Grace Church asked me to create a video to record the testimony of a local family. Story is more than just text, but video, too. I hope to create a series of quality stories and videos in the future. If this moved you, feel free to share it. You can play it at your church, if you want.
“…Mary has chosen what is better…” Luke 10:42b NIV
When you read Luke 10:38-42, you can’t help but feel some compassion for Martha. Martha is preparing for a special guest, and Mary doesn’t seem to be helping. After years in church ministry, I can understand Martha’s frustration. For most missionaries, pastors, and ministry leaders, Sundays are for being Martha so others can be Marys at Jesus’ feet. I mourned the loss of my Sundays as a Martha for a time.
It is said that 20% of people do 80% of the work at church. I really felt this on Sundays as I laid the table cloths down, set up the baskets for the visitor cards, and tried to make Sunday a worshipful experience for others. If I didn’t do the work, someone else, even busier than me, would have to take up that additional duty. Sometimes I resented this reality, but I didn’t realize God was training me to go into missions and ministry during this time of my life. When I first began attending church, God taught me to be Mary, sitting at Jesus’ feet. As He equipped me to serve, I started to get more involved and become Martha. Now, I understand why some are Marys and some are Marthas and how to be both at different times during the week.
“But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’” (Luke 10:40 NIV)
Guilt or anger cannot compel volunteerism. The intent to serve the Lord “…with all your heart” must be what drives a person to give up their time (Col. 3:23). When Martha asked Jesus if He cared that Mary wasn’t, Jesus gently rebuked her question:
“’Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’” (Luke 10:41-42 NIV)
Martha may not have understood Jesus’ limited time in person on earth. Mary’s time at his feet was not wasted. Martha’s good works were appreciated, as well. Mary and Martha are examples for us in ministry, too. In between the rush of projects, the deadlines, and serving in person and online is the reminder from Jesus to sit at his feet. But we’re not to make either being still or our ministry work an idol.
I shifted my mindset over time to embrace the calling of working on Sunday and learning how worship is every day, not just for Sundays. I remember reading about a missionary who was so busy he got up as early as 4 a.m. to study the Bible so as not to neglect his relationship with the Lord. I need to trust that what He allows me to experience only helps me grow stronger as a Christian and He will give me His strength to accomplish what He asks and stay close to Him in the process.
I find Mary moments on my day off, which are Mondays. I sit at Jesus’ feet, consume His teachings, experience His presence, and go to the woods to find solitude and peace.
I now value both Sundays to serve Him and every other day of the week. I see how we can be still at different times throughout the week and be useful, too. There are times to sit at His feet and bring real hope to the world through sharing the Gospel.
Maybe you are in a frustrated Martha moment, burning out, disappointed by a lack of volunteers, and having too much to do. Perhaps you think it all depends on you, but, in the wise words of a former pastor, if you don’t let some things go, no one else will fill the void.
Don’t neglect your walk with the Lord, for it is through His strength you can do all that He has asked you to do for Him. It is in His timing that the work He wants done will be accomplished. All else will fail and fall away. He will bring the right people to make tasks happen if he wants programs to succeed.
Have faith! You are not doing His work alone.
An “echo chamber” is when you surround yourself online with people who agree with you. Some years ago, a social media platform was barely doing well until the election year. Then, it blew up! Many people joined, but it wasn’t long before they returned to Facebook.
The reason? No sense of community. It was an echo chamber that brought no real change and became a place where people could gripe to one another. So, the platform lost its popularity. People returned back to their former social media habits. Facebook grew to 2 billion users per month.
An echo chamber is a return to being comfortable. Comfortable is not a place we’re supposed to dwell. Jesus said to “follow me,” to deny yourself, and take up your cross daily (Luke 9:23). But, some in church circles still cling to, “…this is the way we’ve always done it.”
Don’t join an “echo chamber.” Let the Lord use you to make a difference in people’s lives by truly following Him. This will take courage, but God will give you the courage and the words. Trust Him.
We watched “Photographer” on Disney+/NatGeo. This series has riveted me (for the most part).
Muhammed Muheisen was one of the premiered photographers. He was an AP photographer during the Iraq war and other violent situations. He wanted to photograph the good in life, but AP needed him to serve up a series of newsworthy images. Muhammed’s images won awards. Like the soldiers he was documenting, Muhammed began to feel the wear and tear of war. He spent a lot of time in the local towns and villages when he wasn’t in the middle of a firefight and captured images of life in those villages.
The more time Muhammed spent with refugee children, the more he wanted to capture their plight and do something about it. One day, he quit the AP after the violent death of his photographer friend in Kabul, Afghanistan, and he started using his skills to help refugee children. You can view his images on Everyday Refugees. He recognized the power of photography in how it tells stories and often says more than words can express.
I learn from watching these shows. I often ask myself, “How can I improve my writing, photography, and graphic design?” How can I move people to do something like Muhammed? How can I tell better stories? How can I show emotion better through my photography?
I like playing sports, but I don’t like watching games. Hence, each baseball game saw me reading a book in the stadium, and usually something so thick and outrageous that I would peek up at the jumbotron to see if the announcers noticed (because the Diamondbacks used to pan the camera to the audience to find something funny and unusual). I do like sports documentaries, though, and I find encouragement and lessons one can learn in them.
Untold is a sports documentary series on Netflix. The first three I watched of the series encouraged me. Untold: The Race of The Century is about the Australian team’s determination to beat America in the America’s Cup race. The Australian team beat America by thinking outside the box. A man with no higher than a 12th-grade education redesigned their Sailing hydrofoil (completely within the rules). The team strategically kept the Sailing hydrofoil a secret until after the race was over. The New York Yacht Club elite would have dismissed this man, but the Australian team trusted each other and worked together. The man who made the Sailing hydrofoil didn’t let his lack of education fuel his insecurity, and keep him from helping his country.
My current favorite, and one saved to my watchlist, is The Last Dance. This features Michael Jordan and the Bulls basketball team. It’s worth rewatching sometimes, and last night, the episode shared through interviews and commentary how Phil Jackson, the new coach, taught Michael Jordan to trust his team. The prior coach always put the ball into Michael Jordan’s hands. Phil Jackson wanted a more creative approach and taught Michael Jordan that his team was there to help. In one game, Michael was told to pass the ball to Paxson. Paxson made basket after basket. The opposing team kept trying to block Michael and didn’t expect him to pass the ball to Paxson. Through this, Michael learned teamwork. He put aside his own agenda for the good of the game. Michael is even known for mentoring others along the way, for example, Kobe Bryant.
Most of the sports documentaries embrace reprehensible actions and scandals because that’s what makes ratings and money. Few good documentaries exist to show a story of overcoming something and making morally or biblically right, but difficult choices, or failing and making things right.
We need to tell better stories. The kind of stories that change lives and aren’t echo chambers. Getting comfortable is the enemy of creativity. An environment that lacks challenge means the creative can’t grow. Like in sports, the athlete has to train and listen to their coaches. The pain is momentary, but persevering through it means the results will be eternal.
“Mordecai’s trust was in the faithfulness of God, not in the faithfulness of Esther. He knows that God will not let His people down, even if individuals let God down.” – Study Guide on Esther 4
What if Esther hadn’t listened to Mordicai to step into her calling to save the Jewish people? Mordecai trusted God to have a plan B. The courage of Esther is what we all need when we step into God’s role in our lives. Granted, most of us aren’t facing death in the King’s court for coming unsummoned into his presence, and we aren’t physically saving a Jewish people from annihilation.
What we face, though, is…
Like I said at The Outpour at Loving Life, we want to be liked as Christians. Following Jesus means we won’t always be liked. That’s never more apparent than when you serve on social media. As I told one Georgia church member, “Don’t let the negativity discourage you. Not everyone will like what you post. That’s okay.”
God was very patient with me, teaching me to trust Him in small steps along the way, to risk more, and to stand when my instinct was to run. I failed enough in my life that, upon surrendering to Jesus, I wanted His way because my way wasn’t working and definitely wasn’t as satisfying as His way. Risk takes on a new meaning when you align with God’s will. In taking that first step, you are acknowledging complete trust that He is all-powerful and bigger than what is in the way.
Embrace those God-sized dreams but be patient. His timing isn’t always our timing. Trust Him to show up.
Do we see the stones or notice the drought first? To be honest, I see the lack of water before I notice the stones. This is rarely helpful to me. To face challenges, I need to see the stones first then work to find solutions to the drought. When I talk about stones, I am referring to Joshua 4. Scripture like Joshua 4 and Acts 18 have become a recent focus in my personal devotional time.
The Israelites were crossing the Jordan to get to the Promised Land. They set up stones in the dry Jordan River. The stones were a reminder for future generations to focus on what God had done. The stones would not be seen when the Jordan flowed over its banks. During a drought, the stones would be visible. Crossing the Jordan wasn’t going to a land of rest.
“The challenges only got bigger as the Israelites entered the Promised Land, but the task to trust God was prominent even amidst the challenges.” (David Guzik)
The Promised Land wasn’t a place of rest but of battle. When I posted on WorldVenture about the cost of following Jesus, a couple of responses disappointed me. We forget the cost of following Him, even gloss over it or choose not to serve Jesus but ourselves. We look for the Hallmark version of faith instead of the real gritty stuff most of us experience.
Ministry is all about risk, and WorldVenture is about risking all. The most important thing to remember is how God never sends His people to Risk All without sending reinforcements.
In Acts 18:9-11, God tells Paul in a dream He has “… many people in the city.” Because of God’s encouragement and provision, Paul stayed a year and a half in the city. Paul continued working in his role despite perhaps fear, even doubt. Corinth was a rough city to serve in. The commentary described church planting in Corinth as “… none but the tough survive.” What I love most about this chapter is how God took the time to speak to Paul, assuring him of friends in the city. In this chapter, it focuses on some of those friends:
God has many people in the city still. Loyal, hard-working, strong friends who, daily or weekly, inspire me to keep going even when I am at my lowest or even at my most fearful and insecure. Maybe the solution to our fears is simply obeying God like Paul and exercising faith like a muscle.
I cherish the people God has sent my way. In different seasons of life, those friends have kept me putting one foot in front of the other. These friends also help me see the stones when I only notice the drought or help me see solutions to the drought when all I want to see are the stones.
Words matter online. If we genuinely care about the lost and our community, we will make every effort, as Romans 12:18 says, to “…live at peace with everyone,” as far as it depends on us. We can’t control what others put out, but we can control how we respond to people and what we post.
The illusion we face is that social media gives us this layer of anonymity, and we are usually braver behind social media than in person. Often, you don’t know who is reading or watching what you post. Knowing your audience is critical to online ministry.
An example of care put into social media ministry comes from Toccoa, Georgia. The Outpour Church manages a Facebook page and group. Trudy posts for the church in local Facebook groups as part of her bigger strategy. Recently, she shared, “During an unanticipated emergency hospitalization, a care technician asked where I go to church and said she had seen my posts in the local group. She went home and talked to her husband. Their plan was to have bologna sandwiches and listen to Sunday’s sermon for lunch!”
Whether or not you recognize social media as a ministry, if you are online, you are in ministry. Your words, pictures, and videos reflect your heart. And sharing the Gospel in person or online takes effort, intentionality, and sensitivity sometimes. Technology gives us the tools to reach the ends of the earth if we only learn how to communicate so people will hear.
How do you build relationships online? It’s no different than your in-person relationships. Here are some basics:
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. – Acts 2:1-4
What has this to do with social media?
Beth Moore in her James study book said, “You see, the human tongue can be lit by either source: Heaven or hell. God can draw people to the gospel by enabling us to speak in ways they understand or our tongues can cause people to hightail it like their heels are on fire. It can bring comfort or courage, or it can bring destruction and deafness. We do have a choice which fire lights our tongues. Just keep in mind the natural default settings leans south.”
God gave us this gift of social media to use for His Kingdom.
Read the backstory of the 2K Bibles to Mexico here. This was my first writing assignment which allowed me to follow it in person all the way beyond the borders. The trip was very quick and, while mindful of everyone’s time, I attempted to get the best photos possible in the situation. There wasn’t a lot of time available to get photos by foot, and I had to think fast when photo and video opportunities came to make sure I get the story.
Be praying for the people who receive these Bibles and for future deliveries of the Bibles.
