Hello and welcome to the John Mark Homer Teachings podcast.

My name is Yinka Dawson and I'm your host.

Each week we feature teachings by John Mark or other teachers who are exploring the ideas of spiritual formation.

Today, we're continuing our series on Becoming People of Love with a teaching from Bethany Allen.

Bethany is an elder and associate pastor at Bridgetown Church,

and in this teaching, she talks about Jesus' invitation for his followers to become family,

highlighting the main challenges that we face in living out this invitation. Here's the teaching.

Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived.

Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him.

A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him,

your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.

Who are my mother and my brothers? he asked.

Then he looked and those seated in a circle around him and said,

Here are my mother and my brothers.

Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks to God.

I remember the first time I realized that my parents were people.

As in, they were, shockinglyingly individuals who had their own feelings and

emotions and relational complexities. I was probably in the sixth grade when it happened, and while I

don't remember the specifics, I do remember being both genuinely shocked and confused when I realized

it was not the center of their whole world.

...