerspective.com. God bless you and may this conversation (and meditation) bless your day and your prayer life! Thank you for being here. Xoxo Stephanie [email me at 500secondstojoy@gmail.com if you'd like to connect] --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Most all folks who attend churches each week, even on multiple days perhaps, across America are actually sinning against God because we’ve become too much like Martha and not enough like Mary, in our church service preparations, even our lame prayer times. Jesus calls us to spend more time being like Mary, which will lead to being obedient in the works during the Martha times.

In Luke 10, we hear the famous story of Mary and Martha. When Jesus arrives for dinner, Martha has a list a mile long of things to prepare for a supper with her Savior. Understandably, she gets frustrated with her sister Mary as she “sits around” rather than helping. Jesus gently teaches Martha that taking time with Him is the right thing to do. Like Martha, moms have a to-do list a mile and a half long, and it seems to never grow shorter no matter how much they do. But even worse are the doubts, fears, apprehension, and memories of mistakes that can lurk in every corner of their minds. But remember who God says you are, remember what He says He will do, remember God has defeated Satan and that God will give you His strength. Pastor: Bill Limmer Sermon Text: Luke 10:38-42

In Luke 10, we hear the famous story of Mary and Martha. When Jesus arrives for dinner, Martha has a list a mile long of things to prepare for a supper with her Savior. Understandably, she gets frustrated with her sister Mary as she “sits around” rather than helping. Jesus gently teaches Martha that taking time with Him is the right thing to do. Like Martha, moms have a to-do list a mile and a half long, and it seems to never grow shorter no matter how much they do. But even worse are the doubts, fears, apprehension, and memories of mistakes that can lurk in every corner of their minds. But remember who God says you are, remember what He says He will do, remember God has defeated Satan and that God will give you His strength. Pastor: Bill Limmer Sermon Text: Luke 10:38-42

Today's guest is branding and boudoir photographer Martha Felix! Martha created a very strong and cohesive brand, and is a powerhouse social media marketer. Throughout this episode she shares her journey, her strategies for marketing and so much more! If you want to know how to maximise the power of marketing around your brand, then you won't want to miss this episode!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We know that "Jesus is the reason for the season" but sometimes it's hard to act like that. Like Martha, we are busy with "so many things." This very practical episode features the ideas and thoughts of David's wife Karla and their friend Vivian as they encourage us in keeping Christ at the center of Christmas. Part 1 of 2. 

Am I being like Esther, called to speak out, or am I like Martha, worrying too much? Lisa gives us a great situation to think about, and an opportunity to grow in prudence. This week's bean: Brian Holdsworth: https://www.youtube.com/c/BrianHoldsworth  Have a question or want to say hi? Email us askapriest@goodcatholic.com  Or send us a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/catholiccoffeetalk  Learn more about us: https://bit.ly/3rMqLKI  Catholic Coffee: https://bit.ly/2WMt7Ou  Angels & the Supernatural It's important to have a healthy understanding of the invisible world created by God. This series will give it to you. It will help you understand the role of angels in your life and how important your guardian angel is for your soul. https://bit.ly/3zRLrDQ 

Are you a do-er like Martha, who we meet in the Bible in Luke 10? If so, you'll love this episode with Katie Reid, author of Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done. Katie's sharing:How she approached her book launch with a Martha mindsetHer tips on planning your book marketing long before you think you need to (even if traditionally published)How hosting a podcast can allow you to keep sharing about your book (without always ‘talking about the book')Her tips on podcast pitching (from a host's perspective) even before your book is readyHow her ministry to business mindset helps her make money to “do” even more book marketingShow notes at kimstewartmarketing.com.Free resource:9 Ways Guesting on Podcasts Helps Grow Your Author PlatformConnect on IG:@kimstewinspired#bookmarketingmania

Entertaining can be stressful, especially during the Holidays, This year, reduce the stress of Holiday entertaining when you follow 4 simple steps. Jean Ann has 4 ways to to put the joy back into your parties. Follow these steps to make your events a Simple Joy.   Links Simple Joy Life of Simple Joy Grace Space Contact

In the ‘doing' of church we can easily lose our central cause - the ‘why'. Five key gains from serving God's way in love.

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Today is our final day of our walk through the gospel of John. Thanks so much for joining us these 54 days. We hope you have enjoyed these reflections. We'd love to hear from you at our website, www.markandkatiemartinez.com. We will be taking a break as we prepare for season 4, see you soon! A Reflection John 21:20-25 “Jesus said to him, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!'” (v 22) Jesus: “Follow me. This is what I desire of you. My little one, you spend too much of your time and energy preoccupied with others. Like Martha, you are “anxious and troubled about many things,” yet only, “one thing is needful” (Luke 10:41-42). You compare yourself to others, worrying that if they have success or joy or love, there will not be enough for you, as if My Father's resources were limited. Or, you take on their burdens. You believe that you must be responsible for their happiness or salvation, so you do all that you can to save them, as if they do not already have a Savior. Don't you see, child? You must trust Me. Trust Me to provide you with all that you need to be fully satisfied, and then trust me to provide the same for those you love. Do you not believe that I will do this? Of course, the Love of My Father is beyond your comprehension. It is impossible for you to understand how We can love each and every person individually and infinitely, or how Our Will of salvation can be played out in every person's life, if they allow it to. You only understand your own finite love, energy, and power, and believe that this somehow means that there cannot be enough of Mine to go around. So, you use your own limited resources to wrestle out the salvation of others, instead of doing what I have asked of you. You are missing out on the “better part” that Martha's sister, Mary, chose. My Love for you is infinite, vast, as far as the east is from the west, as high as the heavens and as deep as the netherworld. My Love for you embraced the cross and the grave, yet it could not be contained there. My Love for you rose from that grave, and it is My Love for you that waits every single day for you to meet me in the quiet of your soul, that I may embrace you, heal you, transform you, and lead you. My little one: choose the better part. You cannot choose for another. Come, follow me.” Am I letting comparison keep me from following Jesus? Am I worrying about another in a way that is keeping me from following Him to the extent that He wants me to? Prayer: My Jesus, I am sorry for the ways that I have distracted myself with comparison or false-burden bearing. Today, I choose You, to follow You as You have commanded me to. Embrace me, heal me, transform me, and lead me. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen. Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Episode Notes On our Vision Sunday, we are excited to present to our church family the direction God is leading Living Stones. Embeded in our vision is the message of NOW! Like Martha in John 11:17-26, we often put our focus on the past or in the future, not realizing that God wants us to have faith for the present! In the NOW is where Heaven touches Earth! We are not promised tomorrow. When is the right time to forgive? NOW! When is the right time to obey? NOW! When is the right time to believe God? NOW! When is the best time to get your marriage healed? NOW! When is the right time to break an addiction? NOW! When is the right time for a spiritual breakthrough? NOW! When is the best time to surrender your life to Christ? The Bible tells us: Indeed, the “right time” is NOW. Today is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)  When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” John 11:17-26 NLT

Jesus came to serve, and by his Spirit we can serve others.  When we spend time in the word and presence of Jesus our heart is changed to reflect his heart for those around us.  Like Martha, we can be changed to serve from a place of encounter, rather than from a sense of duty.  This type of serving brings life rather than draining it.  Listen to Lena's teaching or serving as way into the rest Jesus promises and learn how to serve like Jesus served. 

"Busy" has become almost a safe-word now for a lot of us. When asked "How have you been?" most people now answer with "Busy!!" Yet, what does BUSY really mean? Is it helping us become better men? Is it helping us grow in holiness? In this episode, we explore the concept of Busyness. We tie in the Pareto Principle, as well as Price's Law, to demonstrated how most of the things we are "busy" with actually aren't helping us. Like Martha complaining to Jesus about Mary, we have got to see the bigger picture. If we don't, we're in danger of making our checklist more important than our most important relationships!

“Jesus told Martha, ‘Mary is doing the right thing and this one thing is needed.' and that one thing was sitting before Jesus resting and listening to him.” — •Quote from this week's conversation! (Link in bio)

Are you a Martha who feels guilty for not being a Mary? People who are doers, often feel guilty that we aren't sitting to enjoy life more. However during our conversation with Katie Reid, we chat about how the world needs all types of people. We talk about how to be a more successful being a creative person and finishing projects.  Katie M. Reid is a published author, of Made Like Martha, national speaker, and co-host of The Martha & Mary Show podcast. She has a Master's Degree in Secondary Education. Check out our show notes page

John 11:17-32 (NIV) Read by: Joshua Settles You know that feeling. . . that gut-wrenching feeling, wishing that you could go back in time and do (or not do), say (or not say) whatever it is that you. . . regret. If only. . . In today's passage, we feel the pain of Lazarus' sisters and the warmth of their tears as they grieve before Jesus. Lord, you could have done something. Why didn't you come? As you listen, reflect on your own journey of longings unsatisfied, of regrets, of hopes deferred. Alongside Mary and Martha, listen and bring those things honestly before Jesus. Here's John chapter 11, verses 17-32. ----------REFLECT---------- 1. What word or phrase stood out to you in the passage? 2. Many Jews believed in a final resurrection and a new creation--where all the dead would rise and where all the wrongs would be made right. By claiming to actually embody this future hope, Jesus is asking Martha to grab hold of it, and to pull it from the future right into the present. How might Jesus be asking the same of you today? 3. Like Martha, bring all of your “if onlys” to Jesus today. What new perspective is Jesus offering you? How might you see the world, your story, your past. . . and your future differently in light of this passage? ----------CONNECT---------- Find an InterVarsity Chapter >> Start an InterVarsity Chapter >> Learn More >> --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dailyread/message

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Pray (Luke 10:38-42) to be more like Mary and less like Martha.

In this episode, Author Katie Reid talks about the importance of understanding why it's ok to be wired like Martha when you're serving out of your love for Him versus pleasing people, along with a few important tips like asking for help and her new collaboration, “Ministry to Business” Guide, which shows you how to make an income from your passion. If you're interested in purchasing the “Ministry to Business Guide”, click here: https://www.impactthedashacademy.com/ministrytobusinessguide --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/imperishablebeauty/support

First Saturday Conference (Holiness for Women: a Little Like Martha and a Lot Like Mary)

March 22, 2020 We don't worry, do we? Would anyone here say that they are completely unaffected by recent events? We might even be so bold as to say, "If you aren't worried about these things, you aren't paying enough attention or taking it seriously enough." Have you had to take a break from the TV or social media to focus on other things? I'm feeling the effects of it. The truth is, this is scary. We do not want people we love to die from this disease. We don't want our healthcare system to get overwhelmed. In Italy, they are leaving people 80 years and older to die because they can't take care of them. But have you ever thought about why everyone is so worked up? As Christians, we are supposed to look at events like this and learn something about ourselves and our culture. What do we need to learn? I think this is a tremendous opportunity to evaluate our reaction to scary events and see where we are lacking or needing growth. Let's talk about those fears a little. Let's talk about anxiety. I was planning to teach on Matthew 6:25-34 in a few weeks since we have been working our way through the Sermon on the Mount. But now is a good time for us to turn there and learn about anxiety together from Jesus. Don't Worry? Matthew 6:25 (ESV) --- 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?" To begin our study, we see that Jesus tells us not to be anxious about our lives. The word anxious is the same idea of being excessively worried. Are we overly worried about our lives? Do we have the Jaws theme music playing in the background all the time? Most of us might say no, but if we went out and bought extra toilet paper, maybe we are just a little bit. In this text, Jesus talks about the necessities of life, food, drink, and clothing. These are things we could not live without, but Jesus wants us to stop being anxious about them. We don't typically worry about food, drink, or clothing. We have a surplus to choose from, or at least we have. The days of famines and droughts affecting us seem to be gone in our country. But imagine what it would be like in those days to go through a famine or a drought. Imagine having to ration food and to deal with starvation. Wouldn't that make us want to store up enough food for the coming months? Should we stop worrying about things that we consider essential? When Jesus tells us to stop being anxious about our lives, he is telling us to stop getting all worked up and stressed out about the trials and difficulties in life. But I want to tell Jesus that he hasn't had to go without toilet paper or see an empty grocery store. We need to hear these words from Jesus, "Don't worry about your life." Why Does Jesus Say This? Notice that Jesus says, "Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?" He wants us to think for a moment about our lives. What is my life really all about? That question gets lost in the chaos of our world. But what is our life supposed to be about? Remember Jesus in Matthew 4? He hadn't eaten for forty days and nights, and Satan told him to turn the stones into bread. Jesus says, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that preceded from the mouth of God." There is more to life than food. Jesus was hungry, but he was not excessively concerned about food. Contrast this with the Israelites who refused to trust God after he sent them manna from heaven. They were told to leave none for the next day, and they decided to keep some, just in case. But it bred worms and stank (Exo 16:16-22). He was trying to teach them that life is about more than food. What is life all about if it's not about gathering as much food, drinks, clothing, and toilet paper as we can and surviving? Life is about God. We are here for a purpose. What is the purpose? Are we here to build up a massive retirement fund, to accomplish some great work for mankind, to become famous, to enjoy life to the fullest, to live as long as we possibly can, or to keep our relatives and loved ones alive for as long as we can? We would like most of that to happen, but that is not why we are here. God says in Genesis that we were created in his image. Our purpose is to represent God. Peter says that God wanted to create a people for his own possession so that they may proclaim the excellencies of him. Ultimately, our lives are now about becoming to the praise of God's glory. That's why we are here. Worry, fear, and anxiety do not proclaim God's excellence. Focusing on what we will eat, drink, wear, or any other "necessity," excessively does not proclaim God's excellency! Think About It Matthew 6:26--30 (ESV) --- 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Jesus wants us to take a second and think about God's creation and the way God feels toward us. Look At The Birds The birds aren't planting seeds and gathering up a harvest to take care of themselves. They aren't making all kinds of preparations for the next few weeks. They are hard at work and they are finding plenty to satisfy their hunger every day. They do not die because there is a shortage of food. Why not? Because God provides them what they need every day. Jesus says, "Your Heavenly Father feeds them," and "Are you not of more value than they?" Look At The Lillies Next, he tells us how lilies aren't working hard to create beautiful clothes for themselves, so that they look fantastic. God gives them a beautiful appearance even though they will only last for a day before being thrown in the oven so we can cook our food. He says that if God is willing to clothe these flowers, will he not much more be willing to clothe those who love him? If God is willing to provide for the birds and the lilies, will he not provide for us? Do we see what we are doing when we worry excessively about this life? We are saying to God, who has equipped us with everything we enjoy, "You can't help us." That is a smack in the face. We all have pantries stocked with food and we enjoy luxuries that do more than keep us alive. Why? Is it because we worked so hard and deserve so much? No! It's because God has blessed us way beyond what we deserve, not to mention the eternal blessings that await us. What Does Anxiety Do? Distracts Us First, notice that Jesus says anxiety distracts us from our purpose. We spend all this time, "gathering into barns and toiling and sewing." We do all kinds of things and spend all of this time focusing on living longer or enjoying luxuries. We are preparing and preparing without end. But Jesus says that all of that worrying cannot add an hour to our lives. He wants us to rely on God to give us what we need. That does not mean that we live carefree and take every unnecessary risks. But Jesus says that if we do not rely on God for what we need, we have little faith (v. 30). If we are excessively worried about our lives or our luxuries, trying to make everything work out, we have little faith in God's providential love for us. We need great faith. There is an old English proverb that says, "Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere." Worry stalls out our work for the Lord. We don't take any risks or do things that might further the Lord's glory. We only do what makes us comfortable because we are afraid of discomfort. Think of how many opportunities we have to help people cope with uncertainty when we stop focusing on our needs. When we feel excessive worry coming on, we ought to know that this is not helping us do what God has called us to do. It makes us do the opposite of what we are supposed to do. Worry makes us feel better, but it only makes us more anxious. It doesn't fix anything. We waste time and energy worrying instead of trusting God and doing what we are called to do. Entangles Us Matthew 6:31--32 (ESV) --- 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Don't we see how worrying about collecting more and more stuff has impacted the attitudes and the hearts of those around us? People are spending their entire lives working, and now they are waking up to find out that they don't have as much as they thought they did. They are also finding out that they don't even know their kids or their spouses. We are so used to accumulating and consuming that we don't know when to stop, and we are neglecting those we love. Jesus reassures us in verse 32 that God knows what we need. This is the second time he has said this in the sermon on the mount. Back in verse 8, he said that God knows what we need before we even ask him. He is our Heavenly Father, and he loves us. He holds the future in his hands, he loves us, and he knows what we need. What Should We Do? Matthew 6:33 (ESV) --- 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Seek First The solution is easy to say but difficult to follow through on. Jesus says that we must seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. What does that mean, and how do we do that? Jesus is telling us to have a higher ambition. We do not live just to survive, gather food, and consume it. We are not animals. We understand that God deserves our fullest objective and our deepest concern. If there is something more valuable to us than the kingdom of God, we are called to take the idol down and seek God's kingdom first. "Seeking the righteousness of God" means that we are not content with our progress and spiritual growth. So far in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has told us that those who are hungering and thirsting for righteousness will be satisfied. He also said that those who's righteousness exceeds the scribes and Pharisees will enter the kingdom. This level of righteousness is what we are striving for with all of our hearts. We glorify God by becoming like him and like Jesus on this earth. Seeking God's kingdom first, and his righteousness makes us totally different from the world. How difficult is it for us to put the kingdom of God at the forefront? Money is important, but life is not about money. Children are important. They are a gift from God, but life is not about children. Life is not even about staying alive. Life is about glorifying God in whatever situation we find ourselves. We care about money, we care about children, we care about our elderly, we care about our lives, but we must care more about glorifying God more than any of that. That is our purpose in life. Only Concern Yourself With Today Matthew 6:34 (ESV) --- 34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." I love this. Now he defines excessively anxious as being anxious about tomorrow. He says that it's okay to be focused on the troubles of today. Today has enough to be concerned about. If things are going great today, soak it up, and don't waste the good day you are having worrying about the bad day you might have tomorrow. He has given us everything we need up until this point, and he promises to provide for us going forward. Instead of having fear about tomorrow, we need to learn how to trust God and focus on today. Application I think if we are honest, all of us have been excessively worried about recent events. Our worry has probably fluctuated from under-worried to over-worried and back again. I have read testimonials on Facebook, and it gets me all spooled up. It is as though media and society are pressuring us all to be anxious and worry about the necessities of life. Jesus helps us see three critical ideas in this text about anxiety to help us deal with it and overcome it. 1. Give up control. We have no idea or control over what will happen in the coming weeks. Worrying excessively about tomorrow will not help anything. Today, we could die from driving, from an aneurysm, or a million other things. Ecclesiastes 7:14 (ESV) --- 14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. We have no control over what tomorrow will bring. This event has helped us realize that truth, so we can overcome our need to control tomorrow. 2. Focus on today and make the most of it. Solomon said this throughout his book of Ecclesiastes. We are here today and gone tomorrow. Tomorrow is probably going to be like today, but it could also be a total reversal of what happened today. We do not know. We have no control or understanding of what tomorrow will bring, and we can do nothing about it. So enjoy God's blessings for today with a desire to please him and spread his glory. Use wisdom as the Proverbs say to extend our lives. Wisdom will extend our lives, but Jesus tells us that worrying does not add an hour. 3. Have Faith. Excessive anxiety is an indicator of how little faith we have. This hits me really hard as I have worried and stressed over so much this week. Like Martha, we make ourselves busy with many things instead of focusing on the most important thing. In times of trouble, remember to nourish your soul with study and prayer. Our prayer life needs to pick up, and we need to lay our fears in the hands of a Heavenly Father who loves us and cares about all that we are going through. We must put him first in our lives. Jeremiah 2:11--13 (ESV) --- 11 Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. 12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, 13 for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. This is what anxiety is, a broken cistern, or well. The only way to alleviate any anxiety is to know that there is someone greater than us in control. We can trust his wisdom and power and submit to his rule. We need to value a relationship with God over wealth, long and happy life on this earth, close relationships with others, or anything else because death is inevitable, and all of that stuff will disappear in a moment. God is the only one who has power over death. When we get rid of excessive worry by focusing on his kingdom, God promises to provide what we need until the day he calls us home to be with him for eternity. Conclusion As we struggle with anxiety, I hope we see how fruitless it is. We are wasting our lives and insulting the God who blesses us each day. God has given his Son to reassure our hearts. We know that he loves us and wants to forgive us of sin because Jesus died for us. This text has been in my mind a lot lately (Lam 3:22-25). Lamentations 3:22--25 (ESV) --- 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. Our souls are longing to serve him, and the trials of life are making our flesh rise up. We must beat it down with faith and hope in a God who is on our side and wants to help us in our hour of need.

Like Martha, most of us are often anxious and troubled about many things and need to discover the lesson of the "One Thing" for which Jesus commended Mary--by Dr. TJ Jenney, Ph.D (Luke... Inspire Sunday Messages by Dr TJ Jenney--bringing faith and life together!

Do you feel the need to be productive when life requires that you slow down? Katie Reid, author of Made Like Martha, joins me to discuss how to be peaceful and not panic, settled not striving, and to take life one day at a time with joy during a crisis.  

Are you a To-Do List, task-oriented sister? You know, the one who can't take a break until everything is checked off and marked done? Yea, that's me too, and I'm talking about it in today's episode.

In this episode, let's talk about work versus pursuing God.Let's explore the powerful story of Martha and Mary found in Luke and how it applies to our day-to-day lives and big-picture journeys. How can we slough off distraction and say yes to focus and peace culminating in a fruitful life.**This is an informational podcast only and any information provided is not meant as medical advice. Please check with your natural or medical healthcare provider for personalised guidance and clarity on any information presented.**

Psalm 73: 21-28   21 When I became embittered and my innermost being was wounded, 22 I was stupid and didn’t understand; I was an unthinking animal toward You. 23 Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me up in glory.  25 Who do I have in heaven but You? And I desire nothing on earth but You. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever. 27 Those far from You will certainly perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You. 28 But as for me, God’s presence is my good. I have made the Lord God my refuge, so I can tell about all You do.

Pastor Ilya continues the sermon series "digging wells". He speaks on how God will redeem all that you have lost. Just you wait, He is your kinsman redeemer. Notes: Ruth 1 Land of Israel was a promise land. Naomi leaves her promise land because there is a famine Don’t abandon your dream of business, career, family, marriage, healing, quest for freedom because you are in a difficult moment now. Don’t leave your church because its going through the famine. What do you do in famine? Pray Fast Seek God’s face He will heal the land to produce a harvest again When we experience loss in our life we get disappointed. Disappointment will turn into bitterness if we dwell on it. Don’t meditate on what God has not done in your life. Don’t stop living because something has died in your life. Release God from the the wrong doing. He is not responsible. He has no sickness, death, setback, poverty to give. All good and perfect gifts come from Him. Don’t stay in the land of negativity, in the land where things died. Go to the land of the promise. God is visiting his people again. He will visit you! If God has visited your neighbor, be happy for them because that means God is in the neighborhood and He will visit you next! Go back to God, to His presents, go back to your promise. Go back to Bethlehem, the house of bread. Don’t build memorials to what God hasn’t done, build monuments to what He has done. Don’t build doctrines to justify your disappointment. Don’t focus on what you lost, work with what you have left. What you have left is Ruth! Don’t abandon Ruth because you lost your husband and 2 sons. God will use your Ruth to restore you to greater glory than before. It was time for the harvest but they had nothing to harvest. Glean from others. Don’t starve to death just because you don’t have any harvest in your spiritual life, ministry, family, business. Listen to testimonies of what God is doing in the life of others and glean faith to believe for a miracle for yourself. Sit at his feet. Like Martha minister to Jesus by sitting at his feet. Boaz will redeem your field. Intimacy will produce harvest in your life(in your ministry, in your fields.(career, business, family marriage). The best days are ahead of you! Don’t give up hope! Jesus is the great Redeemer. He will redeem everything about you. Say with Job “My Redeemer lives!” #hungrygen #diggingwells #holyspirit

Speaker: Cody LaChappelle Summary: Martha was worried about physical things even when Jesus Christ was literally in her house. Do we act the same way? Passage: Luke 10:38-42 Legal notice: Speakers here typically quote from the NASB, ESV or NKJV almost exclusively, and the respective copyright notices follow. Some occasionally quote from the King James Version, which is public domain (in the US). Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright by The Lockman Foundation Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

This episode talks about the importance of prioritizing time alone with God.

July 21, 2019 - Like Martha, busy with inconsequential aspects of daily life, we should be careful to focus on our God instead, like Mary, who sat at Jesus' feet.

Like Martha, we can be so obsessed with doing what we think we should be doing that we miss what God wants us to do.

Like Martha in the New Testament, it's easy for us to be "careful and troubled about many things." It seems like there is ALWAYS something else that needs to be done. If we aren't careful, we can lose sight and miss out on the things that are truly "needful" in our lives. In this episode we'll look at the story of Mary and Martha and the Savior's counsel to Martha regarding choosing "the good part." Questions: 1. What is something "needful" in your life that you feel like you should give more attention to? 2. What can you do to make sure to get that "needful" thing done? 3 Tips to Actually Accomplish Your "Needful" Thing: 1. Put it on the calendar - "What gets scheduled gets done." - Michael Hyatt 2. Enlist the help of those close to you 3. Define why you are doing it - connect to the emotions behind it Get all the resources mentioned in this episode at https://www.everydayconversion.com/041 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/everydayconversion/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/everydayconversion/support

Prayer is work. What happens if prayer doesn’t come easily to you? Is this spiritual defeat?  In today’s episode, Lee talks to her friend, Katie M. Reid, a self-proclaimed “Modern-day Martha” who readily admits that it can be difficult to slow her task oriented bent to sit in worship and prayer.  Katie talks about the importance of our spiritual posture as a beloved daughter no matter our temperament. About our Guest: Katie M. Reid is a national speaker, singer/songwriter, and author of Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done. She holds a Masters Degree in Secondary Education and has been published on: Focus on the Family, TODAY's Parenting Team Blog, MOPS, and For Every Mom. Katie is a fan of musicals and cut-to-the-chase conversations over tea. Katie lives with her husband and five children in the middle of Michigan. Sign-up to receive weekly encouragement at: katiemreid.com   You can connect with Katie on her website at www.katiemreid.com, or on Facebook at KatieMReidWriter, Instagram, Pintrest and Twitter @KatieMReid. Moms in Prayer International- www.MomsInPrayer.org

Martha vs. Mary. What if you were made like Martha? Katie Reid joins Julie Lyles Carr today with some good news about resting without compromising who you are as a doer.

Do you feel like you're made more like Martha than Mary, meaning you just can't sit down until everything is done . . . and everything is never done?Maybe you're more of a Mary personality, but leaning into God's love still doesn't come naturally to you. Well, whether you're a Mary or a Martha, this episode is for you because it really comes down to leaning into Jesus and His love. On this episode of the More to Be Podcast, I'm joined by friend and fellow "Martha," Katie M. Reid. She is a pastor's wife and mom to five children (ages two to fourteen). She is a homeschooling mom, singer, bible study facilitator, and author of Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done. She is a fan of musicals and cut-to-the-chase conversation over tea. Katie encourages others to find grace in the unraveling at katiemreid.com.Through our time together chatting about everything from birth order to home-keeping, Katie helps Marthas and Marys alike to see how love into the solution of becoming a woman who knows how to rest. Scripture FocusJohn 11Colossians 3:12Notable Links & MentionsGrab the R.A.W. Scripture Study Method and join us in the More to Be Tribe Facebook Group.Use the More to Be Podcast Reflection Guide to turn this episode into your own personal Bible study.Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done by Katie ReidShare & BlessListen on iTunes, Stitcher, and SpotifyIf you've been blessed by this podcast, then hope you'll show your support by share it with your friends and family! We would also be so grateful for you to rate and review our podcast wherever you listen.Become a More to Be Sisterhood SupporterThe best way to support the ministry of More to Be & the More to Be Podcast is to become a More to Be Sisterhood Supporter. With your purchase, you’ll gain access to our signature courses and resources for FREE plus receive advance notification of new resources, trainings, and special sales. To get access to over $100 worth of bonuses, become a Sisterhood Supporter by clicking here and upon check-out, enter coupon code "Podcast" to save an additional $20! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tim spends most of the hour with Dr. Tony Hart, Pastor of Montco Bible Fellowship, in Lansdale, PA. Dr. Hart reminded us his father founded the church in Ambler many years ago and then the church moved to Lansdale. Dr. Hart has a new book called Two Tablets for Your Marriage. It is a wonderful guide for a successful marriage. Tim also spoke with Katie Reid. She wrote "Made Like Martha (Good News for Women who Get Things Done).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you a woman that likes to get things done? If you’re love to-do lists, then you’re going to love my conversation with Katie M. Reid, author of Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done. Katie is a self-described modern-day Martha who struggled with the well-known story of two women with two different approaches to life in Luke 10. Have you ever read the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10? It’s a story of two women named Martha and Mary. In one particular situation, Martha worked to get her home prepared to offer hospitality while her sister, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet. When Martha asked Jesus to instruct Mary to help, Jesus answered with the following words: “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all of these details. There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:41-42 NLT) Too many of us have read this story and walked away with the conclusion that Jesus was criticizing Martha for trying to get things done. However, Katie challenges us to consider that Jesus didn’t condemn Martha’s method. Rather, Jesus invited her to change her mindset. Instead of being worried and distracted, Martha was encouraged to experience Jesus’ inner peace instead of trying to live up to unrealistic expectations. So, if you’re made like Martha and you’re tired of trying to do it all, live up to unrealistic expectations or you’re beating yourself up for not being perfect, today’s conversation is just for you.   Join today’s conversation and listen as Katie and I discuss: How to stop beating yourself up for being a hard-working Martha; How to say “yes,” “no” and most importantly, when to ask for help; How to swap out trying to balance our lives and learn how to “steward” our lives instead; Helpful tips to enjoy being made like Martha and get things done without getting burnt out. Bonus! Talk back to us and share your answers to the following: Should bathroom toilet paper be hung over or under? Do you squeeze toothpaste be squeezed from the middle or rolled from the bottom? Do your fold or crumple your toilet paper before wiping?   LINKS FROM TODAY'S EPISODE Katie M. Reid   Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter Made Like Martha: Good News for Women Who Like to Get Things Done   About your Better Together podcast host...  Barb Roose is a popular speaker and author who is passionate about equipping women to win at life with Christ-empowered strength and dignity. Barb loves speaking at women’s conference and leadership events such as the Aspire Women’s Events, She Speaks Conference and the UMC Leadership Institute. Barb is the author of multiple books and Bible studies, including her newest releases: Winning the Worry Battle: Life Lessons from the Book of Joshua and Bible study called Joshua: Winning the Worry Battle. Barb’s writing has been featured in magazines or blogs such as Simple Truth Magazine, iBelieve.com, Crosswalk.com, More to Life Magazine, Just Between Us Magazine, Cherished, InCourage and Women of Faith. An avid traveler, reader, and lover of all things chocolate-peanut butter, Barb and her family live in NW Ohio with their dog, Quimby and a very grumpy 10-year rabbit. Visit Barb’s online home at barbroose.com.

Katie M. Reid

Like Martha in the Bible, many women are too busy and distracted doing many things, instead of doing the ONE THING they really need to do. Pastor James encourages all ladies to EXHALE...To be like Mary, not Martha...And to register for the EXHALE Conference June 22-23 in Skokie. Register now! - http://insightchurch.org/Events/

Do we have a preconceived notion about God - how He should heal us or deliver us? Like Naaman, do we think we know how it will go and limit what we are willing to do to receive freedom? How many times are we offered a way out and we don't take it? Like Martha in the story of Lazarus, we turn away the only one who can help us when we reject God because our deliverance doesn't look like we thought it would. Instead of listing excuses why it can't happen, we need to accept God's healing when we ask for it and take Him at His word. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts because they will direct our lives. Ask yourself: How is my heart? Is it broken? We may have blockages in our heart that prevent us from living life the way that we have received with Jesus. Those can be selfishness, bitterness, rejection, and evil thoughts. We must be honest with ourselves about what we have done to ourselves, what we have allowed to fester that others have done, and make the decision to feed ourselves with good food for our minds and spirits, not junk. Ask the Holy Spirit today to show you where your blockages are! Amen!

The idea and principle of Sabbath keeping is often incredibly difficult for ministry leaders to put into practice. Like Martha, the many good and necessary things of life can distract us from what’s best. Sabbath is about choosing the best among all the good and necessary things of life. It nurtures our soul and brings us hope. Roy Yanke continues this theme in this part of his message on Living According to God’s Sabbath Principle.

Hello listeners, here we are at the last episode of 2017! This year flew by and I'm glad soon we will be able to say adios to this year. This week, we have a conversation with Martha Rañon. Martha, is the Director of Education & Programs for Southern Caregiver Resource Center. Martha first became a caregiver to her great aunt who was 93 and had Dementia. With little knowledge on how to be a Caregiver, Martha reached out to Southern Caregiver Resource Center and became a client they taught her the importance of self-care and knowing what the resources are. Martha now teaches classes and puts together workshops and conferences throughout San Diego County with the hopes of empowering caregivers everywhere to let them know that they don’t have to do this alone. That there is a network of care that is out there for you and you can access it and learn from others who are in the same situation. This episode is relevant to this Holiday season because a lot of us are caregivers without realizing it. Like Martha said, just breathe. There are a lot of resources available and remember that self-care is so important. Also, at the end of this episode, I give you a special announcement. So make sure you stay until the very end. I'm excited to launch the Cafe con Pam Accountability Group! Head over to spreadideasmovepeople.com/accountability to sign up and get updates. Listeners, thank you for hanging out with me these last 12 months! See you again in 2018! Stay shining! @cafeconpampodcast

Luke 10:40 NLT She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” The challenge for me in life is learning to view events through the right lens. Here Martha is acutely conscious of her hard work, and interprets Jesus’ failure to encourage Mary to get stuck in and help her as in some way demeaning her. She takes it personally and is hurt. I’ve so often viewed my work by contrasting my efforts with others and inwardly condemning them for failing to pull their weight. I haven’t actually requested help, merely made judgements based upon my own assumptions and the lens through which I’m peering. Here in the Oratory it’s my responsibility to manage the household. So organising laundry, grocery shopping, designing, cooking and serving meals are all down to me. I needn’t do it all, but sometimes I inwardly sigh and do it anyway, because I can’t be bothered to delegate or feel my way is the best and only way. Slowly I’ve discovered my initial assumptions are usually wrong. Forged from self-pity, they induce a sharp reaction to others. Like Martha, I think they should be helping me. Yet, if I understand my role, then surely I have the means both to do the work I want and need to do, while requesting assistance from others who benefit from Oratory life. I need to advise Mum where to place her dishes if I resent trailing around the house collecting cups and plates. I must ask Jayne to dust or sort laundry. It’s all too easy to become consumed with doing, so that we fail to have any time for resting. It is the view we take on life that determines our reaction and response. I am chilled about my Oratory role, and have learned to ask for assistance and share where I feel the stress around certain pinch points. Just communicating my pressure helps, and often a listening ear is all I need. Historically I’d have fretted and moaned, and developed unhealthy and unjust opinions of others who are completely unaware of my feelings. QUESTION: Do you complain to God when you feel unfairly burdened? PRAYER: Lord, even when I feel there is too much to do, help me find my rest in you.

 Pushing Though (Show notes: huntingthemuse.com/podcast/6) Welcome to HuntingTheMuse.com's Creative Writing Podcast.  If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element. Today's podcast episode is about pushing through.We all deal with emotional difficulties at different times with our writing. This episode will talk through that process and help you to overcome your self-doubt.This week was tough, but despite all the roadblocks, the hiccups, and the distractions... I was Doing It!Not subscribed to the podcast? Get it now!My WeekAs a military veteran, I deal with a lot of anxiety and depression, and I'm going to try to do my best to remove that filter from my personal weekly updates. But, if you asked me right out, I'd tell you I had a tough week. And that would be true. But there were also some really good moments, and I can't discount those.I made some huge progress with lining up story components and defining the motivations of a particular character in Chlorophyllium 9 and subsequently Final Hope. That process often requires that your ego go through the crucible and it's a process that can be hard, but it can also be very worth it if you want to create the best story possible.Work wasn't too bad, though I did get some stern words from an upper management member who, I feel, misunderstood a situation where I was trying to do the right thing. I won't go into any detail here, but my supervisor was pretty awesome and smoothed it out as best she could. It was great that she supported me and was on my side. (Of course, insert emotional trigger here, though. Feeling like I was stuck and unable to defend myself took me back to a pretty bad situation I was in for a long time during my service. This probably helped fuel my bad feelings about my writing.)Podcast NewsI didn't get time to produce the shortened outros I talked about in the last episode. I think doing this would be an improvement, but it probably isn’t the highest priority at this time.Installed the Patreon App on my phone and have been uploading some quick writing prompts: both audio and pictures. It's been a lot of fun and it doesn't take much time. Now, I've been trying to figure out how Patreon works and it seems like there are two types of posts you can do. One is the standard free-for-all, while the other is attached to a donation. So, for patrons who support you, you provide special content on a pre-arranged agreement (such as, no more than twice a month).This raises the question, if in the future I do start getting patrons, what content should I create for my supporters?I originally planned on providing up to two additional podcasts per month, but these things take a lot of time to produce and that might not be very feasible. So, what about posting stories based on some of the creative writing prompts posted that month?You see, my goal with this podcast isn't necessarily to get better at podcasting, though that's naturally one of my concerns. I want to do well at whatever I'm doing. Producing extra episodes is taxing and coming up with seven writing prompts that are more than a single sentence can be tough. Furthermore, producing podcasts doesn't necessarily make me a better writer.Writing stories based on the prompts and providing them to my patrons could be mutually beneficial, but are my podcast listeners here for their own creative writing endeavors, or are they interested in my writing. Is there a segment of listeners who are interested in both? Who enjoy what I do enough to offer their support in exchange for my writing?My biggest concern is, what is the best thing for me to do to provide value for my patrons, while also increasing the skills that best align with my writing goals?What do you think? I would love to hear from you!Writing UpdatesI started out the week feeling pretty good about the progress I had made. Then I started questioning the overarching motivations of one of my characters. This spilled into self-doubt about how I was handling narration versus dialogue.Then I started to doubt my previous good feelings about character development and progression.This led to a downward spiral that ended with a whole lot of not writing.The task seemed insurmountable and I didn't feel like I was up to it. I felt like a hypocrite for podcasting and writing about the creative writing process. I embodied everything that I warned about in the last podcast episode, "Doing It."I did not do it.Pushing Through.In this week's episode, we're going to get real about writing. The first thing you need to know is that EVERYONE STRUGGLES. (period.)We each struggle with our own, unique demons and in our own way. But the key thing to understand is that many have gone down that road before you and many will travel it long after you are gone.Some will think you've never seen the beaten path, never known its twists and turns or tripped on the jutting roots that creep out from beneath the surface.You know, it's so easy to dismiss or discount what it takes to be a writer today. So many people have done it. It seems like we have more writers now than ever before. EVERYONE, it seems, is writing a book.Sadly, only those who push though will make it.You are not alone.In those dark moments, when you think it's pointless to go on, remember why you wanted to write in the first place. Other writers have felt very much the same as you're feeling in your darkest hour. Do you feel like a fraud?Are you a faker? A chameleon who lacks a sense of individual talent?Are you nothing more than an amalgamation of everything you've ever read?Who would want to read this crap?It's contrived, self-important, and utter nonsense.Trust me, others have thought those exact same things. I know I have.At least, that's what I thought... you know, that others felt this way too.To prove, or disprove, the point, I decided to pose the question to a group of authors I've mentioned on the podcast before.Let's see what they had to say...Martha Carr:"Don't mistake how you feel for a reason to stop. Let it buzz around in the background and just keep going. Getting through it each day, little by little, will do more for wearing away the doubt than backing off of a goal. Remember that the journey will not be what you expected, but it will happen anyway. That and keep in mind that external forces like writing a book, getting it published can't make you feel secure. That's an inside job."E. R. Starling:"I struggle with this ALOT and it causes quite a bit of havoc on things like creative flow and motivation. The bad part is, you can get it from just about everything: unsupportive people... insecurities that have NOTHING to do with writing at all. It's a difficult thing for an author to put themselves out there to begin with. Like it or not, it's a piece of the bare soul going out for the world to see, but there are so many other contributing factors as well. It can be overwhelming."But E. R. Starling pushes through..."It's a very big struggle, but I've always been a fighter so I find it easier to push things aside and reach for what I want instead of what I'm afraid I'm going to get. Focusing on why I write also helps. It is a process, and a long one at that. Like Martha sais, it's an internal job. As long as you work with it, you see results."E. A. Copen:"Self-doubt sucks and we all experience it. Even Stephen King. When I feel like throwing the towel in, I revisit some of my rejections, specifically and old note from a college professor who called my writing, 'outrageous, over the top and all around an unpublishable mess.' The book to which she was referring was the first one I published and has now sold a few hundred copies and received some glowing reviews. It's even nominated for some kind of Indie award right now, though I doubt I will walk away with a win. I let myself get mad all over again because getting mad makes me more determined to push on and prove her wrong. Other people's doubt of me is my fuel to go forward."Then an anonymous writer from the group chimed in..."I'm pretty sure it's normal and a good sign. I was talking with a buddy the other day about this aspect of the creative process and even great writers like Stephen Kind have a history of this. King threw out his draft of Christine, but his wife pulled it from the trash. I think we all feel that our stuff is crap after pouring our hearts and energy into it and the folks out there with stars in their eyes and no talent are the ones who have no doubt. We're our worst critics..."After probing a little deeper, the author, who wanted to remain anonymous, expressed a hurtful memory with a close family member. The laughter and the hurtful words still echo in their head, "You'll never make a living as a writer."Hurtful WordsAs it turns out, I have some of my own hurtful words I carry around. I remember one particular event very well. I was sitting in my grandmother's dining room on a warm, Sunday afternoon. I loved my grandma very much and we would visit and she would prepare a nice lunch every Sunday.We were talking and I was going on about some of my goals. I was working on a manuscript that has long collected dust in the years gone by, but I remember saying that I was writing a book. My grandmother laughed."What are you going to write a book about," she asked."Well, it's fiction," I managed to say, hoping she was just dismissing my lack of supposed expertise in a non-fiction realm.(Which would also have hurt, but I could just shrug that off as her not understanding my job or what I'd done in the military.)Still, she laughed and repeated, "What are YOU going to write a book about?"It hurt. A lot.The Complex Issue of Self-DoubtKat Lind says, "The issue on self-doubt can be very complex, but if you boil them down to basics, they are simple. You have a message in your head that was set some time ago that disagrees with where you want to go or do. The argument is the expression of self-doubt"The conflict is part of the reason that so many creative type people suffer from depression. The internal fight and the argument saps energy and you have bursts when you can overcome the issues and then fall into a depression when you run out of energy. "There are exercises that can be used to surface the nasty messages that hold you back, but sometimes you can just use the voices as a focus for defiance."E. A. Copen:"I'm working hard to turn my own misgivings into the same. Whenever I think, "I can't," I try to immediately follow that with "But what if I can?" Confidence is all about how you talk to yourself... Say enough positive things and, hopefully, you start believing them and they'll start happening. That's my theory, anyway."Michael Anderle was actually the first person to respond to my question. He said, "Figure out your strategy to deal with it early. I've told my fans that each time I hit release, I'm always chewing fingernails until the first reviews come in to see whether 'this one is the one that I screw up!' It doesn't matter if the previous book was a high seller... THIS book is the one that I worry about. I think I had less worries on book's 1, 2, and 3 than number 12. Don't know if it helps, but... well, there it is."But I wanted to know more, so I asked the next logical question:"If you had to pinpoint why your anxiety has gone up with subsequent releases, what would you think the reason for that would be? Is it a desire to not disappoint fans?"Michael Anderle: "Yes, in the beginning there were NO expectations. I wasn't expecting a lot, and had nothing to compare my efforts to. The writing rather 'flowed'. Most books since number 3 or number 4 have been more and more complex, the writing harder and the exhaustion... bigger. Consequently, there are times I'm not sure about the book. (I think) I'm getting better at figuring it out, but I never 'know'."How did I Push Through?My wife was a good sounding board for my frustrations. She told me she believed in me. And then my oldest daughter, Gizmo, told me that my writing efforts were inspiring her to pursue her desire to be a digital artist. When she thought about me putting so much time into my podcast and my writing on top of my full-time job and spending time with the family, she felt like her personal art goals were achievable.Boy, did I feel silly. (Here, the podcast includes an audio clip of Gizmo explaining her thoughts.)So, What Came of My Struggle?Somewhere along the line, I had a breakthrough. Maybe my gut was trying to tell me something. But why in such a hurtful way? Why did it have to bash my self-esteem and crush my belief that I could be a successful writer? I don't know...After reforging my understanding of one of my primary antagonists, while going through the crucible of self-doubt, I uncovered a very interesting character thread that connected another disjointed element in the story. Suddenly, something that had been bothering me made perfect sense and I could understand the character motivation. It was both shocking and yet explainable in one deft blow.This realization will inform my writing and further character development. And understanding the conflict the antagonist faced helps me understand who he is as a person and why he's been doing some of the horrible things he's done. We're all the hero of our own story, so it couldn't be simple ideology that fueled his reasoning. That would make him a stick-man and his emotional resonance with one particular mistake couldn't be explained with that logic. No, the ideology is nothing more than armor, because acknowledging what he sacrificed would crush him.Tactics, Techniques, and Skills to Overcome Self-DoubtTake a step back.You have to realize that everyone struggles.Sometimes our parent (critical) ego steps into the territory of our child (creative) ego. We need to understand that the creative side of ourselves has to feel safe in order to create.Much of the advice we receive in life centers around the safe choices. (Get an education, get a job, work your way in the system toward the goal of eventual retirement.)Putting yourself out there for the world isn't a safe choice, it's an artistic (read: risky) one.The parent ego, in this case, represents our fears and our doubts. Kat Lind says that, "Most frequently, the voices associated with this ego get recorded in your brain when you are younger or very vulnerable. But you can neutralize it with logical and conscious thought.The Sign-OffI realize this episode was a bit on the heavy side, but thank you for sticking it out with me. Writers of all types usually encounter some form of self-doubt.You are not alone.You can do this.You can push through and overcome!I believe in you.And now, for this week's writing prompts.What you'll find below is a series of creative writing prompts to help get you through your week. There are no rules as to how you should use them, but I recommend taking your muse's hand; wherever she may lead you. Whether you find yourself writing a descriptive scene or dialogue, a poem or prose, or anything else (even if it seems entirely unrelated to the prompt), you have won. Happy writing, and may you find success in hunting your muse this week.  1. The Smoldering RuinYou are a special investigator out on assignment. The scene of a crime across town requires the attention of someone of your… expertise. You’ve been tracking down a serial murderer for the last eighteen months, really getting inside his head, and the folks at the bureau seem to think he might have just made his first big mistake. All you know for sure is that you’re headed to the scene of a deadly arson. Which seems odd, given that fire never really was your guy’s MO.2. The PackageYou’ve been working hard finishing a project and, in a trance-like state of flow, you blow right through lunch. Hours later, you find yourself starving and running out of steam fast. So, you decide to step out for a quick bite to eat before getting back to the grindstone. When you return, a small and mysterious package has been left on your keyboard.3. You Might Regret ThisFrom the first instant you remember after waking up in the morning, you knew today was going to be rough. There was something in the air, something almost ethereal; like smelling ozone and knowing an electronic device somewhere has fried, or biting your cheek and tasting copper. The feeling was more instinct than anything else. And then your day went on and everything seemed fine. More than fine, in fact. You’ve just been offered a very big and very important promotion, but still that feeling remains. As you shake your boss’s hand, you can’t help but wonder if there isn’t more to this deal than you were told.4. Stuck on the BridgeEvery week, you get up in the morning, get dressed and ready to impress, and then set out for work. You drive the lonely, dark streets until the rural capillaries turn to veins and you merge onto the artery that will take you into the heart of the city. You make your way through the traffic, watching for brake lights and avoiding the lane weavers, until you eventually arrive at your place of employment, snug within one of the buildings that make up the city skyline.But today, on your way home, traffic comes to a standstill as you reach the midpoint of the long bridge that stretches across a large body of water halfway through your commute. With no end to the wait in sight, you notice a strange shift in the mood of the commuters around you. So you turn down your speakers, roll down your window, and listen.  Think of something you do on the computer, your smartphone, or any other electronic device as a part of your normal day-to-day activities. Now take that action and make it magical by adding a touch of cyberpunk. How will you visualize traveling the information superhighway? Will you get entangled in the sticky web of Social Media? What is it like to encapsulate how very integrated into the system we’ve all become?5. A Different ShadeYou work in an obscure corporate research and development department of an innovative tech giant. A lot of what you do is smoke and mirrors, funneling money into technology that doesn’t seem to have much of a purpose, like paint that changes color to reflect the emotions of the person standing in front of it. Things were going well for a long time. Everyone you worked with felt like… family. As a team, you created some of the most wild and innovative gizmos and gadgets that most normal people would never hear about, let alone see first-hand. You pushed the barrier of discovery in ways you’d never imagined possible, but ever since the new technology director came on board, the ambience of the place has slowly shifted toward a structured, results-based initiative. First, the free sodas disappeared. Then it was the ping pong table. Of course, that was just the beginning. Now you’re standing in front of a black emotion-sensing wall in the conference room and you’ve got to give your team the bad news. How will you help them see the light at the end of this tunnel? 6. The Stolen FilesYou’ve been working on a special dataset for months, but just as you were about to reveal your findings, all your files were stolen. It’s a good thing you kept good backups because, while surely an inconvenience, you can recover what was lost in just a matter of hours. Yet, something bigger is troubling you. What purpose would someone have with stealing your research? Could they somehow put it to nefarious ends?7. The ProposalYou’re walking in a crowded public space when you’re approached by a charming street performer. After some crowd-pleasing theatrics, they make a fine show of a marriage proposal. It all seems so innocent and fun, so after your initial refusal, met with several boos and groans of dismay, you oblige to please the onlookers. What happens when you come to realize that it wasn’t all just some act for a few coins and a handful of crumpled bills? Does the arrangement suit you, or are there… other… complications to consider? What is the true nature of the proposal, and why did the performer choose you? If you must put an end to the whimsical arrangement, what consequences will you face? I hope you've enjoyed this week's episode and creative writing prompts. Please consider supporting this effort by signing up for my newsletter.  #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */ Join my monthly newsletter for writers and get more helpful content, encouragement, and more!* indicates requiredEmail Address * First Name Last Name Email Format htmltext Powered by MailChimp (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='LNAME';ftypes[2]='text';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); If you enjoyed this feed, please stop by my blog! www.HuntingTheMuse.com

  Singer/Songwriter Martha Reich-Braden joins the show on a very special Aussie Takeover with our very own Mary Lou Munroe Rey! Mary Lou will be talking with Martha about her music, inspriations, career and so much more in Hour 1 of the show! Call 323 657-1493 to ask question and join in the fun! Hour 2 - your requests! ! ! Buy Martha's music on iTunes by clicking here! Visit Martha's website by clicking here! Follow Martha on Twitter by clicking here! Like Martha's Facebook Fan Page by clicking here!  

  Singer/Songwriter Martha Reich-Braden joins the show on a very special Aussie Takeover with our very own Mary Lou Munroe Rey! Mary Lou will be talking with Martha about her music, inspriations, career and so much more in Hour 1 of the show! Call 323 657-1493 to ask question and join in the fun! Hour 2 - your requests! ! ! Buy Martha's music on iTunes by clicking here! Visit Martha's website by clicking here! Follow Martha on Twitter by clicking here! Like Martha's Facebook Fan Page by clicking here!  

What is necessary to love God? Like Martha in Luke 10:38-42, many of us have a long list in mind, but Jesus praises Mary for finding the one thing that is necessary - listening to Jesus.

Introduction I love the words of David Livingstone who was a courageous pioneer, a Scottish missionary in the 19th century, whose exploratory work in the dark continent of Africa opened the way for many other missionaries that followed to penetrate the African interior with the gospel. This is a man who endured immense suffering for the cause of Christ. He was once attacked by a lion on the mission field, crushing his shoulder to the point where its mobility would be hindered the rest of his life. David Livingstone married and deeply loved Mary Moffat, who was the daughter of a missionary hero and leader, but because of the difficulty of travel, the various sicknesses that ..., he would spend more than half of their 18 years of married life separate from his beloved wife. The couple lost a child to sickness on the mission field, and later, Livingstone lost his own beloved wife as well to sickness, directly related to their mission work. And during his time in Africa, Livingstone once went three years without any correspondence from the outside world from friends or family, because those letters just couldn't reach him where he was in Africa. But for all of this on December 4, 1857, he was speaking to students of Cambridge University about his years of missionary service, and this is what he said, “For my own part, I have never ceased to rejoice that God has appointed me to such an office. People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt owing to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blessed reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter. Away with the word in such a view, away with such a thought. It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger now and then, with the forgoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life may make us pause, may cause the spirit to waiver, may cause the soul to sink. But let this only be for a moment. All of these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall hereafter be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk when we remember the great sacrifice which he made who left his Father's throne on high to give himself for us.” Oh, may that be my sweet attitude the rest of my life, “I never made a sacrifice.” Now, of course for some Christians, it may in some sense literally be true, sadly. There are some Christians that really don't sacrifice much for Jesus. Following Jesus doesn't really cost them much at all, they don't leave any place of safety or comfort for Jesus. If anything, Jesus and following Him has been an enhancer in their already pretty good life. But I'm not speaking of that, I'm speaking of a different kind of life, a life of glory and honor and praise in which we actually do take up our cross daily and follow Jesus, in which we put sin to death by the power of the Holy Spirit, courageously so, and grow in glorious personal holiness, against all the pulls of the world, the flesh, and the devil. And in which we follow Jesus for the benefit and the salvation of others who need to hear the gospel. I would like to make, actually, many such sacrifices, but I would love to have David Livingstone's attitude, “I never made a sacrifice.” Some people make much of their sacrifices. You've probably been around someone who is in the process of doing so. They talk a lot about the labor and the effort and the struggle and how hard it's been and all this kind of thing. Can you imagine Mary pouring out that perfume on the feet of Jesus, “I hope you know, Jesus, how much this is costing me. This is well over a year's wage here. I saved up, I was gonna use this on myself, but now I'm spending it on you. Hope you recognize my personal sacrifice in the matter.” Away with such a thought, perish such an attitude! And yet how easy it is for us to slip into that kind of attitude, isn't it? Like Martha who is laboring one day to get a meal ready for Jesus, you remember that? Working so hard getting all the dishes ready, getting the house straightened, all that, and there's her sister Mary, sitting at Jesus' feet and just soaking in time with Jesus. And here's the attitude, Luke 10:40, “Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to [Christ] and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’” I think at that particular moment, she's not just put out with Mary, she's put out with Jesus. And she's not quite sure why it is that Jesus is rewarding her behavior at that particular moment. The Lord wants us to learn to make sacrifices. Yes, there are times like Martha to be very, very busy in the service of the Lord, but it's easy to lose perspective and we start to have a hard heart, even toward the Lord, and say, “Don't you care? Don't you see all the things I'm doing? All of my labors for you.” And to start having hard feelings toward other servants of the Lord and see their labors as insignificant, as though what they're doing isn't anywhere near as costly as what we're giving, that kind of thing. I believe it's in destroying that kind of attitude, for the reason of destroying that attitude, that Jesus told the parable we're studying today, the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard, or of the Generous Landowner. Understanding the Context: “The First will Be Last, and the Last First” Peter’s Question So let's try to understand the context. Peter is concerned about their own sacrifices, his and the other apostles, and the topic of treasure in Heaven had come up with the rich young ruler, and Peter is interested in the topic of treasure in Heaven. He said, “Lord, we have left everything to follow you, what then will there be for us?” And Jesus does in fact promise them lavish rewards, “At the renewal of all things,” He says, “When the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, then you who have followed me will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” So they're going to be lavishly rewarded, and anyone, everyone who follows Jesus will receive a hundred times what they give up, even in this life, and in the age to come, eternal life, he says. Jesus’ Final Statement…Repeated But at the end of that teaching, if you look at chapter 19 and verse 30, the last verse of the previous chapter, Jesus said this statement, “Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” This is a surprising statement. What could this mean? And I think He tells this parable to explain what He means, that many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first, look at verse 1 of chapter 20, “For the kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.” So the word “for” means He's going to explain what He means in the previous verse, that many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. And I think this is very important because He repeats the doctrine at the end of the parable, verse 16, look at Matthew 20:16, “So the last will be first and the first will be last.” This Parable Explains The Principle “The First Will Be Last, and the Last First” So I believe that any interpretation of this parable that does not explain whatever Jesus means by that, misses the point. This is the point, the point is that many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first or the last will be first and the first will be last. There's a kind of reversal coming, a different way of understanding things is coming, and you need to prepare yourself for it. And so I think He's getting the apostles ready to think differently about their life of sacrifice and service. Maybe they're going to be the laborers in the vineyard who spend 12 hours all day long, bearing the burden of the work in the heat of the day. How will they think about that? Will they be ready to understand the rewards that are coming on that final day, on Judgment Day? Understanding the Parable: The Payment of Various Laborers A Landowner Seeks Laborers So let's understand this parable. A landowner goes out and seeks laborers to work in his vineyard. He goes out early in the morning, he is zealous, he's proactive, he's looking for workers for his vineyard. And he's agreeing to pay these laborers a denarius for the day. Verse 2, “He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.” An Agreement Reached Now these are day laborers. They're perhaps at the lowest level of labor in the society, They're not household slaves, they don't have a permanent place in the household, there's no protection for them at all, except that the law of Moses in Deuteronomy 24 made certain that those day laborers would get their wage at the end of the day. But then all bets are off, all arrangements are over, there's no permanent contract. As soon as that day of labor is over, they're unemployed again the next day. That's who he's hiring here. And the denarius that they agreed to is nothing remarkable. It's actually the common rate. A denarius was equal to a day-wage for a common laborer out in the vineyard, so there was nothing that remarkable about it. He agreed to the going rate, a denarius, and sent them into the vineyard. More Laborers Hired Throughout the Day But then as the day unfolds the owner of the vineyard, the landowner, decides he wants more and more workers, so he continues to go out again and again and hire more people. Look at verse 3 through 5, “About the third hour, he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard and I will pay you whatever is right.’” Literally whatever is just, I will be fair in my handling of you. So these workers take this man at his word. There's no agreement about a denarius or anything, just trust my justice and go. And so they went. The same process characterizes the whole day. Verse 5, he went out again about the sixth hour, the ninth hour, and did the same thing. Finally an hour before sunset, there's almost no time left, he goes out one last time, “About the eleventh hour,” verses 6 and 7, “he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long, doing nothing?’ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’” Now again, there's no promise of pay, there's no denarius agreed to. As a matter of fact, he doesn't even say I'll pay you anything. He doesn't say like he did with the second hiring, “I'll pay you whatever is right,” he just says, “Go and work in my vineyard.” So these men just go, hoping against hope that they might get something for their labor. And they go and work for that hour. Payday, and the Last are Paid First Now it's time for pay. In verse 8, “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’” This is the first surprise, that the ones that are hired last are honored in that they get their wage first. They are preferred, they are chosen to be paid first. And this, I think, is at least in a literalistic sort of sense, the honor that Christ was referring to in 19 and verse 30, “Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first,” and again in verse 16, “So the last will be first and the first will be last.” So these men that are just hired at the end of the day, after not doing anything all day long, they just come and work for one hour, and they are honored by getting their wage first, everyone else has to wait. The Surprising Generosity of the Landowner But we also see the surprising generosity of the landowner. He gives them a denarius for one hour of work. This is entirely unexpected. There's no way they could have demanded it, no way they could have had a sense that this is what they deserved. They must have been overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude toward the landowner as they received whatever it is they get for their labor. It's actually to some degree I think a 12-fold increase of wage. Twelve times what they could have expected to get because they only worked 1/12 of the day. It's really astonishing generosity. Now the other workers, those hired second and third in the middle part of the day, we have no idea what happened to them. I guess the assumption is that they also received a denarius. But we have nothing said about them, in any case. The Complaint by the Hardest Workers But now come the laborers who have been there all day. Look at Verses 10 through 12, “So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. And when they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner, ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’” Now this is an ugly little moment in Biblical history, an ugly little moment of human nature being revealed. But oddly enough, now just be honest, doesn't their complaint actually make a little bit of sense to you? Don't you feel like, actually, you know, if I were a lawyer, I probably could press this case. I think there's something about equal pay for equal work and this seems like a case of discrimination to me. Aren't there laws about that? And something's wrong, there's some kind of favoritism going on here. I have to admit it makes sense to me, but then the flip side makes sense too. How could we argue against getting what we agreed to get? And so we're a bit puzzled by the whole justice thing here. It seems unfair, your attitude at least it seems in Jesus' mind, is abominable. The owner literally says their eye is evil, they are jealous in some sense, their focus is completely on themselves, their sacrifices, their labor. They've worked harder, they've worked longer, they've borne the burden of the work, they've borne the heat of the day. I find it interesting, as you study the parables of Jesus that have to do with labor, how many times the workers bring some kind of charge against the master or king or owner. It happens in the parables, the Parable of the Five Talents, Two Talents, and One Talent. Remember that one? The one with the one talent hides it in the ground, and when he gives his reason for why he did it, he said, “I know that you're a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed,” you are harsh, you're unjust, you're unfair in what you do. You get the same thing in the Parable of the Ten Minas, just almost exactly the same words in Luke 19:21, “‘I was afraid of you,’ he said, ‘Because you're a hard man, you take out what you did not put in and you reap what you did not sow.’” And then there's the elder brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. You remember his attitude. He's standing on the outside looking in, he's not coming into that party, no way. Prodigal son has returned and the father throws a party for him, and the older brother is enraged, at the father's lavish generosity. And he's standing on the outside and will not come in, and the father comes out to beg him to enter, and he said, “Look! all these years I have been slaving for you and I've never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, well you kill the fattened calf for him.” What a poisonous attitude, all three of these parables display the poisonous human attitude toward God's sovereign generosity. I wanna talk more about that theme next week, God's sovereign generosity, how He is free to be as generous as he wants with his own things. We'll talk about that more next week. But there's a poisonous attitude here. The Assertion of the Landowner’s Right to be Generous So the landowner has to assert his right to be generous, verses 13 through 15, “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I'm not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’” Now there's a lot of truth in what he says there. I'm going to go into it in more in detail next time with God's sovereign generosity. But there's no matter of injustice here, friends, not at all. This is a matter of generosity, this is a matter of grace, a matter of freedom, and the owner has the right to be as generous as he wants to be. There's no matter of injustice. Take your denarius and go away. You got what you worked for, you got what you labored for. Justice is yours, you get what you deserve. And Christ's final word on this in verse 16 is, “So the last will be first and the first will be last.” Understanding the Options: Two Choices Alright, so how are we to interpret this parable? I think there are two good options. One of them I think is a little bit better than the other. My own mind has changed on this parable, and I don't know if I'll succeed in changing yours, but these are two biblical themes that step forward to offer interpretations to these parables, both of the themes are true, but is this what Jesus was telling the parable for? That's the question I'm asking. Option #1: The Parable is About Eternal Life as a Free Gift So what is the first way of interpreting this parable? Well, the focus of that interpretation is that everybody gets the same reward no matter how much they work. You work 12 hours, you work one hour, you get the denarius. Everybody gets the denarius. One hour of work, the denarius. Twelve hours of work, you get the denarius. The focus then is on the denarius, the reward, and this interpretive approach says that this has to do with eternal life and those blessings of the gospel, which are equally enjoyed by everyone, no matter how much work you put in for the kingdom. And so your labor, your work for Christ, your sacrifices, your efforts does not directly connect to the eternal reward. You don't get more of that reward if you work harder. It's simply by grace. And so in some sense it's talking about the blessings of eternal life, the blessings of the gospel, that everyone has access to equally, in no way connected to their work, their labor. I think this is possible in verse 29 of Matthew 19, Jesus says, “Everyone who's left houses or brothers or sisters or father, mother, children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” So eternal life is at least somewhere in Jesus' view, He's thinking about it. It could be the denarius then represents eternal life, and that everyone gets the same access to that if they simply believe in Jesus. So if you're a sinner, you've come here today, you've never trusted in Jesus, completely disconnected from any work you may ever do or hope to do, the Lord offers you freely eternal life. He offers you full forgiveness of all of your sins, past, present, and future, you can't work for that. He offers you adoption into the family of God, that you could be a child of God. You can't work for that. That he gives you the indwelling Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing the full inheritance, that when you die, your spirit will be made perfect, and you will be in the very presence of God. At the glorious resurrection day, you will have a resurrection body, every bit as fair and glorious as anybody else's, not in any way connected with your labor or how hard you worked. And then there will be a multitude greater than anyone could count, standing around that throne, from every tribe and language and people and nation, and they will be before the throne and they will be falling down before God, and any crowns that they have, they'll be throwing before Jesus, some more and some fewer, but it doesn't matter. We're all on our faces before Jesus, giving Him glory and praise, and everyone gets free access to that who has trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. And so I'm pleading with you, if you've never trusted in Jesus, you've never believed in Him, that you might trust in Him for the forgiveness of your sins, that you might receive these blessings, that you might be able to drink water from the river of life that's going to flow clear as crystal from the throne of God, that you might be able to eat from the tree of life that stands on each side of that river and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations, that you might actually partake and see those glorious sights, just as clearly and beautifully as anyone else who ever labored for Jesus, that it might be yours. And these are given freely by faith, apart from works, you can't earn them. It doesn't matter how long you serve Christ, with what great sacrifice, how many years of labor or minutes even of labor, it's available for you. I would say the chief witness to this truth would be the thief on the cross, wouldn't you? The thief on the cross is there next to Jesus, he's dying, he looks over to Jesus and he says, “Remember me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom,” and he says, the Lord Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” What did that man do? What could he do? His hands were nailed, they couldn't move, his feet were nailed, they couldn't move. There were no good works he could do. And oh, how offensive is that theme to some non-Christians by the way. Somebody on murderer's row, all they have to do is pray a prayer and they can be forgiven of everything and go to Heaven when they die, have equal access to the table of God? “Oh no, no, That's unjust, that's unfair. I don't want any part of a God who would do that.” Well at the core of that attitude is that you have to earn your salvation, friends. Don't you see? You've gotta earn it, you gotta go do some good works. The thief on the cross couldn't do any good works and so they're offended by that way of thinking. John MacArthur follows this line of interpretation. He says in this parable, Jesus wants his disciples to understand that everything they get from the master is pure grace, given sovereignly and freely, apart from anything they deserve, they cannot earn it. It's given equally and freely to all to whom the grace comes. “Believing tax collectors, prostitutes, criminals, social outcasts will have the same Heavenly residence as Paul, Augustine, Luther and Wesley. There are no servant quarters, there are no lower-class neighborhoods in Heaven, everyone will have a room in the Father's house, specially prepared for him by the Son. Every believer is a part of the church, the bride of Christ, every believer is a child of God, and a fellow heir with Christ, every believer is blessed with ‘every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places’ in Christ.” Well, I think all of that's true, I think it's gloriously true. I think it's marvelous for us to meditate that our labors, the labors of our hands, have nothing to do with the blessings of the gospel. They're just given by grace, contrary, frankly, to what we truly deserve. Eternal life is given equally to all, regardless of their labor and service to the kingdom. But is this the purpose of the parable here? Is this why Jesus is telling the parable? I actually don't think so. First of all, the denarius was given to those who labored for 12 hours as a just payment for what they deserved. They would have looked at it that way, they got what they deserved, it was justice, they had earned their denarius. And therefore, I actually don't think that those truths that I've just been saying so vigorously, and they are true, is really being taught here concerning the denarius. I don't think the denarius represents Heaven, I don't think it represents eternal life. Secondly, the “everyone is equal in the kingdom” view fails to deal with the reason why Jesus told the parable, and that is that some are gonna be honored above others in a surprising way. Some that we think of in this world as first are actually gonna be last, and some that we think of in this world as last, are actually gonna be honored first above everyone else. Option #2: The Parable is About God’s Sovereign Right to Judge Our Labor So therefore, I think that the parable is to distinguish between the servants and the vineyard and the basis by which he's going to give the rewards. It's about God's sovereign right to judge and assess our labor for the kingdom. In 1 Corinthians 4:5, it says, “Judge nothing until the appointed time. Wait till the Lord comes, he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will reveal or expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time, each will receive his praise from God.” Praise from God is the reward, motive of the heart is the connection. What is going on in the heart during the 12 hours of labor? What's going on in the heart for that one hour of labor? That's the difference, that's what I think this parable is about. Could very well be that that one hour put in by those workers who didn't know whether they'd even get anything at all, who were just glad to be there. Nobody had hired them all day long, they were just glad to be there and just were putting themselves completely in the hands of the owner and hoped that they might get something for what they did. Might have been a sweeter hour and more of an honor and a glory to the landowner than the 12 hours cranked out by those that were hired first. I actually think so when you look at the attitude of those that come in and say, “We have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day, and you've made them equal to us.” They had jockeyed for position, they thought of themselves as better than the others. I think people are going to be surprised by God's way of assessing on Judgment Day. I don't think it's gonna be a complete mystery. I think the Lord's given us these kinds of parables and instructions to tell us, that humble cheerful servanthood done to other brothers and sisters and for the glory of God will be highly rewarded on Judgment Day, apart from any accolades you get in this life. We know that. But do we really know it? And I think there's gonna be some people that are gonna be surprised on Judgment Day. So who's the chief witness for this interpretive approach? Well, I think it's the widow who put in the two copper coins. You remember the story in Luke 21. Jesus was watching the rich put in their gifts into the temple treasury, and “He saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ‘I tell you the truth,’ said Jesus, ‘this widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.’” So what Jesus is saying is, When rewards are given for giving, financial generosity, she's gonna be at the head of the line. No one would have predicted that except that Jesus instructed us concerning it. That Jesus is actually analyzing not the quantity of work done by us, but the heart quality of it. Do we have a loving, submissive, generous, cheerful heart while we serve the Lord or not? “God loves a cheerful giver,” it says in 2 Corinthians 9:7. I don't think the 12-hour laborers were cheerful as they labored. 1 Corinthians 13:3 testifies to the truth of what I'm saying here, “If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames but have not love, I gain nothing.” That's an incredibly challenging teaching, isn't it? That there is a way you can make huge sacrifices in this life and still gain nothing for it, 'cause it wasn't done with the right heart attitude. Your motive wasn't what it should have been. Well, what should our motive be, what should our attitude be? Well, how about that of Jacob when he was working seven years to get Rachel to be his wife. You remember that? For seven years, he labored that he might have the right, that he might earn the right to her hand in marriage. And it says in Genesis 29:20, “So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.” Oh Lord, may that characterize my years of service here on Earth, that I so love Jesus, that I so love His name and His glory and His honor and the advancement of His Kingdom, that I so love His people, His chosen people, that they might hear the gospel and be saved, that it seems like just a few days, or even a few hours of service by comparison. Application So what application can we take from this? Well first, can you just begin by giving thanks to God that you even have a place in the vineyard at all? You realize what grace it is to be able to serve Jesus, to be able to do anything for Him at all. Imagine if he put you on the sideline, but all of your brothers and sisters were allowed to do productive labor. Wouldn't you be clamoring to get in the game? Wouldn't you want to be able to do something for Jesus? And would it really matter to you what it was? If the Lord sent two angels down from Heaven and gave one of them responsibility of governing the world, and the other the responsibility to sweep up its streets, would they not equally serve with the same joy and gladness, whatever command the master gave them? And that's how our rewards are going to be assessed. We are His workmanship, we're created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God lays out in advance for us to walk in. Those are our good works. Nobody else can do them. You can't do any better than do the good works He's laid out ahead of you, but you perhaps can do them better than you've been doing, with a more cheerful attitude, with a sweeter disposition, with an attitude of love and thankfulness to God. That's what I think this parable is about. So make many sacrifices, make many sacrifices, but don't make much of your sacrifice. Be like David Livingstone, say it's a privilege to serve. It's not even worth talking about my sacrifice. Say like Jesus said the servant said in another parable, “We're only unworthy servants, we've only done our duty.” There's nothing I have done here on Earth that really deserves any reward whatsoever. Prepare your heart for the surprise of Judgment Day. God's thoughts are not our thoughts, but he has told you enough. The one who serves will be considered great in the kingdom of Heaven, and the one who is slave of everyone will be considered greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And so, therefore, I would urge that you present your body every day, as a living sacrifice to God, that you be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you test and approve what God's will is for you, and you get up and energetically, sacrificially do the good works He's laid out in advance for you to walk in. Do them all. Do them cheerfully, do them humbly. Consider other's works better than yours. Consider other people's sacrifices as far greater than yours. But at the same time, ask the Lord for greater responsibilities. “He who is faithful in little will be faithful in much.” And if he sees you be faithful, cheerfully faithful with the things He's handed to you, he may give you an opportunity to make, listen to this, even greater sacrifices for Jesus. And when that comes, you'll be able to humbly to say, “My sacrifices don't deserve anything. I'm just privileged to serve.” George Whitefield, who crossed the Atlantic Ocean thirteen times in a sailing vessel to preach the gospel, noticed that people were making much of his name and his reputation. He said, “May the name of George Whitefield perish. And may the name of Jesus Christ live forever in glory.” And he said, “I want this on my tombstone, ‘Here lies George Whitefield, what kind of man he was the day will discover.’” At that time my heart motive will be revealed. That's when I'll get my reward, and not before. Close with me in prayer.