Isaiah 6:3-5 [The winged seraphim] were calling to one another: âHoly, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.â At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. âWoe to me!â I cried. âI am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.â + Will it ruin you to experience the living God? Feel the heat of transformation. Thanks for...
Jun 30, 2025âą1 min
The spiritual life of home and place shifts with the seasons for me. As my Thank-You gift to all of you who have come alongside me during June on Flashđ„Devos, I offer my article about the world I encounter on my lawnmower, an unlikely but perfect place to connect with creation. May the ways you tend to the world bring you surprise and insight, too. Around the Yard in 100 Days by Marianne Abel-Lipschutz Spring mowing in Iowa releases the sweet pineapple aroma of chamomile. I discovered this stub...
Jun 29, 2025âą23 min
Psalm 77:2-6 When friends said, âEverything will turn out all right,â I didnât believe a word they said. I remember Godâand shake my head. I bow my headâthen wring my hands. Iâm awake all nightânot a wink of sleep; I canât even say whatâs bothering me. I go over the days one by one, I ponder the years gone by. I strum my lute all through the night, wondering how to get my life together. + Seeking relief leads our souls to the Beloved. Treasure the hope you embody as cherished by God. A version o...
Jun 27, 2025âą1 min
Ephesians 2:17-20, 22 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with Godâs people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. + Let the prophecies of generations find fulfillment in you. Peace rules. A version of tod...
Jun 24, 2025âą1 min
Psalm 22:25-26 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise himâ may your hearts live forever! + Calling in our community with fear and praise sounds confusing. But when we witness the miraculous intervention of God in our families, cities, and towns, hope thrives. Be a prophetic voice for good in our world. Thanks for reading!đ„Itâs good to be with you. Get f...
Jun 21, 2025âą1 min
Luke 1:46-51 God took one good look at me, and look what happenedâ Iâm the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others. His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him. He bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts. + With some people thereâs no doubt whoâs responsible for their quality of life. Is your character marked by divinity? *Maria Wickwire re...
Jun 18, 2025âą1 min
Romans 5:1-2 We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might standâout in the wide open spaces of Godâs grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. + June is spectacular in the Upper Midwest where vast fertile landscapes invite us to relax and breathe freely. What can you offer God in gratitude for the divine gifts your neighborhood enjoys? Live the glory you are. ...
Jun 15, 2025âą1 min
Ephesians 1:17-19 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know God better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which youâve been called, the riches of this glorious inheritance in Godâs holy people, and this incomparably great power for us who believe. + Humility, awe, and peacefulness embody inheritance, glory, and power. May your heart acc...
Jun 12, 2025âą1 min
Psalm 133 How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! Itâs like costly anointing oil flowing down head and beard, Flowing down Aaronâs beard, flowing down the collar of his priestly robes. Itâs like the dew on Mount Hermon flowing down the slopes of Zion. Yes, thatâs where God commands the blessing, ordains eternal life. + Harmony between people invites Godâs blessing. How can we âordain eternal lifeâ within our circles and communities of influence? Choose a joyful way to ...
Jun 09, 2025âą1 min
John 1:16-18 We all live off his generous abundance, gift after gift after gift. We got the basics from Moses, and then this exuberant giving and receiving, This endless knowing and understandingâ all this came through Jesus, the Messiah. No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain as day. + Can you connect with Jesus in one of these forms? Light. Joy. Bread. Prophet. Friend. Vine. Reach for...
Jun 06, 2025âą1 min
1 Samuel 2:8-9 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked will perish in darkness, for not by might does one prevail. + The poor, the needy, faithful ones, the wicked: all receive their due. Let Godâs synergy animate your community. *Olly Costello writes, âI find directi...
Jun 03, 2025âą1 min
Psalm 30:5, 11-12 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever. + It is difficult to live in the image of God whose âanger lasts only a moment,â and whose âfavor lasts a lifetime.â Yet Godâs love invigorates us with an eternal power we can tap for change in ourselves and our communities. Receive the great mercy that makes our lives whole. Kindred spirit and dear ...
May 31, 2025âą1 min
Isaiah 46:4 Iâve been carrying you on my back from the day you were born, And Iâll keep on carrying you when youâre old. Iâll be there, bearing you when youâre old and gray. Iâve done it and will keep on doing it, carrying you on my back, saving you. + Nature reveals the imperishable Power Greater than All Others. Whether it is human nature, the physical world around us, or an intuitive knowing, each person arrives at the threshold of the Divine in our own time. Whatâs next on your spiritual jou...
May 28, 2025âą1 min
Hereâs an essay about learning to heal loneliness, offered to you as a Thank-You gift for reading, listening, and praying along with me during May. I feel so encouraged by your presence. May reflecting on respectful relationships bring insight and hope into your world. The Museum of My Lonely Heart by Marianne Abel-Lipschutz My complicated history with stealing may have started on nature walks in grade school. Teachers taught us simple ways to study what we explored in our suburban Chicago town....
May 25, 2025âą13 min
Proverbs 2:4-5 Thatâs rightâif you make Insight your priority, and wonât take no for an answer, Searching for it like a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt, Believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours; youâll have come upon the Knowledge of God. + Todayâs International Day for Biological Diversity implores everyone to address inequality, respect traditional knowledge, and empower women, girls, Indigenous People and more. Seek restoration and flourishin...
May 22, 2025âą1 min
Acts 11:25-26 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. + The spiritual revival in Antioch around 46 A.D. flourished so broadly that locals called the diverse crowds by the nickname âChristians.â They called themselves disciples, followers, brothers and sisters. Now a Christian identity is compl...
May 19, 2025âą1 min
Luke 10:23-24 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, â Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it .â + Jesus places abundant power within our grasp--literally his hands in our hands, his words in our mouths, his life in our bodies. Reconciliation works wonders. Attune with Love to respond in love. *Meg West lives near Charlottesville, Virginia, de...
May 16, 2025âą1 min
Jeremiah 20:9 But if I say, âI will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,â his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. + Once a truth sets you free, new conversations emerge. Itâs surprising how people and things that used to be important drift into the past. Vocabulary changes. Tone of voice shifts. Maybe youâre ready to speak up now. Clearly, confidently. Lit from within. *Marcia Milner-Brage creates from direct o...
May 13, 2025âą1 min
Luke 12:29-32 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. âDo not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.â + The âyouâ in âgive you the kingdomâ means all of us. The whole flock is divine. *Christina Farrell is an artist and consultant with a professional backgr...
May 10, 2025âą1 min
Luke 5:4-6 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, âPut out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.â Simon answered, âMaster, weâve worked hard all night and havenât caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.â When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. + Obedience with 51% compliance yields miracles in Godâs hands. Hope thrives in the deepest waters. My friend * Lily DeCort is an Ethiopian American p...
May 07, 2025âą1 min
John 21:12-14 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. + An invitation from Jesus simplifies life and messes with our worldview. Would you accept the opportunity? Sharing a meal (with Jesus) is risky. Your (free) subsc...
May 04, 2025âą1 min
Revelation 3:17-18 You say, âI am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.â But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. + In Christ, even the wretched become rich. How will you be transformed and by whom? Reset with a spiritual break and feel restored. Subsc...
May 01, 2025âą1 min
Acts 5:18-20 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. âGo, stand in the temple courts,â he said, âand tell the people all about this new life.â + Public jail and a brutal flogging didnât silence the apostles. âDay after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching.â Respond graciously when people ask how to get free through angels and Christ. *Olly Cos...
Apr 28, 2025âą1 min
My March Thank-You gift to readers and listeners of Flashđ„Devos is this article about a puddle that kept me company through the first COVID months of 2020 and beyond. This body of water served me as a Visio Divina , a sacred window of possibility that I searched with the eyes of my heart and soul. I pray that an environmental image or experience can be your holy partner through a time of grief and weariness. Pool of Tears by Marianne Abel-Lipschutz For the first six weeks of a stay-at-home orde...
Apr 27, 2025âą14 min
Romans 15:4-6 âI took on the troubles of the troubled,â is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure itâs written for us . God wants the combination of a steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. + Make the word come alive! Read scripture out loud whenever you can. Help others hear words written for us , inspired by the God who loves us. Thank you for ...
Apr 25, 2025âą1 min
Hebrews 2: 8-9 We do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. + Our burdens seem daunting. Imagine having to âtaste death.â Jesus showed that itâs hard and humbling to give up our lives for others. When Jesus calls our communities to high expectations, grace will empower us to act on the challenges ahead. *Elle Billing is a queer, disabled artist who...
Apr 22, 2025âą1 min
John 19:41-42 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. + The solemn gifts of myrrh, aloes, linen cloths, and a fresh tomb couldnât dress up the fact that Jesus died. Rituals give us pause to contemplate the sacredness of life. Consider the violence that will end new lives today. Thanks to people like you...
Apr 19, 2025âą1 min
Hebrews 12:1-3 Keep your eyes on Jesus , who both began and finished this race weâre in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headedâthat exhilarating finish in and with Godâhe could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. Go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! + Jesus offers strategies and wisdom for untangling everyday trials. Every week is holy when we ...
Apr 16, 2025âą1 min
Isaiah 50:8-9 The Lord God who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let them come near to me. Behold, the Lord God helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up. + Nearly six hundred years before Jesus, Isaiah prophesied that a gracious person could face the terror of crucifixion with audacity. Surrendering with mercy releases power. My friend * Lily DeCort is an Ethiopi...
Apr 13, 2025âą1 min
Psalm 105:39-41 He spread out a cloud as a covering, and a fire to give light at night. They asked, and he brought them quail; he fed them well with the bread of heaven. He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert. + Godâs stunning hospitality offers a soul food banquet when we seek help. God transforms clouds, fire, food, and water into comfort, hope, love, and shelter. Let Godâs creative power energize whatever you offer others. Maria writes, â Lakshmi is a H...
Apr 10, 2025âą1 min
