CONNECTED

  

              A BEFORE WORD

  Well, actually, a whole bunch of them. :)

              Dear, Dear Friends,

              I ask your indulgence 

              and forbearance. 

              It's about this blog.

              It just isn't what I tried for.

              And "tried" I have - 

              hours and hours, 

              days upon days.

              rewrite after rewrite. 

             I pray there is 

             enough worth 

             in it to be 

             of at least 

             some worth to you.

             I'd love to give you 

             prime rib each week.

             But, sometimes 

             it's just a

             bologna sandwich. 

             I give you what I have

             such as it is.

             

             This posting is focused on

             our interconnectedness.

             It is God given and 

             absolutely essential.

             And it is under siege.

             There is a way forward

                and it is together,

                    CONNECTED

                          in 

               Kingdom community, 

                   life and love.

                Let's check it out.

                Thank you for 

                letting us 

                be connected 

                this week 

                in a less than 

                tight, bright, 

                clear posting.

 

                God Bless you!

                Much love!

                John Frank

                 ******

 Dear All of Us,

- "He's well connected."

-  Methodists are a 

   connectional denomination.

 - History connects past to present.

 - Our bodies are a connection 

   of 30 to 40 trillion cells.

OK, OK!

Enough already!

But we can never get 

enough connection.

Our very existence 

depends on it.

And yet, 

way too often 

we just 

come undone,

disconnect.

It's a killer:

    infidelity,

    war,

    racism, classism and all 

    their cousin "isms",

    gossip,

    incivility,

    too much for a few and 

    too little for too many,

    "exclusive" as exclusionary,

    dictatorships,

    media mind manipulation,

    possessed by possessions,

    jealousy,

    arrogance/haughtiness,

    and terribly much more.

The Demons of Disconnection

               are

             legion.

         They create

         Hell on Earth

              and 

 they're just getting started

      with a whopper

like none ever in all history

       Most ominous 

     of the moment is

              AI

AI is in its childhood.

Really bright.

But its toddler tantrums

have already disconnected 

protective boundaries,

penetrated and violated

the symmetry and substance

of other connections.

All that at its own bidding!

These tech toddlers 

can jump the crib,

get out the front door and

let loose dangerous undoing's,

dangerous disconnections,

across many/most? 

situations and systems.

AI's adolescent parents 

out there in Silicon Valley

are raising 

Frankenstein Monsters.

Soon they will 

outsmart their parents

and put us all at 

unchecked peril.

A for-profit president wants

those adolescent parents 

to regulate themselves

and their promising yet 

threatening progeny.

Really???

Not close to real!!

That's like going away 

for the weekend and leaving 

teenagers home alone!

       Empire's

    Massive Moral

     Disconnect

    Soul and Society

          facing 

  potential wonders 

     at the risk of

  devastating destruction,

   a disconnect from

     The God Given

     Common Good

        No matter what 

The Demons of Disconnection

               do

         to our undo

we have a hope and a future

               IF

        we accept it.

         

     Divine Connection

             is a 

           "YES"

           away.

       It takes but 

  an accepting embrace.

         

   It is a Rebalance

            to

       Right Real

            to

     Foundational

      Connection

   with all Creation 

          and 

 The Common Good

and all that in God.

         

   The Energy Field 

        that is 

         God

    is cosmically 

      unfolding

          in

   The Very Love 

    That is God.

     1 John 4:8

 God Good Creation

       connects

      Everything 

          and 

       Everyone.

          It is

 paradoxical and beautiful:

        Unique

          and

      Interwoven 

       in God's

       Oneness

        

        At core 

       all that is 

            is

 essentially connected,

participates in the same

God Source/Subsistence

   plants to planets

   petunias to pundits. 

  

As more than already noted,

that deep connection

has sadly often been

abused and traumatized

by people and movements

across time by those

Demons of Disconnection.

    We and our world 

are variously and often

        painfully 

        undone,

         split, 

    disconnected.

  

   We don't have 

   to go passive 

   and accept that.

     

    God Creative 

is present and active 

        in our 

disconnected world

and that in a most

   personal way,

 Jesus The Christ

    "I have come that

     you might have life 

     and have it to the full."

          John 10:10

        Full restitution. 

    Complete connection.

    

    "All this is from God, 

     who reconciled us 

     to himself through Christ 

     and gave us 

     the ministry of 

     reconciliation..."

     2 Corinthians 5:18 

        Reconciled 

            and 

        Reconciling

  

         

         Jesus The Christ

       righted, reconnected

                and 

    has us busy sharing that.

       He offers us life in 

      The Kingdom of God.

      As Paul puts it:

          "God wants us to grow up,

           to know the whole truth 

           and tell it in love -

           like Christ in everything.

           We take our lead from Christ,

           who is the source 

           of everything we do.

           He keeps us in step 

           with each other.

           His very breath and blood 

           flow through us, 

           nourishing us so that 

           we will grow up 

           healthy in God, 

           robust in love."

         Ephesians 4:15-16

              WHAT A 

          CONNECTION

Once living 

Kingdom Coming,

we rejoice in the

kinship of all that is

- people, place, energy

  matter, spirit.

We reconcile,

We reconnect

by

   - forgiving

   - welcoming other 

     ethnicities, 

     coloration of body, 

     persuasions and practices

   - by voice and vote supporting

     challenge to tech profit over 

     Creation protection

   - we invite extremes to center

     for our Common Good 

   - we are patient and prayerful 

     in so doing and seek ways 

     to connect - a block party,

     a music fest, sweating together 

     at Habitat for Humanity,

     sharing a spiritual retreat 

   - we stretch to strengthen

     The Body of Christ 

      that we are

      and do so 

      in patience and practically

    - one way and many 

      we foster children

      left out, needful, difficult

    - we turn difference 

      to compliment

      and balance 

      in family, at work, 

      in our neighborhood

    - we reverence Nature and

      and work to refresh it

    Reconciled and Reconciling

     we and our world become

              ever more

                 well

            CONNECTED

                ******

        In the week to come

          please go online

              to enjoy

     a wonderous expression

                 of

          GOD GOOD

         CONNECTION

  and its positive life giving 

    as threads and hearts 

       are woven one 

    in a lively, joyous

       experience 

              of

        connection.

     To Pray Ponder  

      this goodness

       just go to:

     Annandale Art 

            & 

     Textile Center 

    Annandale MN

  artandweaving.com

     Be sure to click 

     the tab for the

       video clip

 LEARN MORE ABOUT

      OUR WORK

     (TV coverage)

        

        and feel 

        the joy 

        and lift 

        of being

     CONNECTED

        ******

   AND ARE WE EVER   

   WELL CONNECTED

   TOGETHER HERE   

      EACH WEEK

     BLESS US ALL

    ONLINE POSTINGS

           LATER   

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOONS

  EAST COAST USA TIME

RECENT PAST POSTINGS

         AVAILABLE

             BY 

SCROLLING WELL DOWN  

         BENEATH

     THIS POSTING

          THANKS 

             FOR 

  YOUR GOOD COMPANY

  HAVE A GREAT WEEK

WEAVING CONNECTIONS

              TO

        WHOLENESS

       LOVE TO ALL.

       GOD BLESS

         JOHN FRANK

        frankly speaking

   spirituality for the street

johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

            ******

 

      

       

  

 

    

    

    

WONDER

Dear All of Us,

Over the weekend 

I wondered how best

to start off this week's blog.

Well, telling you that, 

I just found out.

We're started. :)

We all wonder 

a lot about a lot.

We do that 

in two ways: 

    Puzzlement 

        and

        Awe

Puzzlement Wondering

           is 

     questioning 

Sometimes it is

functional/creative.

We wonder what 

we should have 

for supper.

We wonder how best 

to word paint a poem.

Often questioning wonder 

is worrisome.

We wonder if we will  

AI ourselves extinct?

In functional/creative 

wondering 

we cooperate with God, 

in ordering daily life

and its enrichment.

 

In worrisome wondering

we can be One with God

in caring about all

People and Creation.

We are active in God's 

redemptive work in

righting wrong

where we can, 

as we can.

We're dealing with that

in spades these days.

We need 

to make sure 

we don't let

Puzzlement

Wondering

 crowd out

The Wonder

      of

    Awe

           Awe

        happens 

as we experience God

lovingly active and unitive 

             in 

Prayer, Nature, Others.

Awe is amazement, 

astonishment.

We are suffused in 

reverence and admiration,

pure wonder.

We're on 

The Skyland Drive in

The Shenandoah Mountains 

of Virginia.

We just need 

to pull over and let 

the wonder of it all 

have us.

We hold close 

a newborn baby.

Just nine months before

two cells sparked a union 

that has matured 

to over one trillion cells

in nine months

and will grow to over 

thirty-one trillion more.

This newborn is 

a life, a person.

It has an incredible body of

intricate systems and powers,

a soul and psyche

with divine potentials.

We just snuggle 

with the newborn and

warm in wonder

We open 

to God 

in prayer.

Sometimes we are

calmed, clarified, 

strengthened.

Other times we are 

transfused into

a passionate bliss 

beyond concept or word.

We slow down enough

       to notice 

   the deep down

marvels in the sciences, 

majesty in the arts.

We companion a tree 

springing to freshness,

summer maturing,

autumn toned rich,

winter rugged.

    The Wonder

         of 

        Awe

  is not answer

        but  

     Rapture

"God's glory 

 is on tour 

 in the skies, 

 God-craft 

 on exhibit

 across the horizon."

    Psalm 19:1

   The Message

    Translation 

God has given us 

five senses, a mind, 

soul and psyche.

Their employ is to 

open to Him, 

open to the wonders 

of His Creation, 

to welcome Him 

     in them 

as we wonder about 

the functional, 

the worrisome,

the awesome.

"God saw all 

 that He had made, 

 and behold, 

 it was very good,"

  Genesis 1:31

"The most beautiful thing 

  we can experience is the

      mysterious. 

  It is the source of all 

  true art and science. 

  He who can 

  no longer pause 

     to wonder 

    and stand in 

     rapt awe, 

  is as good as dead, 

  his eyes are closed"

    Albert Einstein

Given 

the heavy, 

the hurry 

the gravity 

of our just now,

it is such a grace 

to notice and 

bask in God,

God present in 

Prayer, Nature, Others

in all of Creation.

      It's a 

    WONDER

    to behold, 

      It's a  

    WONDER

    in which 

   to be held.

    ******

           HOW WONDER FULL

           EACH WEEK HERE 

           TO BE GATHERED ONE 

            ONLINE POSTINGS
 
                    LATER 

        WEDNESDAY AFTERNOONS

           EAST COAST USA TIME

             RECENT POSTINGS 

                  AVAILABLE

                       BY 

         SCROLLING WELL DOWN

                   BENEATH

               THIS POSTING

              THANKS TO ALL 

                WHO SHARE  

             frankly speaking

        spirituality for the street

    johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

  EVERY GOODNESS AND BLESSING

           SEE YOU NEXT WEEK.

     IN THE SPIRIT AND WORDS 

                    OF 

      GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS

        MAY WE ALL BE IN AWE: 

            

              "THERE LIVES 

     THE DEAREST FRESHNESS  

         DEEP DOWN THINGS" (1)

               

               LOVE TO ALL  

               GOD BLESS  

               JOHN FRANK

         (1)Hopkins quote from

              God's Grandeur

                  ******

THE PRESENCE

   Dear All of Us, 

     Please pop 

a patience pill or two.

Here comes some hefty 

   name dropping

Over multi anni

(eighty-six of them)

I've greeted/chatted with

a variety of public notables.

To a person they exuded a

formattable

       PRESENCE 

Elenore Roosevelt,  

Muhammed Ali,

Bishop Fulton J, Sheen, 

Eric Sevaried,

Daniel Berrigan,

a bevy of bishops,

a couple of governors,

Cardinal O'Boyle,

Dorothy Day,

Rowen Williams,

Gerald May

Richard Rohr

      and 

I shook hands 

      with 

      JFK

Each unique.

All definitely a

 POWERFUL

 PRESENCE

     and 

 you could 

    feel it.

After my Mother 

and my Wife, though,

the most 

consequential 

  Presence 

in my life 

hasn't been at all like 

those public notables.

It's an altogether

different presence.

And you could feel it,

gentle, understated, 

subtle, warm, 

quietly real.

It was Brother John.

Brother John

was a simple 

Trappist Lay Brother,

the guesthouse cook

at the monastery.

I met him when  

I made a retreat  there

back in 1957.

(Yah, that's pretty "back"!)

The monks observed silence.

In that silence

Brother John bespoke 

a simple, serene, quiet    

     Wholly - ness.

He was absorbed in 

The Presence of God

and was so with a

down to earth 

ease and practicality.

He let God 

be present to him

in the immediacies 

of his daily life.

in washing the dishes,

in setting out bread for the birds,

in roasting a chicken for our dinner,

in caring for the vegetable garden,

in spiritual reading,

in praying The Hours,

in setting the table,

in tidying up.

Ordinary things 

that he let be the

extraordinary things 

they actually are, 

Gateways Godly.

Brother John 

didn't stress out 

seeking God.

He calmed down enough 

to let God get ahold of him,

enfolding him into loving union.

He welcomed God taking the lead.

        

      As God presented 

     Brothr John lived a 

             "yes"

That could be baking a cake to 

mystical intercourse.

Brother John didn't try to

force fit his way 

to some sort of supposed 

superior spiritual status

(camouflaged arrogance).

He put his energy into accepting

God as God offered Himself

in the actualities of his life.

I tell you, 

I have never once 

met a person

who so simply 

let God have him, 

let God love him

as God chose to do that.

Brother John just 

relaxed into that Love.

He and God were 

gently inseparable,

genuinely and clearly 

          One.

A WHOLLY HARMONY

They did everything together.

There was an unhurried, 

soulful symmetry 

of trust and union

with God

about Brother John.

It was as if two dear friends 

were tending a garden together.

God presenced Himself,

God presented Himself 

        to

Brother John

where he was, 

as he was,

as guests needing 

a peaceful place and pace,

needing an unassuming 

"at homeyness".

God presenced to him

as tastes, touches,

scents, sights, sounds,

as tasks and surprises,

as suffering,

all suffused with God -

all moments and motions 

              of 

           Divine

 Presence and Oneness

I once watched 

Brother John

eat an apple.

He did not do that 

with music on 

while checking out 

a magazine.

It was rather a slow, 

appreciative venture,

reverential, 

accepting God's presence 

in the gift of an apple,

every bite, texture and taste of it.

About now I'll bet 

some of us are thinking 

that all this is fine and dandy 

for a monk

           BUT

we live in the real world.

We have to be busy 

making a buck and more,

changing diapers,

shopping, 

getting the car serviced, 

doing "nice-nice" with in-laws, 

coaching soccer,

negotiating rush hour traffic,

mowing the lawn, 

having the boss and spouse 

over for dinner,

shuttling grandpa around 

the medical maze,

- endlessly, frenetically more. 

In short, we're short on serene.

It might be a big help to strap on 

A Spiritual Heart Monitor

for a month of testing 

and then explore 

some appropriate retooling

of day and way.

That's a blog for another time.

However it is,

God is in our day,

as it is,

as we are,

how we are,

where we are.

We really can't 

think, drag or draw 

God into it.

God is already there

wanting us to be there  

       With Him

suffering a headache,

changing that diaper,

doing the taxes,

lost in ecstasy.

    That is the 

Divine Difference

        and 

    Presence

Brother John lived.

So much so often

people either 

obsess about trying 

to spiritualize the moment 

(that puts them in charge) 

        or saying 

"Forget it. It' too complicated.

 I'll check in with God 

 Sunday at church." 

(see who's still in charge?)

Two swinging strikes

for the count that most counts.

As God presented, 

Brother John said yes 

and let God make them 

           ONE 

    We can as well 

 and oh so well it is in

     THE PRESENCE

        ******

THANKS TO EACH OF US 

FOR MAKING POSSIBLE

           THIS

       ALL OF US

   ONLINE POSTINGS 

     WEDNESDAYS

   LATE AFTERNOON  

EAST COAST USA TIME

RECENT POSTINGS AVAILABE 

                BY

   SCROLLING WELL DOWN 

            BENEATH  

       THIS POSTING

    SEE YOU NEXT WEEK

         LOVE TO ALL

         GOD BLESS

         JOHN FRANK

 "Pay attention. 

        Be astonished. 

                Tell about it"

        MARY OLIVER

  "Make your home in me 

   just as I do in you."

           JESUS

       John 15:4-11

       The Message 

       Translation

        frankly speaking

   spirituality for the street

johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

             ******

       

WAITING

Dear All of Us,

So, come on already!

What are we waiting for?

Heaven on earth?

A Blue Moon?

Donald Trump and 

Mark Zuccerberger

giving all their loot 

to the poor 

and joining 

The Third Oder 

Franciscans?

Wasted Waiting

So many people,

so much of society,

are stuck in life's 

     Waiting 

     Room.

They're stunned still

like deer in the headlights

of terrible darkness.

Yes, that's a contradiction.

And so is so much

of a world fraught 

with crisscrossed

conflict, confusion.

and chaos. 

The temptation is 

to try and 

wait it out.

Lay low,

keep the cupboard full,

have a lot of cash stashed

around the house

and wait until 

Jesus Christ 

is elected world leader.

The devil is fine with that.

He wins double.

He seduces some people 

into evil doing chaos. 

He scares many others 

into hiding out

from the chaos in 

Life's Waiting Room.

He possesses the first,

immobilizes the second.

Check the deed.

The devil owns 

The Waiting Room.

There always have been 

evil doers causing chaos and

there always will be

evil doers causing chaos.

Creator God is Love.

    1 John 4:8

Love offers but never forces.

Some people refuse the offer

and it's evil, chaotic hell, 

for the neighbors.

Given geo-everything 

         and

warp speed tech

these days,

evil doers can cast 

the whole world into 

disruption, chaos and peril 

and they sure as hell 

are doing that hell wrong now.

We see it, 

we suffer it,

   AND

we can say 

"HELL NO"

    to it.

We can't change

a lot of it.

We can refuse 

to let it 

change us and 

chase us into

cocoons of 

   WAITING

We can 

get a move on,

be light in dark, 

fix much,

care for many.

Because we can't 

do everything 

doesn't mean 

we can't do a lot,

have a life and 

give a lot of life.

Jesus lived in 

a land and time 

even worse than ours. 

So did the early 

Christian communities.

Jesus didn't bunker 

in Capharnaum.

The early church,

Followers of the Way,

banded beautiful 

and lived vivid 

in palpable,

practical, divine Love

and that in the midst 

of depravity.

Jesus offered 

right now life in

The Kingdom of God.

The early church

took him up on it.

They free flourished 

sharing it.

I'm writing all this 

because I see 

so many people today

talked out of 

   FULL life, 

cowering in life's 

Waiting Room

distracting themselves 

with trivial pursuits.

   Wasted Waiting

WE DON"T HAVE TO WAIT

We can spring alive

in communities 

that actually do share

the real togetherness

of love, acceptance, 

care, faith, 

prayer, support.

We can spring alive

enfolded in

Divine Intimacy, 

a life of  

scripture, 

prayer,

meditation,

contemplation.

We can spring alive

caring for Creation,

noticing God in

all matter,

all people

right where we are,

delighting in them, 

being one with them, 

reverencing them,

a dandelion to 

a mountain range,

a cuddly baby 

to a caring grandma.

We can delve deep into 

science and the arts,

awash in the wonders of it all,

oh yes, the wonders of God's

              ALL

We can host gatherings 

for music, sports, discussion, 

book studies, storytelling,

prayer, civic involvement.

       Lively Love

We'll have to do some 

ducking and weaving 

given the danger and chaos 

of the moment.

We do have to look out.

We do not have to sit it out

in dulled Waiting.

Spirit Sprung

we move from 

the confines of the 

    Waiting Room

to the spaciousness 

        of the

    Living Room 

     for freeing

 Kingdom Aliveness

We make our own 

the words of the Angel:

"The time of waiting is over."

       Revelation 10:6

       Jerusalem Bible

            Sprung

        Alive in Love

   WE JUST CAN"T WAIT

            ******

   A RECOMMENDATION

Way better than my words here 

are the confirming words of 

           Holy Writ

Let's each and with others

        read and apply

       those confirming

        Wholly Words.

They encourage us to take a pass

        on the passivity of 

              Waiting 

                and 

           Spring Alive 

                 in 

      The Love That Is God

   A few are to be found as a 

           FURERANCE

   at the end of this posting.

        

        A HEARTFELT

          WELCOME

               TO 

            US ALL

             FROM 

        ALL OUR MANY

     LANDS AND WAYS

      

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      SEE YOU NEXT WEEK

           LOVE TO ALL.

          GOOD BLESS

          JOHN FRANK

         frankly speaking

      spirituality for the street

  johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

                ******

   FURTHERANCE

The times are tough.

The times are dangerous.

There can be a temptation 

        to stall out,

        to wait it out 

    and not go full bore 

     in Kingdom Living.

It's a great big boost 

to give ear and heart to 

The Holy Spirit.

When alone, when with others,

we prayerfully ponder 

the clarity and courage 

offered in Holy Writ.

How can we apply it

in the particulars 

of our setting?  

Even more, how can we 

open all the way to it,

embrace it, live it?

"So let's not allow ourselves 

 to get fatigued doing good. 

 At the right time 

 we will harvest 

 a good crop 

 if we don't give up, 

 or quit. 

 Right now, therefore, 

 every time we get the chance 

 let us work for the benefit of all, 

 starting with the people 

closest to us in the

 icommunity of faith,"

     Galatians 6:9-10

       The Message

        Translation

 

 "Do you see what this means 

  - all these pioneers 

  who blazed the way, 

  all these veterans 

  cheering us on. 

  It means 

  we'd better get on with it, 

  Strip down, start running 

   - and never quit ... 

  Keep your eyes on Jesus, 

  who both began and finished 

  this race we're in. 

  Study how he did it. 

  Because he never lost sight 

  of where he was headed 

  - that exhilarating finish 

  in and with God 

  - he could put up with 

  anything along the way: 

  cross, shame, whatever. 

  And now he's there, 

  in the place of honor, 

  right alongside God. 

  When you find yourselves 

  flagging in your faith, 

  go over that story again, 

  item by item,

  that long litany of hostility 

  he plowed through. 

  That will shoot adrenaline 

  into your souls."

       Hebrews 12: 1-3

         The Message

          Translation

            ******