Dear All of Us,
At our core
we all have an
ENTHUSIASM.
It is
"en" “theos”
"God in,"
God in us.
The gift and
its manner
are unique to us.
It is the dynamic
we are invited to be
and live and share.
It is meant to direct
our days and ways,
love leverage them.
The Holy Spirit
will light bright
our core
God Self
if we calm down,
honestly open up,
step away from
our false self
and the falsity
in our society.
Maturing
in awareness
of this gift,
we set out
to live/give it.
For most of us
that will be
straight ahead
on angled ways.
This location,
that person,
a particular group,
may be the best
we can find
to live/give our
ENTHUSIASIM
at this time
and in this
circumstance.
As we continue
to mature,
The Spirit
will regularly
guide us
to adjust the
how and where
we live/give.
All this has been
my experience.
Please allow me
to share a bit of it
in witness.
As a wee little one,
four years old,
I was blessed
beyond count.
My Mom
brought me
to the local
Catholic Church
in our town
one afternoon
to see the
Christmas creche.
It was just us
in the church.
The dim light,
the incense
in the air,
the flickering
banks of
votive lights,
the alters and
the statues,
the Baby Jesus
and friends
in the straw,
the Stations of the Cross,
the stained-glass windows,
were
POETRY OF PLACE
It transported me
transcendent,
to nameless wonder
in
Awe,
Oneness,
The Sacred.
I experienced
The Presence
in that place.
I wanted
to stay there
forever.
I met my core
and loved it.
Of course,
I didn’t have
concept or word
for it.
That came later.
But ever since
I have lived in
The Presence.
At times,
way terribly
many times,
I have closed
my eyes
to it in sin.
It never
went away
even when
I didn’t
pay attention.
By seven
I was conducting
a pint size
Worship Service
regularly
in my little
homemade church.
Angels populated
the congregation.
I had this
ENTUSIASM
for
The Presence
and for sharing it.
I wanted to be
a pastor
and tell people
all about God.
For all my
stumbles and fumbles
over the years,
one way and many,
I have tried
to help others
see and say
Yes
to the God,
The Sacred,
The Presence,
at our Core.
I have been blessed
and I know it
and I thank God
regularly and heartily.
It evolved in
in a host of
varied ways
for me.
I located in
lots of places
and lived
lots of ways -
"straight ahead
on angled ways":
pastoring all sorts
of churches,
teaching grade school
through collage,
marrying and parenting
- the very best of it all -
academic administration,
men's ministry,
retreat leadership,
migrant ministry,
spiritual companionship,
and now here I am
a little old man
blogging away about the
"spirituality for the street"
that wraps around
our shared sphere.
Sadly
ENTHUSIASM
gets
crowded out, clouded out
for some
by
poor parenting
toxic cultural environments
abuse
selfishness
Those call for inclusion
in a joyous, vibrant
spiritual community
where we can
Catch the Spirit,
better,
Be Caught
By the Spirit,
psychological therapy,
spiritual direction,
being tight in with
genuinely spiritual friends,
simple prayer,
a life of service,
a spirit of contemplation,
of loving attention.
A person, an experience
will be our
POETRY OF PLACE.
It will transport us
Center.
There we will feel the
Fire that is God
uniquely burning
as us,
The Presence
the dynamic
to live and share
from our core
ENTHUSIASIM
Our opening to
who we are
is as varied as
we are.
After years of
sensual selfishness,
suffering in
a prison dungeon,
Francis of Assisi
was suffering
seared Center,
embraced his
ENTHUSIASM
and glowed
God Love,
vividly,
joyously,
for all of Creation.
For Dorothy Day
it was holding close
her just born daughter.
She went on to a life
wrapping in close care
society's discarded.
For many
it has been reading
Thomas Merton,
Richard Rohr,
Henry Nouwen,
Teilhard de Chardin
among many others.
For yet others
it has been
at a symphony,
a High Mass
a Revival,
the impact of a
teacher or coach,
helping out
in the inner city,
a Hymn Sing,
a sunset skyscape,
deepest prayer.
For many it is being
Inspirited
praying the scriptures.
"Christ will live in you
as you open the door
and invite him in.
And I ask him
that with both feet
planted firmly on love,
you'll be able to take in
with all Christians the
extravagant dimensions
of Christ's love.
Reach out and
experience the breath!
Test its length!
Plumb the depths!
Rise to the heights!
Live full lives, full in
the fullness of God.
God can do anything
...working within us,
his Spirit
deeply and gently
within us."
- Our Core -
Ephesians 3:14-21
The Message
For all our daily
life limits
and the troubles
of the world,
wondrously
we get to be
a people of joyous
ENTHUSIASM
******
PS:
"Become aware of
what is in you.
Announce it,
produce it,
and give birth to it."
Meister Eckhart
14th. Cent
Christian mystic.
PPS:
This just in.
Treat your head, your heart,
your soul, your living,
your future to
Enthusiasm spirit sprung:
Eric Church -2026
Commencement Speech
at UNC Chapel Hill
Online
It takes a few minutes to get going.
Stick with it, please.
It is so now, so right, so hope full.
Thanks to Mike Heembrock
for sending this along just before
our posting.
If I was still pastoring a local church,
I'd tear up my sermon and put this
on a big screen, sit down with everybody
and GLOW GO!!!!
******
AN ENTHUSIASTIC WELCOME
TO ALL
BEGINNING TO JOIN IN
WITH ALL OF US HERE
EACH WEEK.
YOU ARE A BLESSING
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Looking forward to us all
being here together next week.
Love to all.
God Bless,
John Frank
frankly speaking
spirituality for the street
johnfrankshares.blogspot.com
******
