SOUL SIP

Dear All of Us,

Most evenings     

I wind up the day with

wine sipping prayer.

For anyone 

stunned sober 

   shocked,

I got the idea

from Jesus.

Jesus prayed 

Passover wine sacred,

transforming it into a

Holy Communion 

as he concluded 

not just his day, 

but all the days 

of his life. 

My prayerful 

SOUL SIP

signs off

a day of significance,

a day of suffering,

a day wasted,

a day of mystery and marvel,

a day hot out of hell,

a day too much of not enough,

a day brilliant blitzed,

a day needing tomorrow reset,

a day of divine settlement, 

- days more than 

this spot and space 

can bare.

Wine or without, 

our day late last 

     prayer

  tastes twix

bitter to blissful,

mellowed clear

       to

blurry fogged,

even fouled. 

Now, my 

Wine Sips

are vintner,

Trader Joe's, 

  Coastal 

  at $5.49

  a bottle

 - definitely a deal.

The real deal, though,

is that day late 

last savor,

that Holy Communion

letting God 

guide,

soul free, 

spirit inebriate -

confront, clear, clarify, 

console, repair, refresh,

      recenter,

      snuggle.

For the wine wary,

there are,

breath prayer, 

prayer beads,

day-end guided meditations,

Ignatian Examen,

sacred setting music,

walking meditation

and lots of lots.

However we

Spirit Savor, 

may we all know 

a last late day

Holy Communion -

    Then

"In peace 

I will lie down

and sleep,

for you alone, 

     Lord, 

make me dwell 

   in safety."

        

        Then

"When you lie down,

You will not be afraid,

your sleep will be sweet."

        ******

      Psalm 4:8 

    Proverbs 3:24

        ******

   WELCOME ALL

NEXT ONLINE POSTING

Tuesday morning/afternoon

USA East Coast time

December 24, 2024

NEXT EMAIL DELIVERY

Friday

December 27, 2024

LAST FIVE POSTINGS

      AVAILABE

         just

scroll down beneath

     this posting

Praying us all a

   cleansing,

    settling

 SOUL SAVOR

     and 

     safe

 sweet sleep

 come night.

Love to all.

See you 

next week.

God Bless,

John Frank

  ******

    

LORD OF THE DANCE

Dear All of Us,

You know, we all spend 

our years and souls 

learning how to dance,

learning how to get 

in step with the

  Dance Divine 

God is having this 

fantastic cosmic blast, 

one of endless energy, 

dynamic motion 

and movement,

expansive, 

evolving creativity,

God Love on a romp - 

one heaven 

of a good time.

God wants to 

sweep us up into

the euphoria of it all,

into this 

Love Dance

that is God's 

and that is God.

Our response is like 

getting carried away in 

a wondrous, vigorous 

Square Dance.

We're all here together,

interlaced love embraced.

God is both the caller 

and the dance called.

As we get into it 

we free up and 

delight to dance 

   God Calls

wrapping us in

and one.

    Everything 

we are, have, do, 

say, experience, 

     gets into

the swing and swirl

We follow along

as God 

     Love Calls 

our every step,

easy or hard

minor or major:

threading a needle,

paying a bill,

getting up from 

being put down,

listening to water 

fill the tub,

our day job,

suffering with 

the denied,

a glass (or two?) 

of wine,

catching up 

on the news,

prayerfully loving 

a former lover

from a distance,

changing diapers 

- infant or elder,

staying one with

our imperfect 

spiritual community,

listening to the flowers,

refusing Empire's perks,

step stretching 

for those limited,

peeling a potato,

making love,

       EVERYTHING

Sure, there are missteps,

ours and those of

other dancers.

They throw things off.

They interrupt.

They cause 

confusion, 

conflict,

painful pile up. 

These missteps 

are sin sad.

So is sitting it out,

cornered in 

the isolation of self 

and dissolving into 

less than a wallflower.

In both cases,

in different ways, 

we insist we are 

the callers 

and the dance

is just us.

Bad calls, 

painful trip ups.

Jesus stepped in,

and through us 

still does,

to step suffer through

these and all missteps,

straightening them out

by sheer divine love,

getting us all 

back on our feet 

and vigorous in 

the swing and sway 

of the dance.

For those who need 

   to move on, 

see you next week.

   Much Love.

   John Frank    

     ******

For those of us 

up for another 

dance or two

here we go!

FURTHERANCE

Jesus The Christ 

         is 

Lord of the Dance

Let's prayerfully 

    get into 

the swing of it.

In the coming 

next whiles 

let's pray visit

the hymn and

our experience 

as dancers.

How is God 

calling the steps 

just now 

in our lives?

What does it take 

to be in step?

Do we have 

dance partners 

- a for real, 

spiritual 

community?

   

"The dance

 never ceases

 to stir 

 within us, 

 beating

 'in our very blood

 whether we want it

 or not.' " (1)

 The dance is

 deathless,

 childlike,

 and free,

 an infinite

  Presence

 wholly poured out 

 in us as 

 the concrete 

 immediacy 

 of who 

 we simply are,

 beyond grasping

 in any way 

 whatsoever, (2)

 (1) Merton, 

      New Seeds of

      Contemplation

          p. 297

 (2) James Finley

      Contemplative 

      Heart

          p. 219 

 Musical renditions 

 available online.

 Please do

 Google the goodness. 

 

        CHORUS

"Dance, then, wherever 

       you may be, 

       I am the 

 Lord of the Dance,

         said he, 

 And I'll lead you all,

 wherever you may be,

 And I'll lead you all 

 in the dance, said he."

    

           

I danced in the morning 

when the world was begun, 

And I danced in the moon 

and the stars and the sun,

And I came down from heaven

and I danced on the earth:

At Bethlehem I had my birth.

           Chorus

I danced for the 

scribe and pharisee,

But they would not dance

and they wouldn't follow me;

I danced for the fishermen, 

for James and John;

They came with me

and the dance went on:

       CHORUS

I danced on the sabbath

and I cured the lame:

The holy people said

it was a shame.

They whipped 

and they stripped

and they hung me high,

And they left me there 

on a cross to die:

      CHORUS

I danced on a Friday

when the sky 

turned black;

It's hard to dance

with the devil 

on your back.

They buried my body

and they thought 

I'd gone;

But I am the dance, 

and I still go on:

      CHORUS

They cut me down 

and I leapt up high;

I am the life

that'll never, never die.

I'll live in you

if you'll live in me:

I am the Lord 

of the dance, 

said he.

      CHORUS

              ******

NEXT ONLINE POSTING

Tuesday Morning/Afternoon

East Coast USA Time

December 17, 2024

NEXT EMAIL DELIVERY

Friday

December 20, 2024

Great to be dance partners

        together here at

  

        frankly speaking

   spirituality for the street

johnfrankshares.blobspot.com

   Click Frankly Speaking

top left for current posting

  

  LAST FIVE POSTINGS

  Please scroll beneath

  Current online posting

   Have a good week.

   Looking forward to 

   us all being together 

   here next week.

        Love to all.

        God Bless, 

        John Frank

          ******

           

 

NOTES AND JOTTINGS I

Dear All of Us,

Slow simmering 

is a wonderful way 

to prepare good food.

Brings out full flavor.

It's also a wonderful way 

         to pray.

Brings out deep down

        richness.

        

So here are some

     Notes and Jottings

            from

        ENDNOTES

            and 

   JOURNEY JOURNAL

   - notes at the end 

        of my life 

     here on earth

   - jottings as I finish 

       my journey 

     here on earth

        They are

    legacy offerings 

    I am preparing.

 They are offered for our

     SLOW SOUL 

     SIMMERING

       ******

"A real leader has 

 the same dream 

 that God has."

 My Grandfather's 

     Blessing

 Rachel Naomi 

   Remen,MD

    ******

        SUN CENTER

           SPIRIT

        flame forth

    burn clot block free

    blinding brilliance

        light growth glow

            all ever

      RADIANT LOVE

           ******

When we try 

to talk about God, 

theological 

(logic about "theos") 

statement is 

certainly helpful. 

Of course, 

"Life is larger than logic".

Even more and 

endlessly so the

Source and Sustainer of life.

So wisely we tread lightly.

            The 

"Mysterium Tremendum" 

       (Rudolf Otto) 

that is God isn't at all 

       logic locked.

  Logic can't contain it.

     It can point out 

specks of the Splendor 

         that is 

          God.

     Better than 

   theological talk 

          or 

   church dogma 

(logic with a cross on it)

is experience of God -

prayer, service, creativity.

We now find ourselves 

in the land of contemplation 

maturing into mysticism.

When we try to report back 

the experience, 

our articulation 

is exclusively metaphor, 

definitely never definition.

Contemplation is 

ever more awareness,

of the mystery 

that is God. 

Mysticism is 

being drawn into 

the mystery 

that is God.

It has open borders -

prayer, service, creativity..

Contemplation hushes 

our noisy head, 

opens our hearts free wide.

Mysticism is sometimes 

being plunged, 

sometimes 

being gentled, 

into the mystery

that is God. 

Contemplation is 

being invited into

the neighborhood 

          of

        ONE

   Mysticism is 

being moved into

the neighborhood 

         of

       ONE

Yes, any reports of such 

are strictly metaphor.

They drop off as 

we are moved in.

    "It's like..." 

    cedes to 

SILENT GLOW

    All in All 

    our part 

    is to be 

 right at home,

  ALL AGLOW 

    ******

           WHAT

You want us to love YOU

     with every bit of 

       who we are?

           Heck, 

     we'd just plain 

      melt into you.

    Guess that's just 

    what you do want

     and our forever.

           

           WHAT

    You want us to 

  love neighbor as self?

            Heck 

we'd be tighter than one.

     Guess that's just 

     what you do want 

      and our forever.

              

           WHAT

You want us passionately, 

    flat out loving self?

           Heck

We'd be one with 

   who we really are. 

    Guess that's just 

    what you want 

    and our forever. 

      

You want us "all in"

    God Neighbor Self?

           Heck 

     we'd be Trinity.

     Guess that's just 

     what you do want.

     ALL ONE FOREVER

       (Mark 12:30:3)

           ******

        DAWN DRAWN

        Moon minds Sun

        Lite Light Lift

        Dawn Drawn

         Done Dark

           ******

                  

          OPEN

Open unto me light 

   for my darkness.

Open unto me courage

   for my fear.

Open unto me hope

   for my despair.

Open unto me peace

   for my turmoil.

Open unto to me joy

   for my sorrow.

Open unto me strength

   for my weakness.

Open unto me wisdom

   for my confusion.

Open unto me forgiveness

   for my sins.

Open unto me love

   for my hates.

Open unto me thy Self

   for my self.

Lord, Lord, 

   open unto me.

Howard Thurman

     ******

Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Creator, Christ and Spirit

        ONE GOD

      experienced 

         referenced

       three ways

        ******

    Contemplation 

    is an awareness 

         of God 

accepted not achieved.

         ******

    Corruption 

          is 

   development 

    in reverse.

Samantha Power

     ******

    Joy is an 

act of resistance.

    ******

"God in me loves 

God in everything."

   Richard Rohr

      ******

"The soul is not simply 

 within the body, 

 hidden somewhere 

 in its recesses. 

 The truth is rather 

 the reverse.

 Your body is 

 in your soul, 

 and the soul 

suffuses you 

completely."

John O'Donahue

    ******

    CROSSED UP

      I've been 

   Crossed Up,

Really Crossed UP.

    Thank God, 

          And I do!

No, I don't ware 

          a cross.

          I live a cross.

          We all do.

The upward has been

Sin side slammed

     Creation's

 ascending thrust

     challenged 

  negative signed

     criss-crossed

     but cancelled not.

   The sin side slam 

   the minus mark

       Embraced

   Love Plussed Positive

   Wrapped in Upward

        Hurts like hell

        Chaos Collision

          Worked Up

     It all happened on a

          Friday Good

      It all happens every day

      every hard heavenward day.

               All Creation

               Crossed Up

          Crossed Up Creation

               Love Lifted

          It all happened on a 

        Spring Sunday Sprung.

          It all happens every

             Love Lifted Day

                     UP

                     Up

                     Up

                Crossed Up

               Resurrection

                  ******

Next Online Posting

Tuesday Morning/Afternoon

East Coast USA Time

December 10, 2024

Next Email Delivery

Friday

December 13,2024

             From 

  many lands and ways we

          COME ONE

            here at

       frankly speaking

   spirituality for the street

johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

         So God Good

            ******

LAST FIVE ONLINE POSTING

          AVAILABLE

               by

   scrolling down beneath

         this posting

            PLEASE

      continue sharing

      frankly speaking 

         with others.

           Thanks

      See you next week.

           Love to all.

           God Bless.

           John Frank

            ******