Jesus is The Hero, Mary Foky's Story

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Hey friends, welcome to the Her God Story podcast,

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where you will always hear a good story

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to encourage and inspire you in your walk with the Lord.

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I'm your host, Jodie Chiricosta,

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ministry leader at Somebody Cares America

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and International,

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author and traveler on this journey of faith.

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For our regular listeners,

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we are taking a production break

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with no new episodes in the month of August,

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but we have some great stories lined up

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to share with you again in September.

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So make sure to like or follow this podcast

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on your favorite streaming platform,

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so you won't miss any of the stories of my upcoming guests.

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And August will be a great time to catch up

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on some episodes you may have missed.

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I encourage you to invite some friends

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to listen to the same episode,

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then get together and talk about what God spoke to you.

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You can download our prepared episode questions

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from hergodstory.org,

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and then discuss over your favorite refreshments.

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It's a great way to reach out to friends

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who don't know Christ yet.

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Include them in the conversation and see what God will do.

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Listening to an episode takes much less time

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than reading most books,

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and we think you're gonna have a lot of takers

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to a Her God Story podcast club.

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So gather some friends and try it out.

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When you do, email us at prayer at somebodycares.org

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to let us know so we can be praying for you.

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You know, we all love the hero story.

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Just look at the superhero movies, comic books,

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spinoff toys that are in such great demand,

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or the myriad of movies, shows, and books

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with the hero theme.

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Some of us even dream of being the hero of the story.

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You know, God put the desire for a hero in our hearts

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because we need a hero to save us

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from the enemy of our souls.

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Of course, our hero, our savior, is Jesus.

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But still, the desire for us to be a hero

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is certainly compelling and can be very strong.

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Isaiah 43, 11 tells us,

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"'I, only I, am the Lord,

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"'and there is no savior besides me,

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"'or no hero besides him.'

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"'While he does empower us to do

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"'some pretty amazing things,

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"'we have to rely on his strength and not our own.'"

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My guest, Mary Foakey, has grappled with this truth

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and is learning to do the little things

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that God considers great in his kingdom.

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Mary is a registered nurse

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who served in the US Army for six years.

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Married to an Army major and now mother of three,

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Mary is committed to the process of personal sanctification

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and sharing the love of Jesus

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with her neighbors and community.

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She's also my great niece.

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Welcome, Mary.

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Thank you so much for having me.

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It's really an honor, and I'm grateful

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to have the opportunity to share

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what Jesus has done in my life.

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So Mary, you grew up in a house with Christian parents,

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attending church, and wanting to understand what you believe,

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but it wasn't until you were in high school

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that you internalized that faith

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and committed your life to Christ.

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Share about those early years in your life

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and some of your faith questions

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and what ultimately brought you to your decision point.

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I grew up in a wonderful, loving household

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where both my parents really modeled a long obedience

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in the same direction of faithfulness to God.

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They not only took me and my siblings to church,

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but their entire lives were living testimonies

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of God's power and goodness.

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But despite this, I began to grapple with faith in Jesus

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for myself in my early teen or preteen years.

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I recognized by the testimony of my parents' life

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that to be a Christian demanded the entirety of your devotion.

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For them, it was the driving force

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in every decision in their lives, big or small.

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And I naturally questioned things,

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and it seems to make sense that the main central focus

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of my life was something I really should get right

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and not just believe without having thought it

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through personally.

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I remember as I was trying to discern, who am I?

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What defines me?

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Why does my life have meaning?

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All those types of questions, having the thought

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that if I was born in another country

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or to parents who brought me up as Muslims or as an atheist,

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is this truth, the truth of Jesus,

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something I would still believe?

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Is this Christianity stuff really true?

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Or is it just my particular cultural background,

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what my parents believe?

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And sort of another factor at that point in my life

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was I saw all the things my friends were doing

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as teenagers and thought, if I'm going to have any fun,

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I can't be a Christian.

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So I decided to try and walk away from Christianity

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and go my own way.

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And for a short time, things seemed to be going fine.

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I had good grades, I was good at sports, I was popular,

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but internally, I was really miserable.

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I felt like a ship being buffeted around in the waves,

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just no anchor, nothing to ground me.

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And I have a distinct memory sitting at the computer,

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writing paper, late at night in high school,

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and having the shocking realization

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that for the first time in my life,

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I had no answer to any of those deep questions

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of why am I here?

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Does my life have any meaning?

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And I could not let my mind be still and quiet,

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and that was horrible.

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Shortly after this, my parents caught me in a lie

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and grounded me for three months,

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which in high school seemed like an eternity.

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And during that time, I decided I really,

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I needed to stop running away from God.

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So at that point, you made that decision

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to commit your life to Jesus.

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I mean, it wasn't just stop running,

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but you turned into him, didn't you?

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Yes, for me, especially initially, the change was slow.

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So externally, I stopped sneaking around and partying.

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I saw that being a Christian meant

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I did not do certain naughty things,

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but I didn't initially internalize

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that it meant the lack of living for myself was living,

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or excuse me, the lack of living for myself was replaced

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with the joy of living for Christ.

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And when I reflect on that time, the song,

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The Goodness of God,

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it just really, really describes my salvation experience.

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There's a line in that song that says,

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all my life you have been faithful,

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all my life you have been so, so good.

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Your goodness is running after me.

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And in many ways, in those early years

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and months in high school,

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I was a reluctant Christian.

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I could not deny God's reality,

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his power, his goodness, his presence in my life,

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but it was still really hard for me to relinquish control.

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So he was running after me

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and I was sort of dragging my feet.

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It is truly and entirely by God's grace and pursuit

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that I became a daughter of God.

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I was, yeah, quite reluctant initially.

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You've mentioned that you are a really high achiever,

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good grades, good athlete, pushing yourself to excel.

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So when you went to college

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and you started thinking about your future,

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how did that play into your plans

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and your expectations for life?

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I mean, being the reluctant Christian that you were,

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how did that all work in your plans?

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Because you're a planner,

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you like to know what the future holds.

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Yeah, when I got to college,

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that is when I think I really started to make my faith my own.

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And I got involved in Christian fellowship.

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I went to church of my own accord

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and I started to really try to follow Jesus wholeheartedly

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with my whole life.

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But in that time, inadvertently,

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I allowed my fervor for Jesus to sort of blend

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with a worldly hierarchical system

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that I superimposed on Christianity.

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So I thought if I'm gonna be a Christian,

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I need to be the most devoted, the most high end,

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the most super Christian possible.

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I don't wanna be just a run of the mill Christian.

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And so to me, that meant I would show my devotion to God

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by becoming a sold out and single Christian missionary,

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ideally someplace so dangerous,

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most people would not volunteer to go there

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because of the potential cost.

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And I thought full-time vocational Christians,

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they're the tip of the spear.

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Missionaries in particular,

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if I'm unmarried, I won't be burdened

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with the concerns of family life.

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And I set out to become a Christian missionary in college.

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I double majored in nursing and religious studies

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intending to become a nurse practitioner

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with a theological background

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who could then go and preach the gospel

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and provide care to those who would not otherwise

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have healthcare, which those things are not bad.

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I don't wanna make them seem like they are,

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but in my naivete of what matters in God's kingdom,

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it was more about what I could achieve for God.

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Yeah, so when God started leading you

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in a different direction, what did you think about that?

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How did he do that?

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And how did he teach you about his plan for you

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because it wasn't what you were expecting it to be?

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Yes, there was one huge and consistent kink in my plan

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to be an unmarried, sold out missionary for Jesus.

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And he had a name, Daniel Foakey.

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He was a friend from high school that attended West Point,

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and he felt called to be an army officer.

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But he was also convinced that God wanted us

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to be in missions together, namely to date

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and ultimately get married.

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And this was a huge shift for me.

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And I really wrestled with it.

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I prayed and asked God many times, why?

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Why, if I am willing to give up a family

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and a comfortable life, would you insist on giving it to me?

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I want to go do great things for you.

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Don't you understand that?

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And through Daniel and in his pursuit of me,

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God was teaching me gently and graciously

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that he doesn't need me to do anything or save anyone.

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And it was the first step of me realizing

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what Tim Keller puts so well.

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If Jesus is who he says he is,

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and this life is not the only one,

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then every good endeavor, even the simplest ones

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pursued in response to God's calling can matter forever.

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So God doesn't need me to accomplish anything on his behalf.

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The arc of history hinges on the cross

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and on the resurrection, and my life fits into Jesus's story.

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Colossians 1 talks about the supremacy of Jesus and says,

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he is the image of the invisible God.

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By him all things were created.

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He is before all things and in him all things hold together.

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In everything he is preeminent.

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So the reality that the fullness of God

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dwelt in a human Jesus and he holds all things together,

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it sunk down into my heart and made me realize

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I don't have to accomplish anything on Christ's behalf,

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on Jesus's behalf.

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I have the privilege of just following his leading.

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So practically this meant I surrendered my plan

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to be a missionary, at least for now,

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and followed what seemed to be the clear leading

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of the Lord instead.

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I got engaged to and then married Daniel

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and ended up joining the army myself as a nurse.

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And that was what God was calling me to do

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at least in this season.

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And that was a bit of a shift for you as well,

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because being a part of the military

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was a little even antithetical to your belief system

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when you were a little bit younger.

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How did God transform and move you

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into an army life willingly?

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Yeah, well, at times it wasn't willingly to be honest,

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but I just could feel like that song I quoted earlier,

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the goodness of God pursuing me

263
00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,320
and he kept putting on my heart

264
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that what he wanted me to do was to be an army officer.

265
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And I sort of took it one step at a time.

266
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And as I followed that,

267
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I realized that God used being in the military

268
00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:57,960
to really show me some deep flaws in myself

269
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that I perhaps wouldn't have seen,

270
00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:02,000
at least not as quickly.

271
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Through being an army officer,

272
00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:07,520
I quickly, quickly learned

273
00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:10,960
how I had a lack of gentleness and mercy.

274
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I'm a driven and relatively confident person.

275
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Yeah, gentleness and mercy aren't typically things

276
00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:20,160
that you think are needed in the military,

277
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but they really are.

278
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Yes, and I learned that in leadership position.

279
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I care about justice, right and wrong,

280
00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:29,160
doing things the right way.

281
00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:32,440
But certainly then, and even now,

282
00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:34,880
I can be pretty blunt, impatient,

283
00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:37,520
and sometimes thoughtless about other people's feelings.

284
00:13:37,520 --> 00:13:40,280
And because I was an officer,

285
00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:42,400
I got put in many leadership positions

286
00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:44,200
very early on in my career.

287
00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:46,880
That's one of the blessings and curses

288
00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:48,200
of being in the military.

289
00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:51,240
They, you're put in leadership quickly.

290
00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:56,240
I have one distinct memory of when I was fresh out of college,

291
00:13:56,440 --> 00:14:00,760
22, 23 maybe, and I got put in a charge

292
00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:03,800
of a floor of maybe 10 other coworkers,

293
00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:06,880
some of whom, twice my age,

294
00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:10,160
all of whom who had been doing the job longer than me.

295
00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:12,320
But since I was the military officer

296
00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:15,960
and they were either civilians or enlisted soldiers,

297
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I got put in charge.

298
00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:20,680
And that particular day, one of my coworkers

299
00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:23,520
was not doing what they should have,

300
00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:25,520
and I handled it really poorly.

301
00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:27,520
Proverbs 15.1 says,

302
00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:31,120
a gentle answer turns away wrath,

303
00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:33,000
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

304
00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:37,000
And I confronted them, which was the right thing to do.

305
00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:39,120
A patient needed their help and care,

306
00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:41,280
and they were neglecting it.

307
00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:45,000
But I was harsh and arrogant.

308
00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:47,120
As the proverb says, it stirred up anger.

309
00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:52,560
That experience and many others like it,

310
00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:56,720
God used to show me that in Jesus,

311
00:14:56,720 --> 00:15:00,600
justice and gentleness can and do go together.

312
00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:05,240
It reminds me of that verse in Isaiah 42,

313
00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:09,400
where it describes Jesus as, he says,

314
00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:12,480
a bruised reed he will not break,

315
00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:15,720
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

316
00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:18,960
In faithfulness, he will bring forth justice.

317
00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:21,840
And that picture of someone who is so gentle,

318
00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:26,400
even with a bruised reed, but also just.

319
00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:30,040
God revealed to me through those leadership things early on

320
00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:33,960
that I was missing a core reality of his nature,

321
00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:36,760
that he is both merciful and just.

322
00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:42,880
That tension between justice and mercy is solved on the cross.

323
00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:45,920
And when I realized that,

324
00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:49,800
how God is both just and merciful,

325
00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:53,920
and that they can both be fully expressed in him, in the son,

326
00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:56,120
I realized I need to be that way.

327
00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:59,840
I can't just care about justice and doing things right.

328
00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:03,000
I have to also do it in a way that's merciful.

329
00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,320
And that's something I'm still working on

330
00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:09,360
and learning how to do is to be a woman who's like God,

331
00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:13,640
both gentle and faithfully pursuing justice.

332
00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:16,160
Yeah, that's certainly part of the sanctification process.

333
00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:20,000
We all have those issues that God reminds us again

334
00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:22,320
and again in our lives that he wants to work in us.

335
00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:23,680
So we're all getting there.

336
00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:27,760
And the army definitely, God used that.

337
00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:28,760
God used that.

338
00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:31,640
So after a few years, you and Daniel decided

339
00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:32,960
you wanted to start a family.

340
00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:37,160
And like most people, you were wondering

341
00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:39,320
if you would be a good parent.

342
00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:43,320
Share your personal internal struggle about that

343
00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:45,880
and how God has shown you his kindness

344
00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,880
and once again, goodness through your children.

345
00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:53,880
Yes, being a mom, I had the opportunity to give my children

346
00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:59,280
a solid foundation to launch out into the world.

347
00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:03,360
And Proverbs is full of encouragements

348
00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:05,280
to train your children up in the Lord.

349
00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:09,840
But for me, being a mom was something

350
00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:12,280
I didn't grow up wanting that.

351
00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:16,200
And I'm not a particularly nurturing person in my flesh.

352
00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:19,560
So I was very nervous that in particular,

353
00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:23,520
my lack of gentleness and nurturing nature

354
00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:25,640
would not set our children up for success.

355
00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:30,640
Certainly I am not a perfect mother,

356
00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:33,280
but I have learned in these early years of parenting,

357
00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:36,240
our oldest daughter is four and a half,

358
00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:39,560
that what God calls us to, he equips us for.

359
00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:44,840
And for me also, my children have been

360
00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,080
really surprisingly fun and funny.

361
00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:51,440
I knew I would love them, but I did not realize

362
00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:54,280
what a gift it would be to get to hang out

363
00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:57,160
with these other tiny humans all the time

364
00:17:57,160 --> 00:17:59,480
who are silly and clever and unique.

365
00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:03,000
And it's just been a really unexpected gift

366
00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:05,240
that God gave me and Daniel.

367
00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:08,520
Truly our children have been like a cup

368
00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:10,840
of overflowing blessings from God.

369
00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:13,200
I didn't realize I needed it.

370
00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:17,840
And it was just kind of God to give it to me,

371
00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:19,800
even when I didn't pursue it myself.

372
00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:23,640
Yeah, share some of the fun stories

373
00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:25,120
that you've experienced with your kids

374
00:18:25,120 --> 00:18:28,480
and how you've been training them,

375
00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:31,240
even at a young age to love Jesus.

376
00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:33,360
I did mention my oldest is four and a half.

377
00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:36,960
And I have thought a lot and my husband and I

378
00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:39,040
have talked a lot about things.

379
00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:43,280
We started to do catechisms with our oldest,

380
00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:47,560
but actually a resource that I have really loved

381
00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:52,560
is Slugs and Bugs, which is a Christian musician

382
00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:57,560
and they create, there's I think four albums

383
00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:00,080
called Sing the Bible.

384
00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:02,240
And they're all just Bible verses put to song.

385
00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:05,600
Some of them are funny, but many of them

386
00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:08,240
are things that I use, I mean daily,

387
00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:11,720
to both encourage and correct myself.

388
00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:14,240
It's funny how sometimes the things coming out of my mouth

389
00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:17,280
at my children are also things God's speaking to me.

390
00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:20,480
But yeah, having the scriptures on repeat in my mind,

391
00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:22,120
something that I listen to with them

392
00:19:22,120 --> 00:19:24,760
and then use as a tool.

393
00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:25,880
I mean, they're available.

394
00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:29,920
You can just look them up on YouTube or Spotify

395
00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:31,440
is how I typically use it.

396
00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:33,680
But it's really, that has been something

397
00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:35,960
that I really enjoyed as a teaching tool.

398
00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:39,320
I'd have to think of some funny stories.

399
00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:41,640
Our kids are just, they're fun and funny.

400
00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:43,640
I came to know the Lord when I was very young,

401
00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:44,480
six years old.

402
00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:47,280
And I remember back in that day,

403
00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:51,200
scripture songs were big, even for adults to sing as well.

404
00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:55,400
I mean, that was, and I learned so much by singing scripture

405
00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:57,600
because it gets in your heart and you remember it.

406
00:19:57,600 --> 00:19:59,920
I mean, years later, sometimes in my devotions,

407
00:19:59,920 --> 00:20:03,460
even now, those scripture songs from when I was a kid

408
00:20:03,460 --> 00:20:08,080
come back to me and I sing them back again,

409
00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:10,480
or as I'm going about my day.

410
00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:14,240
So the power of putting scripture to music

411
00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:18,880
in the hearts of little ones is, it will last a lifetime.

412
00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:22,800
Now, you know, friends, there are children without parents,

413
00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:25,520
as well as widows all over the world.

414
00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:27,240
And they need to experience

415
00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:29,520
the tangible expression of God's love.

416
00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,000
Many have special needs that we as a company of women

417
00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:33,240
can meet together.

418
00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:35,800
Would you consider joining us with a special gift to help?

419
00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:37,800
Just go to hergodstory.org

420
00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:41,000
and click on the widow and orphan tab at the top of the page.

421
00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:44,360
Mary, you've told me that being a mom

422
00:20:44,360 --> 00:20:48,720
has been the most intensely sanctifying piece of music

423
00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:51,000
in the whole time period of your life.

424
00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:52,680
And I can completely understand

425
00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:54,520
when God graced me with a family,

426
00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:57,160
he also used them to turn up the heat

427
00:20:57,160 --> 00:20:59,440
of his purifying fire in my life.

428
00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:01,000
But how has God done that in you?

429
00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:02,120
How's he worked in you

430
00:21:02,120 --> 00:21:04,160
and shown you about himself through motherhood?

431
00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:09,160
The hymn, I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord.

432
00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:11,240
Having kids has really felt that way,

433
00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:14,120
except it's I need thee every second.

434
00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:17,040
With other jobs or commitments I've had in my life,

435
00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:21,720
I've had to take a day off or a vacation or whatever.

436
00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:25,960
But especially in my children's first year of life,

437
00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:28,800
I was really tethered to them.

438
00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:33,280
And it felt and still feels intensely sanctifying

439
00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:38,280
because I have to daily, hourly, sometimes minute by minute,

440
00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:44,560
choose to either be selfish and gratify what I want or like

441
00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:48,560
to myself and do what is best for my child.

442
00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:51,440
And sometimes being a military spouse,

443
00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:54,080
the volume really gets turned up on this

444
00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:56,960
because we often don't live near family

445
00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:59,680
and Daniel, my husband is often gone.

446
00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:02,560
So many times there's no backup,

447
00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:06,440
there's no one to tag in if I'm having a hard day.

448
00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:10,480
And that has really made me lean on the Lord

449
00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:12,760
because I'm so out of my depth

450
00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:16,520
and so incapable of being the mom God calls me to be

451
00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:17,640
in my own strength.

452
00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:22,520
But when I have cried out to God, he has been so faithful.

453
00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:24,960
And I remember one season in particular

454
00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:29,960
when Daniel was deployed, my oldest was not even three

455
00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:33,120
and the youngest was under, she was under a year old.

456
00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:35,600
And the whole time Daniel was gone,

457
00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:42,600
I had truly supernatural peace and patience and strength.

458
00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:47,040
And in John 14, when Jesus tells his disciples,

459
00:22:47,040 --> 00:22:50,520
peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you,

460
00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:54,880
not as the world gives, that's the kind of peace that I had.

461
00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:58,040
It was a tangible peace, even when, I mean,

462
00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:00,840
things could be very chaotic with bodily fluids

463
00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:03,480
and all the wrong places all over the house

464
00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:08,480
and not sleeping and just a little bit of chaos.

465
00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:13,040
I had peace and God was tangibly present in my life

466
00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:17,520
and in my parenting, God was so faithful to provide

467
00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:19,840
and just be the strength when I didn't have it

468
00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:21,160
in that time.

469
00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:24,840
Yeah, a lot of parents, I think experienced that,

470
00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:26,320
but a lot of parents need to hear that,

471
00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:28,320
boy, when we call on the name of the Lord,

472
00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:30,880
he is quick to save.

473
00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:34,160
He's not far away, but he's quick to save.

474
00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,480
Being a mom has also provided you

475
00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:41,720
some really wonderful opportunities to reach out to others

476
00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:45,000
in your neighborhood and in the military community,

477
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:49,160
being a missionary to a not so difficult place to go.

478
00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:52,040
And you and Daniel have been really intentional about this.

479
00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:53,600
Share what you've been doing

480
00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:54,880
and what you've seen the Lord do.

481
00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:59,880
There's a book that really impacted me a few years ago

482
00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:02,520
called The Gospel Comes with a House Key.

483
00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:08,560
And in it is a term called radically ordinary hospitality.

484
00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:13,600
And that is something that my husband and I feel

485
00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:16,440
God has really called us and our family

486
00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:18,200
to do in this season of life.

487
00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:23,600
In John 13, Jesus says, as I have loved you,

488
00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:25,640
you must love one another.

489
00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:28,760
By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples

490
00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:30,640
if you love one another.

491
00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:34,960
So what we want to do, our heart's passion

492
00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:38,480
is to build loving Christian community

493
00:24:39,540 --> 00:24:42,020
that is quiet but radical.

494
00:24:43,080 --> 00:24:47,360
And I think that's something that we as humans

495
00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:50,600
and perhaps in our modern Western

496
00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:54,740
very individualistic culture deeply crave.

497
00:24:54,740 --> 00:24:59,740
A community of people that seeks the desires

498
00:25:01,580 --> 00:25:04,420
and good of others above themselves

499
00:25:04,420 --> 00:25:07,020
with radical self-giving,

500
00:25:07,020 --> 00:25:10,620
that is not common in our culture.

501
00:25:10,620 --> 00:25:12,900
And certainly we don't do this perfectly,

502
00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:18,260
but it's something that as we receive the love of Christ,

503
00:25:18,260 --> 00:25:20,580
we try to live out practically,

504
00:25:20,580 --> 00:25:24,980
which for us looks like hosting, facilitating,

505
00:25:24,980 --> 00:25:27,980
and generally leading weekly gatherings

506
00:25:27,980 --> 00:25:30,700
for other Christians in our home.

507
00:25:30,700 --> 00:25:33,700
Lots of intentional walks with neighbors,

508
00:25:33,700 --> 00:25:35,620
meals shared with people,

509
00:25:35,620 --> 00:25:38,020
with believers and non-believers alike,

510
00:25:38,020 --> 00:25:39,980
all with the goal of growing a community

511
00:25:39,980 --> 00:25:43,740
that shares the love we have received in Christ.

512
00:25:43,740 --> 00:25:47,700
So yeah, for me, instead of being a missionary

513
00:25:47,700 --> 00:25:51,700
in a more exotic and overt way,

514
00:25:51,700 --> 00:25:53,900
I think God has called me and our family

515
00:25:53,900 --> 00:25:58,460
to live out radically ordinary hospitality.

516
00:25:58,460 --> 00:26:01,220
So we see our home not as ours at all,

517
00:26:01,220 --> 00:26:03,980
but as God's gift for us to use

518
00:26:03,980 --> 00:26:05,720
for the furtherance of his kingdom.

519
00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:07,860
How has that impacted some of the people

520
00:26:07,860 --> 00:26:12,380
who've benefited from that radically ordinary hospitality?

521
00:26:12,380 --> 00:26:14,880
Is there anything you can share, of course,

522
00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:16,700
without breaking any confidences?

523
00:26:16,700 --> 00:26:18,500
At our church in North Carolina,

524
00:26:18,500 --> 00:26:23,260
we led small groups and had people over to our house

525
00:26:24,420 --> 00:26:28,480
really pretty consistently for over five years.

526
00:26:30,140 --> 00:26:33,060
And a lot of people being in a military community

527
00:26:34,380 --> 00:26:37,480
moved on to other places and posts,

528
00:26:38,940 --> 00:26:42,460
but a lot of people have reached out to us

529
00:26:42,460 --> 00:26:46,860
and told us that that taste for community,

530
00:26:46,860 --> 00:26:51,860
for not just attending church or some sort of study,

531
00:26:53,380 --> 00:26:56,940
but to actually build deep community with other believers

532
00:26:56,940 --> 00:27:00,900
and have that accountability and that love in someone's life.

533
00:27:00,900 --> 00:27:03,840
A lot of people have reached out to us and told us

534
00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:07,060
that shaped permanently the way that we view

535
00:27:07,060 --> 00:27:09,640
what it means to live like a Christian.

536
00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:13,060
And that's just by the grace of God,

537
00:27:13,060 --> 00:27:17,100
because it's not our Christian community is messy.

538
00:27:18,580 --> 00:27:21,820
We're messy too, even as the leaders,

539
00:27:21,820 --> 00:27:24,900
but being in community with people,

540
00:27:26,900 --> 00:27:30,620
it's not always, certainly not always easy,

541
00:27:30,620 --> 00:27:33,060
but it is deep and it is real.

542
00:27:33,060 --> 00:27:36,580
And it really, I think, like Jesus said,

543
00:27:36,580 --> 00:27:40,740
love, loving of one another, self-giving love.

544
00:27:40,740 --> 00:27:43,620
It leaves a taste for that and you want it

545
00:27:43,620 --> 00:27:44,660
for the rest of your life.

546
00:27:44,660 --> 00:27:47,380
You mentioned that military families move often

547
00:27:47,380 --> 00:27:51,480
and you and Daniel and the girls have recently moved too.

548
00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:55,120
And it can make you feel disconnected and even isolated,

549
00:27:55,120 --> 00:27:57,820
but you've been proactive in creating that community

550
00:27:57,820 --> 00:28:01,020
in your new assignment.

551
00:28:01,020 --> 00:28:03,860
How are you doing that and why?

552
00:28:03,860 --> 00:28:08,660
When we moved, we sought to prayerfully discern

553
00:28:08,660 --> 00:28:11,260
the church that we were called to be a part of here.

554
00:28:12,380 --> 00:28:17,380
And not to do that too hastily, but to do it quickly,

555
00:28:18,580 --> 00:28:23,280
meaning not to sort of waffle around, dipping our toes in.

556
00:28:24,620 --> 00:28:27,520
As quickly as we discerned where we felt God

557
00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:29,860
was calling us to go to church,

558
00:28:29,860 --> 00:28:34,300
we tried to jump in and view it as a place for us to grow

559
00:28:34,300 --> 00:28:38,340
and be fed, but also a place for us to plug in

560
00:28:38,340 --> 00:28:41,220
and to serve the local body here.

561
00:28:41,220 --> 00:28:44,820
So we attend the weekly gatherings of our church

562
00:28:44,820 --> 00:28:47,660
and we've started serving in its missions.

563
00:28:47,660 --> 00:28:48,920
We moved about three months ago,

564
00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:53,020
so we've been doing that for maybe two months now.

565
00:28:53,020 --> 00:28:56,860
We tithe to support the pastors and the staff.

566
00:28:56,860 --> 00:29:00,420
And yeah, as soon as we knew, okay,

567
00:29:00,420 --> 00:29:02,460
this is the place God has for us,

568
00:29:02,460 --> 00:29:07,460
we tried to jump in and be contributing members

569
00:29:07,500 --> 00:29:09,780
as well as to allow it to sanctify

570
00:29:09,780 --> 00:29:11,380
and challenge and grow us.

571
00:29:12,340 --> 00:29:15,700
And one other sort of broader way

572
00:29:15,700 --> 00:29:17,620
that I try to look at the world,

573
00:29:17,620 --> 00:29:21,280
especially moving and meeting all new people,

574
00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:26,280
is that I try to remember in all of my interactions

575
00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:32,080
that I have living inside of me the hope of the world,

576
00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:34,520
what every person that I meet needs.

577
00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:37,180
Not me, they don't need me, Mary Foakey.

578
00:29:37,180 --> 00:29:39,540
They need the hope of the world, Jesus.

579
00:29:39,540 --> 00:29:41,700
And he lives inside of me in the Holy Spirit.

580
00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:45,440
Every single person I meet is made in his image.

581
00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:48,420
And if they are already a Christian,

582
00:29:48,420 --> 00:29:51,160
I try to find that out as quickly as I can.

583
00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:55,920
And then begin to get together, fan into flames,

584
00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:58,220
the gift of God that is inside both of us.

585
00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:02,220
And if I find out, okay, this new person I met

586
00:30:02,220 --> 00:30:06,400
is not a believer, I try to earnestly

587
00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:11,500
and Holy Spirit led share this hope with them

588
00:30:11,500 --> 00:30:14,440
through my actions and whenever possible

589
00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:16,520
through my words as well.

590
00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:18,640
And I think that helps me, especially moving

591
00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:21,620
or being in a new situation.

592
00:30:21,620 --> 00:30:26,160
I just look at people as hopefully fellow Christians,

593
00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:29,640
but I already have the thing that gives me meaning

594
00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:30,620
and purpose in my life.

595
00:30:30,620 --> 00:30:33,360
So I don't need to seek that in my relationships.

596
00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:35,660
It's something I either wanna encourage other people

597
00:30:35,660 --> 00:30:38,240
with me on that walk of faith,

598
00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:42,840
or I'm trying to show them the hope of Christ.

599
00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:45,120
And it makes things a lot less nerve wracking, I think,

600
00:30:45,120 --> 00:30:50,120
because I'm not seeking new friendships to validate myself.

601
00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:54,080
And that's a shift that God has matured and grown in me

602
00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:56,320
probably largely through moving around a lot.

603
00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:58,600
Yeah, and you've been involved in church

604
00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:01,360
pretty much your whole life, most of the time willingly.

605
00:31:02,580 --> 00:31:06,920
So you've seen the good and the bad in church life.

606
00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:09,500
It's not all perfect.

607
00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:13,200
And God's giving you a burden to see people

608
00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:17,000
engage differently with church and with the body of Christ.

609
00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:18,680
Share what's on your heart

610
00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:21,200
and what shaped your thinking on that.

611
00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:26,080
So I'm really fortunate that what my parents modeled for me

612
00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:31,080
was a deep and sacrificial commitment to our local church.

613
00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:38,320
They were not shallow or surface level Christians.

614
00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:42,440
They were not merely attenders or consumers,

615
00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:45,480
which is there's nothing wrong with that for a time

616
00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:47,480
if you're just learning about who Jesus is.

617
00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:50,440
But once you become a Christian,

618
00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:54,200
deep sacrificial commitment,

619
00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:58,120
I guess seeing that in my parents,

620
00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:03,120
it has always been my internal, I suppose litmus test

621
00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:08,580
as it were for what it looks like to be a Christian,

622
00:32:08,580 --> 00:32:12,000
to be a committed, meaningfully serving member

623
00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:13,840
of a local church.

624
00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:18,080
Of course, there are some seasons of life

625
00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:19,640
where this can look different.

626
00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:23,980
But as I've grown and matured in my faith,

627
00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:29,360
I firmly believe still in the importance

628
00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:31,920
of being meaningfully connected.

629
00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:34,600
And I think that's become more and more firm.

630
00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:41,000
One place in the Bible that I think of

631
00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:45,160
when I think of church commitment is opening of Acts,

632
00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:48,240
where Luke who wrote Luke and then Acts

633
00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:50,700
opens the book up by saying,

634
00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:54,200
the first book I wrote all about

635
00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:56,800
what Jesus began to do and teach.

636
00:32:58,160 --> 00:32:59,660
And if you read Acts,

637
00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:06,120
Jesus like leaves in the first chapter to go up to heaven,

638
00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:08,480
his actual physical body.

639
00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:11,440
So it's implying that Acts is about

640
00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:13,640
what Jesus continued to do and teach

641
00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:17,200
without his physical bodying there,

642
00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:21,040
which means the Holy Spirit through the church

643
00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:24,180
is what Jesus is doing in Acts.

644
00:33:24,180 --> 00:33:26,900
And I think a huge takeaway is that he's still doing

645
00:33:26,900 --> 00:33:30,440
and teaching in the world through the same way.

646
00:33:32,760 --> 00:33:35,160
It's almost entirely about regular people

647
00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:40,160
through the power of the Holy Spirit spreading the church.

648
00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:47,000
It would be a lot less messy if Jesus had personally stayed

649
00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:49,500
and reigned as the head of the church in the flesh.

650
00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:53,800
And actually that's one thing that I look forward

651
00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:55,760
to sort of learning more about in heaven

652
00:33:55,760 --> 00:34:00,760
because Jesus says, it's better for you that I go away

653
00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:04,800
so that I can send to you the advocate, the Holy Spirit.

654
00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:09,320
And that just surprises me looking at my own personal sin

655
00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:12,160
and my own personal messiness

656
00:34:12,160 --> 00:34:15,920
that God chooses to use me and chooses to use the church,

657
00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:19,000
which is a bunch of me's,

658
00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:21,300
it's a bunch of sinful, messy people,

659
00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:23,840
but we're not God's plan B.

660
00:34:25,100 --> 00:34:28,080
It's how he chooses to work in history.

661
00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:32,080
In Genesis, he put Adam and Eve to rule the world

662
00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:36,100
on his behalf, knowing what we would do.

663
00:34:36,100 --> 00:34:40,520
But I guess it's just his nature to be a power sharing God.

664
00:34:40,520 --> 00:34:42,080
I really have a passion.

665
00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:45,060
I think the more I read the Bible to be committed to it,

666
00:34:45,060 --> 00:34:48,360
not because it's gonna be perfect or because I'm perfect,

667
00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:51,160
but because I think that's how God wants to work

668
00:34:51,160 --> 00:34:52,680
in human history.

669
00:34:52,680 --> 00:34:57,080
Well, God certainly shows his love to the world

670
00:34:57,080 --> 00:35:00,000
when imperfect people can love other imperfect people

671
00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:03,000
in imperfect, and really the Lord empowers us

672
00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:05,400
to love in perfect ways if we'll let him.

673
00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:06,960
And that's the testimony to the world

674
00:35:06,960 --> 00:35:09,600
because boy, we can rub each other the wrong way,

675
00:35:09,600 --> 00:35:11,440
but still love one another.

676
00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:12,400
That's powerful.

677
00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:15,200
Mary, you're a mother of three little ones.

678
00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:17,160
Your life is crazy sometimes,

679
00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:21,400
running after this one or that one.

680
00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:24,520
What advice do you have for other moms

681
00:35:24,520 --> 00:35:27,080
who are struggling to stay connected to the Lord

682
00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:29,600
in the midst of all their responsibilities?

683
00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:32,040
We've touched on it a little bit already

684
00:35:32,040 --> 00:35:36,460
is be connected with other local Christians.

685
00:35:36,460 --> 00:35:40,080
Don't try to struggle through solo.

686
00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:42,840
I do a lot of walks and a lot of play dates

687
00:35:42,840 --> 00:35:45,700
with other moms to just do life together.

688
00:35:46,640 --> 00:35:48,820
Nobody has it all together.

689
00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:53,240
So I think especially in the stage of parenting that I'm in

690
00:35:53,240 --> 00:35:56,600
with little tiny kids that make messes everywhere,

691
00:35:57,720 --> 00:36:01,800
I try to be very willing to let other Christians especially

692
00:36:01,800 --> 00:36:05,560
into the reality of the messiness of life.

693
00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:07,080
Not try to clean it all up

694
00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:09,760
and you can't come over to my house until I vacuumed,

695
00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:13,360
kind of saying, I want to keep my life as neat as possible,

696
00:36:13,360 --> 00:36:15,240
but that's just not the reality

697
00:36:15,240 --> 00:36:17,360
of having three little kids a lot of the time.

698
00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:20,840
So to be willing to really let other believers

699
00:36:20,840 --> 00:36:24,640
into your life, even in all of its glory,

700
00:36:24,640 --> 00:36:27,400
dirty toilets or whatever, that is community.

701
00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:31,240
And that's how I stay connected to Christ

702
00:36:31,240 --> 00:36:34,700
is by really having meaningful connections

703
00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:37,520
in the midst of life as it is.

704
00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:40,680
So as we close, Mary, would you share about a woman

705
00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:43,360
in the Bible who's inspired or encouraged

706
00:36:43,360 --> 00:36:44,540
or taught you something?

707
00:36:44,540 --> 00:36:49,440
Ruth is my biggest non-Jesus biblical hero.

708
00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:54,440
She lived during the time in Israel's history

709
00:36:55,660 --> 00:37:00,660
when the judges reigned and all the people in power

710
00:37:01,740 --> 00:37:04,740
were running her nation into the ground.

711
00:37:04,740 --> 00:37:06,460
It was a mess.

712
00:37:06,460 --> 00:37:08,020
It was a very dark time.

713
00:37:08,020 --> 00:37:13,020
If you read judges, it sort of goes from bad to worse

714
00:37:13,020 --> 00:37:18,020
and her story sits in that context.

715
00:37:18,020 --> 00:37:21,020
It opens in the time when the judges ruled

716
00:37:22,340 --> 00:37:27,340
and it shows how God was still working salvation.

717
00:37:27,940 --> 00:37:31,340
The plot line up to that point is humans have sinned

718
00:37:31,340 --> 00:37:34,620
and we need a savior, we need a hero

719
00:37:34,620 --> 00:37:37,940
and that is gonna be what God promised in Genesis 3.

720
00:37:37,940 --> 00:37:40,540
He's gonna have a seed of the woman,

721
00:37:40,540 --> 00:37:45,540
the hope of the world that's gonna crush the head of evil

722
00:37:45,540 --> 00:37:47,620
and that seed is being carried forth.

723
00:37:47,620 --> 00:37:50,940
It goes to Abraham, it comes to the people of Israel

724
00:37:50,940 --> 00:37:55,940
and now it's a big mess and that seed,

725
00:37:56,500 --> 00:37:59,180
that hope is carried through her, through Ruth.

726
00:37:59,180 --> 00:38:00,940
The genealogy at the end of the book,

727
00:38:00,940 --> 00:38:02,340
make sure to point that out,

728
00:38:02,340 --> 00:38:07,340
that she is the bearer of the hope of humanity.

729
00:38:07,340 --> 00:38:09,340
And when you read the story of Ruth,

730
00:38:09,340 --> 00:38:14,340
she doesn't do anything by the world standards.

731
00:38:14,940 --> 00:38:17,940
She's not a hero or a powerful leader.

732
00:38:18,900 --> 00:38:23,900
She is a faithful daughter-in-law, a faithful wife,

733
00:38:24,820 --> 00:38:29,820
a faithful mother and she puts her trust in Yahweh, in God.

734
00:38:31,820 --> 00:38:34,540
Nothing more but awesome.

735
00:38:34,540 --> 00:38:39,300
Nothing more but also nothing less.

736
00:38:39,300 --> 00:38:40,780
And in the kingdom of God,

737
00:38:40,780 --> 00:38:45,780
her quiet faithfulness and obedience is a model

738
00:38:46,460 --> 00:38:49,340
and just points to the surprising way

739
00:38:49,340 --> 00:38:52,140
that God's salvation plan is carried forward

740
00:38:52,140 --> 00:38:55,580
and in my story that's been a huge encouragement

741
00:38:55,580 --> 00:38:58,660
since I think I'm called at least in this season

742
00:38:58,660 --> 00:39:02,300
to do something more similar to that,

743
00:39:02,300 --> 00:39:04,220
a life of quiet faithfulness.

744
00:39:04,220 --> 00:39:06,660
You know, as I've thought about what you've shared,

745
00:39:06,660 --> 00:39:08,580
the story in John six of the young boy

746
00:39:08,580 --> 00:39:10,980
who offered his five barley loaves

747
00:39:10,980 --> 00:39:13,860
and two fish to Jesus came to mind.

748
00:39:13,860 --> 00:39:16,460
You know, sharing his lunch might seem

749
00:39:16,460 --> 00:39:17,780
like a really small thing,

750
00:39:17,780 --> 00:39:21,420
not very important in God's plan, but it was.

751
00:39:21,420 --> 00:39:25,900
When Jesus blessed his offering, he fed 5,000 people

752
00:39:25,900 --> 00:39:29,780
and he taught the disciples several lessons from it

753
00:39:29,780 --> 00:39:31,380
that we're still learning today.

754
00:39:31,380 --> 00:39:34,100
And you know, while the small boy was not the hero

755
00:39:34,100 --> 00:39:38,180
in the story, he exhibited that radical ordinary hospitality

756
00:39:38,180 --> 00:39:41,820
that you talked about earlier and Jesus allowing Jesus

757
00:39:41,820 --> 00:39:44,900
to be the hero in the midst of that radical ordinary

758
00:39:44,900 --> 00:39:48,460
hospitality, because his small gesture was important enough

759
00:39:48,460 --> 00:39:49,820
to be included in the Bible

760
00:39:49,820 --> 00:39:51,740
for all the future generations to read.

761
00:39:51,740 --> 00:39:53,780
We read about it today.

762
00:39:53,780 --> 00:39:56,020
So when we do those small things out of love

763
00:39:56,020 --> 00:39:59,260
and obedience to God, recognizing that Jesus is the hero,

764
00:39:59,260 --> 00:40:04,220
the savior that he really is, he can do amazing things

765
00:40:04,220 --> 00:40:05,940
in and through each one of us.

766
00:40:06,940 --> 00:40:09,260
Mary, would you take a moment and pray for our listeners?

767
00:40:09,260 --> 00:40:14,260
Father, thank you that you are the hero of the story,

768
00:40:15,820 --> 00:40:19,220
of our stories and of human history,

769
00:40:19,220 --> 00:40:23,540
that it doesn't rest on us to be perfect

770
00:40:23,540 --> 00:40:28,060
or to save the world.

771
00:40:28,060 --> 00:40:31,740
We can rest in your salvation,

772
00:40:31,740 --> 00:40:33,620
that on the cross and through the resurrection,

773
00:40:33,620 --> 00:40:36,860
we have hope of life everlasting.

774
00:40:37,780 --> 00:40:40,220
I ask Lord that you would help each one of us

775
00:40:41,200 --> 00:40:44,260
to rest in your love, that we would know how high

776
00:40:44,260 --> 00:40:48,220
and wide and long and deep is the love of Christ for us.

777
00:40:49,060 --> 00:40:50,740
That we would just marinate in that

778
00:40:50,740 --> 00:40:53,140
and that it would transform our hearts,

779
00:40:53,140 --> 00:40:57,540
that we would be energized and excited to share that love

780
00:40:57,540 --> 00:41:00,140
with those that we come in contact with.

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We ask this in Jesus' name, amen.

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Amen.

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Well, thank you for tuning in.

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In our show notes at hergodstory.org,

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you'll find scriptures and other information we talked about.

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And don't forget to sign up for our emails

787
00:41:13,340 --> 00:41:15,420
and you'll get a free six week devotional

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00:41:15,420 --> 00:41:17,740
on women of the Bible you can download.

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00:41:17,740 --> 00:41:20,180
Or you may wanna purchase a 12 week devotional

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00:41:20,180 --> 00:41:22,620
for just $12, knowing that all the proceeds

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00:41:22,620 --> 00:41:24,580
will go to our widow and orphan fund.

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If you enjoyed this episode,

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00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:28,460
consider starting a Her God Story podcast club.

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00:41:28,460 --> 00:41:31,980
You can find more information at hergodstory.org.

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00:41:31,980 --> 00:41:33,780
We'd also love to pray with you

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00:41:33,780 --> 00:41:36,280
on our 24 seven prayer and text line.

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So give us a call or text anytime at 855-459-CARE

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or email us at prayer@somebodycares.org.

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Now, dear friends, I bless you from Ruth 2:12.

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May the Lord repay you for all the little things you've done.

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May you be richly rewarded by the Lord,

802
00:41:56,540 --> 00:41:58,940
the God of Israel under whose wing

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00:41:58,940 --> 00:42:01,340
you have come to take refuge.

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Her God Story is a ministry

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00:42:02,940 --> 00:42:05,380
of Somebody Cares America and International.

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00:42:05,380 --> 00:42:07,860
To find out more about or support the ministry,

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go to somebodycares.org.