Tuesday, January 14, 2025

BOTTOMS UP

     HI HELLO

Hope you are well 

and that things go

    God Good

   right there 

where you are.

  Here in DC 

we are having an

    "A Plus" 

       Day 

      clear, 

 bright beautiful.


Our posting this week

is a meditation on 

    life's line up

 as Jesus offers it

 and how we can

         line  

          UP 

      with Him

       ******

     

Dear All of Us,

Some people flip houses 

to get ahead in life's lineup.


Jesus flips life's lineup itself:

     The first are last.

     The last are first.

     Matthew 20:16


Our culture prefers it

the other way round.

Our culture likes 

linear living.

You start here, 

work hard,

progress up the line, 

end up, well,

            Up

           First

          On Top

A controlled experience

with us alone at the controls -

the "self made,"

and sad such a lonely self it is.

So like Thomas Merton's 

comment on success:

People climb up 

the ladder of success

only to find nothing

because their ladder 

is up against the wrong wall.


Jesus comes at it 

altogether differently.

He is counter cultural,

      his and ours.


          Jesus 

     is a big fan of 

      BOTTOMS UP

      The best is 

     at the bottom

even though it doesn't 

     seem so at first.

For Jesus, life is like an

     Upside Down 

          Cake.

The best is definitely 

     at the bottom.

     BOTTOMS UP


We see same with seeds.

Seeds won't grow 

high up on a shelf.

They need 

to go down ground

to grow Up.

     BOTTOMS UP


      Bottom 

         is 

the platform for up.

        Last 

          is 

the starting point for

        First


Bottom/Last is where 

Jesus was in the lineup.

No ordination.

No political power.

No position of dominance.

No wealth.

With the last and the least.

With the "with outs."

With those bottomed out. 

With those "dis- eased" 

in body/spirit.

With ordinary/everyday,

make a buck and 

have a family people.

With those having 

no limiting illusions 

of ascendency/high status.

With them Jesus gave 

the foundation of fullness,

      first class life

            in

 The Kingdom of God.

     BOTTOMS UP

   

Jessus does not 

counsel or condone 

being put down,

being down and out,

being dirt poor,

being a no account nobody.


What Jesus does do 

is go to our bottom,

gets us grounded in 

         God 

      We live a 

     faith filled 

     discipleship.

    It's pure gift.

 No "selfie mades."

Jesus meets us where

   we have nothing

   and gives us

           All


What Jesus does do

is go to our

bottom most core, 

connects us 

deeply and firmly 

with others 

at theirs'

as community 

of shared life,

help and support,

a community

  "In" Spirited,

 "The Gathered"

From there it's

     Up Lift 

last to first.

   BOTTOMS UP


What Jesus does do 

is get us all together 

      "uping" 

 the ground down

    in this world.


What Jesus does do is 

    show us that 

    getting ahead, 

    being first,

    is first of all

  from deep down

        loving 

 God, neighbor, self

    so really that

- at our most basic, 

  we are "crazy nuts,"

  head over heals,

  first and foremost,

  profoundly, 

  passionately

  loving on God

  from our bottom 

  all the way to our top,

  basement to attic 

- letting God love/lift us up

  to endless goodness 

  in The Kingdom of God

  and joining in God's 

  like love of ourselves.

- getting at the end 

  of the line,

  going to society's cellar

  to help all 

  stuck/stymied there 

  get on their feet 

  and fast forward.

- accepting that on our own

  we are nothing,

  we don't even exist,

  and that God wants 

  to "life" us up

  real, loving, eternal 

            and 

  out of the ballpark

          joyous,

- God gives us a self 

  to be, to love, to share -

  we catch on 

  that first of all 

  there was nothing of us

  and last of all and

  everlastingly we are loved 

  rip roaring alive and joyous.

  Now how's that for a flip!!

- God wants us together

  in on doing that for all. 

  It flips everything

            Up

   God Way To Go!!


How do we go with it?

How does that get 

      lined up 

   in our living?

Worth slow go sensing

     Soul Deepest 

and up from there.


So Here's to the 

    Jesus Flip 

 "BOTTOMS UP"

     ******


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Tuesday Morning/Afternoon

East Coast USA Time

January 21, 2025

       

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Friday, 

January 24, 2025

   ******

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   here at

     frankly speaking

 spirituality for the street

johnfrankshares.blogspot.com


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In the Spirit,

Bottoms Up!

Love to all.

John Frank

  ******