HOPE SO

 

Dear All of Us,

Seems like every grouping 

has its pecking order.

There's the first and foremost

all the way down to 

the last and the least,

the runt of the litter.

Even scripture seems so:

       "And now 

  faith, hope and love 

         abide, 

     these three; 

       and the

      greatest 

   of these is love."

 1 Corinthians 13:13

Love and faith score big

in holy writ and rightly so.

Preaching too.

Hope looks like  

a distant third, though.

But, let's take a closer look.

Let's slow down 

to catch up with hope

because just now it is 

   THE QUESTION

  Is there any hope 

  for us and our world?

      

    "Our world today 

     is nothing 

     if not a swirling, 

     turbulent wind 

     tossing us around.

     [Recently], 

     we have experienced 

     economic meltdown, 

     climate count down,

     racial throwdown,

     political breakdown,

     technology slowdown,

     and religious letdown." (1)

         

        That's a hell of a lot of

                 DOWN

          Are we doomed to 

          DOWN AND OUT?

            Can there be 

                   UP 

                  AND

             STAYING SO?

          

              HOPE SO

Hope is a faithful emersion in love.

        (Faith Hope Love)

Hope is not an abstraction 

nor aspiration.

Hope is really, actually, trustingly,

vigorously, consistently, steadily

living that love emersion,

personally and collectively.

We live it practically real 

in our current, overheated, 

sweaty, swirling, unstable, 

downing whirlwind.

Hope centers and stays 

faith fully in love lived.

      "God is love."

       1 John 4:8

Neither Faith, Hope, or Love

are actually separate.

They are a lived trinity.

Love is the energy of what is - God

Faith is absorption in that energy - God

Hope is jumping in and staying 

in that energy - God 

So lets consider

cause and consequence.

  "No problem can be solved 

   from the same consciousness 

   that created it."

              Albert Einstein

For us individually and as a people

there is no hope in the consciousness 

that got us where and as we are.

Consciousness is how 

we catch on to existence, 

what we think and feel,

how we see and evaluate,

and then put into play.

The consciousness 

that set us up for down

            is 

     Soul Shallow

It gets us as far as  

tying our shoes 

and fails to show us

what to do with them.

We stumble to our peril.

It results in the lived lies of

me-ism, consumerism,

governance that can't, 

the military industrial complex 

that President Eisenhower 

warned against, 

networks of deliberate untruths,

the economic seesaw that

positions few high up 

at the price of multitudes minused

and bottomed out, 

self serving selective nationalism 

trumping "E Pluribus Unum",

(yes, that was on purpose!)

seeing everything 

in one color - one's own,

countermanding nature's diversity

by dictating one-of-a-kind sexuality, 

putting a choke hold on culture

and the truth telling of history,

banning books and arts 

that show life a way 

some don't want it to be,

abusive behavior towards,

earth, water, air,

religion of show and 

little telling effect. 

 

Hope comes with a radical 

change of consciousness. 

It amounts to hearing Jesus 

again for the first time: 

    

       "Repent, 

        the kingdom 

        of heaven 

        is at hand" 

        Matthew 4:17 

        King James

       

       "Change your 

        hearts and lives! 

        Here comes the 

        kingdom of heaven."

        Matthew 4:17 

        Common English Bible

Jesus offers a radical reset 

of mind and heart,

a new consciousness

for person and as a people, 

            one

       SOUL DEEP

He invites us to live in

     REALM REAL

so good it is God's,

The Kingdom of God.

New consciousness 

New consequences

Life altering for person 

and peoples.

Matthew reports out

The Good News

in chapters 5-7.

    First is 

   deep in

 Soul Sense

approaches to 

real living,

attitudes on 

how to "be"

right real,

eight of them,

The "Be" Attitudes.

Then rock real

translation of them

      into 

  Realm Real 

    "Do" ing

Attitude to Action

dealing with

- anger, 

  retaliation, 

  charity giving,

  prayer, 

  worry, 

  judging

  The Gold Standard

  for relationships

  and much more -

  swaths of aliveness

  flowing from 

      God Good 

    Consciousness.

One way or the other

we will have consequences.

Which consciousness

do we live out?

So, we can cave to

    hopelessness.

We can convert to

     hopefulness

      

       At issue is

 the screaming need 

            for

SPIRITUAL RENEWAL

       FOR REAL 

    SPIRITUALITY,

          not 

 Cult Comfortable

     Religiosity,

          for 

Radical Gospel Life

         and 

      Lifestyle

Will we hear it?

Will we chance it?

Will we "repent"?

Will we pay the price?

Will churches do so?

Repent means 

     turn around,

a new consciousness,

a new manner of life,

one flow full of 

       HOPE

  Actually Lived 

    Emersion

in the Love Energy 

      that is 

       God

Will we reading this 

right here right now

       change?

Will we reading this

right here right now

be part of a people of

        changed

    consciousness 

       attitude

        action,

         life

      life style

      HOPE SO

       ******

          A Starter Kit

We pray for clarity and courage,

wisdom and willingness.

In time we unite with one or more 

("Were two or three are gathered...")

in a committed and consistent

response to repentance and renewal,

to Kin-Domain life.

We meet regularly.

We pray together.

We listen and share 

what we hear

as we open to 

a new consciousness 

and lifestyle.

We take time, lots of it, 

with every nuance

of Good News in

Matthew 5-7, 

The Sermon 

On The Mount.

At core, at center,

What does it 

really mean?

How is it lived 

real and now and here?

We Soul Share and Support,

personally, practically  -

our insights and lights,

our dark doubts,

our forwards,

our backwards.

Our views and lifestyle 

will radically change.

We steady each other,

help each other 

deal with that,

a profound, costly 

    turn around.

Together we dedicate to 

one communal effort 

for those beyond our group

- consistently and practically 

  helping a single parent

- working together at 

  Habitat For Humanity 

-"adopting" a forgotten senior adult

- (fill in the space...........................

  ................................................

We steady each other as 

we all realize the changes

of consciousness and 

consequent life style

this will mean.  

    ******    

(1) Cameron Trimble quoted in 

     Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation, 

     May 5, 2023

                 ******

     

    NEW BOOK

    SOUL BOOM

  Why We Need A

      Spiritual 

    Revolution 

   Rann Wilson

       ******

      frankly speaking

   spirituality for the street

johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

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                ******

          COSTA RICA

      This week we had 

  our first ever over visit 

  over the six and a half years 

  of weekly postings 

              from

          Costa Rica

          Bienvenido 

            ******

         May we all 

       do more than 

         just read 

    this particular blog.

            Sure

         Hope So

        Love to all,

        John Frank

PS

  Please join me in gratitude to God.

  Fifty four years ago this morning 

  I was ordained.

         ******

To trust in them is folly and failure.

ONE

Dear All of Us,

We want to be close in with

     that one so special.

We itch to visit

     that one particular place.

We know the one thing 

     we really want for dinner.

We can't wait to read 

     that one certain book.

We long to hear our one

     most favored piece of music.

The Gravitational Pull Of

             ONE

               It 

    Draws Us Through 

    The Many And Good

               To

             Itself

              So

Embrace your beloved.

Spend a month 

    on Martha's Vineyard.

Savor that linguini 

     with red sauce.

Get lost in Wendel Berry's 

     The Mad Farmer's Poems.

Soar in the uptake of 

     Handel's Messiah.

At first the many and good 

         seem to be 

simply singular and secular.

But yielding deeply, reverently, 

        fully to them

 The Gravitational Pull Of

             ONE

          Draws Us

         Centers Us 

          Unites Us

              In 

           ITSELF

 The Source And Fullness

       Of All That Is

      THE ONE GOD

           ******

Over the next few days let's 

        Pray Ponder,

   a little at a time over 

 the sharings that follow.

           ******

       How do we let 

 "the many and the good" 

        draws us to 

          Oneness

            God

     rather than just

   skim the surface of 

   shallow immediacy?

          ******

      DEEP DOWN 

       ONENESS

O Holy Spirit, 

you are the mighty way 

in which everything that 

is in the heavens,

on the earth, 

and under the earth, 

is penetrated 

with connectedness, 

penetrated with relatedness."

     Hildegard of Bingen

       Medieval Mystic

        Diffusely One

  (pretty sexy spirituality!)

                 ******

No one, Nothing, Nowhere

               Is 

          Stranger

        Down Deep

          Oneness

             All  

         Connected

          Related 

           ONE

What's that like 

at the dinner table, 

on a plane,

in the office, 

driving,

around the neighborhood?

How can that be a

Holy Communion?

        ******

"The church consists in the state 

 of communion of the whole world."

             Augustine

        A Sacred Oneness

  Sure recasts "going to church."

              How so?

              ******

           Happy to be 

               ONE 

            with you,

           John Frank

            ******

       frankly speaking

  spirituality for the street

johnfranfshares.blogspot.com

            a weekly

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WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO HELP?

             Please share

         "frankly speaking" 

             with others. 

   It sure would be appreciated

***************************

Never "One and done."

Always "One" more and more.

May all our ones add up to 

      The Divine One

             

      See you next week.

               

***************************

"The ego gets what it wants with words.

 The soul finds what it needs in Silence."

                Richard Rohr

                  ******

GOOD NATURED GOD

   

Dear All of Us,

I'm one lucky guy

and I know it!!

I have a lovely,

truly good natured wife.

I mean she's 

   Big Time

Good Natured!!

What a blessing!

What a difference

she makes for me

and so many others!!

For her the glass 

is always half full,

and she'll prepare 

an exquisite meal

to go with it!

Her nature is 

a clear reflection of,

a participation in,

and sharing of,

God's Good Nature.

Our spiritual lives

are a living in

    Nature

God's Nature, 

our human nature,

that of all created nature.

Surely Sad

      is it that 

      some supposed

      spiritual sorts 

        "Dis"

     Puts Down

        Trash

       Nature

ours and all Creations

         as 

      Sub-par

      Suspect

Weak and corruptible

  something too earthy

  something to escape 

    in our efforts

    to rise above

    in our climb 

    to the divine.

Actually and happily

we can't climb

to the divine.

We awake to it

given and present

    right here 

  in our human 

situation and nature 

in all created nature.

Just try to sing a hymn 

or help the poor

without breathing 

and using our brain.

Good the nature of things.

Matter matters.

      

     From the get go 

God has been delightfully

     GOOD NATURED 

Genesis insists

that on all those first

lavish, creative days, 

in all ways 

on all counts

  "...God saw that 

     it was good"

     We want to join in, 

     see and say it 

      that way as 

       Creation 

continues and evolves

in our here and now.

By God's will and way

we are not called to be

disembodied spirits.

Right now we are meant 

to be right at home 

as we experience God in

the gift of our human nature 

and that of all Creation,

not to escape them  

for some sort of supposed 

spiritual superiority

that eschews 

things natural.

   

   The Natural 

       and 

   The Divine 

are not separate 

nor opposed. 

The Divine

holds in being

 - Its Being -

   all that is.

  The Divine 

   Suffuses

  The Natural

in a wonderous

   ONENESS

   splendidly 

   DIFFUSE

   

   Unfortunately

Original Goodness

     has taken 

more than a few hits

   no thanks to 

  Adam and Eve,

Nero, Genghis Khan, 

Crusaders, Adolf Hitler, 

and too often and too much

the rest of us

in our times,

in our wrong and wronging

 turns and twists

    Fortunately 

we all are wanted, 

counted on,

to be in on

        God's

Restorative Justice

as it rights the wronged

across the whole plane   

         of the 

        Natural

people place protons

powers and pulsations

 We are tight in on 

         God's 

Redeeming Re-creation

          and

      Restoring

         of all 

      just right

         YES!

           All

  JUST and RIGHT

We are one with God

   in how we are 

   and what we do

   God Good Naturedly.

We enjoy robust wine temperately.

We make love freely in fidelity.

We speak in tones true.

We lift the fallen.

We straighten the crocked.

We happily harmonize 

     with all nature's variants,

     respecting and caring.

We work the earth responsibly.

We keep pure water and air.

We use what we need.

We make sure others have 

     what they need.

We sustain rather than drain dry.

We rejoice to have our nature

rooted in God's nature,

living that real and forth.

We embrace God 

     in God's embrace

          of us in 

       The Natural

We relish God present 

     in nature's different

     topographies, societies, ethnicities, 

     climates, cultures, customs,

     nourishments of body and soul,

     spiritualities, art and construct, music,

     life rhythms, toils and tasks.

We read God Revealed, 

       Writ Large in

          Nature

 the first and oldest Bible.

We worship in nature's 

    sacred sanctuaries

    of rock, range, wood, water,

    crest, plane.

In our particular 

time and place and way

we join St. Francis 

right at home in the

God Good Natural,

delighted with

Brother Sun 

Sister Moon,

birds, animals, 

tender and caring 

with the damaged,

hugging the deserted 

and despised,

at peace, one with all.

We live and thrive in

all forms and sharings of

GOOD NATURED GOD

       ******

   For Those Who Wish

In the days ahead we slowly 

         Pray Ponder

in the words and wisdom 

              of 

        St. Francis.

He shares the joy and way 

   of living naturally in

  GOOD NATURED GOD

Soul Slowed, Soul Savoring 

      we welcome 

       The Spirit

sensing more and deeper 

the levels of meaning

in the prayer of Francis 

as they widen and lighten 

our living Love. 

      The Canticle of Creation

O Most High, all powerful, 

good Lord God,

to you belong praise, glory, 

honor and all blessing.

Be praised, my Lord, 

for all your creation

and especially for 

our Brother Sun,

who brings us 

the day and the light;

he is strong 

and shines magnificently.

O Lord, we think of you 

when we look at him.

Be praised, my Lord, 

for Sister Moon,

and for the stars

which you have set shinning 

and lovely in the heavens.

Be praised, my Lord,

for our brothers Wind and Air

and every kind of weather

by which you, Lord, 

uphold life in all your creatures.

Be praised, my Lord,

for Sister Water,

who is very useful to us,

and humble and 

precious and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, 

for Brother Fire,

through whom 

you give us light 

in the darkness:

he is bright 

and lively and strong.

Be praise, my Lord, 

for Sister Earth, our Mother,

who nourishes and sustains us,

brings forth fruits and 

vegetables of many kinds

and flowers of many colors.

Be praised, my Lord, 

for those who forgive 

for love of you;

and for those who bear

sickness and weakness

in peace and patience

- you will grant them a crown.

Be praised, my Lord,

for our Sister Death,

whom we all must face.

I praise and bless you, Lord,

and I give thanks to you,

and I will serve you 

in all humility. 

       Francis of Assisi

            ******

As we go to work, watch the news, vote, 

gather with family and friends, drive,

spend our money, raise our children, 

seek a church refreshed, tend the sick, 

needy, hurt and hurting, as we forgive, 

as we hit life's speed bumps and detours 

we pray to live

      The Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument 

of your peace;

where is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not 

so much seek to be consoled 

as to console;

to be understood 

as to understand;

to be loved, 

as to love;

for it is giving 

that we receive,

it is in pardoning 

that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that 

we are born to Eternal Life.

       Francis of Assisi

It can be a wondrous help,

over time, unhurriedly, prayerfully,

to ponder each portion of this prayer,

and consider:

- its meaning(s)

- ways and places where we can live it

         ******

    Please consider passing 

    this posting on to folks 

    who do not yet know of

       frankly speaking

  spirituality for the street

johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

    That would be a big help 

     and much appreciated.

Our spiritual lives are 

an invitation to live

   "ALL NATURAL"

See you next week.

    Love to All

    John Frank

      ******

      

MAY I HAVE A WORD WITH YOU?

Dear All of Us,

It's better than having  

God on the phone.

God's at the front door

and wants to come on into

     the roominess 

     of our living

      and share 

   a word with us.

With God as with us

     a word is 

  our innerness 

    expressed

  our innerness

     shared

  A word is an 

  articulation

       of 

 who we are, 

 how we are

 our mystery 

  manifest

 A word is a 

   giving 

  of that,

a giving of 

ourselves.

A word is 

an invitation 

for connection 

that can be a 

Holy Communion.

That's what God wants

          to be 

          to do 

        with us.

Our whole life speaks

       response

God has been speaking 

       his word 

   from the get go.

"In the beginning was the Word,

 and the Word was with God, 

 and the Word was God.

 He was in the beginning with God." 

      What a great good start

      A God Good Start

      We have God's "Word" on it.

      It's so One.

  

God speaks creative.  

"All things came into being 

 through him, and without him 

 not one thing came into being.

             WOW 

        Everything is 

        God Spoken

      is heart crafted 

        into being

    at the Word of God

            energies

            spaces and places

            ants and Alps

            cherry blossoms

            seascapes

            babies

            air to breath

            friends

            elements for supper.

       

        What liveliness

             In fact

"What came into being in him

was life, and the life was 

the light of all peoples." 

           Lite Life

           Brilliant

           So lively

           Life giving

     God sure has a lot 

            to say

     God's Innerness

          Worded

 And is it ever personal:

"And the Word became flesh

 and lived among us...

the glory of a father's only son, 

full of grace and truth."

    The Innerness of God

           In Person

          Among Us

   Full of grace and truth

The Fullness of Good and Reality

     Closer than intimate

     God uttered human.

      God is at the door 

                of

            Always

      wants to come in

             asks

May I have a Word with you?

May I Word You Divine?

Our response is

       Our Life Worded

 May God's Word

 and ours be

      Word Wedded

A HOLY COMMUNION

        in all ways, 

         forever

           ONE

         ******

The Scriptures above are from 

          The Prologue

                 to 

          John's Gospel.

          PONDER PRAYER

    We turn off Media Mania.

    We tame Monkey Mind.

             Calmed still, 

    we breath in quiet freshness,

    we exhale scattering shatterings.

We hear 

The Word 

sounding God

in all of creation.

We "listen" to 

       a Spring bud

       a Soulful Sea

       a form flung Picasso

       a gentle breeze

       a warm toned sunrise

       a child's chatter

       a loaf of homemade bread

       a comfortable pair of shoes

       a farmer's market

       a good novel

       a friend's caring

       a field of wheat

       the wisdom of an elder

       the plea of the needful

       the sounds of silence

       the scriptures sacred

       the plenty of a supermarket

       the joyous brook babble

       the Spirit's "still small voice"

       the writings of Shakespeare

       the potatoes frying

       the buzz at the baseball park

       the comedian's zing 

God Words lavishness 

in dialects unending.

God listens to us join in.

             A 

     Divine Dialogue

We have his Word on it.

        ******

Please see ASKING below.

  A word of warm welcome 

      to all our visitors

             here at

        frankly speaking 

   spirituality for the street

johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

             BEST DELIVERY

                  Email

              Each Friday

               Sign Up

      Top right online posting

       LAST FIVE POSTINGS

     Scroll below this posting

         ONLINE POSTING

             Each Wednesday

          Before mid-day

       East Coast USA time

              ******

              ASKING

         Not For Profits 

       are forever pitching

     for more than pennies.

               Well, 

       frankly speaking 

            sure is a 

     Not At All For Profit 

    that hopefully profits 

      our spiritual lives

              AND

          this is not 

      a pitch for pennies.

 This is a pitch for partners 

       here each week.

             SOOO

         Please share 

      frankly speaking

with two others this week.

Come on now, we can do it!

   Our active sharing of

     frankly speaking 

       with others 

     is the only way

   to invite new folks 

       in with us.

      If any of us 

     feel awkward

    about sharing,

        try this:

    "Here's a copy of

    frankly speaking

spirituality for the street.

   Please give it a try.

Sometimes it's a touch

    on the long side.

 Sometimes it's a bit 

   on the short side. 

Sometimes it's a bit 

spacious, even spacey.

     Other times 

 it's pointedly practical.

        Anyway,

    I find it a plus.

     Who knows, 

   you might too.

       If not, 

it's a sure fire cure 

    for insomnia."

  HEY, THANKS!!

 Looking forward 

 to being 

  together here 

     next week 

 (and welcoming

  your referrals).

    Love to all,

    John Frank

     ******

      

       

  

           

          

      

   

 THE WORD

It's spoken in person

SHOW UP

Dear All of Us,

So much of religion and spirituality

is a great big fat waste of time.

They get us busy seeking a God 

who is already here -

within and without, 

but we're not.

We're out and about 

chasing around trying to find God 

as we think God ought to be

in ways we want/expect

God to be and prefer 

God to be present.

We're looking for God 

blindfolded by our 

predetermined notions of 

who, how and where 

God should be.

     "WE INTERUPT THIS BLOG 

      FOR FAST BREAKING NEWS."

  

        A moment ago my wife 

        came into the study here

        as I was typing this blog. 

        I stopped typing.

        She asked me 

        to rub cream 

        on her back.

        That's God 

               Showing Up 

               God's way

               and that

      in a most touching way!!

     

At their true best 

religion and spirituality

are simply accepting that 

            God    

        Shows Up

as God is and in God's ways

in our place and time.

We embrace the presence.

God takes it from there.

Paula D'Arcy gets it and gives it:

     "God comes disguised 

            as our life."

That's the holy how and where 

of real religion and spirituality.

So God and we 

    Show Up

    together

  "Presenced"

      ONE

        in

our God given

time and place, 

our God given 

gifts and graces.

We connect 

as God presents

in our everyday life.

  

                   SOME

PRACTICAL PRESENCE POINTS

We stop what we're doing

to rub cream on 

our spouse's back,

playing the piano,

gardening,

working,

raising a family,

mentoring,

meditating,

telling funny stories,

advocating,

showering

   - yep, we take our shower 

     with/in God,

donating,

cooking a super stew,

sunbathing,

having the left out in for dinner,

soaking in sacred writings,

living a modest lifestyle,

actively making our

faith community truly so, 

slowing to sense God

in spring flowers,

playing with kids,

being patient with our 

disappointments, hurts,

aches and pains,

stopping to still 

so the Spirit within

can love on us

wrapping us 

Intimate One,

fasting from frivolities,

tuning out media madness,

tunning  into 

       God Reality

       God Actuality

Practical Place Presence 

            of

          God

    However God 

     Shows Up

God's already here 

in our now,

within and without.

Happy are those who 

      SHOW UP

       ******

       How great it is 

       that each week 

       new folks show up 

       and join in here at

        frankly speaking

   spirituality for the street

johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

                WELCOME

         BEST DELIVERY

              Email

          Every Friday

            Sign Up

  top right online posting

    LAST FIVE POSTINGS

      Scroll down below 

     current online posting

     ONELINE  POSTING

      Each Wednesday

      By mid-morning

      USA East Coast time.

             People    

           Show Up

              here

   because you invite them.

         Thank You!!

     Have a great week.

         Love to all,

        John Frank

          ******