Marianne's FLASH💥DEVOS Podcast

1 Corinthians 2:10-11 The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.+Resurrection is one of “the deep things of God” that we know to be true by observing nature’s cycles of life and death. Repeating patterns spiral inward and outward through infinite reverberations of desire and delight.Let your creative energies tap Divine promises.Marcia writes, “After many years of exploring the backwaters of the Cedar River watershed in northeast Iowa, I fell in awe with the conk shelf mushrooms that grow on dead cottonwood logs and trunks. After learning that the moist polypore underside of a conk makes an exciting surface to draw on or etch into, I created a series of observed images on harvested conks.” https://www.flickr.com/photos/marciamilner-brage/albums/72157719877834727/Flash💥Devos is a gift to the arts and spiritual communities we share. Thanks for subscribing! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Psalm 39:4-5“Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you.Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.+Would you ask God to open your book of days? My life patterns land best in worlds I couldn’t have imagined. Allow wisdom to guide you now.An end will come. Embody beatific hope.My friend and fellow writer 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.”Refresh your outlook with a spiritual break and feel restored. Subscribe to Flash💥Devos! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Luke 4:28-30 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.+Jesus could sidestep cliffs and walk through chaos. Mobs still can’t stop how he changes the world.When Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid,” remember how he learned it in the streets.My friend Lily DeCort is an Ethiopian American painter based in Chicago. Her work, ranging from luminous landscapes to evocative abstracts, reflects the liminality of her experience. Through dark skies, peaceful paths, and vast waters, her paintings explore themes of beauty, vulnerability, healing, and the human journey from wonder to loss and hope reborn. “I value the personal connection each person can form with the piece,” she commented. “The unspoken space between the viewer and the painting is where the most profound meaning emerges.” Enjoy Lily’s art at https://lilydecort.com/Flash💥Devos is reader-supported. Try a free or paid subscription. Thanks for being here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Ezekiel 33:31-32 Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.+One can yearn for authentic faith and yet fall short. Community helps us embody change. After a time outsiders will wonder, “Hmm, how did they become who they are now?”Faith can flourish through others in our lives.Subscribe to Flash💥Devos or Follow for the latest posts. Thanks a bunch! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Thanks for joining me during these first six months of Flash💥Devos. My Thank-You gift today is an article I wrote about my first international mission trip when our family traveled with a team to Haiti three years after the earthquake of January 12, 2010. I am still being discipled--and disciplined--by the people and circumstances we encountered there. I pray that you, too, can meet people whose faith manifests as powerfully as we witnessed in Haiti.Field Testing My Faith by Marianne Abel-LipschutzArriving in Haiti with our service team from the Midwest, I imagined we had washed ashore like jetsam that had no place on land. My body throbbed with that thrill of merging into an urban pace that sweats with the mash-up of humanity. Confronted by the stench of urine and scorched plastic and the ear-piercing music and shrieking horns radiating from neon-painted buses, the reality of life in Port-au-Prince dragged me under like a riptide.Our group stood in pickup trucks for the half-hour drive from the airport to our guesthouse. Technicolor scenes of life in action alongside eerie destruction captivated me as we drove through the city. At one point on our journey, we watched half a dozen men detour off the sidewalk and form a semi-circle to hoist the front quarter of a truck out of a gaping hole in the crossroads. Cars, buses, and trucks swerved around them. After they succeeded, the men congratulated each other and walked away as if leaving a stage set after a comedy sketch.Bustling city life played out in front of multi-story buildings that had collapsed into rubble from the magnitude 7 earthquake that had hit Haiti three years earlier—the structures looked like the toppled monuments of another civilization. Twisted rebar stuck out of buildings as if the city was pegged to the bedrock, ready to float with the next seismic wave. I imagined the crushed people who would never be unearthed, someone’s briefcase, a dented lunch box, perfect shoes, disordered parts of people, and all the things that would never be put back together.Controlled ExposureHumanitarian aid flooded Haiti after the January 2010 earthquake with its vast and irrevocable destruction. Characterized as the worst catastrophe in any country in the modern era, investigators reported 316,000 dead or missing persons, plus 300,000 injured, and over 1½ million people displaced. The collapse of the electrical grid, the National Palace, the cathedral, United Nations headquarters, and the national penitentiary counted as notable losses, along with the disintegration of over sixty percent of infrastructure. A cholera epidemic flared after UN Peacekeepers with the bacterial infection were unwittingly deployed from Nepal. Hurricanes and drought followed within the next few years.My husband and I and our son served with Global Ministries and the National Spiritual Council of Haitian Churches (CONASPEH), an organization dedicated to community development, Christian education, pastoral training, and justice advocacy. We travelled with twenty nine people from several denominations, ranging in age from teens to elders. We split into work groups each day, sending one third to a pop-up medical and dental clinic, another third to an elementary school, and the last portion to construction sites managed by CONASPEH.The field clinic took over a three-room administrative building in Croix-de-Bouquets, a refugee settlement of plastic tarp shelters on rock-strewn hillsides outside the city organized by USAID and humanitarian organizations. Sixty thousand families, resettled from tent cities in Port-au-Prince, lived in this barren and forsaken sector. Arrows pointed to zones with biblical names like Canaan and New Jerusalem, broadcasting a prophetic blessing into the air. I helped people at the clinic and prayed with them in my broken French while they waited for the doctors or the dental team.Haitian hosts controlled our exposure to local conditions. They also cautioned us against spontaneously giving away toys, food, or money. Such impulsive generosity could create animosity and endanger everyone. We huddled behind the privacy curtain to eat part of our lunch before wrapping up the rest to slip to our Haitian coworkers. I grieved for the hungry children who stood outside. Investigators tallied 1.5 million orphans left by the disaster, as if cities the size of Philadelphia or San Antonio were filled only with children whose vulnerabilities grew more complex each day.Where is God?Every night our team debriefed and shared “God sightings.” Others reflected on interactions with Haitians, inspirational sunsets and sunrises seen from the rooftop, and what it was like to share a few days of living alongside the perils Haitians face everyday. I remained silent, not knowing what to say. Battered by the life in front of me, I failed to see any hope. I had no context for this world's disarray and withdrew, missing the hope completely. The country looked doomed to me.Treating chronic m

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”?+Bathe the beloved community in mercy.Who has not received a holy anointing to serve?Olly Costello’s bright collages delighted me when I first clipped them out of Geez Magazine. They are a white queer illustrator, PIC abolitionist, food growing enthusiast, and community seed saver. “I find direction and purpose in recognizing the power our radical imaginations have in shaping the world we live in,” Olly 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 inspiring work on socials and at https://ollycostello.com/Flourishing relationships create abundance in every setting. Subscribe to Flash💥Devos! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Daniel 10:17-19 “How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.” Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength.“Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”+God approaches, reaching through scripture and angels, visions and circumstances. The assurance of the God who gives us breath takes our breath away.Be strengthened in the truth of your witness.Subscribers support Flash💥Devos as a gift. Isn’t that great? Thanks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Song of Solomon 2:10-12My beloved speaks and says to me:“Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away,for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone.The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come,and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land.+Love called the world into being with an extraordinary invitation. Come away today to listen, admire beauty, and sing.Let love balance your life.“Every year for fifty, I’ve made valentines for a few special someones,” Marcia commented. “I play with color and paint and collage. Embracing whimsy through my valentines helps me to survive winter.” Her valentines are at: https://www.flickr.com/gp/marciamilner-brage/N7u5Z078s3Fellow artist and writer Marcia Milner-Brage and I first became friends through our Iowa food-buying club in the late 1980s. A scribe who works from direct observation, Marcia says she faces the blank page “to transfer all my senses, whether I’m looking outward or inward.” She writes personal essays and in visual art, drawing, painting, and collage. “Thus, I name my world. I remember doing my first observed drawing sixty-eight years ago, at age five; it was a sketch of my parents,” she explained. “I thought I could figure out who they were and how they were different, if I could show them on paper.” From the Midwest, Marcia moved to the San Francisco Bay area two years ago. Find her great work on socials and https://www.flickr.com/photos/marciamilner-brage/Subscribers support Flash💥Devos as a gift to the arts and spiritual communities we share. Thanks for joining us. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Matthew 5:3, 6, 9“Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice…Blessed are the peacemakers…”+These were Sister Dorothy’s last words as she blessed her murderers. Even today, this cousin I never met invites me into the kingdom.Sister commented, “There are things you do because they feel right and they make no sense and they make no money and it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other and to eat each other’s cooking and to say it was good.”Sister Dorothy Stang SNDdeN ~ 7 June 1932 Dayton, Ohio - 12 February 2005 Anapu, Brazil Celebrating Sister Dorothy’s legacy today on the 20th anniversary of her martyrdom. https://www.sndohio.org/sister-dorothy/20thanniversaryFlash💥Devos is a gift you can share freely. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Ezekiel 33:14-15And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right— if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die.+If we can love others yet choose not to, we commit evil, an injustice. Loving restores life.Choose reconciliation with the good of life.Flash💥Devos + Podcast is a reader-supported publication. Subscribers enrich the beloved community! Thanks for being here today! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Colossians 1:9-11We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience…+Imagine strangers praying this over you.Become “holy people in the kingdom of light.”*About the sculpture, Maria writes, ”I named her ‘Ganas’ from a speech Edward James Olmos, as Jaime Escalante, made to Hispanic students in his calculus class in the film, Stand and Deliver. Students from East L.A., he explained, needed the desire — the ganas — to work hard and achieve their goals. As a teacher, I watched this film for inspiration when each new school year began.”Artist and dear friend Maria Wickwire creates ceramic sculptures that reveal feminine archetypes, hoping to encourage healing and forgiveness in our sometimes splintering world. Her studio overlooks Big Lake in northwest Washington where she photographs Mother Nature’s reminders that if She can persist, so can we. Find Maria at Mariawickwire.comSubscribers support Flash💥Devos as a gift to the arts and spiritual communities we share. Thanks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Acts 9:17Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”+What a gift to have people in our lives who deliver the word of God. Saul received a loving touch, a benediction, and an action plan for a lifelong faith journey. How can others support your obedience?Attune to God’s plans through the beloved community. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Matthew 17:20 “Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.”+Seed catalogs are gardeners’ bibles. Where do you find directions for light, cultivation, and your personal spiritual harvest? You can choose which faith seed to grow: a Dijon type or mustard the color of yellow paint.Seriously. Which mountain moves without God?Flash💥Devos is a reader-supported publication that fosters engaged spirituality through prayer, contemplation, art, and action. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Ezekiel 32:10I will cause many peoples to be appalled at you, and their kings will shudder with horror because of you when I brandish my sword before them.On the day of your downfall each of them will tremble every moment for his life.+God asked Ezekiel to voice this warning to Pharaoh, a warning for all who lead with oppressive force and impunity. We need not live in fear as these leaders should.Will you lead with compassion and grace the way Jesus does?My friend and fellow writer 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.”Flash💥Devos + Podcast is a reader-supported publication. Subscribers enrich the beloved community through the arts and spirituality! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Thanks to everyone who has been praying in community with me this year on Flash💥Devos. I feel so grateful for your presence! My January 2025 Thank-You gift is this article about how prayer invited me into a new world of connecting with the Divine as well as with others. I pray that my experiences give you hope for change in your own life. Check this post on my Substack page to see the original photos that accompany the article.Dancing with Almighty God by Marianne Abel-Lipschutz“Will you pray?” Everyone’s eyes shift downward. We squirm, hoping somebody else starts. It gets awkward. We know prayer is an essential part of faith, yet when asked to pray in public, many of us cringe. Prayer comes from our inner life and we want it to be just that: inner. Like John the Baptist, someone praying out loud can be snubbed as an outsider who has leaped beyond normal spiritual categories.I spent a long while as the person searching for her feet when the opportunity to pray out loud came up. Prayer and praying aloud changed for me—and changed me—while living and serving in Guatemala. Initially, I didn’t consider prayer something that could disrupt my comfort while I was outside my passport country. Hopelessness, violence, malnutrition, intractable corruption, dirty water, environmental degradation—these forces troubled me. But prayer? Within days of being in Guatemala, I learned that my prayer life needed awakening.All Together NowWe first traveled to Guatemala on a short-term mission trip in 2013. Prayer infiltrated our team immediately. We gathered on the airport exit ramp, breathing gritty diesel exhaust in the cool night air. The director said we’d travel for two hours west to Chimaltenango, but first, we’d pray about the drive. “We pray Guatemalan style," he explained, guiding us into a circle. "Everyone. All at once.”Most of the two dozen people had volunteered with this ministry before, so they prayed out loud. No one waited their turn or worried about what to say. My focus shifted in and out as phrases echoed around the circle like a kaleidoscope twirling with sounds. I couldn’t track my thoughts. I had never heard anyone—let alone everyone—pray like that. I jumped in not thinking about what I said or how. I just prayed. As amens drew the huddle into silence, I felt a new vitality emerge within me.Prayers integrated seamlessly into each day. A traffic jam, a flat tire, an ambulance passing by, nice weather, rain, a good meal, sunburn, a productive work session, an unexpected treat or disaster—every occasion merited divine conversation. Add evening worship, devotions, and our individual prayers, it was more prayer than I’d ever experienced in my life.Over the weekend, we held medical clinics, kids activities, and worship in two villages. The townspeople spoke Kaqchikel, a regional Mayan language that mesmerized me with its clicks and consonants. Translators converted our English into Spanish, and then passed that version to local speakers. These tri-lingual conversations slowed our concentration to such a delicate pace that we might as well have tossed a hat-full of baby turtles between us.After worship, the pastors gathered everyone for prayer at dusk. My ears and heart throbbed while several hundred people called out to God in three languages for half an hour. It was as if a wind had blown through, stirring up a mosh-pit of wailing, whimpering, fainting, alleluias, and defiant shrieks meant to rout the enemy.Kingdom KinshipWitnessing others’ rapport with God shifted my awareness of kinship in the Kingdom. I could see blank spaces in my Christian life where I just hadn’t thought about prayer. I hadn’t been considering how, why, or when I prayed. My relationship with Jesus was conceptual until I stepped into the place reserved for me. Intentional prayer offered me the tangible opportunities God promises those who obey him.Eventually we spent months at a time serving with this ministry throughout central Guatemala. Consecrating ourselves and our work to God shaped my days and who I was becoming. At a house church crammed with 30 people, during an altar call after a medical clinic, on the airport parking lot, wherever we went and whatever we did, Jesus shared more of the inner life I had once guarded.Connecting my inner life to the inner lives of strangers in public in foreign languages added to my transformation. Hearing others pray for me, my faith prospered in ways that silent prayer alone did not teach me. I learned that to be welcomed as a fellow believer in other languages, addressed intimately by strangers as “beloved” and “dear sister,” declares the mysterious unity of our faith. Even when we can’t understand each other’s words, the Spirit speaks clearly through us. We recognize one another as co-heirs with Christ, cherished children of God.This new lifestyle of prayer prepared me for the other side of authenticity—reaching into my own despondency. When I forget what it’s like to be holy, I picture myself a

Luke 1:76, 78-79And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High… because of the tender mercy of our God,by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darknessand in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”+Give thanks when you hear how and why you are called to live.Let “the tender mercy of our God” allow everyone to grow through love.Flash💥Devos is a reader-supported publication that fosters engaged spirituality through prayer, art, and action. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Colossians 4:17-18 “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.” I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.+In prison and on papyrus, Paul poured out his heart to disrupt evil with Christ’s love. I honor how Paul’s writing still shapes our faith. Can you write or draw about what holds your conscience captive?Shine God’s mercy into “the fruitless deeds of darkness” with words and images of power and spirit.Meg West and I have been good friends since 1977 and she eagerly agreed to share her art with us on my Flash💥Devos. Meg has painted full time since 2000, delighting others with her plein air oil paintings. She paints daily, either inside her studio near Charlottesville, Virginia, or outside. Meg often gathers with fellow painters at locations that inspire them: ponds, mountains, vineyards, streams, and gardens. Her landscapes capture scenes throughout Albemarle and surrounding counties in the Shenandoah Valley, as well as Skyline Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and beyond. “I enjoy the rhythm and momentum that comes with a steady flow of painting,” she wrote. “The act of painting is what is important--feeling connected to the environment, myself, and the painting.” Find Meg on socials and on her blog at http://www.megwestoilpainting.net/Flash💥Devos is a reader-supported publication. Your subscription is a gift to the arts and spiritual communities we share. Thanks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Job 19: 7-8“Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ 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.”+Job’s 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 God’s loving light fills seekers with strength and courage.Stand with others as an ally in the beloved community of hope and reconciliation.Today’s sculpture “Mother, Mother Ocean” represents “another aspect of Mother Nature, trying to survive and accommodate the intrusion of humans,” Maria Wickwire wrote. “Her title is a fragment of a song lyric by Jimmy Buffet.”Longtime friend and fellow artist Maria Wickwire creates evocative ceramic sculptures revealing feminine archetypes. “I hope to encourage healing and forgiveness in our sometimes splintering world,” she commented. Her studio overlooks Big Lake in northwest Washington where, she adds, “I photograph Mother Nature’s reminders that if She can persist, so can we.” Find Maria and her award-winning work at mariawickwire.com and social media channels.Subscribers support Flash💥Devos as a gift to the arts and spiritual communities we share. Thanks for joining us! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Psalm 36:5-6God’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, Huey Lewis sang, “Might make you sad. Might make you mad.”“But you’ll be glad, baby, when you’ve foundThat’s the power, makes the world go ‘round.”**Songwriters Huey Lewis, Chris Hayes, Johnny Colla. “The Power of Love,” 1985.Today’s devotion also appears on redletterchristians.org daily WakeUp newsletter.Thanks for subscribing! 💥 Sounds simple. Means a lot! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Ephesians 6:14-16Stand 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 faith” release more vulnerability?Show lovingkindness in gestures that deflect “the flaming arrows of the evil one.”Today’s devotion also appears on redletterchristians.org daily WakeUp newsletter.Flash💥Devos + Podcast is a reader-supported publication. Subscribers enrich the beloved community through the arts and spirituality! Thanks for being here today! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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 anointing for a tough assignment--to serve his community instead.Let your obedience embody the merciful presence of God.Today’s “Watcher” is from Maria’s series, Once Upon a Time When Women Were Birds. “These appeared as figures emerging from the clay, still grounded there, but also reaching to fly. When this one emerged, she made me think of the watcher angels referenced in the Book of Daniel, there to watch over humans. I named the series after a poem by Terry Tempest Williams with the same title,” Maria wrote.“Once upon a time, when women were birds, there was the simple understanding that to sing at dawn and to sing at dusk was to heal the world through joy. The birds still remember what we have forgotten, that the world is meant to be celebrated.” Terry Tempest Williams, When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on VoiceI first met Maria Wickwire on paper in 1991 when a poem of hers so captivated me that I still love it today. We’ve become dear friends and share many mutual interests. Maria’s evocative sculptures reveal feminine archetypes. “I hope to encourage healing and forgiveness in our sometimes splintering world,” she commented. Her studio overlooks Big Lake in northwest Washington where, she adds, “I photograph Mother Nature’s reminders that if She can persist, so can we.” Find Maria and her award-winning work at mariawickwire.com and social media.Flash💥Devos is a reader-supported publication. We foster engaged spirituality through prayer, art, and action. Join us! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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 “children of promise,” heirs to the kingdom of God.Thanks for subscribing! 💥 Sounds simple. Means a lot! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Hosea 10:12Sow 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 Flash💥Devos as a gift to the arts and spiritual communities we share. Thanks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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 to be fair. Ask him to be your friend.Sculptor Maureen Seamonds is a dear friend from Webster City, Iowa and a catalyst for community art. People looking around Mo’s rural downtown studio respond directly, she commented. “They’ll touch the work, or hug it, or drape an arm across it. They really know it.” Visit her at the Produce Station Pottery or through Legacy Learning Boone River Valley.Flash💥Devos + Podcast is a reader-supported publication. Your subscription is a gift to the arts and spiritual communities we share. Thanks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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 Divinaby Marianne Abel-LipschutzToday’s image of the back cover of this handmade bible from the 8th Century astonished me — and made me wonder what the front cover looks like! Each time I examine it, my fingertips tingle as I imagine rubbing the smooth gems, tracing the twined filigrees, and turning the cover this way and that. Without a single word of text, I perceive a powerful impression of Almighty God. What do you see?I love picturing the monks’ workshop more than thirteen hundred years ago where skilled artisans brainstormed how to honor the world-changing prophesies inside. The cover’s elaborate patterning, gems, cultural histories, and spiritual energy merge into an order of the whole that’s saturated with time, place, meaning, and creativity. A Morgan Library entry on the Lindau Gospel covers describes some of its cosmological dimensions that may have already captivated your spirit. “The Greek letters alpha and omega are inscribed on the vertical arm of the cross and refer to the beginning and end of time. “Likewise, the mass of snakes and other creatures filling the four carved plaques between the arms of the cross establish a link between the Gospels and the primordial act of creation.” Once we open to revelation beyond the text, Presence lives. Turquoise, topaz, emeralds, gold, and moonstones speak of the glory of paradise itself. How does what you perceive connect or clash with who you are right now? That’s where Visio Divina begins. …people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of God’s divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. ~Romans 1:20 MSGFor several years, I participated in Visio Divina sessions once or twice a month at Prairiewoods, a Franciscan eco-spirituality center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, about an hour away from my home. Our ecumenical group of seekers included artists, writers, readers, and prayer warriors who collaborated in wide-ranging dialogues with the Word. God inspired us with creative interpretations, uncanny wisdom, and honest reflections about our faith. The Prairiewoods sessions, guided by Pastor Rodney Bluml, included two hours of prayer using an illumination and an accompanying verse from the St. John’s Bible. This edition offers exquisite testimony through terrific writing and remarkable illustrations inspired through community practice in the Benedictine tradition. Artists collaborated for more than a dozen years to reimagine the scriptural texts for our new century, blending the traditional crafts of the monastic scribes of the Middle Ages with the book arts skills of the modern era. Texts and images meld to communicate a true message from God.My sensory focus deepens with Visio Divina as foreground and background shift in a kaleidoscopic array. Some days my take-away was a silent knowing or a realization that no one answer prevails. I learned to align with vitality. I could see the hope in the world more clearly after simply being there. Scripture is beamed out to us on the same screen as ads and porn. What are we looking for? How do we recognize the Word or acknowledge when Presence is with us? Visio Divina, or divine seeing, joins prayer with Bible study in an active process of entering the presence of God with a teachable heart. Each encounter with a Bible story, even a familiar one, is a way God comes to us. Visio Divina offers a structured time of contemplation about an image and a scriptural text. Every person receives the Spirit differently.Studying a nature scene on different days or in the context of lectionary readings, I might see the water flowing or tall trees as guardians. The forest may loom as a wilderness that draws me into solitude. Maybe the immanence of rocks, the sky, or the vastness of creation would fascinate me another day. I invite the Spirit’s action within and welcome the community energy of focused prayer. God speaks to us through intuition, colors and sounds, even the sweet minty aroma from the porcelain teacup on the mahogany table. Our prayer becomes our conversation and we listen in while God gives individualized hope, encouragement, counsel, or direction. A logical extension of this spiritual practice is to see things in new ways. Scripture is beamed up on the same screen as ads and porn. How do we recognize the Word or acknowledge when Presence is with us? For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and d

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.I’m so grateful that Flash💥Devos + Podcast is a reader-supported publication. We support community in the arts and spirituality together! Thanks for being here with me this year! 😁 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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!Flash💥Devos + Podcast is a reader-supported publication. Subscribers shape community in the arts and spirituality. Thanks for being here with me today! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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.Flash💥Devos + Podcast is a reader-supported publication. Your subscription is a gift to the arts and spiritual communities we share. Thanks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Psalm 65:11-13You 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 beauty and goodness our Creator lavishes on everyone.You're an inspiration! Thank you for joining me today on Flash💥Devos + Podcast! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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 assures us all our needs will be met when we trust God and cast our reserves overboard.My friend and fellow writer 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.”Flash💥Devos + Podcast is a reader-supported publication. Subscribers support community in the arts and spirituality. Thanks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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?Tell someone something cool about the kingdom of God. How did they respond?Thanks for reading and listening to my Flash💥Devos! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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, and killing millions of people.Join others in applying Creator’s healing gifts of forgiveness and reconciliation.Flash💥Devos + Podcast is a reader-supported publication. Thanks for encouraging creative community with your subscription! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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 invitation into a family that shares everything.Be trustworthy, wise, and speak from Christ’s heart.Flash💥Devos + Podcast is a reader-supported publication > thank you for subscribing! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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 celebrated teacher and catalyst for community art. People come into Mo’s rural downtown studio and ask what she’s making. They don't much care what she says, Mo commented, “but meanwhile they’ll touch the work, or hug it, or drape an arm across it. They really know it. It’s nice to think that you don’t have to have a specific vocabulary or training in the arts to understand it.” Visit her studio and public arts events at the Produce Station Pottery or through Legacy Learning Boone River Valley. Flash💥Devos + Podcast is a reader-supported publication. Subscribers encourage community in the arts and spirituality, a marvelous contribution! Thanks for being here today! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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 WeekdaysA recent text message from my friend Mark made me question if our feeling words fit our faith. Mark had prayed about a medical procedure for my husband and shared our pleasure when the feared tests proved the absence of disease. He wrote, “Rejoicing in the good news that they didn’t find any issues.” Mark was absolutely correct: rejoicing was the right response. Yet his message made me wonder about rejoicing. I don’t use that verb except when reading scripture aloud. How do we rejoice now? Our feeling words don’t often match the King James Version of life where people rejoice, sing praises, and beseech their Sovereign Lord whom they address in capital letters. My world doesn’t include people strolling along a boulevard or through the gritty streets of a Broadway musical at the moment they burst into song. I'd be enthralled by the dramatic procession parading out of the old city described by the prophet Isaiah but it’s just not where I live. For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. (Isaiah 55:12 NKJV)Rejoicing sounds like a Sunday word and a higher level feeling we save for church. Mad, happy, sad, glad describe most of our experiences. There’s nothing unbiblical about feeling glad; here the psalmist sketches excited gratefulness. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad. (Psalm 126:2-3 NIV) Yet our ordinary days seem far from the grand language of the Bible. High-fives and “You rocked it!” exclamations express rejoicing today. Shouting, “Yay, God!” may be the best we’ve got. Exciting news, the birth of a child, a marriage proposal, a resolution to a long-standing problem, these are common experiences of happiness kicked up a few notches into joy. “Man, that was epic,” conveys an exceptional moment but it hides a deeper personal reflection. Psychologists report that most people don’t even know if they’re happy. Which words capture your faith and reflect your experiences these days? Naming what makes us joyful and why can testify about the holiness in daily life. Recognizing and claiming our connections with God can blend biblical words with everyday speech. My friend Mark rejoices more than I do but his example teaches me how to plug into that everyday joy God wants for us. Our way of speaking on Sundays shouldn’t clash with how we talk every other day of the week. Rejoice means to intensify joy, an experience of rich pleasure and uncommon satisfaction. We receive permission to do just that in Ecclesiastes 9:7 (NIV). Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. This compelling poetry dignifies our ordinary days. The Bible constantly coaches us to be joyful, to not be afraid, to remember that God is always with us. In any translation, these loving words renew our faith when we can’t see beyond the world as it is.When we let go of joy, we lose the majesty in our everyday walk with God, no matter how hard that walk is. What’s a practice in your life that connects you to everyday joy? The Christian narrative doesn’t limit joy to positive experiences; in fact, the Bible calls us to rejoice in all circumstances. This is a tough message, especially when strong feelings mark a time of separation, loss, and grief. “Oh, I wish we could get together but …” people lament, filling in the blank with sadness or the silence of unmentionable hardship. The loved one is in prison, the hospital, hospice, quarantine, or serving abroad. Some extended families face all of these circumstances at once right now. Esther put it bluntly. For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family? (Esther 8:6 NIV) Yet the scriptures don’t avoid the expectation to feel joy. “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,” James challenges us in his first chapter. When Mary learned the results of her pregnancy test, she offered a song of surrender to bear and raise Jesus. In Luke 1:47 NIV, she declared to Elizabeth and to every generation, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” It took everything she had to launch Jesus and then he, too, pitched it all as sacrificial joy. Look to Jesus, Paul suggests, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne

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 with me today. Sign up for a free or paid subscription to my Flash💥Devos + Podcast and listen on Apple or Spotify. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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 kindness. Allow yourself to be drawn back toward the right path today.Give your spiritual life a boost with a free or paid subscription to my Flash💥Devos. Listen to the podcast on Apple or Spotify. Thanks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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 others into the better paradise where Christ satisfies every hunger and thirst.My friend and fellow writer 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.” You might really enjoy becoming a free or paid subscriber to Flash💥Devos + Podcast. Try listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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-fold: trust and obey.Give your life a boost with a free or paid subscription to my Flash💥Devos + Podcast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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 Spirit shaping your life. It’s guaranteed to be good!Thanks for joining me to pray on Flash💥Devos + Podcast today. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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 more “in the faith” today.Thanks for letting Flash💥Devos + Podcast enrich your day! Let’s be encouraging. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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 others’ worlds. Your presence means a lot to me! Thanks for reading and listening to my Flash💥Devos. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

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. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

1 Peter 3:8-9 “Be 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.”+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 new posts and podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Philippians 2:14-15 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” +Translations for “grumbling or arguing” 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 “blameless and pure” in various translations: clean, innocent, harmless, uncontaminated, without blemish, sincere. Model acceptance, harmony, and thrive in diversity as you grow through life’s challenges. Delighted you’ve joined me for today’s Flash💥Devos! Subscribe for new posts or follow this podcast on Apple or Spotify. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Jeremiah 23:28-29 “Let the one who has my word speak it faithfully… Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”+Quoting scripture to make a point requires discernment in the right use of our authority. The wise consider silence. It’s a solemn responsibility to draw on the power of sacred speech.Let your humble life be your witness to the transforming power of Christ.I’m delighted to share this lakeshore still-life by my long-time friend and fellow writer Jill Hinners. Jill lives in Duluth, Minnesota where she directs a non-profit youth mentoring organization. She 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.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

To thank you for reading and listening to my Flash💥Devos in October, I offer my article “Take Me to the Border with You” 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 Poland, Ireland, Germany, and Alsace-Lorraine. Take Me to the Border with Youby Marianne Abel-LipschutzThe Del Rio area looked simple from the airplane window. The river cut a path, paralleled by a fence, between two mirrored cities that were surrounded by vast, open brushland. Questions prickled the edges of my awareness as I watched the land come into view: How did our society get to this point? Whose border is this? What can we do? Will we do what we can?So many migrants congregated along the Rio Grande between Texas and Mexico in 2019 that I felt compelled to go too. The hundreds, and thousands, and then hundreds of thousands of people migrating northward astonished me. I wanted to witness that yearning for change among so many people from so many places, those who escaped terror and trauma as well as those who saw their only hope for a future on the other side of the border.I wanted to feel swept along in that human vortex from over fifty countries—pushing strollers, walking side by side, riding buses, hiding behind trees, waiting in food lines, moving ahead, seeking a future, everyone breathing at once. I quickly said, “Yes!” when a Christian crisis-response team asked me to join them as a bilingual chaplain in Del Rio, Texas, for a week. I wanted to stand with others in their struggle for a new life. My voice rose with a thousand yeses in many languages, like uncountable monarchs released to the open sky. “Yes,” we cried. “Take me to the border with you.”***I live and work in both Iowa and Guatemala, and I’ve listened to people in both places describe their quest for the border. One year ago, a slight boy named Elver approached me in a rural church. We were volunteering with a mission team on a hilltop overlooking Guatemala, the farthest we could get from a border without trying. There was hardly any work or water. A robin’s-egg-blue, button-down shirt draped lightly and formally over this boy. Eleven years old, Elver had an elegant air, even when giggling and scampering around the churchyard with friends. He had studied me all morning while mothers and children coloured pages on the pews. Finally he sat beside me and confided a raw and tender worry. “Will my father ever make it to the United States?” His dad hadn’t left town yet, but the threat of his absence already affected him profoundly.Elver had probed the options as thoroughly as an adult, seeing danger overflow with impossibilities. “Will my father come back?” “Why can’t I go with him?” His persistent questions ached both his heart and mine. “How far away is your country?” There was no easy answer, though the distance could be measured. A factual reply would only sting. We coloured the same page for a while, the scrape of the pew shifting on the floor the only sound between us. Guatemalans had welcomed me into their country. I didn’t believe this child’s dad would find the same welcome in my country. Our hearts were united, but our countries were worlds apart.***The community shelter where our team volunteered had opened in the spring, organized by city, business, and church leaders. The Border Patrol had requested assistance with the extraordinary influx of people across the international border, so these community leaders had formed the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition to offer hospitality and hope. The Coalition converted an old municipal building a mile from the river into a resource and respite centre for migrating children and families. Other organizations and people from all over the state and country donated thousands of hours and supplies.Coalition volunteers and staff intentionally welcomed people for months from countries as diverse and far-flung as Angola and Chile. These men, women, and children had come across the bridge or “through the water,” as they called it. Once Border Patrol determined that individual migrants and families could be released into Texas with provisional documents, officers delivered them to the shelter. Over the summer, the shelter averaged 60 people a day. One day Val Verde served 226 people.Anticipating new federal laws restricting migrants’ passage, the daily average dropped to two dozen people by the end of August. The Migrant Protection Protocols that took effect in late September effectively closed the border. The change at the Val Verde shelter was dramatic: The well-organized camp had more volunteers and staff than migrants needing respite. Thousands of people were still leaving their home countries daily

Luke 21:3-4 He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”+My friend Jay once asked me if the gigantic “Jesus Saves” billboards on urban banks advertised where Jesus saves. It’s a powerfully mixed message. Decide what kind of savings you value most. Is it worth enough to give it all away?I hope you’ve enjoyed reading and listening to my Flash💥Devos! Subscribe for new posts and podcasts or follow on Apple or Spotify. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Psalm 126:5-6Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow,will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.+Sometimes the songs of joy remain silent in the hymnal, tucked in the pew for another day. Grief dribbles from our eyes. No tune carries sadness far. Yet we live as children of promise for that coming day. Sorrow matures in our walk toward new seasons. Listen for radiant harmony as new songs emerge.This devotional also appears on Red Letter Christians WakeUp newsletter today. redletterchristians.orgSubscribe for free posts or follow the podcast on Apple or Spotify. Thanks for stopping by! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com

Hebrews 6:11-12 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.+We need companions who can reorient us when we stray. Pulling up our bootstraps fixes some needs but relationships knit us together better. Loving each other the way Jesus loved counts. Stay the course with allies in committed faith.Today’s devotional also appears on Red Letter Christians WakeUps at redletterchristians.orgThanks for joining me on Flash💥Devos + Podcast! Subscribe for free to receive new posts or follow on Apple or Spotify. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marianneabellipschutz.substack.com