Table Of Content© Copyright 2001 — Tommy Tenney
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Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the New
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D e d i c a t i on
To ushers and intercessors, to secretaries and singers.
To Bart and Coralee Pierce and to Tommy Barnett, who taught
me much about serving man (even if from a distance).
To Ed Miller, Billy Cole, and Tom Barnes, who taught me much
about serving God.
If sometimes I feel spiritually schizophrenic, torn between Mary’s
worship and Martha’s service, these people help provide balance in
my life.
To Billy Joe and Sharon Daughtery, for being midwives at the
birthing.
To Thomas Trask, who demonstrates dignity while serving. To
Elmer Towns, who whetted my appetite for writing—I honor you
for the things I learned by our paths crossing.
To David and Nita, Brenda and Lloyd, Stephen and Sherrie,
Karyn and Tiffany, for helping me keep balance in my private life.
To Mom and Dad, Jeannie and my three daughters, for teaching
me balance is sanity.
T a b l e o f C o n t e n ts
Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Cast of Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .viii
Chapter One Foxholes and Birds’ Nests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
From a Borrowed Womb to a Borrowed Tomb
Chapter Two Bethany or Bethlehem? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Spiritual Segregation Is Wrong!
Chapter Three Why Aren’t You Like Me? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Will Mary and Martha Ever Get Along?
Chapter Four Leave Me Alone… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Let Mary Be Mary; Let Martha Be Martha
Chapter Five Too Heavy to Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
What Does It Mean to Be “Cumbered About”?
Chapter Six Bi-Polar Spirituality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Am I Mary or Am I Martha?
Chapter Seven Your Shoes Don’t Fit Me! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Seasons Outside the Comfort Zone
Chapter Eight The Priority of His Presence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
When Do We Serve? When Do We Worship?
Chapter Nine Can You Ride a Bicycle? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
The Art of Navigation by Constant Compensation
Chapter Ten The Church Is Usually a Little “Unbalanced”125
God’s People Can Go From “Glory” to “Goofy”
Chapter Eleven Proximity Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
The Side Benefits of Living Near a “Bethany”
Chapter Twelve Building a Bethany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
Where Passion and Compassion Intersect
P r o l o g ue
Undoubtedly this will be the most controversial book I’ve
ever written. Pursuers of revival will say, “Tommy has aban-
doned the pursuit.” Socially conscious practitioners of com-
passion ministry will say, “Tommy has finally come to his senses.”
The truth is somewhere between Martha’s kitchen and Mary’s altar.
Martha and Mary are seemingly at eternal enmity. In this book,
may there be a peace treaty. I have not abandoned the pursuit. I am
at peace living in the middle—worshiping and working; chasing
God, serving man.
C a s t o f C h a r a c t e rs
Mary of the Alabaster Box—the sister who served Jesus with a bent knee,
a broken heart, the worship of tears and precious anointing oil.
Martha of the Kitchen—the elder sister and owner of the family house,
who, from the kitchen, faithfully served food, drink, and countless
human comforts to Jesus and His guests.
Lazarus of the Empty Tomb—the brother of Mary and Martha, and the
only man raised from the dead by a family Friend. (He was also
the only man Jesus called His friend.)
Simon the ex-Leper and Holder of Banquets—the owner of the home
where Mary and Martha provided Bethany’s final feast for
Divinity and humanity under one roof.
Judas Iscariot the disciple and betrayer of Jesus—the keeper of the money
and the New Testament’s most outspoken human critic of costly
worship.
As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem,
they came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed
them into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listen-
ing to what He taught. But Martha was worrying over the big din-
ner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t
it seem unfair to You that my sister just sits here while I do all the
work? Tell her to come and help me.”
But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are so upset over
all these details! There is really only one thing worth being con-
cerned about. Mary has discovered it—and I won’t take it away
from her” (Luke 10:38-42 NLT).
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus (John 11:5).
Six days before the Passover ceremonies began, Jesus arrived in
Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man He had raised from the
dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor [at the home of
Simon, a man who had leprosy]. Martha served, and Lazarus
sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of
expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed
Jesus’ feet with it and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house
was filled with fragrance.
But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples—the one who would betray
Him—said, “That perfume was worth a small fortune. It should
have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Not that he cared
for the poor—he was a thief who was in charge of the disciples’
funds, and he often took some for his own use.
Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did it in preparation for My
burial. You will always have the poor among you, but I will not be
here with you much longer[She has poured this perfume on Me
to prepare My body for burial. I assure you, wherever the
Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s
deed will be talked about in her memory]” (John 12:1-8 NLT,
with details from Matthew 26:6-13 NLT).
Description:Tenney examines the great arena of conflict that involves the worlds forced segregation of the "spiritual" from the "secular." Without the mediation of Christ Jesus, these two opposites continue to repel one another, whether it is in the Church, the workplace, or the home.
