Today we reach the climax, my favorite part, of Mary of Bethany's story. She has learned the hard-but-wonderful way that she can trust the Jesus who writes death and resurrection stories enough to pour out her own life at His feet and even to anoint Him for His own death, burial, and resurrection. We learn with her to both "expect death" and "expect resurrection" as we follow Jesus, and to worship Him with her by trusting the way He will write his story in our lives.

Find the song shared in today's episode here.

Read the transcript here.

Today we revisit Mary of Bethany during an uncomfortable kind of encounter with Jesus, the kind where He asks to reopen a dark smelly tomb. And we find out with her that letting the light shine into even those places is not scary when Resurrection Himself is holding your hand.

Find the song shared in today's episode here.

Read transcript here.

The story of what happens to Mary's brother Lazarus is a "microcosm" of the whole problem of evil. Why does a loving and powerful Jesus let bad things happen to good people, and when they encounter Him in the middle of their pain, how does He respond to them and what happens next? We'll encounter in Jesus a God who first cries with us and then changes everything.

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We now transition into our friend Mary of Bethany's second story, where she encountered the Jesus who allows death so He can bring resurrection. We'll let this story minister to us in the places where Jesus is writing stories of life, death, and resurrection in our lives, too.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

A Praying Life, by Paul Miller

A Loving Life, by Paul Miller

Podcast interviews by Jamie Winship

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Jesus said Mary of Bethany had made the best choice ever, the choice to listen to Him. How can we make the same best choice ever and listen to Jesus today? The enemy knows how powerful it is when we listen to Jesus, and even though he'll try anything to scare us away, we can step over his head that Jesus squashed by just daring to listen to Jesus again.

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Mary was just sitting silently on the floor listening to Jesus, but she was breaking the rules her religious culture had for women. And not only was Jesus OK with it, He said it was the best thing she could have chosen. I'll share the story of how encountering this side of Jesus transformed my life and set me free, and we'll ask Him how He wants to bring that kind of kingdom freedom both to you and through you.

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Mary of Bethany had a special favorite place at the feet of Jesus--but would she have the courage to stay there if Jesus was pleased and other humans were not? Would I? Would you? I'll share my story of how I once almost lost what Mary had found, and how Jesus used her story to help me get it back.

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Find the song shared in today's episode here.

My favorite Bible character, Mary of Bethany, is found in the Bible three times--and all three times, she's in the same place. One of the reasons I identify with her is that I too have discovered the power of meeting with Jesus in a consistent 'place' in my heart. I'll tell you what my "place" is--and then let's ask Jesus together where He wants to meet with you!

Read the episode transcript here.