frankly speaking: FOLLOW THE LEADER

Dear All of Us,

Remember what fun it was when we were kids playing
Follow the Leader
and its kiss'n cousin,
Simon Says?
They were high energy, exciting, social and challenging.
Success meant following the leader exactly,
doing just as Simon said and did.
The foil was to foul out by not doing so exactly.

Well, here we are, kids still,
but with a pile on of years, experiences
(and often pounds as not so well).
We're still at it,
following leads and leaders,
doing as some sort of Simon says.
What's different,
critically different,
are the results.
They don't mean winning or loosing a game.
They determine whether we win or lose in life.
That depends on:
- who's lead we follow
- what sort of Simon is having the say in our lives
- just how fully/exactly or not we follow along and follow through.

So, let's do our own spiritual version of
   "Take me to your leader" -
   Simon or other wise -
who/what leads are we following,
who/what has the "say" in our spiritual life.

FALSE LEADS :
- the phony self
costumed as
   self centeredness,
   arrogance,
narcissism,
   lust -
the whole clan closet of such sad
- materialism, consumerism -
"spend self on stuff"
- a life style
stalled on the surface of things,
stifling spirit
- the "say"
coming from a not at all "social" media
- politicians and public practitioners
leading to our polarization and their privilege


   " Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind.
   And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."
   Jesus
Matthew 15:14

REAL LEADS:

Rather than be dumped in a deadly ditch,
we can soar to the heights.
In one way and many,
Jesus offers lead,
asks to share His Soul Say:

   - "Come, follow me." - Matthew then - us now
Matthew 9:9
   - "Take my yoke upon you, learn from me
   for I am gentle and humble of heart,
   and you will find rest for your souls.
   For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11: 29-30
   - "I am the way, the truth and the life."
John 14:6
   - "Abide in me as I abide in you."
John 15:4

   - "I have come that they might have life
and have it to the full."
   John 10:10

   - "You have the words of eternal life."
(Simon Peter when many refused
to follow the lead of Jesus)
   John 6: 68

- "I am the light of the world."
   John 8:12

In multiples of many,
Paul urges us to follow
   Jesus The Christ
so closely and completely
that we are One,
that we live
"en Christo"

-"I live now not I, but Christ lives in me." Galatian 2:20

Talk about a good lead.
That's a God lead!

Fully following the lead of Jesus,
hearing and heeding his "say":
   - we see everything in his light
   - we hear and live his life giving word
   - we think his way
   - we act and react his way
   - we are the body of Christ
   - we live his life style in our circumstances
   - we share in his death and his resurrection
   through "the downs and ups" of our daily living
   as we whole heartedly follow his lead to life
   - we participate in his work of helping and healing
the hurt and the rejected - people and planet
- we open to his working through us for justice
   - we experience mystical union with his Abba
- we follow through on what he says and does.

To Follow the Leader,
   Jesus The Christ,
opens us so that
his Spirit is the surge
that electrifies and energizes us
to the very heights,
to divine and endless
   Love and Life -
   His
   now ours!!

The qualifier here is
just how "exactly" we
   Follow the Leader
just how completely we do as
Jesus Says.

Fifty plus years ago on our
Ordination Retreat,
a soul savvy priest
put the whole thing this way:

"If you were on trial for being a Christian
   would there be enough evidence
   to convict you?"

Now there's a
Soul Search,
and lets be sure
to so search regularly.

All things being at least a little equal next week,
let's launch the first of a summer Soul Series
on following Jesus by following his lead in
The Sermon On the Mount.

Whom we follow,
who/what has the telling "say" in our living,
and how fully or not we follow along and follow through,
determines where we go and how we get there.
Our spiritual life sure is the ultimate in

FOLLOW THE LEADER

   Let's prayerfully support each other as we
follow along and follow through with Jesus.


In The Love Who Is God

   John Frank

   *****

We've had many new folks joining us this past week,
with especially large groups from Germany, the United Kingdom
and again Romania among them.
One and all please know you are welcome and we are blessed.

"frankly speaking"
spirituality for the street

-is posted online each Thursday before dinner,
east coast USA time at
johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

-is available by automatic email delivery
each Friday - sign up top of online posting

-past postings are available at Blog Archive,
right column online.

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK

___________________________________________________

Thursday, July 2, 2020

FOLLOW THE LEADER