Marianne's FLASH💥DEVOS Podcast

Psalm 77:16-19

When the waters saw you, O God,

its waters looked and trembled!

The sea quaked to its very depths.

The clouds poured down rain;

the thunder rumbled in the sky.

Your arrows of lightning flashed.

Your thunder roared from the whirlwind;

the lightning lit up the world!

The earth trembled and shook.

Your road led through the sea,

your pathway through the mighty waters—

a pathway no one knew was there!

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God’s way may prove unrecognizable when life’s mighty waters feel impassable.

Disorientation is a necessary part of spiritual growth.

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Matthew 14:35-36

When the people recognized Jesus, the news of his arrival spread quickly throughout the whole area, and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.

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Charismatic healers draw crowds, just as charismatic leaders do. When a charismatic leader is also a healer, their power challenges the status quo. Just the presence of Jesus changed things--both then and now.

Leverage the healing power of leadership with Jesus.

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Matthew 8:23-25

Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

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Have you ever been asleep when others feel frantic and desperate? Becoming “woke” to the difficult realities of life for our neighbors can change the dynamic.

Having Jesus in your boat matters. Pray aloud with others for help and forgiveness.

1 Kings 19:11-12

Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire, and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

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Elijah heard life’s biggest question clearly in that intergalactic space: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

What would your answer be on the spot?

*Allison May Kiphuth is an artist, sternman, and collector of things in Monhegan, Maine. Her dioramas and watercolor and ink studies of nature enchant viewers as if we’re walking together in the woods at twilight. Discover her work at https://www.allisonmaykiphuth.com/

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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.

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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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