Episoder
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My son Bo returned last week from two years of missionary service in northwest Washington State. As you might imagine we were thrilled to see him for the first time in two years. Bo is a character. He loves people, he loves to joke... Here I have a candid conversation with him about his service and about his future. I made this for recording so we might always remember this moment.
If you like this, I also interviewed him 2 days before he left for his mission. You can listen here
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bos-childhood-exit-interview/id1450351797?i=1000571625946
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3XNj88GbnJ1UsWgg33cYVD?si=ldQ-VMxJT5upbdkJa3eI2Q
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Payton Van is a freshman defensive back at Brigham Young University. This interview caught him just before the official practices began. Payton was in full training mode... running, lifting, and studying. But the part I wanted to focus on was his mental and emotional preparation. Payton shares his methods for acheiving clarity. He emphasizes that intense preparation helps him feel "peace" in high pressure situation.
We focused on football for most of the interview and then at the very end, Payton disusses his approach to life outside of football... and it puts everything back in perspective.
Enjoy!
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Manglende episoder?
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Welcome to another episode of "Thought Design." Today, we are honored to have Dr. Dennis Deaton as our guest. Dr. Deaton is a distinguished thought leader in the realm of personal development and mindset transformation. With over three decades of experience, he has dedicated his life to helping individuals and organizations unlock their full potential through the power of intentional thinking.
Dr. Deaton co-founded Quma Learning Systems, where he developed groundbreaking programs on mind management and personal leadership. His innovative approach has been instrumental in shaping the lives of thousands, guiding them toward greater productivity, resilience, and overall well-being. As an author, his acclaimed works, including "Ownership Spirit: The One Grand Key that Changes Everything Else," have resonated deeply with readers, offering practical insights into mastering one's mindset.
In addition to his written contributions, Dr. Deaton is a sought-after speaker, captivating audiences with his profound wisdom and engaging delivery. His expertise spans various fields, from corporate training to educational seminars, making a significant impact across diverse platforms.
Join us as we delve into Dr. Deaton's remarkable journey, exploring his philosophies and uncovering valuable strategies to enhance our thinking and transform our lives. In this episode, we'll pay special attention to his most recent book, "Looking Unto Christ in Every Thought," and discuss its profound insights. You can find more about Dr. Deaton and his work at www.quma.net. Welcome, Dr. Dennis Deaton, to "Thought Design."
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Full song included here! I challenged chat gpt and Suno to make a rap out of Eric Sogards message on my podcast!!! It smashed. Stream it here... I guess.
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Eric Sogard played at the highest level of Major League Baseball for twelve years. In that time his batting average was .246. For perspective, that is right around the league average.
Throughout his career Eric was focussed on mindset He says, "baseball is a game of failure." Because a player only succeeds 3 out of 10 at bats, it takes perspective and discipline keep getting back up and performing.
Eric talks about the evolution of his mindset from the the time he was young, through college at Arizona State University, and into the Major Leagues.
On a tacticle level, Eric spends a while talking about the positive effects of breathwork on his performance at the plate.
Eric is retired from MLB. He, his wife Kaycee, and their 5 kids live on a ranch in middle Tennessee.
Enjoy.
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Dr. Dale Hull was an OBGYN in the middle of a successful career when he failed to complete a backflip on his backyard trampoline
this resulted in neck-down paralysis and a four month hospital stay
during this time, he was fortunate to have a significant amount of neurological recovery
however, despite this progress he still had very little functional ability, remained wheelchair-dependent, and needed assistance for almost all activities
Spoiler alert... He learned to walk again.
In the process, he and his business partner, therapist Jan Black, pushed the known boundaries of neuroplasticity
and founded Neuroworx, a 501C3 providing specialized physical therapy for individuals with spinal cord injuries
charitable donors make it possible for paralyzed adults and children to receive the prolonged care that insurers refuse
In this episode Dr. Hull talks about dealing with the mental and spiritual paralysis that
must be overcome if someone is to experience physical progress
Dale's thought process was pragmatic, patient, and effective
"what's the next step?" and "I'm willing to work hard"
Today Neuroworx and Dr. Hull effect thousands of lives including injured individuals and everyone involved in their lives
https://neuroworx.org/
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The only thing we can control is the thought in our head right now.
Really it's the only thing.
So will you be intentionally about it?
Or will you let the other voices in your head run your life?
Thought Design is the deliberate choosing of your thoughts based on experience, research, and instinct.
If your thoughts really do determine your destiny, shouldn't you be a little interested in them?
Yes.
On Thought Design with Mark Mabry, we'll speak with high acheivers about their thought processes. We'll hear their dominant thoughts.
And you'll be inspired to choose thoughts of your own.
This is Thought Design with Mark Mabry.
Thank you
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Before my kids leave home, I sit them down for an exit interview. What did we do right? What did we do wrong? Regrets? Things we're proud of. What do you think about your brothers and sister?
Bo is a beautiful kid and the last 18 years have been absolutely wild. Something new every day.
Next week he'll get on a plane and fly across the country to be a missionary in the Everett Washington area. We won't see him for 2 years. It's heart wrenching, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
I love you Bo.
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Have you ever had a "rough patch" in your marriage? For me, the functionality of my marriage is directly proportional to my ability to function anywhere else. When I'm sideways with my wife, my mind is preoccupied by it, and I cannot achieve joy or peace. No joy, no peace, if that's not hell, then I'm not sure what is.
In my opinion, a person CANNOT compartmentalize their marriage and separate it out from the rest of their life. That type of commitment is too close to our soul. Too sacred.
I invited renowned Marriage and Family therapist, Janay McInnes to help me explore how we can life our marriage out of Hell and into Heaven... today. We talk about Sex, Safety, How to stop a fight, and how to basically change the culture of your marriage.
Enjoy!
Mark
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I'm afraid of stagnation... especially in my relationships... more especially in my relationship with my wife. Nothing scares me more than a situation where we find that the spark is so gone that neither one of us has the energy to reignite it. So I'm preemptively giving myself self-improvement projects that pertain to her. If you're wondering, "what does this have to do with Jesus?" In my opinion, how we love our spouse is the first way that "by this shall men know, ye are my disciples." I believe in marriage into eternity. And even there, I never want it to get stale. So I surprised Tara with an interview. Really, she had no clue this was coming. Enjoy! Mark
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How can we build unity with someone who isn't aware that a relationship even exists yet?
First, we need to understand that a "Relation" is the basic unity of unit.
As soon as you're aware of someone, you have formed a relation.
Your choice to love someone, or hate someone, is YOUR CHOICE. Their choice of how they respond is their business. You can't control whether they love you or not. Hopefully they respond to how you are, but it's not a guarantee.
This is Essentials of Unity lesson 1.
thank you,
mark
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I was asked to speak at our church for the Mother's Day service. Honest, I've never been so nervous to speak before. There are so many heartbreaks all around Motherhood... so that's exactly what I spoke about.
The value of heartbreak.
This is the audio from the talk... I added a little bit scoring... because I just like music. (Makes me not sound so flat).
Happy Mother's Day!
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This woman.
How was she so magnetic that she STOPPED JESUS IN HIS TRACKS?
Background. Just two days ago, Jesus road in Triumphantly, like a conquering hero, turned over the money-changer tables, and told them that Caeserās currency wasnāt Godās currency. He stayed there at the temple, surrounded by enemies, teaching and calmly answering venom with truth. Jerusalem was about to erupt.
Somehow, late in the day, HIS VERY LAST PUBLIC DAY, something caught His attention.
If this was a fairy tale, and Jesus was a knight, then this might be end of act two. Where he gets to the castle seeās the unknowing bride-to-be in the towerā¦ and remembers why he traveled this far.
IT WAS HER. The pauper widow.
Jesus couldnāt have seen her, BUT HE SENSED SHE WAS THERE. So Jesus left the arguing men and walked up the steps alone, where He could see into āThe Court of the Womenā.
He sat down.
The courtyard was exposed. There was a long, obvious walk to the trumpet shaped donation boxes. Some people liked carrying their large donations through the courtyard for all to see. But she didnāt. In fact, her gift was only two mites. The minimum legal donation.
He called His disciples to Himselfā¦
āā¦ this poor widow has given more than all those who have given to the treasury.ā
She was carrying THE RIGHT CURRENCY, and so much of it that it bought the attention of God Himselfā¦
My goodness, what was she carrying besides two mites?
A broken heart.
She was carrying a broken heart.
And why is a broken heart the currency of the Godās?
Because itās the physical, mental, and spiritual sign of us HANDING OVER OUR WILL to him.
The loss of her husband didnāt break This Womanās heart. It set her up. She could easily have been the bitter widow. Her poverty didnāt break her heart either, it let her double down.
A fallen world gave her painful chances to choose faith, it gave her precious perspective.
Anger distracts us from exploring what God can do.
Is there a prayer more powerful than this,
āGod, here are the pieces of my heart. I donāt know how to put them back together. But I think you do. Iām resisting anger, pride, and hopelessness. Iām turning to you.ā
Amen.
Sidenote
This is a pretty bold take, even for me.
I had to ask myself, Mark, are you saying that nobody can break someone elseās heart?
What about getting dumpedā¦? yeah, it stung. But did you let your heartbreak to Jesus and change, or did you choose jealousy and sarcasm to guard your heart.
What about when so and so gossiped? Did you fire back? If so, your currency was revenge.
Or Did you let the gossip die with a private conversation and frank forgiveness? Thatās the currency of a broken heart.
What about this and that failure or injustice as an adult?
Did you keep fighting long after righteous anger had expired?
Iām not arguing against grit. Jesusā was more tenacious than anyoneā¦ ever.
But look at His tenacity. It came after expressing His broken heart to His Fatherā¦ again and again.
āForgive us our debts as we forgive our debtorsā¦ THY kingdom come, THY will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
āNow my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hourā¦
āFather, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will , but Yours be done.ā
That was how Jesus prayed. He was just handing over His broken heart over and over again.
That is what a broken heart sounds like.
The world will provide the weaponry that bloodies us to the point of heartbreak.
Let me rephrase that, the world will use weapons like depression, anxiety, injustice, dishonesty, racism, abuse, untimely death, and abandonmentā¦ to force our hand.
Either Will we choose to protect and delay the heartbreak with anger, jadedness, hardness, cruelty, jiltedness, jealousy, callousness, cynicism, or prideā¦
Or will we allow those same weapons to help us get to the sacred state of heartbreak.
Will we let our Savior turn evil into good, like He did for Joseph in Egypt, the woman at the well, Mary magdalen, the woman taken in adultery, and Saul of Tarsus.
We donāt alway knows when Jesus has pressed pause to climb the stairs and watch usā¦
the pauper widow never noticed Jesus watching, and he was close enough to see how little money she had in her hand.
Think she knows now?
Iām Mark Mabry.
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We're late. But it's about time. Time to start putting our brothers and sisters above our political ideology. But how? How can we righteously fight for our beliefs about how a society should operate AND maintain civility and love... especially among believers. A few weeks ago I read "A Gentle Answer" by Pastor Scott Sauls. His Christ first approach to how we interact caused me not only to question how I was communicating, but what I was actually fighting for. Time to heal, and no politician is going to lead the charge because it's not in their best interest. Healing is in our best interest as a family in Christ. So let's lead out. You can also download this as a podcast on any platform. It's the Gifted and Lifted Podcast. Here are a few of my favorite notes from the show. Please tell me yours.
markās take on masks āto put Jesus in front of our politics inside the church, so we can go out in the world and hopefully do the sameā
āJesus sees us in whatever condition we are and is ready to meet us where we are...ā
ābefore Paulā¦ starts telling us what to do and how to live, we are told who we are and reminded whose we are.ā
āthatās just who He (Jesus) is. He establishes relationship before anything else.ā
āposture not politicsā ārighteous anger attacks problems, unrighteous anger attacks peopleā
A beautiful approach to political discourse
āIāve never met a person who got scolded on social media for their politics and then a lightbulb went on for them and they said āoh, youāve completely persuaded me, Iāve changed my mind. Thank you for showing me the light.ā Iāve never witnessed that.ā
āpart of what kindness meansā¦ā
we make ourselves liars when we adopt a narrative that lumps an entire group together
āā¦itās not about us and the other people anymore, itās about us and Jesusā
Speaks about how and why to be angryā¦ āthatās an important grid to run things throughā¦ Righteous anger is getting angry at things that are precious to Godā¦ Unrighteous anger is when we get angry about things that are precious to us, but not to God.ā
Our pet peeves can refine us
āI donāt think politicians have much hope for making the world a lot betterā¦ unless your coming from the resources that Christ providesā¦ā
"America and the church are not the same thing and they never have beenā -
Imagine itās Christmas 2020. We all wake up in matching jammies and do stockings, breakfast, anticipationā¦ and then mom and dad (you now) walk into family room to verify that Santa came. But the room is empty.
The kids are around the corner bouncing, waiting for you to give the signal.
You stand there stunned, staring at each other.
Unable to wait any longer, the kids fly around the corner squealing.
They see the room and the squealing stops. Thinking it must be a game. They start searching around. They run to the back window, no trampoline. To the garage, thereās no new bike. Hmmm.
Eventually the kids walk back in and notice the real concern on mom and dadsā faces.
Youāre speechless. For 10 years as a parent, youāve been able to muscle this miracle into existence in a household of ābelieversā, some years it took help.
Overcome by confusion you sit on the floor and cry, āBut, I, I swearā¦ didnāt weā¦?ā For lots of reasons, you canāt finish the sentence.
Every year on the fist night of Passover, Jews gather in families to retell the story of Moses parting the Red Sea to save Israel. Itās a beautiful meal. They leave the door open and a place at the table for Elijah, just in case he comes to announce the Savior.
For me, the tragedy of Christmas is that while billions of Christians celebrate the birth of that very Savior, our Jewish sisters and brothers suffer ridicule, persecution, and even holocausts while waiting for Him.
Christ was born quietly in Bethlehem, but they were so hung up on how things were āsupposedā to go, that they not only missed it, they raged.
Back to you, in a puddle on the floor. Your sweet kids huddle on top of you, crying too, but not for Santa. Youāre taking this turn of events way harder than they areā¦
Suddenly your 6 year-old squeals with excitement and runs to the glass door in the backā¦ where a homely little stray mutt noses the window, begging to come it. They all run to the window!
Heās not what you expected from Santa, but heās perfect.
Forget the Christmas listā¦ open your eyes. This is Christmas. The thrill of hope.
A reminder keep our eyes innocent and unjaded by the times.
Because we donāt know what salvation is going to look like.
Sidenoteā¦
I considered making this story a little longer. I thought about letting mom and dad rage a little bit, letting them be on the phone with cops or maybe even arguing with each other about who forgot to do whatā¦ finally late in the day to watch their babies in the yard building a house for the dog, naming him, and feeding him leftoversā¦
But it would have been overkill to make my bigger point.
We all will eventually open our eyes and see the gift.
When the prophet Zechariah knew the attitudes of the Jews and knew that they would likely miss the gift. Indeed they would for a timeā¦ but God comforted him in a vision. Yes, he saw thousands of years of blindness and pain, healed in this momentā¦ Someday, the Jews will finally know their Saviorā¦
āAnd I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
āAnd one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.ā
Somehow, every knee will bow and every tongue will confessā¦ that the babe of Bethlehem was the Savior all along.
Iām thankful that God has opened my eyes enough, during my short life, to believe that Jesus is His Sonā¦
My prayers lately have been different. Iām trying to cut through the wants and the āChristmas listsā that have burdened my faith since I was a little boy.
āPlease do thisā¦ save me from thatā¦ fix herā¦ punish himā¦ā
I just want to know that when the God I pray to ādoesnāt do this, doesnāt save me from thatā¦ refuses to change someone elseā¦ and blesses my enemyā¦ā I want to know that He loves me. I want to lay my worries on Him with real faith.
In other words, I just want my eyes to be open. I just want to see His Hand in this whole thing as much as Heāll let me, right now.
He can do that yāknow.
Iām Mark Mabry
Merry Christmas
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There was no room in the Inn, so Joseph made a spot for Mary to labor in a cave where the animals were sheltered. It was all the Inn Keeper could offer.
Soon, Jesus was born.
Maybe that night, Mary found the strength to take her baby outside to look at the sky.
āLook buddyā¦ see the stars?ā
Woah, she might have thought-looking up- Iāve never noticed THAT one before.
Thatās called light, Jesus. See the Light?
āJesusā she may have whispered again, finally putting that special name to a tiny face lifting Him to nurse for the first time.
āTakeā¦ eatā¦ little guy. This will give you life,ā
Because Who better than Jesusā Mom to teach her Son to sucker those that stand in need of sucker.
Watching him eat she might have reached her hand under the blanket, counting 10 little toes, and 5 fingers on the little hand that rested on her chest.
Then looking back at her babyā¦ āYouāre perfect.ā
Then looking back at the little caveā¦ maybe she saw a strong, but worried, husband trying to keep a cow and three sheep away from the little feed boxā¦ the one where they would lay The Baby as soon as he was fed. Did she see him gather fresh straw and use his outer robe for a baby bed.
Joseph, she might have said to herself, feeling a surge of love for the humble man would raise the Son of God.
After eating, did the Baby roll his eyes aroundā¦ and look back up at Mary, before falling asleep in her arms?
āJosephā, she might have whispered with the hint of a smile. āHeās asleep.ā
Joseph would quickly walk over to help Mary over to put her baby in the manger.
But when he approached, she may have said, āhold him, Joseph.ā
Like a first time dad, Josephās unsure eyes would meet Maryās. āHe loves you,ā she might have said as he apprehensively picked up the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Together they might have laid him in that manger, maybe even a little grateful at this point to be outside, not in the crowded Inn.
After all thatās been said, perhaps the old inn keeper had an inkling that this couple needed to see the heavens tonight.
And just maybe, the heavens needed to see them too.
Sidenote,
Although he passed away ten years ago, I can still hear my Grandpaās voice every Christmas Eve reading from the King Jamesā¦
āAnd it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Ceaser Augustus, that all the world should be taxedā¦ā
This year more than ever before different parts of the story are sticking out to me.
Like that the Son of God wasnāt born at home in Nazareth, with family, safety, and a midwifeā¦ because of taxes and a census. Thatās weird. Cause Iāve requested extensions for much less than childbirth. But the Romanās were oppressing the Jews, yeah, there was no getting out of paying that money on time.
Godās people spend a lot of their time oppressedā¦ and where the Bible stops our history books fill in the gaps.
Right now though, to me though, thereās mysterious hero.
The Inn Keeper. More specifically, the last Inn Keeper, because surely Joseph didnāt just knock one door and settle for the little cave where the animals were fed.
Looking backwards it might be easy to criticize that Inn Keeper who sent the expectant Mother Of Our Savior and her husband Joseph down the road to sleep with the animals. But for all we know, He was doing exactly what God knew He would do in that spot.
Often what we see as an obstacle to the plan, IS THE PLAN.
(For more on that thought, read some of Marcus Aurelius, who IRONICALLY was a Roman)
Iāll repeat the idea though, because itās the thought today.
The obstacle to the way, is the way.
Our Father in Heaven, wasnāt opposed to announcing His Son. He told the Shepherds, Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, Wisemen in the East, and prophets for 4000 years in the Old Testament. The prophecies were memorized by those very Jews in Bethlehem!
However, God does seem opposed to telling us exactly how everything is going to go down.
That job loss, the injury, the girl or boy that steals your heart right after you swear off love to focus on your careerā¦ or the one breaks it just as you were licking envelopes for the wedding invites. What about the early baby? The bankruptcy. The disease. The divorce. The Unexpected death.
Godās plan doesnāt look like ours in other words, āMy ways are not Thy Waysā.
So letās replay thisā¦ you be the Inn Keeper.
Youāre sitting in your room and an angel comes. āGreetings Friendā says the angel, āI just wanted to drop by and let you know that The Son of God is currently in His Motherās tummy riding on top of a donkey with her husband. Sheās going to have the baby any day now. Theyāll be knocking at your door in about 30 minutes. Also, please, donāt put anyone out sir. The stable will be a fine birthplace for the Redeemer of Israel.ā
So why didnāt He tell the Inn Keeper? Because, like us, he wouldāve cleared the place out and scrubbed it top to bottomā¦ and rolled out the red carpet. Like us, he mightāve thought to correct God with our good intentions.
Godās plan wasnāt to make the birth safe, sterile, or comfy, His plan was to let His Son descend below everything from the get go. And for two of His most loved children Joseph and Mary to become more like Jesus in the process.
God is in the details of our lives. Orchestrating.
Thanks for listening.
Iām Mark Mabry
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Hi, welcome to the podcast. Iām mark mabry.
Today iād like to read and elaborate a little bit on a recent instagram post where I introduced a new piece of art that depicts the raising of a 12 year old girl from the dead.
Weāll pick up with Jesus preaching in Capernaum.
Jesus was getting huge in Capernaum.
One day a packed crowd was waiting for Jesus to speak, when an āimportantā man interrupted the moment. The man was āa ruler of the synagogueā.
The interruption was Nothing new. (Jumping ahead of the crowd is the timeless privilege of people with status)
Pharisees and scribes always did thisā¦
and it was fun to watch how Jesus dispatched them by exploiting their pride.
Anyway, The well dressed man came forward. His name was Jarius.
Jarius walked closer to Jesus, and in An Unexpected twistā¦
FELL AT Jesus FEET AND WEPT.
He cried, āMy daughter is dying. Please Master, come and save her.ā
Jesus was never moved by status, but always moved by humility, so He went with Jarius.
The curious crowd followed.
Jarius made way for Jesus through the streets. With each step, The pace of his Jariusās walk seemed to say āHold on sweetie, dadās coming,ā
But Jesus took His time along the way to heal a woman who touched His robe. Then he paused even longer to hear her voice look into her eyes. āYour faith has made you whole.ā
Jariusā daughterās clock was ticking. Then the bomb dropped.
A servant found Jarius, he said āThy daughter is dead, trouble not the Master.ā
What? It canāt end like thisā¦ Jarius had brought Jesus his lowestā¦. most broken selfā¦
He had nothing left to give.
Jesus, touched him, āfear not, believe only, and she shall be made whole.ā
Believe. Only. As if to say, āSon, this next part is too heavy for you. I got it from here. Youāve shown me enoughā¦ just believe.ā
At home, Jariusā friends and neighbors laughed at Jesus when he said āthe maiden is sleepingā. So Jesus excused them all.
Believers only beyond this point.
Jarius was wrung out. I see him kneeling by a little bed with his wifeā¦ maybe some brothers and sisters.
Jesus raised her.
But was that the only miracle?
Jesus THE GREATEST AMONG US descended BELOW EVERYONEā¦ to lift us up from The Cross. To draw all of us to Him.
Excluding Jesus, is there anyone more powerful among us than the popular person who willingly breaks before the Lord? Who loves Jesus and all that goes with it. The charity. The kindness. The selflessness.
She who falls on her face in front of a crowd and brings Jesus home to skeptical friendsā¦ like Jarius.
That kind of condescension is Christlike.
That is the person who seeās miracle after miracle.
I felt like Jariusā status in the community was important in this storyā¦ because status is a set up.
We have seem to have less sympathy for rich people, good looking people, gifted people, or successful people.
I mean, itās definitely a little funnier when sunglasses-guy backs his new Beemer into the light pole at Costco, than when a struggling mom with 3 little kids in a used mini van does it.
The Jarius story challenges those among us who are prone to judge popular or rich peopleā¦ more harshly.
Think it was easy for Jarius to fall at Jesusā feet and basically beg in front of that huge multitude of people that knew him as the powerful guy in the Synagogue?
The scribes and pharisees and hypocritesā¦ those are Jariusās people. What will they say when they find out Jarius was bowing to Jesus of Nazareth? Could it cost him his ruler of the synagogue gig? What about that house that was big enough to have a bunch of people at it in a few verses?
Think it was easy for Jarius to patiently wait as Jesus took his time walking through town healing someone elseās, non emergency blood issue, while his own daughter was criticalā¦
Jarius was used to people jumping when he said jump. How about keeping it together when he finds out that she had died while he was stuck in the crowdā¦?
Yeah, status is a set up, a set up for Jariusā¦ Because status Is a trojan horse full of pride.
Status ads degrees of difficulty to a humble Christian approach to life.
(Thatās my best line and a big part of my point, so let me repeat it)
Status ads degrees of difficulty to a humble Christian approach to life.
Letās look at Jesus Himself.
How did Jesus win the hearts of women and men starting with Adam and Eve all the way down to you and me.
Hint. It wasnāt because God gave Him Authority or a title, which He most certainly didā¦ itās all we read about in the Old Testament and the first few chapters of each of the Gospels. Itās God saying, āThis is my Sonā āyour saviorā - to Mary, then Joseph, to Simeon and Anna, to the Shepherds, to the Wisemen, To John the Baptist and the people who watched him baptize Jesus and heard the voice and saw the dove. But so what?
Imagine if God had said all that and Jesus didnāt end up being, wellā¦ perfect.
A title by itself only gathers brown-nosers, not sincere followers. Authority and power are not the same thing at all.
Jesus has power because he won our hearts.
JESUS won OUR HEARTS BECAUSE HE DESCENDED waaaaayyyyy BELOW his birthright as a godā¦
GIVING EVERYTHING HE HAD TO CLAIM OUR OUTCLASSED, less popular, LESS BEAUTIFUL, GUILTY SOULS FROM HELL.
HE WENT LOW- TO UNBREAK OUR GREEDY, LUSTFUL, JEALOUS HEARTSā¦ EVEN THOUGH HIS HEART IS PERFECT.
HE HUNG ON THE CROSS BRUISED AND NAKED AND BLOODY TO save ME AND YOU-
WHO IN TURN DO ALL WE CAN TO PRETEND LIKE WEāRE NOT BRUISED AND NAKED AND BLOODY TOO.
THATāS WHY JESUS IS THE MOST POWERFUL BEING EVERā¦
We love him, BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US.
I LOVE HIM.
BECAUSE HE gets low TO LOVE ME FIRSTā¦ AND ASKS QUESTIONS LATER.
Back to status for a moment.
When someone throws off the glory of the world at risk of losing it all, like Jariusā¦ Jesus seems to notice.
Sometimes there are actual real life consequencesā¦ watch how the world tolerates acceptance speeches that vaguely say, āIād like to thank Godā
but notice how awkward it gets when someone famous says, āI follow Jesus Christā.
Just ask the actor Chris Pratt, or boxing champs Manny Pacheo or Tyson Fury, or Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow or drew breeze.
I have a front row seat to see what happens to Lifestyle, Fashion, and Fitness influencers on Instagram when they ācome outā as practicing Christiansā¦
Often they do it on the same day they are sharing a piece of my art that hangs in their home.
Almost Immediately their follower count drops,
then the comments start.
āStay in your laneā
āI used to respect youā¦ā
āHow can you be so intolerant?ā āIgnorantā āNaiveā.
Other Christians will even dig back into their feeds and criticize them for previous posts that, in their minds, donāt live up to a āChristianā standard.
Are you serious?
Iām not famous, but You donāt have to dig to deep to realize that I mark mabry, am a christian hypocrite many times overā¦ especially when you consider that I write about Jesus every day. Just ask my wife and kids.
Thatās my set up!
So Iām inspired by the humility and faith of popular people who, like Jarius, fall at Jesus feet in front of the crowd. Because, on the flip side, supporters that stick by them end up loving them more than before. The connection is deeperā¦ and frankly, it gives God another opportunity to bless their enterprise.
People with status donāt have an obligation to be public about their faith any more than our mailman does.
And thatās what makes it so powerful when they do it.
AItās proactive humility. Theyāre not compelled to be humble.
And so it is with you and me in our own successesā¦
the more we can redirect the glory of the world toward our God and be the servant of all, the more we can identify with Jesusā¦.
Because thatās what Jesus did.
Iām Mark Mabry
Thank you
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I did an instagram post with a big long caption recently... I thought it was great (; But my wife didn't like it as written, only when I read it to her. I think she was right. So I punched it up a little bit and added some to it.
Thanks for listening...
Mark
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Last night I learned a lesson about value... here you go. Love, Mark
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One of the more plain truths of life is that things and people are more beautiful when they are touched by Jesus. When it comes to people, a soul lit by Christ is easier on the eyes and the ears and more approachable. Things touched by Jesus become magnetic and alive.
- Vis mere
