Dear All of Us,
"Take it or leave it."
Really?
Are there such?
Does that hold for
marriage vows,
a job offer,
The Constitution,
the price of a car,
taking an oath?
"Take it or leave it"?
Well,
not always or exactly.
Take Good Old Boy
TJ
of
Monticello (1)
He wrote a
foundational document
affirming that all men
are created equal
and have certain
inalienable rights
such as life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness.
TJ bought and sold
enslaved human beings.
"Take it or leave it."?
Well,
not always or exactly.
TJ had a Bible.
He actually took
his scissors to it.
TJ cut out the
sayings and actions
of Jesus
that he didn't like.
"Take it or leave it"?
Well
not always or exactly.
As for the Bible,
well,
TJ hasn't been
the only one
to give the Bible
a scissor cut,
trimming out
what he didn't like
in the teaching and
doings of Jesus.
I confess that
in more than
a few ways and days
I have tailored
what Jesus
said and did
to my specs
and satisfactions.
For me it's not always
"Take it or leave it."
I take it and I leave it.
In leaving out
I have missed out
and too often caused
hurtful gaps for others.
"Take it or leave it"
Well
- not so well -
not always or exactly.
Over two thousand years
institutional religion
has cut out and pasted in
interpretation and practice
so much and often
that what
presents and passes
for the
living of
Jesus
The Word
in community
is seen as
more forgery
than
authentic
actual
God Love Life
copied right
(paper and practice).
"Take it or leave it"
Regrettably
for that forgery
many don't
take to it
at all
and many
who did
are taking
their leave.
"I'll believe in
your redeemer
when you look
more redeemed."
Fredrick Nietzsche
Pope Francis asked
what's with
the Christians
who look like
"Lent without Easter"?
He prayed:
"May the world
of our time...
be enabled
to receive
the good news
not from those
who are dejected,
discouraged,
impatient or anxious,
but from persons
whose lives
glow with fervor,
who have first
received the
joy of Christ." (2)
(Now there's a Taker)
Right about now
our dear,
imperiled
world community
sure could use an
undiluted,
unredacted,
unfudged,
uncompromised,
uncut
edition of
Jesus Lived
that they can
TAKE
to heart
and live out
joyfully,
in community,
authentically
and fully.
That would be
US
What's our
TAKE
******
OUR NEW NOW
Online Postings
Thursday afternoons
East Coast USA Time
(1) We here are a community
from many different lands,
peoples and histories.
For those unfamiliar
with USA history,
TJ
is
Thomas Jefferson,
a Founding Father of
The United States.
(2) Quotes from
Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cerelli
FORGE
April 2024
Foundry
United Methodist Church
Washington, DC
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******
A WARM WELCOME
to
frankly speaking
spirituality for the street
johnfrankshares.blogspot.com
And What A Week!
A wondrous community from
Brazil
Vietnam
The Netherlands
Nepal
Morocco
Germany
Bangladesh
among multiples of many more.
So God to be One
******
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Are Available
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FOURTH OF JULY
OBSERVANCE
Let's free
every enslavement
and share
every freedom
we can.
God Bless,
Love to all,
John Frank
******
