Dear All of Us,
Here in The States right now
a canvas of our country
pictures puzzlement and concern:
Whom Can You Trust?
As I type away here just now,
student demonstrations
roll to roil across the land
reflecting that
puzzlement and concern.
For me it's more than
a bit of de-ja vu.
Back in the mid-sixties
I was doing graduate study
in theology here in Washington
at Catholic University.
The Rector summarily fired
a theology professor
solely on the basis
of a news report.
No due process at all.
The faculty struck,
shut down the university.
They asked the student body
for support and to protest.
We did.
All day for some days
we peacefully marched
on campus, placards held high,
chanting for justice
and academic freedom.
There were TV news crews a plenty.
Then it was back to
the seminary residence
for dinner and
to watch ourselves
on all the major network
evening news programs.
It was heady and dangerous.
We could have been expelled
and denied ordination.
Eventually the theologian
was reinstated and
the Rector was dismissed
and we were ordained.
I learned a lot.
Being part of what
was covered
by the news media,
and how they reported it,
were not even fraternal twins.
Camera angles,
select scene backgrounds
and interview sites,
cropped crowd scrapes,
types of persons selected
for interview,
sound bites,
toned and colored
the reporting.
Facts and fictions
were fitted into
a variety of news frames
by the various networks.
In our here and now,
Whom Can You Trust?
How do we find
The God's Honest Truth
- to vote
- navigating social media
- in selecting a news outlet -
Fox, PBS?
NYT, WSJ?
- listening to a preacher
- choosing spiritual podcasts,
publications and blogs
(including this one)
- deciding on a spiritual director
- choosing a school for our child
(if we are fortunate enough
to have a choice)
- what Not-For-Profit to support
- which causes to follow
- what sorts of entertainment
- with whom to socialize?
Concerns aplenty trying
to honestly, truthfully
live out our
"spirituality for the street."
Whom Can You Trust?
Where is the God's Honest Truth?
Jesus points us right real
out here on the streets of now.
He tells us be wise
as a serpent and
guileless as a dove.
Matthew 10:16
-paradox point -
He outlines direction
for so much:
"Thus, by their fruits
you will recognize them."
Matthew 7:20
Paul paints in the picture,
darks and lights,
fruits deadly,
fruits inspiriting
Fruits Deadly:
"It's obvious what kind of life
develops out of trying
to get your own way
all the time:
repetitive, loveless, cheap sex;
a stinking accumulation of
mental and emotional garbage;
frenzied and joyless grabs
for happiness;
trinket gods;
magic-show religion;
paranoid loneliness;
cut-throat competition;
all-consuming-yet-
never-satisfied wants;
a brutal temper;
an impotence to love
or be loved;
divided homes and
divided lives;
small-minded and
lopsided pursuits;
the vicious habit of
depersonalizing everyone
into a rival;
uncontrolled and
uncontrollable addictions;
ugly parodies of community."
Galatians 5:19-21
The Message
translation
Fruits Inspiriting
"But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy,
peace, patience,
kindness, goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness and
self-control."
Galatians 5: 22-23
In a land and time of
puzzlement and concern
we find
The God's Honest Truth
we can
TRUST
in people, platforms, policies,
procedures, politicians, pastors,
churches, media, causes,
curricula, entertainments,
writings, friends,
anybody. anything
ripe and rich with
The Fruits of the Spirit.
That's The Good News.
That's the way to go.
We eschew
(haven't used that word
in a month of Mondays!)
anybody, anything
that fails, fakes, or fouls
The Fruits of the Spirit,
who serves up
Fruits Deadly.
Our criteria for
what to do,
where to go,
how to choose,
whom to follow,
selecting friends,
is to be and go
where there is
love, joy
peace, patience
kindness, goodness
faithfulness, gentleness
self-control.
It's our spiritual GPS.
It leads in
a manner and way
we can
TRUST
******
NEXT POSING
Wednesday
May 8, 2024
NEXT EMAIL
Friday
May 10, 2024
Lots of new friends are joining in
with us each week.
This week groups from
Brazil
and
Germany
were among them.
So, So Good to be So, So Blessed!
WELCOME
ALL
to
frankly speaking
spirituality for the street
johnfrankshares.blogspot.com
LAST FIVE POSTINGS AVAILABLE
by
scrolling down beneath this posting
Looking forward to us all
being together here next week,
and that's sure the truth!
Love to all
John Frank
******
