Marianne's FLASH💥DEVOS Podcast

Deuteronomy 24:17, 19 Make sure that orphans and foreigners are treated fairly. … If you forget to bring in a stack of harvested grain, don't go back in the field to get it. Leave it for the poor, including foreigners, orphans, and widows, and the Lord will make you successful in everything you do.+Each of us bears responsibility for our neighbors and for fair distribution of earthly abundance. Justice and righteousness become real when whole communities experience the good life God gives us.Glad you could join me today. Thanks!My Flash💥Devos Podcast plays on Apple & Spotify or subscribe for free emails. 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

Deuteronomy 24:17,19 Make sure that orphans and foreigners are treated fairly. … If you forget to bring in a stack of harvested grain, don't go back in the field to get it. Leave it for the poor, including foreigners, orphans, and widows, and the Lord will make you successful in everything you do.+Each of us bears responsibility for our neighbors and for fair distribution of earthly abundance. Justice and righteousness become real when whole communities experience the good life God gives us.Thanks for reading FLASH💥DEVOS! It’s good to pray in community. Subscribe for new posts. Podcasts play free on Apple and 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

Mark 10:49-51 Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ So they called to the blind man, ‘Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.’ Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Jesus asked him. +Be conscious of the constant reconciling presence of Jesus. Tell others, “Guess who called me today?” Flip the script. Call Jesus and ask, “What do you want me to do for YOU today?”Thanks for stopping by today! Subscribe or follow for free posts or podcasts. Available on Apple Podcasts and 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

Mark 10:49-51 Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ So they called to the blind man, ‘Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.’ Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Jesus asked him. +Be conscious of the constant reconciling presence of Jesus. Tell others, “Guess who called me today?” Flip the script. Call Jesus and ask, “What do you want me to do for YOU today?”Good to be with you! Thanks! Subscribe for free new posts and to learn along with me. 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 8:11 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 8:11 Be as eager to finish this journey as you were when you started, and give as much as you are able. If you have a willing heart, it is accepted that you give from what you have and not from what you do not have.+A journey seems adventurous and desirable, launched with anticipation and yearning. Finishing well can be just as gratifying. We live like Jesus when we love completely.Discover fulfillment in becoming who you are through loving relationships.It’s been a pleasure to pray with you today. Subscribe for new free posts or listen on the podcast. 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 24:39 “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”+Being only “the hands and feet of Jesus” limits God’s desire for healing. Why bypass heart, mind, soul, and strength? Christ resolved all suffering with holistic love. We may not choose to suffer. Jesus calls us to freely love.“Christ has no body now on earth but yours.” ~ Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582)Thanks for stopping by to pray with me on FLASH💥DEVOS! Subscribe to receive new posts, podcasts, and grow your 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

Luke 24:39Thanks for praying with me today on Flash💥Devos Podcast! Subscribe for free new posts, podcasts, and other contributions. 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

James 4:8 Come near to God and God will come near to you. +Reciprocity identifies our universe. Made by a Creator who freely shares love and delight, we yearn for community by nature. Drawing closer to others enriches us the way a complex environment fosters a diversified life. When we invest in the flourishing of our neighbors, everyone enjoys the rewards. Choose to live close to God so everyone and everything around you will also experience God’s love.Thanks for praying together on Flash💥Devos! Subscribe for emails or listen to the 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

James 4:8Thanks for listening to Flash💥Devos Podcast! Subscribe for new posts and podcasts. I look forward to praying together with you. 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

Proverbs 30:15-16 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

Proverbs 30:15-16“There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’:the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’+The forces of nature and the forces of human nature share perplexing similarities. Relief seems impossible for the suffering and terror caused by disasters. Relentless conflicts within ourselves and our communities also seem irreconcilable. Through Christ, we can choose redemptive solutions.Team with others who say, “Enough!” Help restore pathways to peace.So glad you’re here, reading or listening along! Subscribe for new posts or podcasts. 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

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

Genesis 17:13 My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.When everlasting began, God included us in the kingdom. God promised a commitment beyond time, place, or works. Abraham surrendered. He received a new name and a reshaped body that marked him for an eternal future. +God wants us to become one to each other through such profound attachment that our bodies reflect the new spirit within us. God offers a new covenant through Jesus.Worship, pray, and flourish in authentic relationships with others.Thanks for reading my Flash💥Devos! Imagine how we’re growing together through prayer. 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 subscribed, read, commented, and listened to my FLASH💥DEVOS for its first month! As a tenfold gesture of gratitude at just over 1000 words, I’d like to share this piece about how scripture, obedience, and love in Guatemala changed my old grief into surprising joy. As writer Etty Hillesum once said, we should “clear a decent shelter” for our sorrow. “Then you may truly say: life is beautiful and so rich. So beautiful and so rich that it makes you want to believe in God.” 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 subscribed, read, commented, and listened to my FLASH💥DEVOS for its first month! As a tenfold gesture of gratitude at just over 1000 words, I’d like to share this piece about how scripture, obedience, and love in Guatemala transformed my old grief into surprising joy. As writer Etty Hillesum once said, we should “clear a decent shelter” for our sorrow. “Then you may truly say: life is beautiful and so rich. So beautiful and so rich that it makes you want to believe in God.”Living with 100 SistersThere’s nothing new about becoming a Christian missionary in the 21st Century. The offer remains the same. Jesus still invites us to “Come, follow me” after more than two thousand years. The harsh reality of how to become a disciple hasn’t changed either. Scripture says simply, “You must die.” Die to our life, hate our family, leave our brothers, forsake our sisters, walk away from our sons and daughters, abandon our land and everything else and just, “Follow me.” Thanks for participating in my Flash💥Devos! Subscribe to receive new posts and podcasts.The prospect of such a reversal haunted me for years. I felt kin to the rich man who questioned Jesus about access to the kingdom, a place that appealed to both of us. That guy received instructions that still work today: sell everything, give to the poor, and “Follow me.” My life has indeed been rich, maybe similar to that man’s good life--a generous family, a spacious home, clear purposes, meaningful work, loving relationships, and natural beauty all around. I felt confused that the rewards of living right and loving well--blessings from God--had little actual value. Maybe the rich guy in the Bible story made a different decision later in life, but in that moment he walked back home rather than follow Jesus empty-handed. I had done that many times, too, but God kept following me. Eventually I gave up trying to make sense of becoming a missionary. As I turned away from one family connection and place and then let the next ones slide by without grasping, I turned toward things and people that had previously been invisible. Becoming a new person is more than we can imagine from where we are. “Come, follow me” also means “Come into the vision I have for you alone.”Once I shifted my line of perspective, sacrifice took shape as a familiar norm. My Uncle Jim served as a monk in Ohio, teaching at inner city high schools for 55 years. He lived at a remove from the daily world, yet he was still emotionally invested in the people near him. Selfishly, even though we didn’t live nearby, I felt slighted as his niece and longed for his attention over the years. We both had to sacrifice my part in his life because he chose to follow Jesus unconditionally. Now my own family and friends might suffer for my service, regardless of their willingness or their faith journey.Jesus encourages us to seek our place in the kingdom by imagining a camel slip through the eye of a needle. We can’t see how a camel or a human could get through, nor can we picture life on the other side. Who will we become when we leave everything behind? What happens to those who pass through the needle’s eye? Easier for the camel, Jesus added, and just as transformational. “Come, follow me” also means “Come into the vision I have for you alone.”Check off your list of things as you forsake them for the kingdom: houses, brothers, sisters, parents, spouse, kids, lands. Our attachment to all this has to go. Even his disciples asked, “What then will we have?” One more promise in the uncluttered space between us and Jesus: you shall receive a hundredfold in this life, and life everlasting in the next. An astounding goodness can come from our choice to sacrifice what we love dearly for what we do not know. *****I couldn’t have pictured a less likely room for revelation than a makeshift beauty salon. After a year serving at a children’s home in Guatemala, I joined a dozen women who helped fourteen teen girls do their hair and makeup in an upstairs classroom for a Quinceañera fiesta on our campus. I had grown up with four brothers, hair that resisted curling, and a mother who was allergic to most makeup and jewelry. A beauty salon is foreign territory to me, a place I can visit but will never belong. The other women and girls thrived with the pampering, the garish colors, the elaborate gowns and, for those girls who chose indigenous formal wear, the muted weaves of gold-laced, multi-colored patterns from their home counties. Bobby pins cluttered the floor, taffeta shreds drifted to the corners, tiny bottles of fingernail polish in glitter rainbow shades covered a desktop. Sisters and friends chatted and giggled, holding a mirror or waiting to see who was next. Excitement and anticipation crested in the moments before the event as each girl gathered her skirts and clunked down steep stairs in unfamiliar heels.Right before our very eyes we see dreams become real--dreams we forgot we once had. When J

Psalm 19:7-8The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road.The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy.The last words of each line attract me: whole, clear, right. Together, road, joy. Different combinations address life’s complexity. Seek God’s revelation through signposts and life-maps. Yearn for wholeness and clarity. Humility can right-size our relationships in the world. Let God draw us together on the road to joy.Thanks for listening to my FLASH💥DEVOS! Subscribe to listen to free new 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

Deuteronomy 1:17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. +Sane advice from a tested leader like Moses applies today. When we listen to everyone and don’t fear anyone, we respect the fair judgment of God. Make room for other points of view. Communities that share authority and power flourish.Be a living presence of fair leadership. Where you have influence, invite dialogue to allow peace. Thanks for reading my FLASH💥DEVOS! Subscribe for my new free posts. 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 22:8-10 “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.“‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’”God’s penetrating light withered the old Saul. Paul surrendered as his identity transformed. Obedience shows the way when our words can’t explain who God asks us to be. Which question is yours: “Who are you, Lord?” or “What shall I do?”Subscribe so you receive new posts! 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

Hebrews 11:24-25 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.Moses chose community with those who suffer as a mature response to his world. Having experienced the flashy thrills of sinful acts, Moses contributed to an eternal legacy instead. Befriending unlikely or unlike-me people takes courage. Give people a chance.Thanks for reading my FLASH💥DEVOS! Subscribe free for new posts and writing. 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

John 1:34 “I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”Imagine that incredible day on the job when John the Baptist saw Jesus walking towards him across the sands of time. The ribbon of water unfurled along the beach. The crowd turned to see who John pointed to, shouting, “Here he is! He’s the One!” Jesus is the only one who is always coming to save us. Turn to see who is coming. Can you welcome Christ in them? Do they see Jesus in you?Thanks for reading my FLASH💥DEVOS! Subscribe for free for new posts and to encourage my writing. 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 128:19 As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.History imprints our hearts with elaborate patterns. The grit of grief etches us. Goodness meanders among scabs left by harsh encounters. Yet harmony is not beyond our reach. When our heart’s desires flow through expressions on our faces, we attune to others in love. Let others reflect the power in your loving heart back to you. Your life is part of the wonder in the world. Thanks for reading my Flash💥Devos! Subscribe to receive new posts and encourage my writing. 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 139:16 All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.God embeds majesty in our souls, assuring us we are created, chosen, anointed, and essential. Mystery and promise still exist. What will you write in your book of “God’s Plans for Me” in 2024 and beyond? Believe that you will flourish in ways that seem impossible now. Cast your vision of the future God wants for you. Discern the goodness you can discover now and record your insights. Dedicated to Matt who has encouraged me to create this series since 2021!Thank you for reading my FLASH💥DEVOS! This post is public. Go ahead and share it!Subscribe for free to receive new posts and encourage my writing. 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

Dear Family & Friends,I’m thrilled to announce that my new Flash💥Devos newsletter will launch on September 1st. Subscribers receive an email twice a week with an image, bursts of scripture, insights, and a nudge in 90 words. I’d love to have you join me. Since 2021, I’ve published short-short devotions with Red Letter Christians. Friends and readers encouraged me to collect these and write more so they’re easily available. I dreamed about adding images from artists as well as from the places and people we cherish. Now my series is just about ready and I want you to be among the first to sign up! Readers say my Flash💥Devos help them connect with the Divine Presence through brief take-aways.In about a minute of listening to or reading my Flash Devos 💥 the moment shifts and your day deepens. I love the challenge of writing brief devos to share a burst of divine inspiration with you. My Flash💥Devos will launch SOON! Subscribe today so you can join me at the beginning on Sunday, September 1st!I pray that these selections shift your day into the better world that awaits. Let’s walk one step further in our spiritual lives together today. And thanks for taking a minute to pray with me! Sounds simple. Means a lot.--Marianne~Romans 1:11-12 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.Thanks for accepting my invitation to subscribe to my new Flash💥Devos! You’ll receive email posts twice a week and support my writing!Early Enthusiasm for FLASH💥DEVOS!“I love love love this. I love that it’s 90 words. And providing a prompt is AWESOME!! Great idea!” ~Matt“I continue to read with interest about your work and the inspiring spiritual messages you write. I would love to conduct an interview with you regarding your work both as a writer and as a farmer.” ~Phyllis 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