Luke 7:33-35

“For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

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Neighbors gaslight an innocent man because they reject his claims about the kingdom of God. They berate Jesus as a sinner among sinners. What’s your opinion?

Jesus offers everyone the divine encounter: choose sides or wisdom.

Thanks for being here!💥It’s good to see you.

Romans 8:24-25

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what one already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

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Waiting and patience don’t make headlines in the grind culture these days.

Emily Dickinson claims,

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

Hopeful expectation comes from reconciling with the Spirit of God.

*Elizabeth Rush photograph from https://orionmagazine.org/article/elizabeth-rush-emily-raboteau-interview-antarctica/

*Copyright Credit: Emily Dickinson, “’Hope’ is the Thing with Feathers” from The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, edited by Thomas H. Johnson, ed., Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Source: The Poems of Emily Dickinson Edited by R. W. Franklin (Harvard University Press, 1999).

Psalm 17:4-6, 15

Though people tried to bribe me,

I have kept myself from the ways of the violent

through what your lips have commanded.

My steps have held to your paths;

my feet have not stumbled.

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

…As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;

when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

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Face Creator with confidence and assurance.

Listen for the holiness we share.

*Elle Billing writes that the collection, “The Failure Experiment,” began with a text about love. “A text about queerness, identity, memory. A text about our mothers, or how we remember them… Layering the way that I do results in a collapse of the timeline, crystallizing the most important elements: we have always been here, we will always be here, and our fights to be seen, to have love, to have autonomy over our own experiences can be traced like the DNA passed down from our mothers.” Experience their stories at https://www.elleandwink.com/

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Ephesians 6:12-13

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

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Clarifying the source of our power helps us choose protective measures that withstand the adversary’s schemes.

Trust that others will rise up alongside you.

Thanks for being here!💥Good to see you.

Matthew 12:38-40

“Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of humans will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

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God’s mercy transforms the world. Maybe you’ve drifted away or felt buried by suffering. Could a miraculous sign change you?

Look for tomorrow.

*Marcia Milner-Brage writes personal essays and, often in plein air or via direct observation, drawing, painting, and collage. “I have made--drawn, painted or collaged--valentines for over fifty years.” https://www.flickr.com/photos/marciamilner-brage/albums/72157624220230720/

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Matthew 12:15-16

But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, but he warned them not to reveal who he was.

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Crowds surrounding Jesus didn’t keep him from serving. Shouts, gossip, and taunting questions didn’t distract him. Trusting the mercy of his assignment, Jesus “healed all the sick among them.” How he treated others still cures us today.

Practice hiddenness to recover wellness and peace.

*Jill Hinners searches for peace and inspiration on or near Minnesota’s lakes and smaller waterways. Jill writes, “I collect iPhone images to document all the natural beauty in this place I’m so fortunate to call home.”

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2 Samuel 22:17-20

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me;

he drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy,

from my foes, who were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster,

but the Lord was my support.

He brought me out into a spacious place;

he rescued me because he delighted in me.

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Those who feel ill, distressed, anxious in hard times--many cannot believe anyone will ever delight in them again.

Hold a third space open for rescue.

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Psalm 86:12-13

O Giver of Breath, I will speak of your greatness with my entire being. My Creator, I will honor your name for all days to come.

Your love for me, which remains faithful and true, has no bounds. You have snatched my life from the lowest part of the Dark Underworld of Death.

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Dwelling in the liminal spaces slivered between today and the underworld, I can feel stuck together with joy and aloneness, suffering and delight.

May we honor the perplexity of our times and celebrate being loved wholeheartedly.

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Psalm 92:6-7

Only a simpleton would not know,

and only a fool would not understand this:

Though the wicked sprout like weeds

and evildoers flourish,

they will be destroyed forever.

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Our worldly lives toggle between the present moment and the near future. God asks us to widen out, to connect with a universal picture. How can we learn to value divine promises of forever when everything seems so urgent?

Indulge your community in mystery and hiddenness for a change. Delights await when we discover forever and forever more together.

“At the heart of my work lies profound curiosity,” writes Pamela Olin in Sarasota, Florida. “My artistic practice is a constant exploration of the intersection between raw material, human emotions, and the infinite possibilities that arise when craftsmanship interacts with imagination.” https://www.pamelaolin.com/

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Isaiah 48:9-11

Yet for my own sake and for the honor of my name,

I will hold back my anger and not wipe you out.

I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.

Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.

I will rescue you for my sake—

yes, for my own sake!

I will not let my reputation be tarnished,

and I will not share my glory with idols!

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Creator shares glory with those who surrender to the furnace of transformation.

Seek rescue wisely.

*Sculptor Maureen Seamonds serves as a catalyst for community art in Webster City, Iowa. People looking around Mo’s rural downtown studio respond. “They’ll touch the work, or hug it, or drape an arm across it. They really know it.” Visit her Produce Station Pottery.

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