frankly speaking: 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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Wednesday, February 2, 2022

WHO