Martha is a woman in the bible that I can relate too. She is a hard worker who, at times, feels overwhelmed by her commitments and worries about things that she feels have great importance. Although I’ve never spoke to Jesus face to face, I have exhibited the same attitude in my requests and prayers as Martha did. “Lord, don’t you see how hard I’m working. Can’t you make them help me?” Most often when I make those requests of the Lord, His response is, “My grace is sufficient.” For the longest time I understood that to mean that He would give me the strength, energy and wisdom to accomplish…

A message I recently read really challenged my attitude about my quiet time with God. I look forward to it each morning and I know that my whole day starts better when I make sure that I have this time. But often my attitude can slip to the mindset of a to do list rather than the intimate time with God that it is intended to be. The writer of the article said that she viewed her quiet time as her time of entering the Holy of Holies. In the bible the Holy of Holies was a place located deep within the tabernacle and eventually in the temple and was…

I love the feeling that those words bring to my soul. It makes me believe that it is possible to have true contentment, calmness and peace in this crazy and hurried world we live in. But where do we find that path? After Martha spoke her mind, Jesus offered her the path to peace. He said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 19:41-42) In that statement Jesus reminded her – and us – what to be concerned with, where to focus, and what…

For the last few months I have tried not to use the word busy. I think it is a word that has lost its value from over use. Busy doing what? It was a busy day. I have to much to do, I’m so busy. Busy at first appears to give us value and is often seen as a status symbol. But the truth is that it robs us of any real interaction. Martha was a very busy woman. So much so that she was worried and upset over what she felt like was unfairness where Mary was concerned. When I avoided using the word busy in my conversations I…

I was so encouraged by the Soul Retreat prayer. It was like someone had taken the thoughts from my mind and desires of my heart and put them on paper. That’s what I want, intimacy with God. I felt empowered by the words and by the first set of studies that I had reviewed at my retreat. It was time for a little nap and when I went inside to relax I made the mistake of checking my phone. Three new travel requests were in my inbox plus a text message about a ministry issue. I had left an out of office message on my email, but my mind began…

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.  Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. (Luke 10:38-40) There He was, the Savior of the world, at her front door and Martha welcomed Him in. The story begins in the best possible way but then takes a turn because of distractions. Can you relate? I can. Within just a few moments of arriving at my Soul Retreat with God the distractions began. My email was filling up…

While researching the story of Mary and Martha I came across an article where the author mentioned a Soul Retreat. Those words stuck in my mind a little differently than she had used them, but I do believe that God used them as an invitation for me to go away with Him. The thought of running away and taking a day off had great appeal to me and I decided to spend a night at our weekend retreat in the middle of the week by myself. I began preparing by gathering studies and devotionals and making an agenda of all the things I wanted to do in a few short…

It’s always exciting to start a new month and a new study. As I began researching the story of Mary and Martha I was in awe of how everything over the last few months starting coming together. Messages and encouragement that I had received from God began to fall into place like strategically placed puzzle pieces. Words that stayed on my mind and in my heart began to open with divine clarity. Again, I am amazed at how God orchestrates everything with His perfect timing. I need the messages and lessons from the story of Mary and Martha now more than ever before. This season of my life feels like…