Hi There !
So, I think of you a lot,
and a lot of you.
Every day,
and many times a day,
I wonder what might
be offered here in
" frankly speaking "
to help, to encourage,
to clarify and to support us
in our spiritual journey out on
the street of everyday living.
That wonderment eases into
a gentle notice of good concept,
a seeking for clear insight,
trying to pinpoint helpful practices
and certainly a search for
examples that clarify and encourage.
It happens in bed at 2:00 AM
It happens in the shower,
when "people watching,"
reading, slugging through
the "news" of the day,
driving, in the supermarket,
at concerts, in prayer -
pretty much anytime,
pretty much anywhere,
certainly much.
Early mornings it's
"Coffee Prayer"
over all this,
jotting down
all sorts of elements,
reflections, references,
expressions in
the blog notebook
(hot coffee at hand and lip).
Then it's just let it all
be still in The Spirit
for a goodly while.
Stirring sensed,
time to sort and shape
those jottings
over a few days
in mind and heart,
letting them form as they will
Where it starts is never
where the blogs ends up.
Always Spirit Surprises.
Well, this week
and the following two,
there's a twist to all this.
"frankly speaking"
will be not so much
composed
but be a
compilation
of the actual jottings on
IMAGES OF GOD.
These jottings are unedited,
random, incomplete,
not yet fully marinated
in
The Spirit.
Unfinished, unarranged,
right from the blog notebook as is,
here they are for you
to prayerfully ponder and puzzle
as you and The Spirit will.
Hopefully a different approach
this time round might help and refresh
what we do together here each week.
Please let The Spirit sort them out,
shape them for you, with you,
in your unique setting
over the next few days
while relaxing in your own
"Coffee Prayer,"
or,
if you prefer
in your own
"Tea Prayer."
Here goes !!
*****
Note and Notions
from
THE BLOG NOTEBOOK
"IMAGES OF THE IMAGELESS"
- Our image of God
conditions, effects, directs
our spiritual lives,
and that for better or worse,
depending on the image
of God present and operative
- Always a paradox:
an apparent contradiction
that isn't!
- God is beyond image
- yet we need images
to connect with anything,
including God,
at least for starters
- Always paradox
- image contains
- God can't be contained
- yet, we need images
to "picture" anything
a millimeter beyond our nose,
- we need images to
"picture"
Reality
for us.
- God is Reality
- our images of God
are like what
Matthew Brady did
with Abraham Lincoln
- they do connect us with a picture
but not with the actual one pictured.
- images are helpful, limited, partial,
certainly so for images of God
- that all changed with Jesus
- he is not only the best image of God,
he actually is the presence of God,
God not only "pictured,"
but God "personified,"
personalized, humanly present,
but God not limited
and yet in a way,
our human way, limited -
Jesus had to grow up,
was localized geographically,
culturally, religiously, bodily.
- Paradox again and always
- Emmanuel, God with us
- Always paradox
- Always paradox
- it's like lovers
- we have ideas, feelings
about the beloved - images
- those images fall off
as do our cloths
when we get between the sheets,
and merge in love's oneness
- we don't contain the beloved,
- we let lose and and
get lost in the beloved.
- so with God.
- Jesus is not only
an image of the imageless
( Always paradox ),
better yet,
being personally
one with him
immerses us
in the limitless ocean
of love we call God
- after a while,
lovers are so busy being one
they don't have time for images!
And the image on my phone
indicates we are about
out of time.
More on Image next time.
All the best to each and all.
Holding you in
God's Dear Love,
John Frank
*****
Please continue to share
"frankly speaking"
with others by
word of mouth and through
your social media.
THANKS !
For those new to
"frankly speaking"
spirituality for the street,
please give a touch of
time and attention to
WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?
and
CONSIDER YOUR SOURCE
(right column online).
Hopefully they will provide
an orientation to what we are
all about here each week at
"frankly speaking"
- It is posted online
each Friday at
johnfrankshares.blogspot.com
and can be bookmarked
for easy access
- It is available by automatic email
each Saturday - sign up at
the top right of the online version
- Past Postings are available at
Blog Archive, lower right side,
online version.
WELCOME !
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