1 Kings 19:11-12

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

+

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

What would your answer be on the spot?

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

Luke 7:33-35

“For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

+

Neighbors gaslight an innocent man because they reject his claims about the kingdom of God. They berate Jesus as a sinner among sinners. What’s your opinion?

Jesus offers everyone the divine encounter: choose sides or wisdom.

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

Romans 8:24-25

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what one already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

+

Waiting and patience don’t make headlines in the grind culture these days.

Emily Dickinson claims,

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

Hopeful expectation comes from reconciling with the Spirit of God.

*Elizabeth Rush photograph from https://orionmagazine.org/article/elizabeth-rush-emily-raboteau-interview-antarctica/

*Copyright Credit: Emily Dickinson, “’Hope’ is the Thing with Feathers” from The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, edited by Thomas H. Johnson, ed., Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Source: The Poems of Emily Dickinson Edited by R. W. Franklin (Harvard University Press, 1999).

Psalm 17:4-6, 15

Though people tried to bribe me,

I have kept myself from the ways of the violent

through what your lips have commanded.

My steps have held to your paths;

my feet have not stumbled.

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

…
As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;

when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

+

Face Creator with confidence and assurance.

Listen for the holiness we share.

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

Ephesians 6:12-13

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

+

Clarifying the source of our power helps us choose protective measures that withstand the adversary’s schemes.

Trust that others will rise up alongside you.

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

Matthew 12:38-40

“Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of humans will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

+

God’s mercy transforms the world. Maybe you’ve drifted away or felt buried by suffering. Could a miraculous sign change you?

Look for tomorrow.

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

Matthew 12:15-16

But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, but he warned them not to reveal who he was.

+

Crowds surrounding Jesus didn’t keep him from serving. Shouts, gossip, and taunting questions didn’t distract him. Trusting the mercy of his assignment, Jesus “healed all the sick among them.” How he treated others still cures us today.

Practice hiddenness to recover wellness and peace.

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

2 Samuel 22:17-20

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me;

he drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy,

from my foes, who were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster,

but the Lord was my support.

He brought me out into a spacious place;

he rescued me because he delighted in me.

+

Those who feel ill, distressed, anxious in hard times--many cannot believe anyone will ever delight in them again.

Hold a third space open for rescue.

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

Psalm 86:12-13

O Giver of Breath, I will speak of your greatness with my entire being. My Creator, I will honor your name for all days to come.

Your love for me, which remains faithful and true, has no bounds. You have snatched my life from the lowest part of the Dark Underworld of Death.

+

Dwelling in the liminal spaces slivered between today and the underworld, I can feel stuck together with joy and aloneness, suffering and delight.

May we honor the perplexity of our times and celebrate being loved wholeheartedly.

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

Psalm 92:6-7

Only a simpleton would not know,

and only a fool would not understand this:

Though the wicked sprout like weeds

and evildoers flourish,

they will be destroyed forever.

+

Our worldly lives toggle between the present moment and the near future. God asks us to widen out, to connect with a universal picture. How can we learn to value divine promises of forever when everything seems so urgent?

Indulge your community in mystery and hiddenness for a change. Delights await when we discover forever and forever more together.

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

Isaiah 48:9-11

Yet for my own sake and for the honor of my name,

I will hold back my anger and not wipe you out.

I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.

Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.

I will rescue you for my sake—

yes, for my own sake!

I will not let my reputation be tarnished,

and I will not share my glory with idols!

+

Creator shares glory with those who surrender to the furnace of transformation.

Seek rescue wisely.

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

Song of Songs 2:10-12

My beloved spoke and said to me,

“Arise, my darling,

my beautiful one, come with me.

See! The winter is past;

the rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth;

the season of singing has come,

the cooing of doves

is heard in our land.

+

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

May our songs honor the mourning of peacemaking doves.

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

Psalm 13:5-6

I’ve thrown myself headlong into your arms—

I’m celebrating your rescue.

I’m singing at the top of my lungs,

I’m so full of answered prayers.

+

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

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

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

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

+

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

Let love be the litmus test.

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

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

+

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

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

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

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

+

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

Receive the gift of life through revelations about your faithfulness.

Let's Have Coffee! ~ Tip Jar

Psalm 86:11

Teach me your way, Lord,

that I may rely on your faithfulness;

give me an undivided heart,

that I may fear your name.

+

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

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

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

Dear Subscribers and Followers,

I thank God for healing in the past nine months that allows me strength and time to return to writing, producing, and publishing several new Flash💥Devos starting Monday, June 22nd. Please join in for a moment of prayer and visual contemplation!

I have five days of devotionals appearing in Red Letter Christians’ daily WakeUps newsletter. Beyond that, I don’t have a regular schedule figured out. I will continue to post/podcast as I have opportunity.

Thank you all for your encouragement, prayers, and support during these past six months while I’ve taken time away from writing and screens in order to heal and adjust to new health realities.

I so appreciate this spiritual and writing community. Let me know how I can pray with you this summer! Keep in touch!

Love,

Marianne

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

2 Corinthians 8:13-15

Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”

May we share what we have gathered and ask for what we need, so that in every season we may all feel whole.

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)

Share Marianne’s Substack

Psalm 126:1-2

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.

Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.

+

Cheer out loud when rescue becomes real. Not maybe he will save us, or maybe he’ll help us, or if we do what’s right he’ll stay. Here and now, no matter what, in this and that and in everything, life changes when the Lord arrives.

Tall, heartless, brutal, kind, earnest, every color, shape, location, and time. Jesus is coming for every one of us.

Let’s Have Coffee ~ Tip Jar :)