Hey y’all, and welcome back to Monday Manna.
Today’s issue has a confession we did not see coming when we sat down to work on this morning’s launch, a Scripture from a 1967 booklet that named the pull on our family, two new pieces we shipped last week, three NLF tips Mama Z has been begging us to tell you about, and a Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday Workshop next week that we have been building toward all year.
Grab your matcha latte. We have a lot of ground to cover. :)
Your 52-Week Transformation Journey
You know something needs to change. The hard part is knowing where to start. Bible Health helps with Scripture-first teaching that replaces health confusion with Spirit-led clarity. Paid subscribers get the path: each week one Romans 12 teaching to renew your mind + one practical DIY non-toxic swap = a completely different you and healthier home in one year.
Learn more about Your 52-Week Transformation Journey here, or get started today by tapping the button below…
WHERE WE ARE / WHERE WE’RE GOING
Quick orientation before we get into today’s manna, because nobody walking with us should ever feel left behind.
Where we are: We just kicked off a 6-week walk through Mama Z’s Non-Toxic Kitchen Guide, the resource more than 50,000 Christian families have used and lifeline for two decades. Each week, paid subscribers get one section of the guide as that week’s Bible Health Swap, and we walk through it together so the guide actually gets used.
The 6-week map: #004 Pantry Makeover (live), #005 Refrigerator Makeover, #006 Indispensable Tips, #007 The No-No Allergy List, #008 Clean Fifteen and the Dirty Dozen, #009 Where to Shop.
Where we’re going: When the Kitchen Guide walk ends, we move into a section-by-section walk through your Bible Health Quick Start Guide (with the Indispensable Essential Oils Starter Guide queued behind that). The full Kitchen Guide is already in your Vault, so you can read ahead any time. We just walk it together one swap at a time.
Joining us partway through? You are not behind. The Bible Health Vault holds everything; the weekly swap is just the section we are paying attention to together this week.
On the mess we had to walk past, the launch ahead, and the 1967 booklet that finally named the pull
Dr. Z’s work buddy was a little more focused on playing on my computer than actually getting stuff done. Oh, such is the life of a work-from-home dad of 7…
We sat down to work on our new launch this morning, and couldn’t not focus to save my lives.
Because everything else was screaming.
The launch matters. It is the kind we cannot miss because it pays bills and feeds children and keeps a ministry running. It needs our full attention, our best energy, our clearest thinking. And we could not give it any of that, because there were systems in our business broken right now, corners of our finances not where we want them, urgent care visits to be made for broken bones, attacks on more than one front that we are not going to spell out because every Christian family running anything for the Kingdom knows what those attacks look like. Things falling apart, doors slamming, fires we did not start.
And here is the confession: Dr. Z is wired in a particular way, and Mama Z has named it for years. He cannot walk past a broken thing. He sees it and something in him has to fix it. Maybe it is obsession. Maybe it is OCD. Maybe it is a holy thing called a “spirit of excellence.” Maybe it is all three wearing the same coat. Whatever it is, when the world is on fire that wiring becomes a problem instead of a gift; even with we have a launch next week and no one knows about it yet because he hasn’t sent out the invite to our subscribers! :0
Can you relate?
This is the part where someone needs to name what is actually happening, because once a thing has a name you can fight it instead of swimming in it.
In 1967, a Christian leader named Charles Hummel wrote a 30-page booklet through InterVarsity Press called Tyranny of the Urgent. Over a million copies have been sold. The thesis is one sentence long. The urgent is the enemy of the important. The phone ringing, the email blinking, the broken thing across the room, the conversation that “needs to happen right now.” These will hijack the hours you set aside for the thing that actually matters, every single time.
That is what has been happening to us. The tax issue was urgent. The fix-it list was urgent. The fire on the third front was urgent. The launch was important.
Hummel writes that Jesus modeled something different: unrushed, focused, surrendered to the Father’s actual agenda for that day. Which sends us straight to the kitchen at Bethany.
“But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’” — Luke 10:41-42
Martha was not doing anything wrong. Hospitality is good, service is good, and the dishes really did matter. But Jesus had walked into her house, and the one thing that was needed in that exact hour was sitting down with Him. Mary saw it. Martha did not. The good portion was right in front of her, and the urgent kept her from it.
Friend, this is how the devil distracts you from your calling. He does not always send sin. Sometimes he sends a perfectly legitimate broken thing across the room, and he counts on the fact that you cannot stand to look at it. He counts on your spirit of excellence becoming a leash. He counts on the urgent burying the important.
So here is what Bible Health looks like in a season like this one.
The Bible Health Blueprint is the long roadmap. Seven R’s, walked in order, lived over years. It was built for the long haul. And there are seasons when the most spiritual thing you can do is Rest (the fifth R) and trust that the other six will still be there next month. Resting is not laziness. It is the obedience of saying, “Lord, I am laying down what I cannot fix today so I can do the one thing You actually put in front of me.”
And that one thing for most of us, the low-hanging fruit, is the Three Non-Negotiables. Cut the white sugar, the inflammatory foods, and the artificial fragrances. If you did one of those today, even one, even imperfectly, you did the work. If your pantry is still full of food you wish was gone, that is fine. If your countertops are not where you want them yet, that is fine. If all you did today was empty an aerosol can into the trash and put a few drops of essential oil in your diffuser, celebrate that. That is the good portion for today.
The mess is still going to be there tomorrow. So is Jesus. He does not need you to fix everything before you sit at His feet. He just needs the one thing.
We are preaching to ourselves this morning, and we suspect we are not the only ones who needed to hear it.
Before we get into everything we published this week, here is what is on our hearts for tomorrow...
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TUESDAY, 2PM ET: THE 3-DAY BIBLE HEALTH FOUNDATIONS WORKSHOP STARTS
What do you do when your five-year-old wakes up early and wants to sit on your lap and see what you’re doing on your computer for work? Another happy distraction. :)
Here is what is on our hearts to teach this week.
For the first time on Substack, we are doing a 3-Day Live Workshop, and it is FREE for everyone on the list.
Bible Health Foundations: 3 Days of Straight Talk on Why Christians Are Getting Sicker, and the Bible’s Answer to Walking It Back.
Day 1 — Tuesday May 12 at 2 PM EST: Why Christian Families Are Sicker Than They Should Be. The 5 lies most Christian families have inherited about their bodies, including the everything-in-moderation lie, the it-is-just-aging lie, and the two most Christian families have never even heard named out loud. This is the day we name what the Church has been silent on for a generation. The bucket analogy that explains why some families break down at 35 and others at 75. The 80,000-plus chemicals in our environment, the 126 chemical ingredients on the average woman’s skin every morning, indoor air 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air. By the end of the hour you will know exactly why. —> RSVP here.
Day 2 —Wednesday May 13 at 2 PM EST: The 7-Step Path God Gave Us to Heal. The same seven words that have walked our family through 23 years of crises, including the one we are sitting in right now. Repent, Renew, Remove, Replenish, Rest, Restore, Revive. The path that does not change because the God who breathed it does not change. If you read our paid article that dropped Friday, this is the live walkthrough of every R, with the Scripture, the science, and the practical move you can make tomorrow morning. —> RSVP here.
Day 3, —Thursday May 14 at 2 PM EST: The 4 Toxins in Every Christian Home (And the 41-Day Detox). The 4 environments where the bucket fills up walked one at a time: kitchen, body care, home, daily routines. Mama Z’s DIY deodorant recipe, the fragrance audit, the cooking oil swap, and the phone-out-of-the-bedroom habit, with the low-hanging fruit principle for which swap to pick first. The door opens for the 41-Day Bible Health Journey right after this session ends. —> RSVP here.
Each session is 60 minutes. 30 minutes of teaching, 20 minutes of Q&A and prayer, and 10 minutes where we will share what we have been quietly building inside the Inner Circle for our Founding Members. If that part is not for you, sign off at minute 40 and you will still have gotten a full hour of free teaching. No pressure, no manipulation, no apologies for the offer.
Block your calendar for all three days. Bring your matcha. Bring your questions. Drop them in the chat live and we will get to as many as we can.
When: Next week Tuesday-Thursday at 2pm EST
Where: Right here on Substack
Cost: Free for every subscriber on the list.
RSVP HERE:
Why Christian Families Are Sicker Than They Should Be — Tue May 12 (2 PM EST)
The 7-Step Path God Gave Us to Heal — Wed May 13 (2 PM EST)
The 4 Toxins in Every Christian Home (And the 41-Day Detox) — Thu May 14 (2 PM EST)
Hope to see you there!
Non-Toxic Essentials for a Healthier You
Pro Tip: Start with the everyday products your family actually uses, then make cleaner swaps from our non-toxic essentials list on Amazon. Shop here.
On the mess we had to walk past, the launch ahead,
YOUR DAILY MANNA
We landed on Bethany in Section 1 and walked away before we let the verse do its work. Here it is again, this time as the manna for the week.
“But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’” — Luke 10:41-42
Read the words slowly. Anxious and troubled about many things. Many things. Not one big thing. Many. The piling on of legitimate, important, real, on-fire things that all have a claim on your attention, all at once, every day. Jesus saw Martha drowning in the many. He did not scold her for caring about the dishes. He told her there is one thing that matters more than all of it, and Mary was already sitting in it.
The good portion is not productivity. It is presence. It is the choice to sit at His feet when the urgent says you cannot afford to. It is the choice to feed your soul before your day eats you alive. It is the choice to pick the one thing God has actually put in front of you today and let the other ninety-nine wait.
Here is your application for the week. Pick the one thing. The one R, the one swap, the one decision, the one verse, the one minute of silence before the day starts pulling at you. Then sit in it. Mary did not multitask. She chose the good portion, and the text says it would not be taken away from her.
That is the manna for this Monday. The good portion is not the long list. It is the one seat at His feet, taken on purpose, today.
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Here is everything we shipped on Bible Health since Monday Manna #2, plus three of our favorite tips from Natural Living Family.
1. The Three Non-Negotiables Live Replay — The full teaching from our April 21 Live is now in the archive forever. Three lines we draw in the sand for our family of nine: cut white sugar, cut inflammatory foods, cut artificial fragrances. If you missed it live, paid subscribers can pull this up any time.
2. The Three Non-Negotiables If You Want To Feel Better TODAY — The deep dive companion piece to our live video. We walked through the Scripture, the research, and exactly how to start with zero budget and zero planning. Includes Swap #003 for our paid subscribers on our journey to a healthier home & body in 52 one year.
3. “Everything in Moderation” Is Not in the Bible (Here’s What Is) — This one stirred up the comments. Most Christians have been quoting Greek philosophy and calling it Scripture. The verse Paul actually wrote is not what you think it is, and once you see it you cannot unsee it. We named the lie that has kept Christian families sick for a generation, and we named what the Bible actually says about the body, the table, and the line between wisdom and excuse-making.
4. Christians Are Drowning in Health Trends (The Seven R’s) — This is the cornerstone Bible Health deep dive we have been building toward all year. The compass we built for our family 23 years ago, written down for yours. Repent, Renew, Remove, Replenish, Rest, Restore, Revive. Every R has the Scripture, the research, the practical move, and the trap most Christians fall into. Paid subscribers also unlocked Swap #004 Pantry Makeover, the first stop in our new 6-week walk through Mama Z’s Non-Toxic Kitchen Guide is in your Vault now, and Swaps #005 through #009 walk the rest of the charts one week at a time. If you only read one piece this month, read this one.
WHAT WE ARE LOVING THIS WEEK THIS WEEK
Our friend Brian Vaisley over at Purity Woods runs a USDA Certified Organic skincare line up in the woods of Canada. His Age-Defying Dream Cream is the one Mama Z keeps on her vanity, and it’s on sale 38% off.
Here is why we keep coming back to this one.
Walk down the anti-aging aisle at any drugstore and read the back of any cream, the cheap one or the hundred-dollar one, it does not matter. You will see parabens, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, synthetic fragrance, and a parade of words you cannot pronounce. Your skin is the largest organ on your body, and what touches it goes in. Conventional anti-aging creams are not just “not natural,” they are obesogens and endocrine disruptors layered into a jar with a $90 price tag and a smiling celebrity face on the label.
Dream Cream is the opposite story.
It is USDA Certified Organic, which is not a marketing claim but a federal certification. It is free of parabens, free of sodium benzoate, free of potassium sorbate, free of palm oil, free of synthetic fragrance, free of GMOs, and never tested on animals.
What it does have is over 25 plant-based ingredients including Canadian maple leaf extract (the one researchers are calling a plant-based collagen booster), organic mango seed butter, organic camu camu fruit extract, and the vitamin C complex your skin actually drinks up. Real food for the largest organ on your body.
--> Try your 100% Anti-Aging Dream Cream 38% off today!
Brian is a good friend, and this is his deepest discount of the year. Black Friday early-bird kind of pricing. If you have been thinking about it, this is the week.
Doctor tested, Mama approved. :)
JOIN THE FAMILY
Paid subscribers get the whole thing. Deep-dive research articles every week with practical Bible Health Swaps with printable PDFs (52 ideas of changes you can make to transform your home and health one step at a time), live video teachings and replays, monthly Q&As, devotionals for spirit, soul, and body, and the entire Bible Health Vault organized so you can find what you need in seconds.
And here is what almost nobody talks about. Three surprise bonuses sit inside the Vault for every paying member, and they are some of the most-loved resources we have built across 23 years.
Mama Z’s Non-Toxic Kitchen Guide - Your easy-to-follow swap guide for a simple non-toxic pantry and refrigerator makeover. Includes the Pantry Makeover chart, the Refrigerator Makeover chart, the No-No Allergy List, the Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen, and the exact stores Mama Z trusts. This is the Day 1 companion to walking the Bible Health Blueprint, and it is the one resource brand-new paid members tell us they wish they had found years ago.
Dr. Z’s Healing Oils of the Bible & Remedy Guide - Aromatic plants have been used for thousands of years for healing and sacred spiritual rituals. This full-length eBook unpacks what the Bible actually says about essential oils and how you can use them today. Twelve Biblical oils, a full remedy library, and the same teaching Dr. Z delivers when he speaks at conferences on essential oils and Christian living.
Scripture Printables - Because the battle for your health is spiritual before it is physical. Five printable PDFs of Scripture for your fridge, your mirror, your kitchen wall, and your prayer journal: 30 Bible Verses About Faith, 30 Bible Verses About Hope, 48 Bible Verses About Prayer, 34 Bible Verses About Stewardship, and 42 Bible Verses About Healing. Print them, put them where your kids will see them, and let God’s Word do its work.
Plus the four-eBook Bible Health Starter Guide bundle (the Blueprint, the Quick Start, the Indispensable Essential Oils Starter Guide, and Mama Z’s Weekly Meal Plan Week #1), every weekly swap, every live replay, every Monday Manna, and every guide we put behind the paywall.
Currently 35+ resources valued at over $499 and growing every single week.
As always, our hope and prayer is that you experience the abundant life.
~ Dr. Z & Mama Z
P.S. A HUGE thank you to our Charter Founding Members. <3 You got behind us when this thing was a few weeks old and nobody was sure what it would become. Every free gift, every late-night edit, every piece of content we publish is built on the foundation you laid. We will never forget it.
If Bible Health is speaking to you, we would love to have you go deeper with us. Your subscription directly fuels this ministry and helps us keep creating.
More patience with your kids. Actually being present at dinner instead of crashing on the couch. A mind quiet enough to pray and the conviction to walk out the calling God put on your life. These are the “side effects” of Bible health. :)
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Ugh...the Lord got me on this one. Bro you are making too much sense. I've been super distracted again, and honestly, it's been bugging me as I don't get the the necessary things done that need prioritising. Is it just me, or do others struggle with doing one thing well but not doing well on another that is also genuinely a priority?
The Father very firmly rebuked me a while back through a sister for being distracted, and it stung even though His heart of love powerfully came through. He said He missed me as I was so distracted that He wasn't getting my undivided attention. It cut me deep. I feel like Paul; the things I want to do I don't do and the things I don't want to do, I do.
The Father talked to me about being about the family business, His family business. He wanted me to check in with him at the start of each week and each day to ask what his priorities are. There are so many things that seem good to us, but what is the one thing He asking of each of us? So I ask Him, 'what is your good pleasure today?' When we follow through with it, we're doing His will, even if it's stopping, leaning into Him and sitting in the silence just enjoying each other.
I heard someone say recently that we can be doing so many things for him, but they are not things he's actually asked us to do. We think we are doing his will, but He never actually asked us to do any of them.
I know intimacy always needs to come first, but it's such a fight as the enemy doesn't want it and we are so conditioned to be human doings rather than human beings.
Praying for us all that we would choose His best for us.