FRIENDS
Posting a day early.
Dear All of Us,
This is
from my heart
to your hearts.
I am eighty-five.
Like many elderly,
I am dealing with
congestive heart failure
and allied concerns.
I may die before dinner.
I may live a limited
menu more of years.
Between now and when
I am slowed down to
mostly homebound.
GIVEN THE GIVENS
I embrace
this
limiting condition
this
New Now
suchly.
While Brother Bod
flutters and fails,
mind and spirit
fire on all
twelve cylinders.
I thank God,
am peaceful
and grateful,
blest of
family, friends,
faith community,
and the opportunity
to serve spiritual by
writing and companioning.
I am going on
with full living
in a
limiting condition.
I encourage same
for
"Dear All of Us".
We all are living
in a chaotic
limiting condition
these days
and
it's going to get
a lot more
chaotic
and
limiting.
The Body Public
flutters and fails.
As a people
we are suffering
congestive
heart failure.
It's not going
to go away.
We are.
Here in my homeland
and worldwide
we are experiencing
the exhaustion
of our
corporate core,
the heart
of
who and how
we are
as a people
and what
flows from it.
We have lived
a lie
and it is
laying us low.
We have ingested
a diet of
self-centered
greed
power
pleasure
aggressiveness
willfulness
reckless relativism.
It has clogged
our hearts.
"As you sow,
so shall
you reap."
Galatians 6:7
We refuse to face
our original sins
and repent.
Colonizing Nations
across the globe
raped and slaughtered
Indigenous Peoples,
stole their land.
Too many most
then enslaved and
used fellow humans
as animals.
It was
a deadly start.
Build a
Body Public
on dead bodies
and
it's founded on
a cemetery.
The ghosts haunt us.
Nation Bodies
so conceived
have a defective heart
that can't help but
eventually fail.
Right now
is eventually.
As a
Body Public
we are suffering
"active dying".
Misinformation,
sleaze, violence,
vapid religion,
grab greed,
excessive
militarism,
materialism,
me-ism,
rage,
loneliness, specialty men,
cultural warfare, deterioration,
and deconstruction,
a perverting media,
surface living,
all
block
arteries of
communication,
civility,
The
Common Good,
the flow of
God Love.
Systems
and
Structures
collapse
resulting in:
Injustice
Wars
Internments
Gender discrimination
Mistrust
Genocide
Nuclear Threats
Despots
Racism
Xenophobia
violence
Police states
Less and less
for most,
more and more
Lurid Lavish
for the
controlling few,
Finance fragile,
Cancel culture,
Soul soft limp religion,
truth trashed,
Virgin Nature despoiled,
AI computing
dominance and demise.
It's terminal.
We don't have
to settle for it.
GIVEN THE GIVENS
of
worldliness wilding wrong
we certainly are
more and more
limited
societally
GIVEN THE GIVENS
of
Jesus
there is absolutely
no limit bar
to
full,
vigorous,
joyous
life together
in a community of
outreach, other care
justice seeking
earth caring
simple lifestyle
a people of prayer
of Love Lived
right here
right now
in
The Kingdom
of
God.
Jesus
announced it,
initiated it,
modelled it,
died birthing it,
offers it.
"I have come
that you
might have life
and have it
to the full."
John 10:10
A cozy little
corner church
with
to die for
casserole suppers
every Wednesday
won't hold up
or
hold us up.
Jesus The Christ
will
in the community
that is
The Kingdom
of God
Easy, Sunday religion
isn't what Jesus offers.
He offers
a tiny almost nothing
mustard seed
that will tower over
the rubble of
phony, failed,
worldliness.
Matthew 13:31
Jesus tells us
The Kingdom of God
is right here
in the midst of us
community committed.
Luke 17:21
It is like yeast that
that rises, raises up
to a fullness.
Matthew 13:33
It is costly.
We need to cash in
ALL WE COUNT ON
and purchase
the pearl
of
great price.
Matthew 13:45
Costly Choice!
As Bonhoffer stressed,
no cheap grace.
Things are bad
spinning worst.
We get swirled
down and out
or
we get all
we need
uplifted
in
Kingdom Living:
"But first seek
his kingdom
and all else
will be added
unto you."
Matthew 6:33
Jesus tells it straight.
We must choose.
We need to get past
churchy piety
and deep dive together
into for real, practical,
living
The Sermon
On The Mount,
all of it and fully.
Matthew 5-7:
Eight Attitudes on how to Be
Salt and light for others
Kill not even with words
Love enemies, pray for them
Fidelity in fact and fantasy
Speak simple yes or no
Return good to those who harm us
Pray for enemies
Quietly give to the needy
Simple, God intimate prayer
No showy ascetical posturing
Heaven banked treasures
"You cannot serve both God and money".
Trust God and be worry free
No judging thus judgement freed
Freely, fully asking God for needs
No short cuts - go the narrow gate way
Fruits prove roots
Build rock founded, no porous quick fix.
GIVEN THE GIVENS
We are in for ever widening limits
in this societal heart attack
people provoked.
GIVEN THE GIVENS
Jesus is dying to wrap us into
The Kingdom of God
In fact Jesus died to flip us
Kingdom Free.
May we all
"live say":
I am going on
with full living
in a
limiting condition.
All this
"Dear All of Us"
from my heart
to your hearts.
Lots of hard
Lots of hope
GIVEN THE GIVENS
In Love,
John Frank
"Our Father...
Thy Kingdom come."
In the dark of the moon,
in flying snow,
in the dead of winter,
war spreading,
families dying,
the world in danger,
I walk the rocky hillside,
sowing clover.
Wendell Berry
1968
And on the lighter side:
Given My Givens
as I fall asleep
every night
I pray:
"So God,
Where will
we wake up
in the morning?"
John Frank
******
A BRIGHT BRISK AUTUMN
WELCOME
ONLINE POSTINGS
Thursday afternoon
(frequently morning)
East Coast USA time
EMAIL DELIVERY
Fridays
SIGN UP
top right
above
PLEASE CONTINUE SHARING
frankly speaking
spirituality for the street
johnfrankshares.blogspot.com
THANKS
LAST FIVE POSTINGS AVAILABLE
scroll down
beneath
this posting
Looking forward to us
"using"
here next week
Love to all
God Bless
John Frank
******
