Have More Fun With Mandy Arioto

In today's Episode: The Christmas Story Welcome to the final day of the Have More Fun Advent series. I hope the past few weeks have been as meaningful for you as it has for me, as we’ve explored how Jesus shows up in all sorts of unexpected ways. For our last day together, I thought we’d read the most important words I can think to share, from Luke 1:26-38, Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:8-21, the story of Jesus coming to earth straight from the source... Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs    

In today's Episode: A Bush in the Desert There's a plant mentioned in the Bible that is worth looking a little closer at. Here is what it says in Jeremiah 17:  This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD. That person will be like a bush in the desert; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives - Jeremiah 17:5-6 Today, we are going to talk about a plant in the desert that most modern English translations simply call a bush, but in Hebrew, it is understood to be a specific plant called an arara bush and is found in the Negev Desert of Israel. The area is barren, dry, and lifeless, but occasionally, travelers will come upon what looks to be a lush green plant that grows fruit the size of a softball. It's an arara bush. And if you happen to see it in the wilderness, you'll see that its fruit looks ripe and full of juice and like a

In today's Episode: Three Gifts Do you ever struggle with the idea of giving gifts at Christmas? Maybe it feels too consumeristic, or like you are missing the real reason for the season? If so, then let’s look at two instances of gift-giving in the Bible.   The most famous account we all know about is the presents the Magi brought to Jesus. They brought frankincense, myrrh, and gold (Matthew 2:11), which each held symbolic meaning. Frankincense was used as incense for worship in the Temple; it symbolized that Jesus is the new High Priest. Myrrh, was a fragrant oil, used to anoint dead bodies and symbolized what Jesus came here to do. And gold represents his kingship and was an extremely valuable asset. The Magi were acknowledging that God had arrived and was present with us.  Not only that, but an interesting side note is that soon after the magi visit Mary and Joseph, Joseph is warned in a dream to flee to Egypt because Herod is going to try to kill Jesus. How fortunate they have the money to relocate in th

In today's Episode: Say Yes to Great Joy       Today, we are going to talk about two central themes of the Christmas story that we don't talk about very often and then explore a challenge that might impact how we enjoy the next few days of celebration.    One undeniable thing is that even before His birth, Jesus brought earth-shaking changes to everyone included in His story.   Ten months before his birth, an angel appears to his mom, Mary, and says, "Greetings, highly favored one! The Lord is with you." The angel proposes a holy scheme to her, and she agrees to a plan that will cost her everything. With her yes, Mary loses her reputation, and her pregnancy wounds the people she loves most. Her whole life goes up in smoke, and she is the one who lit the match. It often takes courage to say yes to God.  But it isn't just Mary. There are a lot of people in the Christmas story that were asked to say yes to something that took courage...  Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jo

In today's Episode: You are Chosen In 1st century Israel there was a lengthy and very specific process kids would go through to determine their eligibility to study Scripture and be a disciple. It started with Torah school, known as Bet Sefer where boys between 6 and 10 years old started their education. On the first day of class, a rabbi would take honey and put it on the student's fingers where they were encouraged to lick it off as their teacher reminded them to 'taste and see that the Lord is good' and that the words of God are sweet like honey and the most pleasurable thing they could comprehend (Psalm 119:103). Then, for the next few years, the students, under the guidance of a Rabbi, learned to read, write, and memorize the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Remarkably, by age 10, they would have memorized 187 chapters and over 5800 scripture verses. At the end of Bet Shefer, if the kids weren't among the "best of the best” students, they would be sent

In today's episode... The Great Reversal What was it like for God to have His relationship with us cut off?  We focus a lot on what sin meant for us, but what about God? He created us and wanted – probably even more than we do – to be in a relationship. But things got messed up in the Garden, and while God tried to maintain connection after Eden, it was never quite the same. Years later, in the wilderness of Sinai, God decided to take a new approach. He commanded Moses to construct a place where God would dwell on Earth. It was to be patterned exactly after Heaven (Hebrews 8:5), and God promised that He would be tangibly present there– it was called the Ark of the Covenant and was God’s attempt at bringing a bit of intimacy back to the relationship. However, it still wasn’t the same as Eden. God was present in the Arc, but humanity was only allowed to enter the Tabernacle once per year and come before God’s presence. It was better than nothing, but not even close to the original access we had with God. Read t

In today's episode... The Scapegoat There is one reference that I know of in the Bible to underwear, and today we are going to talk about it. It's in the book of Leviticus chapter 16 and it’s in reference to what the High Priest should wear into the Holy of Holies.  It says, "This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body, tie the linen sash around him, and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments, so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on." What happens in the Most Holy Place is so important that God outlines exactly what should be worn, right down to the underwear... Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs  

In today's episode... What do you want? Today we’ll talk about one simple concept and then wrap up with an opportunity to contemplate and pray about an important question from Jesus that might make us a little uncomfortable. The question is, ‘What do you want?’ Wanting is a tricky thing isn’t it? Sometimes we’re afraid of wanting the wrong thing. Or we’ve become convinced that wanting is bad or selfish. But what if instead of ignoring our needs or desires, Jesus offers us a better way- inviting us to know and understand them? Because seven times in the Bible Jesus asks, “What do you want?”... Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs  

In today's episode... Nothing New Under the Sun There is a verse in Ecclesiastes 1:9 that says: "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." In some ways, there is comfort in knowing that when the world feels crazy, we can be assured that what we are navigating has been experienced before. A great example of this is to look at first-century Israel. It was extremely volatile politically, culturally, and religiously. Even if we just look at the Jewish sects, the only thing the various religious groups like the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots had in common was their love for the Torah and their hatred of the Romans. Let’s look at each of these groups because it might provide some perspective for how we navigate our own differences. Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs  

In today's episode... The Other Side Jesus, in two accounts, miraculously feeds large crowds of people. The first time happens in the “land of the twelve.” It was where devout Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel lived and worshiped God. At the end of this account of feeding thousands, we read that there were twelve baskets full of leftovers, representing that there is enough food to feed all God’s people (Matthew 14:13-21).  The second time Jesus fed a large crowd occurred in the Decapolis area east of Galilee, called the “land of the seven.” It was called this because there were seven pagan nations driven from Israel by Joshua, who lived there. At the end of this miracle, we read there were seven baskets full of leftovers this time, representing that there is enough food to feed the pagans too (Matthew 15:29-39) All of this matters because, In Matthew 14:22, Luke 8, and Mark 5, Jesus takes His disciples to the “other side.” This concept of the “other side” is important because it means the “land of the seven”.

In today's episode... Split in Two As a kid did you ever talk about becoming blood brothers with a friend? Well, the concept comes from an ancient practice where people would "cut a covenant," meaning two people would cut their arms and suck a bit of one another's blood. The mingling of blood was considered a sacred bond and a solemn promise. This is where this whole concept becomes fascinating.  In the ancient Middle East and even in some modern societies, when a covenant, like a marriage, is made, the heads of the household make a solemn pact that the wife will be faithful to her husband and that the husband will not abuse his wife. The two men agreeing will take an animal, cut it in two, then each person walks between the two pieces as a sort of self-curse; by passing through the severed bodies of the animals, each person is in effect saying, "May the same thing happen to me if I do not keep my word." It's like a life-and-death version of Blood Brothers, and in the ancient Middle East, it was the most bind

In today's episode... What has Gotten Into You Today we are going to start by reading a story found in Mark 14: "While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume?  It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Mark 14:1-9 There are four similar accounts to this story

In this episode... Say to this Mountain In the Christmas story, Herod the Great is best known for his attempt to assassinate the newborn Messiah. After a visit from the Magi, Herod orders all the infant boys under two to be massacred. It’s gruesome, and a result of his extreme paranoia. But one thing we don’t often discuss regarding Herod was that he was also an obsessive builder. During his reign, he was responsible for constructing an impressive artificial harbor at Caesarea Maritima and oversaw the building of Temple Mount as well as Masada. But the building feat I find most interesting is a fortress he constructed in the middle of the desert.  Around 37 BC, Herod started constructing a fortress-palace that could be seen from Jerusalem to remind everyone of his influence and power. The only problem was, in the spot where he wanted to build the fortress, there weren’t any mountains high enough. So, using forced labor, he essentially moved a mountain to the spot he wanted to build on...  Read the full blog a

In today's episode we talk about "Do You See Anything" Today, we are discussing how Jesus uses spit to heal a man's eyes. Here is how it goes down in Mark 8: When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then He spit on the man's eyes and placed His hands on him. Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?"  The man looked up and said, "I can see the people, but they look like trees walking around." Once again, Jesus placed His hands on the man's eyes, and when he opened them, his sight was restored, and he could see everything clearly. Jesus sent him home and said, "Do not go back into the village." Mark 8:22-26 Now, this seems odd in our culture, but to better understand on a deeper level what's going on, we need to look at a writing by a Roman writer named Pliny the Elder who, around 77AD, wrote a book called 'The Natural History.'... Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive

In today's epidode, we're talk about "You Already Know" Today is a little different. We’ll share one quick observation and then offer a practice to expand our Advent experience.  Did you know that the disciples only asked Jesus to teach them one thing?  They didn’t ask Him how to heal people. Or, to teach them to do something cool like turn water into wine or walk on water.  The one thing they asked Jesus to teach them was how to pray. (Luke 11:1-4)   Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs  

In today's episode we talk about "Cover Your Head" One of the goals of this Advent series is to understand the social and cultural issues happening at the time of Jesus, so today we are going to look at a spicy issue of women showing their hair in church, and it comes out of Paul's letter to the people in Corinth. Daily Reading: 1 Corinthians 11 Source: Greece, A Biblical Tour of Historical Sites by Costas Tsevas (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) Read the full blog at: www.mandyarioto.co Song: Would You Forgive, by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs

In this episode, we dive into the unexpected ways God has revealed Himself throughout history, focusing on the Oracle of Delphi and the sybils depicted by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. We explore the intriguing story of the Oracle of Delphi, a priestess who prophesied under the influence of mysterious vapors, and her surprising connection to the prophecy of Christ's coming. Early Christian apologists, including St. Augustine, used these prophecies to demonstrate that even in pagan texts, there were echoes of the coming Messiah.  This episode challenges us to recognize that God can make Himself known in the most unexpected ways and places.  As we enter this holiday season, let’s be open to finding divine messages in the most unexpected sources, embracing the shockingly good news of Jesus.  Daily Reading: Luke 5:27-32; Luke 19:28-48. Song: Would You Forgive by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs

In this episode, we dig into the intriguing connection between Jesus, Nazareth, and a prophecy from Isaiah, shedding light on a perplexing passage in Matthew's account of Jesus' life. We explore the historical background of Nazareth, a seemingly insignificant village that emerged just a century before Jesus' birth, yet played a crucial role in fulfilling ancient prophecies.  Jesus, growing up in Nazareth, embodies this 'nezer', the new branch sprouting from the lineage of King David, bringing new life and hope. As we explore this fascinating link, we are reminded of the astonishing depth and interconnectedness of the biblical narrative. This Christmas, let this story inspire you to see beyond appearances, recognizing that even in situations that seem hopeless, there is potential for new life and fulfillment of God's promises. Daily Reading: Isaiah 11. Song: Would You Forgive by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs

In this inspiring episode, we delve into the powerful story of the bleeding woman from Mark 5 and its deep connections to ancient Jewish customs and prophecy.  The episode focuses on the daring act of the bleeding woman who, defying societal norms and legal restrictions, reaches out to touch the corner of Jesus' shawl. This moment of faith and desperation leads to her miraculous healing. We reflect on how Jesus not only heals her physically but also affirms her faith and claims her as His own, calling her 'daughter' – the only person in the New Testament to receive this direct address from Him. This story challenges us to consider the times when our faith might call us to act audaciously, breaking the mold of propriety in pursuit of something greater. Jesus' final words to the woman, 'Go in peace,' offer a deeper understanding of Shalom, a concept of wholeness and completeness, encouraging us to be bearers of peace and healing in the world. This episode invites us to embrace our vulnerabilities and find stren

Join us on a journey to ancient Athens, as we explore the intriguing story of the Apostle Paul on Mars Hill from Acts 17. In this episode, we uncover how Paul masterfully engaged with the diverse beliefs of Athens' philosophers at a time when the city was a melting pot of ideas and religions. This Christmas, let's take inspiration from Paul's approach. We'll discuss how to embrace meaningful conversations with friends, family, and acquaintances who hold different beliefs, and how to navigate these discussions with grace, intelligence, and respect. This episode is a reminder that, as people of faith, we can engage with the world around us in ways that are both respectful and enlightening, while remaining true to our beliefs. Let's be encouraged to enjoy the company of those who see the world differently and share our faith in a way that resonates with them. Daily Reading: Acts 17. Song: Would You Forgive by Jorm @iamjorm Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs