Today's show is meant to challenge the way you think of ministry. I'm going to tell you about a woman

named Linda Isaiah and the message she gave that changed my life and taught me a really

important, really powerful lesson about what it means to serve someone going through pain.

Don't forget this month on the Jesus Over Everything show. We're talking about some

forgotten ways to serve God, big obedience things that are sometimes overlooked in the quest

for something more notable. I'm your host Lisa Whittle, and if you're new here, welcome. If you've

been around, you know how this goes. Jesus, honesty, and straight talk. Let's go.

Thank you. Jesus, honesty, and straight talk. Let's go. I was speaking at a conference.

One of the very first conferences, actually, that I ever spoke at in my entire life in

Ohio.

And a woman named Linda Isaiah was speaking with me.

We had never met before, but we were immediately kindred spirits.

I loved her.

She got up and preached a message on grieving.

And I was so compelled by her message.

I have never looked at what I'm calling the

ministry of presence the same again. It was just, it was such a powerful message on grieving.

She was talking about how in her community, when someone faces a loss, others will come and sit with them for seven days

and grieve with them. Now, the Hebrew word for Shiva is seven, and that's where this sort of

tradition comes from. Usually, it is a Jewish tradition to sit Shiva for seven days. And there's

some, there's some specific customs around this as well. This woman, Linda, was not Jewish,

but her community, the people she was in regular fellowship with, her faith community,

...