Marianne's FLASH💥DEVOS Podcast

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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Song of Songs 2:10-12

My beloved spoke and said to me,

“Arise, my darling,

my beautiful one, come with me.

See! The winter is past;

the rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth;

the season of singing has come,

the cooing of doves

is heard in our land.

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A holy season of singing has come indeed. Gather with others to sing resistance. Let our sounds carry the load across mountains and streets, flowing through open windows like a breeze, an inspiration, hope.

May our songs honor the mourning of peacemaking doves.

*Marcia Milner-Brage writes personal essays and, often in plein air or on the BART, drawing, painting, and collage. “Through observing the bounty of the earth, I fulfill my calling,” she says. https://www.flickr.com/photos/marciamilner-brage/

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Psalm 13:5-6

I’ve thrown myself headlong into your arms—

I’m celebrating your rescue.

I’m singing at the top of my lungs,

I’m so full of answered prayers.

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Oh for those flashes when we feel so rescued, so delivered, so incredibly freed from… it doesn’t even matter what. Rescue can happen fast. Freedom can take forever. Trust in the promises of the Source, the Power greater than all others.

Envision the ways your answered prayers will leave a mark on the beloved community.

*Tiphaine Marie is a London-based environmental storyteller, illustrator, and podcast host who cultivates empathy, wonder, and kinship with the more-than-human world. “My hope is that my illustrations can inspire people to look for little pockets of magic,” she writes, “and help them remember that we are not separate from nature.” Find her through https://whaleswolves.substack.com/

+Today’s Flash💥Devo also appeared on redletterchristians.org daily WakeUp newsletter.

Grateful for your presence today!💥Thanks!

Galatians 5:5-6 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

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My friend Dave once said that people who weren’t moved to tears by the suffering of children should get a heart transplant. Maybe personal vulnerability can lead us beyond medical metaphors. How can we intentionally transform our communities into safe environments of mutual support?

Let love be the litmus test.

*Maria Wickwire’s ceramic sculptures reveal feminine archetypes. “To me, her metamorphosis is the story of a human life—passing through the crucibles of experience and emerging stronger, carrying the beautiful marks of courage we have earned along the way,” she writes at Mariawickwire.com

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Today’s Flash💥Devo also appeared on redletterchristians.org daily WakeUp newsletter.

Thanks for stopping by today! Come back soon!

Matthew 10:7-8 “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”

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People rightly question whether the kingdom has come near, as if “The Kingdom” is a new movie at the multiplex. Even so, Jesus calls us to leave the show changed, humbled, and challenged. Meet your families, friends, and coworkers where they’re at with the truths you know.

The kingdom comes freely when you offer healing, companionship, quietness.

*Lily DeCort, based in Chicago, creates luminous landscapes and evocative abstracts that reflect the liminality of her experience. Learn more at https://lilydecort.com/

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Stop back again soon to pray with me!

Revelation 2:10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.

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Respect fearless advocacy: singing resistance, walking across the country, whistleblowers calling in the crowd. Lament how family, friends, and beliefs wither in ugly deaths of doubt and rejection.

Receive the gift of life through revelations about your faithfulness.

*Olly Costello writes, “I hope my work can be a small contributing part of creating our new culture, grounded in honoring the inherent sacredness of all beings and pushing us beyond violent cultures.” Discover their work at https://ollycostello.com/

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Today’s Flash💥Devo also appeared on redletterchristians.org daily WakeUp newsletter.

Thanks for praying with us today!

Psalm 86:11

Teach me your way, Lord,

that I may rely on your faithfulness;

give me an undivided heart,

that I may fear your name.

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Consider how you or your community may feel fragmented by a litany of things to do correctly, at the right time, with the best intentions, in big buildings with the right people gathered. Join with others to ask Creator to undivide our broken hearts.

May our communities form a healthy interdependence through constancy, faithfulness, and love.

Discover more about “The Healer,” a mural tribute to María Sabina by Gustavo Lira García & Tierra Díaz at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/9acd7e0f79ba48b7966a243fbd162fec

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Today’s Flash💥Devo also appears on redletterchristians.org daily WakeUp newsletter.

Thanks for joining with others to pray today. :)