GATHERED

Dear All of Us,

It ran from being puzzled

to being plain old ticked off.

As pastor, I just couldn't figure

those visitors who would show up 

at a Sunday Service 

and bluntly tell me 

they were church shopping.

"Say what??"

Were they bargain hunting,

looking for a discounted 

spiritual special??

Did they have a fistful 

of churchy coupons?

"Come on already!"

Was this "Me-ism" on the margins 

of unabashed, vulgar, self-indulgence?

Or was there some merit to this mystery,

something that would ring true and good? 

                  Then I retired.

                        YEP 

            I went church shopping.

How naive I'd been.

Guess I just assumed 

most churches were like 

the good ones 

I was blessed to pastor.

I found out that 

there were lots of 

 "places of worship" 

that weren't even within 

a country mile of being a 

     "The People of God",

     "The Body of Christ",

     "Fallowers of the Way."

Sadly, they were mostly clubby, 

feel good gatherings 

with a cross on top.

Often those crosses tended to tip 

far right or far left, 

not straight up heavenward.

More and more such "places"

are emptying out these days. 

There's an 

            Exodus

               of 

             Souls

trying to find their way to a 

        Promised Land

       flowing with real

           spiritual 

       milk and honey.

To switch metaphors, 

it's too often like 

an orphan train 

with nowhere to go. 

On that same train are 

another group of spiritual orphans.

They have outgrown a lot of

superficial, self-centered living. 

They crave the real deep deal 

in spiritual life and community.

These orphans never were part of 

those "places" of supposed worship.

And they aren't about to start.

These seeking souls can see right thru

the vacuous spiritual nothingness

of such soulless "places".

It's a no go.

And they don't go.

But where can they go?

Well, in my continued 

shopping around 

after retirement, 

I found that 

there are indeed 

wonderful, for real 

spiritual communities -

not perfect,

but discernably, 

genuinely good 

and real.

In them there's 

room and 

welcome for all.

They come in 

all sizes and shapes, 

in all sorts of places.

Some are denominational, 

others free standing.

For all the variety, 

the members 

care for each other and 

for people and needs 

beyond themselves.

Thy pray in many modes, 

but pray the do.

The community core is Gospel, 

read, preached and lived. 

The Sermon On The Mount

         - ALL OF IT - 

                is 

faced, normative and experienced.

It's a work in progress, moving

progressively more than perfectly.

Early on as the Church took form

             it was called

              "ECCLESIA"

                Latin for

           "THE GATHERED"

      Kingdom living never was 

          nor can ever be a 

          solo flight to heaven.

              Gathered

                  in 

               Christ

               we are.

Our gathering is 

foundational and essential.

So, we find or found 

 a genuine Christ Gathering.

We find an ecclesia - 

   "By their fruits 

    you will know them." 

     Matthew 7:15-20

If such gathers 

where we live,

we sure do 

"Gather In."

If there are no such 

where we are, 

we found one.

It doesn't need to be 

large or highly structured.

  "Where two or three are 

         gathered 

        in my name,

    I am in their midst."

       Matthew 18:20

For those of us 

who are homebound, 

as I now am, 

there are 

wonderful and welcoming 

churches that livestream. 

In the near term three such,

quite different in tone and manner,

will be highlighted here. 

The first is happily highlighted below.

      GATHERED 

       we are the 

     Body of Christ

"The way God 

designed our bodies 

is a model 

for understanding 

our lives together 

as a church: 

every part dependent 

on every other part...

If one parts hurts, 

every other part 

is involved in the hurt, 

and in the healing. 

If one-part flourishes, 

every other part 

enters into the exuberance, 

You are Christ's body - 

that's who you are!

       Please see 

1 Corinthians 12: 12-27

         The Message

        

We Are the Church

I am the church!

You are the church!

We are the church together!

All who follow Jeus, 

all around the world!

Yes, we are the church together!

United Methodist Hymnal # 558

In the Love That is God 

  we are wondrously

     GATHERED

      ******

       

       A CHURCH HIGHLIGHT

           Free Union Vienna 

      United Methodist Church

         Great Meadows, NJ

                  USA

         Pastor Anthony Pami

       Please see their webpage.

       The Sunday Service 

       is live streamed on

       the Church's Facebook page.

       If you do not use Facebook,

       simply cancel out the "X" 

       at the of the page 

       and scroll down.

       

       For those of us in other 

       places and time zones

       around our global village,

         The Sunday Service 

       is recorded and available

        on their Facebook page.

      

        Free Union Vienna Church

     This is a delightful, small, 

           country church

    located in the rolling hills of 

      beautiful NW New Jersey.

   There is an ease and warmth

   about this friendly community.

      The Sharing of the Peace 

         is mobile, vigorous 

         and takes a while.

         The hymns are both

         old time and 

         contemporary  

         favorites.

         Creative videos 

         are woven into 

         prayer and sermon. 

         Anthony's preaching 

         is conversational

         in manner,  

         soundly scriptural,

         deeply spiritual,

         and is interspersed 

         with references 

         to contemporary 

         media and music

         Oh, yes! 

         Be advised 

         Anthony 

         goes big for

         The Boss

   - Bruce Springsteen -

               :)

         

        This is neither 

         a traditional

         high church 

             nor a

         manicured 

         and polished

         big church.

        

      This is good church

       up close and real.

                    ******

             WELCOME 

       What a blessing to be 

             GATHERED 

             

        ONLINE POSTINGS

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          WHAT A HELP

           Many of us 

    are introducing others to

         frankly speaking

       Many much thanks!

       See you in seven.

          Love to all. 

          God Bless,

         John Frank

                frankly speaking

            spirituality for the street

         johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

        

            

FALL UP

 Dear All of Us,

    My little 

  Grand Son

     Ollie 

just turned five.

His best buddy 

at school is 

   Patrick.

They're tight.

The other day 

Ollie whispered 

to his Mom:

"Mommy, Patrick 

broke his toe.

He has to ware

this boot thing.

We were having 

a race today and

I fell down 

on purpose 

so Patrick 

could win 

the race." 

     Talk about taking a 

              FALL

      for the other guy!

In Ollie's whisper

I hear an echo of Jesus:

"Do unto others 

 as you would have them 

 do unto you."

          Luke 6:2

Love your neighbor 

as yourself."

          Matthew 22:39

"Whatever you do to 

 the least of these

you do unto me."

           Mathew 25:40&45

Without all that much

understanding it 

in his head yet, 

Ollie has a 

good start on 

his spiritual life

in his heart

     and 

in his caring.

SIDEBAR:

              When he was 

               a wee, little one

              Grandpa me, 

              got to baptize Ollie 

                   into the

              God Goodness

              that is now showing

              in his care and serving.

              His Baptism was 

              my last official act 

              as a pastor of these

              fifty-eight years.

              What a finale.

                   Pure joy!

                   

 As I pray Olie 

will one day see,

our spiritual lives are

are powered by the 

twin dynamos of

prayer and service.

Immersed in 

God's Love 

we live it in 

  Service

A good portion 

of that service means 

"Taking a fall for 

the other guy/gal."

        It's a

     Sacrifice 

         of 

     Service

    that gets 

  the down up.

What might seem 

a giver's loss

turns out to be 

an up for both

giver and receiver.

     

        As giver

        we take a fall,

        we take a hit, 

        we take a loss.

        We're living the 

         down death 

              the

     uplift resurrection 

              of 

     Jesus The Christ

      Romans 6:3-5

 

The dynamic flows 

from intimacy to service.

In prayer we get lost in 

     the goodness, 

     the realness, 

     the energy,

     the dynamic,

     the Love,

     The Mystery

     that is God.

     We are filled 

     to abundance 

          with

      God Good.

   It powers us to 

       Fall In

   with the down

   for their uplift. 

Prayer and service.

      Fall Up

Yes, we are living into 

the very life of Jesus.

"I live now not I, 

but Christ lives in me."

     Galatians 2:20

Jesus spent many 

a night and more 

in prayer.

He was wrapped tight 

with his Abba.

It was Love Intense.

It propelled him 

into redeeming,

life giving service.

By day he preached 

hope and a liberating 

Kingdom Life 

to multitudes.

They were living under 

the oppressive thumb 

of the occupying

and cruel 

Roman Empire.

Most were impoverished.

The religious leaders 

counted them 

as of no account.(1)

Jesus fell right in 

with them. 

Jesus brought 

healing and vigor 

to the sick 

and destitute.

He was a frequent 

at table with

"the wrong kind 

 of people,"

sharing fellowship, 

food and wine

and I'll bet 

more than 

a few good, 

belly laughs.

For all that 

he got into 

good trouble 

with the 

religious 

professionals.

He did all this in 

caring and hopeful 

closeness.

       He shared

who and what he was, 

"The way, the truth the life" 

         John 14:16

          FALL UP

We live this

  Fall Up

right where 

and as we are.

We get married and 

generously lose

a lot of our

independence

and preferences

for the lift 

of our union.  

   FALL UP

We have kids 

and loose 

a lot of sleep, 

free ranging,

money,

for their uplift.

  FALL UP

We're single,

solid and giving 

with those 

needing our

Sacrifice Service.

We literally, 

actually, 

live 

The Sermon 

On The Mount.

It means deep union 

with God 

and the needful 

that presence him

to us. 

In service 

we take those

hits, 

falls, 

losses of

privilege and perks

for the benefit 

of the needy

      and 

 surprisingly, 

    ours!

   FALL UP

We come 

to the awareness 

that God has indeed 

filled us with 

His Goodness 

empowerig us

to fill in social pot holds,

to free up the downed,

to cover the vulnerable,

to mingle in 

supportive acceptance,

to advocate 

for social and planet justice,

to share our means, 

to align with the "put off's,"

to include the lonely

and "left out's."

Our model and 

inspiration is 

   Jesus

What a hit,

what a fall,

what a loss, 

he took for us.

What a lift

what a resurrection

for him and for us his 

          FALL 

           UP

The wondrous paradox 

of it all is that in

taking a fall in

Kingdom Service,

    like Ollie,

    we all

  FALL UP

  ******

(1) Jesus Before Christianity

     Albert Nolan

     Orbis Books

     Chapter 3

     The whole book is a

     formidable and 

     extraordinarily 

     enlightening read.

              WELCOME
    
               ALL

         So good to be 

         here together.

      ONLINE POSTINGS

      Thursday mornings

      East Coast USA time

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             PLEASE

    KEEP ON KEEPING ON

                by

             sharing

        frankly speaking

            Thanks!

      See you next week.

        Every blessing.

         Love to all.

         God Bless,

        John Frank

        frankly speaking

   spirituality for the street

johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

              ******

THE SHOP

Dear All of Us, 

I'm not particularly rich, 

smart, holy or good looking.

On top of that, I'm one of 

the oldest things in town.

So why are so awful many 

calls, texts, VM's, survey seekers, 

advertisers, coming at me all day?

So much puff and fluff, 

dithering distraction.

PHEW!!

It makes me crazy.

It means there goes the peace and quiet 

so I can be a sweet old man spending his day,

praying, reading and writing until supper.

So, yah know what I do now, 

which really means 

I plain want to tell you.

I say to my wife, 

"Honey, hear you later". 

I leave my phone and hearing aids 

in the bedroom and cloister myself in

                The Shop 

              aka my study.

So there!

Busy buzz blitzes of any and 

way too many sorts these twitchy, 

over stimulating, frenetic, 

hyperventilating, speed obsessed, 

distracted days, dulls, disorientates, 

drives us bonkers.

It scatter/shatters 

brain clarity

and fogs soul.

We're off message, 

channel jammed, 

disconnected.

It is surround sound, 

psychic overload, 

daunting, dunning do, do 

and do more and faster.

In the parlance of the day, 

we get wasted.

And what a damnable waste it is.

Another PHEW!!

All this verbiage and blowing off 

is an attempt at a shock treatment.

Incessant blitz hides us 

from ourselves and others, 

and keeps God at bay.

We are meant for better.

And better is simpler, 

slower, soulful, sensitive.

The ticket costs 

a purposeful degree 

of living counter culturally.

We don't have to respond to 

tomorrow's text yesterday.

God didn't create us to be 

pin cushions of over much

stimulation sticks.

We don't have to take our kids 

to every birthday party in the county.

We don't need to be on a Zoom call, 

camera off, writing reports,

responding to text messages

while wolfing down 

a pastrami sandwich. 

The goal is to get real,

really balanced,

really tuned and timed human.

Most of all, real means 

to let God have us and

love the socks off us.

God so wants to happen as us

and simply cannot do that fully to

an overcharged digital dashboard.

So, what life changes, 

as in life saving,

are in order to be 

the balanced human beings 

God offers us?

How can we calm, open to 

God's presence and embrace?

A Few Might Just Helps:

 - We're selective 

   in the company we keep.

 - Like Jesus, we regularly go off 

   to a quiet setting 

   for Divine Love Making.

 - We see, sense, 

   connect with God 

   subtly present in

   the weave and texture 

   of a piece of linen,

   in Dali's Last Supper, 

   in a game of chess,

   in shrimp scampi, 

   in a sunset skyscape,

   taking a ride in the country, 

   doing our work 

   focused and purposeful,

   being submerged in a tub 

   every once in a warm while, 

   watching five-year-olds 

   have a go at soccer.

 - We slow go soaking in scripture.

 - We meet God in a need 

   we can address.

- We get absorbed in God 

   hearing good music,

   Springsteen to Bocelli.

 - We do all we can for 

   the down and out.

 - We mix with God 

   pulsating present 

   and subtlety soft

   in Nature. 

 - We are tight in with 

   a small spiritual community

   and/or a trusted spiritual friend

   that holds us accountable,

   that speed checks us.

- As mentioned and 

  worth mention more, 

  Jesus regularly 

  went off to pray.

  We do too.

- We have a big billboard 

  of some sort 

  in our awareness 

  that reminds us:

          BE STILL AND KNOW 

          THAT I AM GOD

             Psalm 46:10

  God is our center and all about.

           We're invited 

           to simply 

           slow down

           and be there.

             ******

Thanks for this time together 

               here in 

             The Shop

              ******

"All the disciples were of 

 one mind and heart."

        Acts 4:32

       That was 

    then and there

    and blessedly 

    is now in our here 

        together

      each week.

  Thank God and All 

ONLINE POSTINGS

Thursday mornings

East Coast USA time.

PAST POSTINGS AVAILABLE

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     scrolling well down

           beneath

        this posting

         THANKS 

      for continuing 

         to share 

    frankly speaking 

       with others.

Have a great week.

See you in seven.

Love to all.

God Bless.

Simply yours,

John Frank

        frankly speaking

    spirituality for the street

johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

               ******

        

   

  

 

.

 

 

 

SHOWING UP

Dear All of Us,

So what's up 

with God anyway?

Where is He?

Is God 

Missing In Action?

Is He a 

No Show 

about to lose 

his God job 

for that? 

Come on already. 

God is supposed to be 

       All Good, 

        right?

Well Hey, things are 

pretty darn far from 

      All Good

    these days.

Jesus talked about

"Thy kingdom come 

on earth as it is in heaven."

That was two thousand years ago.

Even the US Postal Service 

delivers better than that.

So where is it?

Will God ever deliver and 

the kingdom finally come?

As per the above,

some people are

pretty tough on God 

and in varying degrees

so are way too many 

wearisome, whinny others.

     

    And can I ever 

    hear Jesus being

    tough on the fuss

     about this not

     SHOWING UP 

 business and gripping.

 It's sort of a redux of:

  "The people are blockheads!

   They stick their fingers 

   in their ears so 

   they won't have to listen;

   They screw their eyes shut

   so they won't have to look,

   so they won't have 

   to deal with me

   face to face

   and let me heal them."

           Jesus

     Matthew 13:15

      The Message

Let's check all this out a bit.

We want to make sure 

we don't get bite by the bug 

               and 

that we can help those bitten.

In all reality

God is 

front and center,

on the job,

right before 

our noses and 

all about.

Hold a baby.

Go hiking,

Sing a song.

Have a beer.

Read scripture.

Enjoy a 

neighborhood

cookout.

Read some poetry. 

Garden. 

Go to a concert.

See Creation bust 

Spring Beautiful.

Watch kids play.

Better yet,

join them!

And don't forget to

mellow with an elder

"Come on over!" :)

God Good aplenty

and all around.

The Kingdom? 

Well, it has come 

and it is coming.

It's already 

and not fully 

in our midst.

The problem is 

lots of people 

want it all

   and 

yesterday.

Yah know what,

       we're 

not in charge here

       AND 

too often and much

those media maimed

        and 

the self-centered  

         are 

deaf and blind to

The Good of God 

         and 

The Kingdom of God

vibrantly active

all about and 

     and 

vigorously so! 

There is a need

    to be

 healed open.

That happens by 

dealing with God 

"face to face"

In his pure luminosity

we face evil,

the Kingdom Satanic,

We face God Goodness,

the very 

Kingdom of God.

            

Let's take 

a look and a listen.

Let's keep facing God

and help others to do

     holy same.

Yes, things are 

more than a mess.

The far left 

has mushed flat a

mountain of morals.

Relativity and 

permissiveness

run riot rot.

It has tied up tight 

a lot of freedoms

        and 

    initiatives 

     by over 

   legislating

       and 

   regulating

   in a try at

   creating

some sort of a

  La-La Land.

It's a faux fantasy, 

not at all liberating.

Good intentions

often foul/foil

free, healthy, 

unregulated

expressions.

Ask any artist.

Yes, things are 

more than a mess 

on the far right, too. 

Government 

     and 

    Tech 

  Despots

of this world 

have let loose 

a devastation of 

people and planet.

It's heinous,

people playing God. 

What they do

is far from 

anything close to

   God Good.

It is an attempt 

to exalt and deify ego,

      their ego's,

misusing God Given Good 

for self, for prominence, 

power, and pleasure, 

e.g. the Bezos wedding 

      costing over 

      $50 Million Dollars,

e.g. the War in Iran costing 

       thousands of lives,

       many more thousands 

       traumatized for life, 

       disordered international

       balance and commerce

              and so far 

                over 

       $29 Billion Dollars.

Both extremes,

left and right,

number those 

who grab the most

while most worldwide

don't have enough

to hold on to.

We need to face all this.

They obstruct sight of  

      God Good

The Kingdom of God

   SHOWING UP

We also need 

to face the fact that 

Creation unfolds 

minute to mighty 

   magnificent.

Mountain majesties.

Crop plentiful plains.

Pure, surging waterways.

Abundance of scientific advances,

energy pulses to planets.

God painting morning bright

on sky canvas.

Life and beauty

in the earth, 

all across it,

in flight above it.

In Creation

God dazzles 

Showing Up.

In harmony and tandem

are the vast majority of

people worldwide 

busy living 

God's Goodness,

faithfully, generously, 

matter-of-factly,

some heroically,

at home, at work,

in school and 

neighborhood

- steady lights in 

  the midst of 

  Empire's dark.

         

        They are 

  alive and enlivening

        as part of 

  The Kingdom of God

    come and coming.

           They 

        SHOW UP

         steadily  

         lovingly

         generously,

         justly,

         joyfully,

           and

    

    God shows up 

      in them all.

      

      They are

 Kingdom People

  

The media does not share

God showing up in

them or Creation.

The media is mostly

in the service of 

Satanic Empire.

It's dark and it darkens

our consciousness 

and our spirits,

our world view and sense.

It effects us down cast.

It infects us deep dark.

We really must turn off

blatantly bent untruthful

      news outlets

      and all the 

social media platforms 

         that

    talk us dark  

    blind side us 

    deafen deny 

   God Goodness 

         and 

   His right now 

     Kingdom.

Yes, I'm fired up 

and I'm speaking up.

I challenge my friends 

on the right

who refuse to see, 

who will not hear, 

the wrong 

of White Christian Nationalism,

of militarism as moral muscle, 

of overpowering democratic process,

of planetary degradation.

   

I challenge my friends 

on the left

who refuse to see,

who will not hear,

the wrong of their

cramping regulations,

their dithering on and on

about social justice and 

doing not much more about it

than helping at a food bank.

They tend to promote the 

singular to the detriment of 

the ordinary and common.

They're big on pronouns. 

They and their opposites 

on the right 

are short on diversities 

of thought and practice

they don't approve.

Both extremes block us

from seeing/hearing 

      God Good,

The Kingdom of God

    SHOWING UP

      all about.

I challenge both  

for refusing 

to see and hear 

that they are often 

part of the dark

with their 

way beyond need 

accumulation of money,

"stuff", luxuries, e.g. 

regular carbon gushers 

of expensive pleasure travels,

of forever going to seminars

and rallies, signing petitions 

and not breaking a sweat to 

dedicate means and muscle  

to inconvenient things like 

underwriting the education 

of a poor child,

giving one Saturday a month

of sweat equity at 

Habitat For Humanity,

being open to the possibility 

that those on the other side

might just be right 

about some needed 

critical, cultural corrections,

of not facing God 

in the faces of 

the opposite,

the needy 

beyond the gates 

of their privilege. 

Quite frankly,

God is present and active

in unfolding Creation,  

in Kingdom communities,

in souls bright for peace 

like Pope Leo,

in millions of singles, 

couples, families 

genuinely and practically living 

The Sermon on the Mount, 

animated by The Holy Spirit,

in community,

in their care for 

children, 

the elderly,

the needy,

the vulnerable,

all forms of life, 

the earth, air and sea,

growing prayerfully deep.

For all the dark,

they make 

light bright.

   You know what?

   God sure does 

     SHOW UP

      May we 

  see it, hear it,

      face it

and help others so.

We get to join in

        as

       God 

    so really 

   right now,

   right here 

        is

 SHOWING UP

     ******

How good it is that 

       we all 

are in on this weekly

    Showing Up

   here together,

        One 

In God's Goodness.

WEEKLY POSTING

Thursday mornings

East Coast USA time.

PAST POSTING AVAILABLE

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    scrolling well down

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      A HIGH FIVE 

           FOR

       SHARING 

   frankly speaking

      with others.

God keeps on showing up.

Let's keep on joining him.

See you next week.

Love to all.

God Bless,

John Frank

        frankly speaking

   spirituality for the street

johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

              ******