Mart Green
7 min read ⭑
“I think Bible translation should be an obsession for all of us because impacting eternal lives is a whole lot more gratifying than the vapor life we now live.”
In every endeavor Mart Green pursues, he puts Jesus first — whether that’s as the founder of Mardel Christian & Education, the ministry investment officer at Hobby Lobby, a leader at Every Tribe Every Nation or a producer for films like “End of the Spear” and “Beyond the Gates of Splendor.” He also helped turn Oral Roberts University around to be the thriving institution it is today. And behind his unwavering support for Bible translation efforts is his heart is to see as many people have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and know him better through the Scriptures. Read on to find out why Mart describes his life as a bowlful of yogurt with mixed toppings. You’ll also discover his favorite story of experiencing the Holy Spirit along with the journaling habit that led to his latest book, “Learning to Be Loved.”
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?
Almost every day, I eat a large bowl full of vanilla yogurt with granola, bananas, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. Similar to the variety of fruit in my meal, my life has included a wide variety of leadership positions, from seeing Hobby Lobby birthed in our home by my parents to founding Mardel Christian & Education. Then I produced the feature film “End of the Spear,” played a leadership role in turning Oral Roberts University around and am currently helping to rally the Bible translation world to an “All Access Goal” by 2033, meaning that all 6,000 vital languages will have access to Scripture. The timeframe for this to happen was by 2150. However, through collaboration happening across the Bible translation sector, the 2033 goal is within reach. These are a few of the “flavors” that make up the “food bowl” of my life.
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QUESTION #2: REVEAL
We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activity (or activities) do you love engaging in, which also helps you find essential spiritual renewal?
I type up my journals daily, which involves my verse of the day from my Bible reading plus my song of the day. Once a month, I review my journals for typos and so on. As I do, I cut and paste my highlights and lowlights for the month. When I started this over 25 years ago, I only did this for my highlights. But as life went on, I realized that I also learned a lot from my lowlights — so I went back and captured all my lowlights and highlights! I now have 800 pages of “journal highlights” and 400 pages of “journal lowlights.” Readers will get to see some of these stories in my book, “Learning to Be Loved.”
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness. Every human too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite, and how do you hide it?
As I share in the book “Learning to Be Loved,” one of my deepest wounds is the fact that I did not understand emotional trust. I’ve always considered trust-building to be a strength of mine, but what I did not realize until a family coach helped our family was that I did not have emotional trust.
When he asked if I was good at building emotional trust, I had to ask what he meant. He asked, “Do people come to you with their feelings? When people feel hurt, it’s like they’re at the bottom of a well by themselves. They don’t want you to pull them out. Instead, they want you to get into the well, go down to the bottom with them, feel their pain and acknowledge that it’s real.”
For decades, I had been trying to give my family advice from the top of the well. When I missed the mark of building emotional trust, it left a wound in their lives and a wound in mine.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?
One of my main focuses is Bible translation. I’m a part of illumiNations’ alliance, which has a goal of making sure all 6,000 languages have at least portions of Scripture by 2033. I’m also involved with Come and See. Their goal is to have all seven seasons of the TV series “The Chosen” translated into the languages that 95% of the world speaks, which includes 600 languages. We want people to experience an authentic Jesus, and we are doing that by using printed Bibles, audio Bibles and now a visual tool — “The Chosen.” I think Bible translation should be an obsession for all of us because impacting eternal lives is a whole lot more gratifying than the vapor life we now live.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Cashiers, CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?
I like to talk about “H.S.” to the power of three: Holy Scripture, Holy Spirit and Holy Sign.
There have been a few times when all three of these have lined up in my life. Each time, it has led to an adventure that was way above my pay grade. In each case, the adventure included wounds, being uncomfortable and seeing God provide. One example of HS3 and how I saw the Holy Spirit invigorate my work was during the production of the movie “End of the Spear.” I had journaled a few years prior about wanting Steven Curtis Chapman to write music for the film. Fast forward — Steven had learned about the story from a separate source and felt a pull to write music based on the story. Steven Curtis Chapman went on to write three songs that fit perfectly with the movie.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you right now?
I’ve made two vows before the Lord. The first one was on Jan. 29, 1982, to my wife, Diana — till death do us part. The second one took place on Feb. 8, 1998. I vowed that each morning I would get up and read God’s Word first thing for the rest of my life. My life has changed in radical ways since that day.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what top three resources stand out to you? What changed the game and changed your heart? What radically altered your life? What changed your reality?
Outside of the Bible, these three books have greatly shaped my life:
The first is “Experiencing God” by Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King. It led me down the path of intimacy with God.
The second, “The Law of Rewards” by Randy Alcorn, enhanced my passion for living with extravagant generosity.
Third, “Gospel Patrons” by John Rinehart shares how behind every great movement of God stands a few generous men and women called gospel patrons.
We all have things we cling to to survive (or even thrive) in tough times — times like these! Name one resource you’re savoring and/or finding indispensable in this current season, and tell us what it’s doing for you.
I have a document called “Gateways of Intimacy,” which includes 31 different gateways or “thin places.” I talk about these types of places with my co-author in our book, “Learning to Be Loved.” A few gateways include absorbing the Bible, generosity, nature and wounds.
I created a playlist of songs on my phone that, for me, sync with each gateway. For example, the 16th gateway is wounds, so on the 16th day of the month, I listen to the song “Wounds” by Jordan Feliz. I do this every day on my drive to work. As I listen to the song, I pray through the gateway and remember how the Lord drew near to me during that particular gateway for that day, which deepens my intimacy with God.
QUESTION #8: dream
God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
We shape culture by the stories we tell. My adventures continue to include visual storytelling. It started with the feature film “End of the Spear,” which I produced. My film company also did a campaign documentary of the same story called “Beyond the Gates of Splendor.” Both films came out in the early 2000s.
In 2012, my family got involved with the Lumo project, which is a visual Bible for Matthew, Mark, Luke and John that has been translated into more than 1,500 languages. In the past few years, I became involved with Come and See, which, as I previously mentioned, plans to translate “The Chosen” TV series into 600 languages. I’ve also gotten involved with Come Near, a nonprofit that’s committed to sharing the life and love of Jesus in thought-provoking new ways.
Recently, I’ve had the privilege to share some of my personal stories while teaming up with my friend David Bowden to write the book “Learning to be Loved.” In the book, we talk about one of my passions — to see everyday believers discover a rich, personal relationship with God. Other stories are starting to appear on the horizon, so stay tuned to find out what actually makes it to the surface!
A few hundred years ago, only a very select few had access to the Scriptures. The rest had to rely on priests’ teachings — or had never heard the Word of God. Ever.
Much has changed since then. Nowadays, Wycliffe Global Alliance estimates that 6 billion people have access to the full Bible and 7.3 billion can access at least some Scripture.
But that’s still not enough, not when there are an additional 820 million people who don’t have the Bible in their heart language at all.
Knowing this forces us to ask two questions: 1) How do these facts affect your appreciation for the Bible in your daily life? 2) How can you support Bible translation efforts in your area and around the world?
Mart Green is the founder of Mardel Christian & Education. He is the ministry investment officer for Hobby Lobby, a family business founded by his parents, David and Barbara Green, and he serves on the company’s board. In January 2005, Christian Retailing named Mart one of the top 50 people who have most shaped and impacted Christian retail in the last half-century. Mart has been married to his wife, Diana, for over 40 years. They have four adult children, three children-in-law and 13 grandchildren.
