Preach it Girl
Join Auntie Lala for a SASSY retelling of stories from the Bible—a jaunt so lively you’ll think the scriptures were written just yesterday, not thousands of years ago.
On the Preach it Girl Podcast, you’ll feel encouraged and loved, but you’ll also laugh—hopefully out loud—at the quirky characters of the Bible. These beloved men and women falter, fail, and flop—just like us. And just like us, they’re altogether forgiven.
Now that’s the best news fit to preach!
Preach it Girl
Finding the Balance Between Serving and Sitting with Jesus
Ever felt the sting of rebuke even while you are doing all the “right” things? That's exactly where we find Martha in Luke 10 hustling to serve Jesus while her sister Mary sits at his feet. But when Martha demands Jesus intervene, his response turns everything upside down.
Through this captivating retelling of Mary and Martha's story, we discover that Jesus was doing something revolutionary. Not only did he defend Mary's right to learn as his disciple (breaking significant cultural barriers for women), but he called her choice "the good portion." The Greek word used for Martha's activity is related to the word for "deacon" she wasn't doing anything wrong by serving. Yet Jesus gently rebuked her anxiety and distraction, challenging our assumptions about what matters most in our relationship with him.
This episode unpacks the powerful parallel between this story and Cain and Abel, both bringing different offerings to God with very different responses. We explore what it means to truly hear God's voice today and practical ways to create space for "lounging with Jesus" in our busy lives. I share my personal practice of journaling conversations with God and how taking time to simply be with Jesus transforms our service from anxious striving to Spirit-led ministry.
Whether you're the Martha always doing the work or aspire to be more like Mary in your faith journey, this episode offers fresh insights into how Jesus values women, breaks religious norms, and invites us all into deeper relationship. Ready to discover what "good portion" Jesus is offering you this week? Tune in, and let's recline at Jesus's feet together.
Welcome back, friends, to Preach it Girl podcast, where we're not just sitting around waiting for Jesus' second coming or Skinny Pop to make us skinny While those things are bound to happen. While we wait, join me, auntie Lala, for a jaunt through the scriptures so lively you'll think they were written just yesterday, not thousands of years ago. Now put on your listening ears for a somewhat sassy retelling of stories from the Bible Y'all. There are some seriously sassy characters in the Bible and I can't wait for you to hear their stories. You might be wondering who I am. Well, shucks, I'm a sassy woman, just like you, who loves Jesus, who has come to the conclusion that Jesus loves women, and especially, dare I say, the sassy ones.
Speaker 1:Let's check into the story today from Luke, chapter 10. This story is about, I'd say, two sassy women of the Bible, and they're, in a few stories, connected with Jesus. I love so much how Jesus loves Mary and Martha. He cares about their feelings but still stretches their faith right. He stretches them. He treats them no different than he treats Peter and John. So let me read about Mary and Martha from Luke, chapter 10. Now, as they went on their way, jesus entered a village and a woman named Martha, welcomed him into her house and she had a sister called Mary who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she went up to him and said Lord, do you not care, do you not care that my sister left me to serve all by myself? Tell her, then I mean, she assumes that this is something. She assumes that he cares and will say something. Tell her, then, to help me. But the Lord answered her, martha. Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary, and Mary has chosen the good portion which will not be taken from her. Oh, martha got a little rebuke that she was not expecting. Okay, you can just tell. By the way. She says do you see this Then? Why don't you say this? Surely he will correct her. Martha's probably seen Jesus correct the disciples. I don't know, maybe this is their first time, this might be the first time meeting Jesus. That's not so, though.
Speaker 1:In the chosen, I think sometimes we paint Martha's actions as okay, martha, you didn't get it. Why are you being a little pissed off that she's doing all the work and Mary's not? And you know the word that they use for what Martha's doing is actually serving. That word is the word that we use today as deacon, as a servant of the church, as a leader and server of the church. So Martha wasn't doing anything bad. How dare Mary not be helping me? I mean, I'm obviously doing a good thing, I'm serving the Lord.
Speaker 1:I think sometimes we do this too. We are serving God, but we haven't chosen the good portion. That might speak to us busy people. We're out there working hard for the Lord, but we're missing the good portion. And what is that? Wow, in this story it is Mary sitting at Jesus's feet lounging. She's lounging with Jesus. You know, it says the disciples were lounging with Jesus, like leaning up against them. This was Mary. She was doing some lounging, listening to Jesus, and Jesus says this is the good portion. Wow, we need to think about that.
Speaker 1:But this story kind of harkens back for me. It makes me think of Cain and Abel, because again they both brought a portion of what they had to the Lord and Cain got a rebuke. The Lord thought Abel's portion was the good portion. Maybe Abel's was more of a heart sacrifice than Cain's. Either way, the Lord reached out and said Cain, why are you so upset. Just choose the good portion and everything will be cool. And Cain didn't do it. He was jealous as all get out and he murdered his brother. So we don't actually see what Martha did because it doesn't tell us. But we do see Mary and Martha later, still in relationship with Jesus. So we know that Martha must have had some maturity about her and was able to receive a rebuke from the Lord, just like Peter did, just like the disciples did over and over again, as Jesus stretched them and stretched their understanding of what serving him looked like, of what serving others looked like, and often it went against everything that they knew.
Speaker 1:So here's another part of that story that we often look over is that Jesus was teaching. He was considered a rabbi and he's teaching Mary. Mary is sitting up under the rabbi, learning, which was not acceptable at the time. And it also makes me think a little bit about when women are preaching. When I see there's a woman who teaches women to preach and the comments they're not from men, they are from other women appalled that women would be preaching or especially teaching other women to preach. It's a shame, but it does seem to be more women than men speaking poorly about it. And so they are adamant about sharing what they think, just like Martha was pretty adamant and assumed Jesus would agree with her. What a shock when he didn't. And it's a shock that God has moved the barriers out of the way for women to take their place in the community of believers, sharing their testimony and the word of God with authority backed by the Holy Spirit. Mary is sitting at the rabbi's feet, learning from Jesus, and this was outside of the norm.
Speaker 1:Another revolutionary thing that Jesus was doing within the church he was preparing women for service, to share the word of God with others over and over again, and it pissed Martha off. She's like what? How dare she? You're not supposed to be down there, you're not supposed to be doing that. And Jesus, you know she's not supposed to be doing that. So why don't you just go ahead and tell her, in front of God and everybody, to get back up in the kitchen with me? But he didn't do it. Matter of fact, he rebuked Martha and told her hey, mary has chosen the good thing, so let's think about that you guys. Let's take a little bit of Martha's I would say maturity and being able to handle that rebuke and not break relationship with Jesus and listen. What is Jesus saying to you now? How is Jesus stretching you today? How is he saying that's not what we're doing. We're doing something else and I want you to choose the good portion and I'm going to show it to you. He says my sheep hear my voice and he knows how to speak to you. So don't think he's not speaking. He is speaking to you.
Speaker 1:Sometimes it takes me a little time to hear from Jesus. Sometimes I will do some little breathing exercises to calm my mind, to get my mind in a quiet place so that I can hear him. I do a little time in the word. Actually my process. I'll share it with y'all. So I will take my journal out and I'll put a little heart for Laurel talking, auntie Lala and I will start writing out my prayers and then maybe my questions. Then I'll put a cross and then that's when I take the time to listen and write down what I think God is telling me, and a lot of times it's scripture.
Speaker 1:I'm not saying I'm getting it right 100% of the time, because I'm not, but I am hearing God. He wants us to hear him, he wants to be involved in the details of your life and he has good things for you. Let's do some more of that this week. Let's really take the time to sit at Jesus's feet and learn, rest, recline with Jesus so he can fill you up, so you can be of service.
Speaker 1:Sometimes we just get in a thing that it's all up to us to get it done and I think Martha thought that too, maybe even judging those other people. Look at them, they're not even doing anything for Jesus. Okay, I want you to do some reclining at Jesus's feet. Maybe that looks like surfing out on the ocean and talking to Jesus. It does for me, but maybe it means something else for you Lighting that candle, spending the time in his word and just getting quiet and waiting on him. Waiting on him, that's a little bit different than serving him. All right, I love y'all so much. I hope you have a wonderful week and I can't wait to see you back next time. On Preaching Girl.
