Marianne's FLASH💥DEVOS Podcast

Psalm 36:5-6 God’s love is meteoric, God’s loyalty astronomic,God’s purpose titanic, God’s verdicts oceanic. Yet in this largeness nothing gets lost;Not a person, not a mouse, slips through the cracks. + God’s intergalactic sweep contrasts with the quiet pace of Jesus coming alongside his broken-hearted brothers on the Emmaus Road. Yet we’re allowed to experience love’s mysteries. Love’s power, Hu...

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 “taking up the shield of...

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 God’s power and fled. One of the healed men begged to follow Jesus but received a holy anoin...

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...

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 unfa...

1 Samuel 20:23 “And about the matter you and I discussed—remember, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.” + 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...

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 Flash💥Devos enrich your experience of the Divine in 2025. Thank YOU! Seeing Anew with Visio Divina by Marianne Abel-Lipschutz Today’s image...

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 me...

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...

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...

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 Creator’s gift of abundant life with someone new today. Celebrate the...

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 Paul’s 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 prisoner’s promise: Jesus a...

Luke 13:18-19 Then Jesus asked, “ 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 .” + 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?...

Luke 17:14-15 Creator Sets Free looked at them and said, “ Go to the holy men and show yourselves to them .” 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, a...

Matthew 24:45-47 “Who 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.” + Jesus promises the highest reward for obedience: the invitatio...

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 artis...

Here’s a Thanksgiving gift to all who’ve been reading and listening to my Flash💥Devos in November. It’s an article I wrote after feeling challenged by my friend Mark Petersen who simply said, “Rejoice!” when it seemed to be the least reasonable option in his own life. I hope you’re inspired to use “Sunday Words on Weekdays.” Thanks for praying with me this month. Sunday Words on Weekdays A recent...

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...

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 Creator’s kindness, patience, and willingness to bear with others? + We silly humans judge our Creator for excessive patience, unreasonable forgiveness, and outrageous mercy. Accept Creator’s kin...

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 tree’s leaves would heal the nations. Invite...

Romans 2:13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. + Righteousness and obedience are inseparable principles. “If you heard what I said, why didn’t you do it?” a parent or loved one may ask. “You say you care about me,” we plead with a close friend, “but how do you show it?”  God’s love language is two-...

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, “Trust the process.” God created us for a specific future. As our lives unfold toward that promise, we can tap the deposit of God’s Spirit within us.  Trust the process of God’s...

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” + It’s easier to give someone else a failing score on a faith test. The Apostle Paul is pretty clear, though. You’re either in or you're out. Don’t wait for a confession booth to name the ways you’ve strayed. Compare results on a faith test with a friend and encourage each other to grow.  Commit to living...

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...

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...