It was a gathering! Jesus and his disciples had arrived at the home of his friend, Martha, and she was getting things ready for her guests. What hostess wouldn’t want to have things in order? Instead of experiencing the joy of having friends in her home, Martha was “distracted” by everything going on around her (Luke 10:40). Literally, the word for distracted means “pulled apart.” At the same time Martha’s sister, Mary, had a different response. Jesus said of the moment, “few things are needed… indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Martha was pulled apart by the many things, but Mary chose the one thing - the better way.

Leighton Ford says that distraction can “split us down the middle” and even “divide us against ourselves!” Distraction pulls us away from ourselves, our friends, our families and away from God. The distracted life is marked by anxiety, hurry and frantic activity. In this series we want to explore the temptation of distraction, and affirm God’s desire for a better way. We will offer tools to help us navigate the many things going on around us and to choose a life marked by focus, peace and intentionality.