Friday, February 23, 2018

SPRINGING



Hi There!

Spring wants to spring!

Around here you can almost hear it saying,

          "Enough already with weary winter.

           Let's lighten up, warm up, pop up."

All this in February right here

in  Mid-Atlantic, USA!!

One night it's a freezing fifteen degrees.

The next day it's sweater weather

for us old timers,

and tee shirts for the teens

at seventy two degrees.

It snows vigorously for a few hours and

two days later crocuses are popping up.

Some of the farm fields hereabouts

evidence a hopeful blush of green.

Spring wants to spring.



So do our spirits.

You can almost hear them saying,

            " Enough already with

               weary soul winter.

               Let's lighten up,

               warm up, pop up."

Corporately we call

this Spirit Springing,

           Lent.

It's very name, Lent,

derives from the word "lengthen."

The days lengthen in light,

springing forth from

the dreary dark of winter.

Our spirits want to "spring " as well.

They long for an enlightenment

that thaws through to

 a wonderful warming of soul,

and all sorts of new aliveness

popping up within us.



In church circles,

Lent is a time for

     repentance.

Now there is a word that will put

a winter chill right back into

 most people!!

We'd like to take a pass

on repentance just now, thank you!!

Well, let's give it another look.



Pardon, not my French,

but my Latin.

"Re" means

                 "again."

"Pendere" means

                "to arrange,"

                "to hang."

So, in it's purity

"re - pendere,"

   repentance,

 is a Spring Thing.

It means we do some Spring Cleaning,

indeed clearing.

Repentance is a joyful,

creative, experience actually.

We note disorder and delight

in reordering,

"re - arranging "

for a refreshed living spirit space,

a new season of grace growth.

It's like rehanging ("re-pendere")

pictures, drapes and mirrors

that are off center,

righting things.

It's like rearranging

("re-pendere")

furniture and fixtures

that clutter -

clearing for a

new spaciousness.



As we Spirit Spring,

in this Lenten season of

        repentance,

this time of rearranging,

let's consider:

       - What thought patterns,

         longings, fantasies do need

         some rearranging

       - how can we clear better space  for

         quiet and meditation

       - what activities and relationships

         are ready for a healthy touch up

       - how use the "light" of soul to join

         up with folks in moving society

         past the dark of dirty, depressing politics,

         of so misnamed "white" nationalism,

         of media manipulation and madness,

         of gun, nuclear, sexual and every other

         hideous monster of violence

       - how to happy up finding ways

         to renew religious groupings,

         family life, friendships,

         social gatherings -

         everything from soccer teams

         to neighborhood picnics

       - how to dust off and polish up

        commitment to

        environmental care

      - while holding on to our day job,

         cutting loose for the joys

         of free, creative frolic -

         go hiking and skinny dipping

         ( o k, wait a bit til the temperature

          warms more for the skinny dipping ),

        write some poetry,

        paint a picture,

        jam with some friends,

        read a really good novel or biography,

        cook a grand  meal

         ( complemented, of course,

         with a worthy wine )

        and have friends over

       - recommit to walking

         with a spiritual companion,

         more formally called

         a spiritual director

       - gather friends for

         a heaven of a good time

         giving a Saturday to

         Habitat for Humanity,

        or taking a bunch of needful kids

        for a day in the country



Please let's just use the above as prompts.

For sure we'll all evolve our own list

as  we delight in the light and freedom of

Spring Cleaning,

Spirit Springing.



This week our sharing here

at "frankly speaking"

widened to Peru.

Bienvenido!!

See you next week.

Lenten On!!

Spirit Springing!!

Holding you in

God's Dear Love,

    John Frank