Dear All of Us,
Every Saturday
my three and
a half year old
Grand Son
Ollie
comes over for dinner
and of course he brings
his parents with him.
My wife cooks a full
Sunday Dinner
for us all every Saturday.
Ollie always charges in,
goes straight for Grandma,
hugs and asks
"Grandma,
what did you make?"
Ollie, like his
Grand Ma and Mom
is already a foodie.
He loves cooking
and food matters.
He actually gets up on
his riser and pitches in with
the food planning and prep.
Early last Saturday morning
Ollie and his Mom texted us.
How about they cook for us
and we dine at their home
this Saturday?
Well, Grand Pa here has
significant mobility limits.
Ollie and his parents live
two long, steep flights up
in their apartment building.
Texting back to Ollie,
I had some fun.
Sure, we'd love to come
but it would be hard
for Grand Pa to climb
all those long steep stairs.
So, if I couldn't
get back down
all those long steep stairs,
would it be alright with Ollie
if I slept on the couch
and we get a crane
on Monday
to let me down
from the fire escape?
Ollies response was
pure and simple.
"I can help Grand Pa
get up the stairs."
He took a pass on
my try at humor,
and any way,
that crane business
was beyond his
comprehension
or competence.
Let it go.
Ollie just wanted us
to come over and
he would do what
he could to help
Grand Pa.
Actually, he already had.
His concern and care,
his willingness to help,
energized
my determination
for the climb,
lifted my spirits,
Ollie boy-ed me up.
These days it's a steep climb
for many most of us
to get above the
challenging chaos all about
and the frightful future
that threatens
to roll across us.
It's messing a lot of heads,
scaring a lot of hearts.
Can we get above it?
Is there anything
we can do about it?
NO and YES
NO
We can do next to nothing
about the overriding threats.
If we are lucky enough to live
in a country where we can vote,
that's important and
yet that seems
frighteningly fragile.
The Culprit Captains of Empire
are at the controls.
Their power and profit
determine policy and process.
People and planet be damned.
And we may be.
The average you and me
can fret and fuss.
It's not going
to make much difference
except dump us deeper
in depression.
Sure, we need to know
what's coming down.
And there's plenty of it.
Sure we need
to petition, protest, and work
for social and planetary justice,
live the works of mercy.
But we are not at the controls.
YES
We can do something,
something about ourselves.
We can do what Ollie did.
We can size things up
and do what we can
right where and as we are.
Never mind trying
to get some kind
of a crane fix
that's beyond us.
We need to watch out.
Too many of us try
to shoulder the weight
of the whole wide world.
It crushes and keeps us
from baring the burdens
of our here and now
And that's where
we can make one heaven
of a difference.
Jesus tells us to carry OUR cross,
not that of the whole wide world.
There is a debilitating evil in
wasting our God given energies
on what we can't reach or change.
We do well to act on the wisdom:
"Think globally. Act locally."
If more and more and more
of us get really, truly into
living Jesus together
it will spread and spread and
then things will change
for the God possible much better.
Our playbook is the Gospels,
particularly the Beatitudes
and the Sermon on the Mount.
We're not talking devotional piety.
We're talking here about
deep diving into practical,
gritty, sweaty sweet community
- the kind where
an elderly member in distress
can call for help in the middle
of the night and some
community members are there.
We're talking the community
being out front addressing
local homelessness,
book banning,
community gardens
and theater,
minority inclusion,
block parties,
close in and for real
scripture focus,
wide open, fervent prayer,
equity pay,
water conservation
and all its cousins,
- all and every
good thing
we as a people
can actually do
with our powers
and in our place.
It's the hope of the world.
It's Kingdom Living.
That can't be programed,
politicized or legislated.
It can be lived into
real right now.
Converted hearts
in community and doing
are the key.
What say on our own
we and then together
with others,
slow soul it,
pray and apply to
grace filled doing
the Spiritual Cousel
of the two wondrous
spiritual prompts
that follow here?
They both came out of
chaotic, turbulent times
and are so right for ours.
JOHN WESLEY
maps out the terrain
of our doing:
"Do all the good you can,
by all the means you can,
in all the ways you can,
in all the places you can,
at all the times you can,
to all the people you can,
as long ever as you can.
FRANCIS OF ASSISI
pinpoints the how's
of converted
hearts in action:
"Lord, make me
an instilment of you peace;
where there 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;
and 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 in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that
we are born to eternal life."
Let's not get drawn off,
immobilized into
deadening dread
by where we can't go
and what we can't do.
We can
Go Gospel
We can
Live Kingdom.
No head trips.
Action steps.
HELP
people
and
planet.
Pray.
Be a for real
community.
It'll make a
WORLD
OF
DIFFERENCE
"Thy kingdom
will be
in the coming."
Yes, it will in
doing deed
be the
much needed
HELP
******
If you care, here is a practical
FURTHERENCE
On and off over
many next whiles,
in prayer alone and
in community sharing,
we take each key word
of Wesley and Francis.
We focus on the
what and way
in our here and now.
WESLEY
Do Good Means
Ways Place Times
People Long
FRANCIS
Instrument
Peace Hatred Love
Injury Pardon Doubt
Faith Despair Hope
Darkness Light Sadness
Joy Console Understand
Love Giving Pardoning
Dying Born
******
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October 22,2024
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October 25, 2024
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We here are from many places and ways.
This week we highlight those of us from
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USA
IRELAND
Welcome
whoever from wherever
frankly speaking
spirituality for the street
johnfrankshares.blogspot.com
See you next week.
Love to all.
God Bless,
John Frank
******
