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.
******