frankly speaking: RESPONSE

Dear All of Us,

Around here in DC

lots of folks had yard signs

thanking First Responders

during the worst of the pandemic.

Those First Responders

are just plain old GREAT!!

My family and I vouch for that.

First Responders came to our rescue

when we had an emergency.

They were all in on our behalf -

close, caring, giving.

They responded by

vigorous God Love

at a vulnerable time

and did so in

a most practical way.

It's no stretch to say that

living a vigorous spiritual life

makes us all first responders,

and that in all sorts of ways -

responding to receiving God Love,

responding to giving God Love

Pardon my French,

well no, my Latin.

re = again and again

spondere = answering.

In our spiritual living

Response

is how we answer

God Love

with our lived reaction

It may be a request that

we share God Love.

It may be an opportunity

to be gifted by God Love.

Our response could be to

people, place, occurrence,

peril or potential,

need, nature

or opportunity.

Portals to

The Love That Is God

open all across daily life.

We answer, we respond

to Love Received,

to Love Given:

- deep and sincere listening to another

- looking out for those

others fail/choose not to notice

- lending a hand or a buck

- truth telling

- stretching for Earth Care

- taking a stand and the hits

for social justice,

- making a marriage,

- raising kids,

- taking an elderly person

for a ride in the country,

- bringing dinners to a couple

who just had a baby

- being patient with a pest,

- working for community,

- warming to God Love in

a glorious sunset,

- letting God make love to us

in intimate prayer,

- singing our soul out in the shower,

- taking a hike in God's outdoors,

- going all nine yards with loved ones,

- soul sees of sacred writings,

- just plan having a time with

our first favored dinner

Shrimp scampi

highly recommended!!

- coaching kids in sports and academics,

- getting lifted to the heights

listening to "O Blessed Spring"

sung by The National Lutheran Choir

(It's online),

- seeing God in all that is -

a life of active contemplation.

- stilling for spiritual showing.

Response

calls for

receiving, giving

generosity, sensitivity,

openness, wisdom

How most lovingly

do we answer - respondere?

It seems to come down and up to

wisdom and largeness in living,

receiving God Love,

giving God Love,

our living our answer, our

Response

God Good

God infused flowing forth.

John Frank

******

For Prayerful Pondering

A Little At A Time

Build a longer table,

not a higher wall.

Soul response:

Is there always room for more at the table,

or is there a quota that walls off and out?

- relatives, neighbors, the needy and left outs,

at work, at religious community, in our social circle

and our nation?

How much do we host a communion table

in the way we welcome people of differing colors,

political persuasions, religious, cultural,

ethnic, sexual orientations, social and

economic standing?

What's our Response - our lived answer?

Prayer Pause:

"For with the judgement you make

you will be judged,

and the measure you give

will be the measure you get."

Jesus

Matthew 7:2

Soul Response

It's not at all a spiritual tit for tat,

do this you get that.

It is being really, fully open,

responding to gift given,

responding to need manifest,

a free flow of grace

to us, through us, from us -

a God "forthing".

What "Plaque" can obstruct the flow

in, threw, forth?

How wide open are we in practice?

We look at our living.

It's our answer to God Good,

It' our

Response

John Frank

******

A Warm Welcome

to first timers.

Great to be with you.

Please do join us

each week here at

frankly speaking

spirituality for the street

johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

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Wednesday, November 9, 2022

RESPONSE