Wednesday, February 2, 2022

WHO

 

Dear All of Us,

"Just who the hell do you think 

you are anyway - God almighty?"

When that comes at us 

we either duck or charge.

No light there - deadly dark.


Well, let's neither duck nor charge

in that dark.

Let's take a different tack on it.

When we take the stinger of anger,

when we exorcize the "hell", out of it 

we've got one of the

best questions in town.

Even better, we have 

       THE 

  best answer

in all the world

to that question:

  "I SURE AM!"


Actually, the answer 

is not original to us.

We're simply realizing

and passing on 

how Jesus answered 

the question of

   Who We Are 


Jesus is so simple 

and straight forward.

      He sure is 

"The Light Of The World."

He's just that pure, 

that intensely real

that brilliantly

     The Truth

As such he sheds light 

on the truth of who 

we really are.

No big, convoluted head trip.

Rather Jesus uses a heavenly 

down to earth metaphor.

 

     "I am the vine.

         You are 

      the branches."

        John 15:5


The vine is so absolutely alive

it just has to branch out.

Can't keep itself to itself.

It's the source of life 

for the branches.

The actual life in the branches 

is the actual life of the vine.


Jesus is the absolutely alive

life giving vine.

We are the branches 

absolutely enlivened.

Our life is the life of Jesus.

That's pretty darn divine.

We're God budding forth,

blossoming in all the unique,

wonderful ways we are.



God just can't sit home 

watching game shows all day.

God is the very dynamo

of cosmic life and love.

God's up early and 

goes like blazes all day

expansively sharing self.

It's called 

         Creation


Francis of Assisi 

caught this fire.

He realized and related 

to all that is 

as brother and sister -

people, animals, 

the sun, trees,

stars, elements in 

every form and mode

      All that is

is God happening,

God branching out.


Look, Lent is about 

a month out.

Let's get a jump on it,

         Spring

 to life afresh as the 

    God Wonderful 

    God Emanations

    God Branches

    God Presences 

we are.

Every day and frequently 

during every day

let's keep hearing Jesus

til we hear in 

our deepest selves

just who the heaven we are -

a presence of God All Mighty.

Then we will be freed to 

think, talk, act, react, love,

create, advocate, help, share,

support as who we are, 

as God happening 

and living 

and present 

and loving in us.


Please check out the

     LENT LIFT

   that follows.

It is meant to help us

    hear Jesus,

to let God Happen

       as us.


So great to be your

brother branch!!

  John Frank

   ******


It's been a joy 

to have a substantial

cluster of fellow branches 

from Indonesia close in here

these past few weeks as well as 

another extensive gathering here 

this week from France.

Much Love To You All!

         ******


      LENT LIFT


Let's not sucker into

a gloom and doom

sort of Lent.

You know, 

a torturous guilt trip.  

Let's let this Lent be 

a liberation trip, 

as we come out 

more freely and fully as 

the God People,

the God Presence,

the God Life

we are.


Now, for sure there are 

all sorts of minus signs 

in us - mess misses.

Well, this Lent

we let God take

those minus signs,

cross them 

into plus signs.


Here are some supports

for our daily "outing"

this liberating Lent. 


Instead of giving up 

chocolate or wine 

during Lent,

lets give up all those 

feelings, fears, hang ups, 

habits, attitudes,

bankrupt valuations,

activities, persuasions,

thoughts, relationships,

preoccupations that are

condoms to our spirits.

We seek to be liberated 

so as to be conduits of 

        Godness.

We want to get all potentials 

around us pregnant with

delightful new life in

    God's Creation


Every day of Lent

let's take a phrase

from what Jesus shares

about our Oneness in God.

We'll reference the

 fifteenth chapter of 

 John's Good News

 using 

    The Message

     translation

It can be found below.

Some days we may

focus on one same phrase

more and again.

Other days we may 

go back over 

a phrase/section 

already considered. 

The Spirit will show us

what and when.


Hopefully some/all 

of the following will prompt  

reflecting freedom.

Select as best for your liberation

We ask:

- just what is Jesus saying here?

- how does it address/impact our living?

- what's our reaction to 

  what Jesus says here?

- how can we open up to,

  embrace and let 

  come alive through us

  this truth of Jesus?

- what do we need to stop doing?

- what do we need to start doing?

- rather than try 

  this whole thing solo,

  how can we let God light the way,

  be the energy for this?

- how does any of this relate

  to working for social justice,

  to earth care and 

  environmental focus?

- what's the impact 

  and import here

  for being a positive presence

  in our spiritual community?

- how can we open our 

  value system and life styles 

  to being informed and conformed

  by Jesus here?

- what does all this mean 

  for how we spend our time,

  our money and means,

  for our day job,

  for our family life,

  for our friendships,

  for releasing our unique creativity.

- can/will we share this with others?

- how much time/what preference 

  do we dedicate to intimate presence 

  and sharing with God - Love Time?

- what are some of the fruits

  God would like to share 

  through us?


After the Gospel below

there are some 

Further Points To Ponder



    John's Gospel

    Chapter Fifteen


- "I am the Real Vine

  and My Father 

  is the Farmer.


- He cuts off 

  every branch of me 

  that doesn't bear grapes.


- And every branch 

  that is grape-bearing

  he prunes back

  so it will bear even more.


- You are already pruned back 

   by the message I have spoken.


- "Live in me...


- Make your home in me...


- ...just as I do in you.


- In the same way that a branch

  cannot bear grapes by itself

  but only by being joined 

  to the vine, you can't bear fruit

  unless you are joined to me.


- I am the Vine, 

  you are the branches.


- When you're joined with me

  and I with you, the relationship

  intimate and organic,

  the harvest is sure 

  to be abundant.


- Separated you can't produce a thing. 


- Anyone who separates from me

  is deadwood, gathered up

  and thrown on the bonfire.


- But if you make yourself 

  at home with me and 

  my words are at home in you,

  you can be sure that 

  whatever you ask 

  will be listened to 

  and acted upon.


- This is how my Father shows 

  who he is - when you

  produce grapes, 

  when you mature as my disciples.


- I've loved you the way 

  my Father has loved me.


- Make yourselves at home 

  in my love.


- If you keep my commands,

  you'll remain intimately 

  at home in my love.


- That's what I've done -

   kept my Father's commands

  and made myself at home 

  in his love.


- I've told you these things 

  for a purpose: that my joy

  might be your joy,

  and your joy wholly mature.


- This is my command:

  love one another as 

  I have loved you.


- This is the best way to love.

  Put your life on the line

  for your friends.


- You are my friends when 

  you do the things 

  I command you.


- I'm no longer calling you servants

  because servants don't understand 

  what their master 

  is thinking and planning.


- No, I've let you in on everything 

  I've heard from the Father.


- You didn't choose me, remember;

  I chose you and put you in the world 

  to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil.


- As fruit bearers, whatever you ask 

  the Father in relation to me,

  he gives you.


- But remember the root command:

  love one another.

                   ******


It might be a good thing to go over

each of the Gospel phrases above

a second and even third time 

during Lent.

                    ******



 A Few Further Points To Ponder


- God forths us.


- Spirituality becomes a

  "...sinking back into 

  the source of everything.

         Bill Plotkin


- With us and God there is 

  "co-inherence - a natural fact 

   as well as a supernatural truth."

          Charles Williams


- "You are not God and

   you are not not God."

         Bonaventure


- "...the church consists 

    in the state of communion 

    of the whole world."

          Augustine


- Spirituality is The Spirit 

  sparkling as us.


-"God is more intimate to me 

  than I am to myself."

            Augustine


- Between the soul and God 

  "there is neither strangeness

   nor distance."

           Meister Eckhart


- "Earth is crammed with heaven, 

   and every common bush 

   afire with God."

        Elizabeth Barrett Browning


- What we call spirituality is 

  The Energy Of The University

                 God

  surging creation through me,

  lovingly pulsating in union 

  with all the other "me's" that are -

  people, place, planet and all

  endlessly within and beyond.

  

               ******


               frankly speaking

          spirituality for the street

      johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

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                    ******

     Here's to a Lifting Liberating Lent

             (and an early one)

            See you next week.

                   ******