Job 19: 7-8 âThough I cry, âViolence!â I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice. He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; he has shrouded my paths in darkness.â + Jobâs lament parallels the stories of migrants and refugees today who flee suffering and social terror. They find pathways through darkness that teach us about risking everything to live. Pray that Godâs loving light fills seekers with strength and courage. Stand with others as an ally in the beloved community of h...
Jan 19, 2025âą57 sec
Psalm 36:5-6 Godâs love is meteoric, Godâs loyalty astronomic,Godâs purpose titanic, Godâs verdicts oceanic.Yet in this largeness nothing gets lost;Not a person, not a mouse, slips through the cracks. + Godâs intergalactic sweep contrasts with the quiet pace of Jesus coming alongside his broken-hearted brothers on the Emmaus Road. Yet weâre allowed to experience loveâs mysteries. Loveâs power, Huey Lewis sang, âMight make you sad. Might make you mad.â âBut youâll be glad, baby, when youâve found...
Jan 16, 2025âą1 min
Ephesians 6:14-16 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. + Imagine you wear faith gear. Which shirt welcomes others? Like Jesus stepping through prickly desert brush, sandals can slow our pace to walk in peace. Would âtaking up the shield of faithâ release more vulnerability? Show lovingkindness in gestures that deflect âthe flaming arrows ...
Jan 13, 2025âą56 sec
Luke 8:38-39 Jesus sent him away, saying, " Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you ." + Two men crazed by demons lived in the tombs. When Jesus drew near, he restored their health and sanity, then showed mercy even to the demons, granting their wishes. The townspeople took fright at Godâs power and fled. One of the healed men begged to follow Jesus but received a holy anointing for a tough assignment--to serve his community instead. Let your obedience embody the merciful ...
Jan 10, 2025âą1 min
Galatians 4:16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? + The Apostle Paul sounds like an improvisational character actor, calling out to us through the millennia in every imaginable voice: lecturing, blaming, cautioning, pleading, teaching, testifying, whispering, persuading, sympathizing, lamenting, loving, and celebrating. He exhorts believers to walk a narrow path alongside Jesus. Can you help others thrive in that truth? May we love others as we all become âchildren of promise...
Jan 07, 2025âą56 sec
Hosea 10:12 Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you. + These poetic words challenge us to go boldly beyond a contemplative walk with the Divine. When we share the treasures of righteousness and work the unplowed ground together, the sweet fruit of unfailing love will sustain us. What activates your soul with wonder and Presence? Subscribers support F...
Jan 04, 2025âą58 sec
1 Samuel 20:23 âAnd about the matter you and I discussedâremember, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.â + This covenant between friends is a divine sidebar about the meaningful bonds of affection, protection, and steadfast love we can create with others. To trust a friend for life is good; to pledge with a friend for eternity is even better. Call on Jesus to be your witness. Trust him to be fair. Ask him to be your friend. Sculptor Maureen Seamonds is a dear friend from Webster City,...
Jan 01, 2025âą58 sec
Thanks for praying with me during December! In gratitude, let me offer some reasons why a funny thing might happen to you, too, if you explore Visio Divina . When I took responsibility for my spiritual life, practices like Visio Divina enchanted me. May these Flashđ„Devos enrich your experience of the Divine in 2025. Thank YOU! Seeing Anew with Visio Divina by Marianne Abel-Lipschutz Todayâs image of the back cover of this handmade bible from the 8th Century astonished me â and made me wonder wh...
Dec 29, 2024âą11 min
Titus 3:3-5 For at one time, we too were foolish and disobedient, deceived and enslaved by a variety of passions and pleasures. We spent our lives in evil and envy; people hated us, and we hated each other. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, God delivered us. + Sometimes our troubled lives can take a detour and, by the grace of God, we stop and think. A wordless plea for mercy opens pathways. Turn to a friend or the mirror or the Spirit with hope. Iâm so grateful that Fla...
Dec 26, 2024âą1 min
Mark 6:51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. + Setting sail with friends is a classic metaphor for a journey into the unknown. Then storms overwhelm the night. Lightning blasts the darkness. The sail rips like an old flag. Letting Jesus join you in the boat is a proven remedy for fear. Believe that God is always coming to rescue us. Look for Jesus in your community in the next storm. Expect peace! Flashđ„Devos + Podcast is a reader-supported publication. Subscribers...
Dec 23, 2024âą59 sec
2 Corinthians 7:11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. + We fear remorse and shame when seeking forgiveness. Yet the Lord shows mercy and grace. Reconciling with God opens hearts and doors so we can turn to others in peace. Seek the fruits of reconciliation through Jesus that create a flourishing life for all. Flashđ„Devos + Podcast is a ...
Dec 20, 2024âą1 min
Psalm 65:11-13 You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the wilderness overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing. + Break off a piece of your daily bread and share the Creatorâs gift of abundant life with someone new today. Celebrate the beauty and goodness our Creator lavishes on everyone. You're an inspiration! Thank you for joining ...
Dec 17, 2024âą55 sec
Acts 27:38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. + With 276 people aboard a doomed ship headed for Rome, Paul showed faithful leadership. Passengers accepted Paulâs promise that his God would save them if they all obeyed. God made this an epic story that restores our hope on every stormy day. Believe this prisonerâs promise: Jesus assures us all our needs will be met when we trust God and cast our reserves overboard. My friend and...
Dec 14, 2024âą1 min
Luke 13:18-19 Then Jesus asked, â What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches .â + Jesus gives us an add-water-and-stir description of the kingdom. Everything is provided by God. What will you cultivate from this cornucopia in your kingdom garden? Tell someone something cool about the kingdom of God. How did they respond? Thanks for reading and ...
Dec 11, 2024âą1 min
Luke 17:14-15 Creator Sets Free looked at them and said, â Go to the holy men and show yourselves to them .â They did what he said, and as they were on the way, they were healed. One of the ten men, when he saw he was healed, returned to Creator Sets Free, giving loud praise to the Great Spirit. + Address and lament how we use racism and ethnocentrism like leprosy to justify shunning, enslaving, and killing millions of people. Join others in applying Creatorâs healing gifts of forgiveness and re...
Dec 08, 2024âą1 min
Matthew 24:45-47 âWho will be the wise one, worthy of trust? Will it be the uncle who was told to feed and care for the family while the elder is away? A great blessing will come to that uncle when the elder returns and finds him doing so. I speak from my heart, he will invite that uncle to live with the family and share everything.â + Jesus promises the highest reward for obedience: the invitation into a family that shares everything. Be trustworthy, wise, and speak from Christâs heart. Flashđ„...
Dec 05, 2024âą57 sec
Luke 1:38 Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." + Mary spoke wisely at a young age. Deferring to the ultimate authority of God, she chose to embody the power of surrender. Setting aside her will for the life of another, Mary raised Emmanuel, God-with-us. Who can be set free to live through our surrender? Commit to begin today. Ceramic artist and metal sculptor Maureen Seamonds is a dear friend from Webster City, Iowa, who is also a celebr...
Dec 02, 2024âą52 sec
Hereâs a Thanksgiving gift to all whoâve been reading and listening to my Flashđ„Devos in November. Itâs an article I wrote after feeling challenged by my friend Mark Petersen who simply said, âRejoice!â when it seemed to be the least reasonable option in his own life. I hope youâre inspired to use âSunday Words on Weekdays.â Thanks for praying with me this month. Sunday Words on Weekdays A recent text message from my friend Mark made me question if our feeling words fit our faith. Mark had pray...
Nov 30, 2024âą11 min
1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 Now, my sacred family members, we call on you to give firm and wise counsel to those whose hands do nothing. Comfort those whose hearts are on the ground. Help the ones who are weak, and be patient with everyone. Make sure no one gives back to anyone evil for evil. Seek to walk in a good way with each other and with all people. + Pray for the well-being of everyone in your life. What would shift if you regarded everyone as your sacred family members? Thank you for praying...
Nov 29, 2024âą57 sec
Romans 2:3-4 Tell me, when you do the same kinds of things that you judge others for, do you think what you have done will be hidden from the eyes of the Great Spirit? Or do you hold bitter thoughts about Creatorâs kindness, patience, and willingness to bear with others? + We silly humans judge our Creator for excessive patience, unreasonable forgiveness, and outrageous mercy. Accept Creatorâs kindness. Allow yourself to be drawn back toward the right path today. Give your spiritual life a boost...
Nov 26, 2024âą58 sec
Revelation 22:1-2 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. + Revelation promises no more night and that the treeâs leaves would heal the nations. Invite others into the better paradise where Christ satisfies every hunger and thirst. My friend and fellow ...
Nov 23, 2024âą1 min
Romans 2:13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in Godâs sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. + Righteousness and obedience are inseparable principles. âIf you heard what I said, why didnât you do it?â a parent or loved one may ask. âYou say you care about me,â we plead with a close friend, âbut how do you show it?â Godâs love language is two-fold: trust and obey. Give your life a boost with a free or paid subscription to my Flashđ„Devos + Po...
Nov 20, 2024âą53 sec
2 Corinthians 5:5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. + This verse gives a scriptural background for the common expression, âTrust the process.â God created us for a specific future. As our lives unfold toward that promise, we can tap the deposit of Godâs Spirit within us. Trust the process of Godâs Spirit shaping your life. Itâs guaranteed to be good! Thanks for joining me to pray on Flashđ„Devos ...
Nov 17, 2024âą56 sec
2 Corinthians 13:5 âExamine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.â + Itâs easier to give someone else a failing score on a faith test. The Apostle Paul is pretty clear, though. Youâre either in or you're out. Donât wait for a confession booth to name the ways youâve strayed. Compare results on a faith test with a friend and encourage each other to grow. Commit to living more âin the faithâ today. Thanks for letting Flashđ„Devos + Podcast enrich your day! Letâs be encou...
Nov 14, 2024âą50 sec
Judges 2:10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. + What a frightful world it would be where the Lord becomes forgotten. God is always encountered: in the ever-shifting skies, in love shared across time and space, in the gifted labors of our hands and hearts. Give Jesus a chance to grow in your life. Introduce Jesus to your family and friends! Let your witness bring his light into ot...
Nov 11, 2024âą52 sec
Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. + We experience the undeniable presence of God physically. The curtain is torn. The turmoil in our lives flutters down like leaves falling onto water. We feel mysteriously comforted. Love comes through. Let a whisper from the heart of God shake your world. Others will notice when your prayers are answered. Get full access to Marianneâs Substac...
Nov 08, 2024âą50 sec
1 Peter 3:8-9 âBe like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.â + Divine restraint is an appropriate response to evil and insults. Bless the person, condemn the act, and amplify peace. Choose to act like Jesus so you too will inherit an eternal blessing. Thanks for joining me in prayer today! Subscribe for...
Nov 05, 2024âą51 sec
Philippians 2:14-15 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, âchildren of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.â + Translations for âgrumbling or arguingâ show how we cleverly negotiate with God. Can we thrive without complaining, disputing, murmurings, reasonings, arguments, or questioning the providence of God? Reach for becoming âblameless and pureâ in various translations: clean, innocent, harmless, uncontaminated, without blemish...
Nov 02, 2024âą1 min
Jeremiah 23:28-29 âLet the one who has my word speak it faithfully⊠Is not my word like fire,â declares the Lord, âand like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?â + Quoting scripture to make a point requires discernment in the right use of our authority. The wise consider silence. Itâs a solemn responsibility to draw on the power of sacred speech. Let your humble life be your witness to the transforming power of Christ. Iâm delighted to share this lakeshore still-life by my long-time friend and...
Oct 30, 2024âą55 sec
To thank you for reading and listening to my Flashđ„Devos in October, I offer my article âTake Me to the Border with Youâ about my week serving at the Mexico/U.S. border. Sharing ministry of presence and welcoming migrants humbled me with valuable perspectives about the plight of immigrants worldwide. Today is National Immigrants Day which celebrates the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty in 1887. I honor those who seek new lives in the United States, including my ancestors who emigrated from Po...
Oct 28, 2024âą22 min
