The Marben Bland Podcast
The Marben Bland Podcast is where faith meets real life. Hosted by Pastor Marben Bland, this show features powerful sermons, uplifting devotionals, and engaging interviews with leaders, thinkers, and changemakers. Each episode offers spiritual insight and practical wisdom to help you grow in faith, lead with purpose, and live with impact. Whether you're on your morning walk or your evening drive, tune in for thoughtful content that feeds the soul and inspires action.
Episodes
559 episodes
Rooted by a Mother’s Faith
This Mother’s Day, we celebrate the power of a mother who plants her children in the right place. In 1 Samuel 2:11 (NRSV), the Bible says, “The boy was ministering to the Lord.” That didn’t happen by accident—Hannah placed Samuel in an e...
Sermon: From The Pit to Purpose
From the pit to the palace—Joseph's story reminds us that what others mean for evil, God can turn for good! Genesis 50:20 declares that even in betrayal, abandonment, and injustice, God is working out His purpose in our lives.You may be ...
From the Pit to Purpose: Staying Rooted When Life Breaks You
“From the Pit to Purpose: Staying Rooted When Life Breaks You”I am Marben Bland, Pastor of the Greater Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Athens, Georgia, with a Living The Word Moment The recent tragedies involving...
Don't Waist The Loss
What can losing teach us about discipleship? More than we often realize. Loss has a way of revealing what success hides. It humbles us, stretches us, and pushes us closer to God. Scripture reminds us in Romans 5:3–4 that suffering produces endu...
Sermon - The Four Hallmarks Of Disciple
The question isn't whether you know Jesus—it's whether you're living like His disciple! In his sermon, " The Four Hallmarks of Discipleship”, Pastor Marben Bland unpacked the foundation of discipleship from Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus didn't just g...
From Believer to Disciple
After the resurrection, Jesus didn’t just celebrate victory—He gave an assignment. In Matthew 28:18–20, He calls us to go and make disciples. This reminds us that faith is not passive—it’s purposeful.A true disciple follows Jesu...
Devotional:What can losing teach us about discipleship?”
Loss has a way of revealing what success often hides. After a tough championship game defeat, University of South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley didn’t deny the pain—she owned it: “We’ve got to figure out how we get better.” That m...
The Promise Of Paradise
The 2nd of the 7 last words of Jesus recorded live at First AME Church, Athens, Georgia The Promise Of ParadiseYou know, as we grow older, we find ourselves thinking about death more often. And if we’re honest, it’s be...
When God Feels Silent
This is one of the most raw and real moments of the cross. Jesus expresses pain, abandonment, and deep anguish. Yet even here, He is quoting Scripture, anchoring Himself in truth.We’ve all had moments where God feels distan...
Seen, Known, and Loved
Even in agony, Jesus demonstrates love, care, and compassion. His third word from the cross wasn’t about His pain—it was about relationship. He ensured His mother was cared for, creating a new spiritual family rooted in ...
Salvation in the Final Hour
Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” — Luke 23:43In His second word from the cross, Jesus speaks hope, salvation, and eternal life to a dying criminal. No time for good works. No chance to...
Sermon -When the Lord Needs You
Listen as Pastor Marben Bland delivers a powerful Palm Sunday sermon rooted in Matthew 21:1–11 and Hebrews 12:1–2—a timely word on obedience, purpose, and faith.This message reminds us that God’s call won’t always make sense—but it is al...
Forgiveness That Breaks Chains
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” — Luke 23:24In one of the most powerful moments in Scripture, Jesus speaks His first word from the cross—not judgment, not anger, but forgiveness. While nails pierced His hand...
Jannie Fuller – A Shaper Of Faith
In seminary, I learned that spiritual formation is a lifelong process of becoming more like Christ, shaped through prayer, Scripture, community, and obedience. But long before I knew the term, I experienced its power through Jannie Fuller. Mama...
Devotional The Devil Tried It — But I’m Still Standing
I am Marben Bland, Pastor Of The Greater Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church In Athens, Georgia, with A Living The Word Moment. In Matthew 4:1–11, Jesus teaches us that being led by the Spirit does not mean avoiding st...
Keep Hope Alive - The Reverend Jessie Jackson
The Reverend Jesse Jackson, who the New York Times has called the nation’s most influential Black figure in the years between the civil rights crusades of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. and the election of Barack Obama, has died at ...
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Building Healthy Habits That Last
On this episode of It’s a Matter of Your Health, Dr. Veita Bland is joined by fitness expert Coach Hilton Ferguson of Full-Time Fitness to start 2026 on the right foot. They discuss why big goals need daily vision, how nutrition is more importa...
God Delivers in Dilemmas
In Exodus 1:15–22, the Hebrew midwives faced an impossible dilemma. Pharaoh commanded them to kill innocent children, forcing them to choose between obeying authority or remaining faithful to God. Their decision was costly, dangerous, an...
The Dilemma – I Will Trust In The Lord
This sermon explores what it means to trust God when every option comes with consequences. Drawing from the courage of the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, this message reminds us that dilemmas don’t just test our choices—they reveal w...
Let’s Do It Again—Wisely
As we step into a new year, survival is not the goal—wisdom is. In this first sermon of 2026, Pastor Marben Bland challenges us to move beyond habit, autopilot, and routine faith and instead recommit ourselves to living wisely i...
A Light for the Longest Night
Blue Christmas—also called The Longest Night—reminds us that Advent is a season of both joy and honesty. The Longest Night falls each year on the winter solstice, around December 21, when darkness lasts the longest. We are now onl...
Sermon: A Wonderful Counselor
Today’s message reminded us that when Isaiah called Jesus the Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6), he wasn’t talking about a therapist—he was describing a divine strategist, a King who guides His people through confusion...
Sermon: What Is Advent And Why Should You Care?
In this moving Advent sermon, Pastor Marben Bland reminds us that Advent is a season of holy preparation—a time when God calls us to change how we love, serve, and live. Drawing from Isaiah 9:6, he shows that Jesus is our Won...
Sermon: The Courage To Say Thank You
In The Courage to Say Thank You, Pastor Marben Bland reminds us that gratitude is more than good manners—it is a bold act of faith. Preaching from Luke 17:11–19, he shows how only one healed leper had the courage to return to Jesus and...
