Anita Lustrea

Audrey Elledge and Elizabeth Moore join me again to talk about 60 beautiful prayers they’ve written to encounter the depth, creativity and friendship of God in ordinary moments in life.

The book, Liturgies for Wholeness, is the second book of Liturgies they’ve written. The first, Liturgies for Hope, was written in the middle of the pandemic when hope was in short supply. This new book of liturgies is relevant for any life experience you’ve had and a few you hope you don’t. Beautiful words written to address the needs of the heart and soul in the midst of ordinary life. You’ll love the book and I think you’ll be equally delighted by the conversation on this week’s podcast.

Find Audrey Elledge in the following places:

• Facebook

Find Elizabeth Moore in the following places:

• Website

Note: When clicking through on links to products on Amazon, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Audrey Elledge & Elizabeth Moore – episode 380 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

This is an audio version of Mike Murphy‘s Friday rumblings. This is a regular post on Facebook that I’ve turned into a podcast. I decided Mike’s words needed a wider audience. You may agree or disagree with what he says, but there is certainly much food for thought contained here. You can friend Mike on Facebook for the printed version or read it below

Rumblings. 2.9.24 

1. Ruth Felker Jones, a theologian living in Chicago, writes about ‘rules for doing theology.’ I especially like these:

-Lay your weapons down. Bow your heads in prayer and come in unguarded.

-Read to seek intimacy with the scriptures. Read things more than once. Read across time, space, culture, ethnicity and experience…

-Knowing that God is God, relax into the fact that you will not master the subject. Let the subject master you. 

-Embrace mystery over mastery. 

2.  Most sermons, I once was told, are based on the writings of Paul more than any other sources, even more than Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Paul was and remains a theological stalwart even though I think he could have benefited from counseling and a spiritual director. Seriously, I think he had issues. 

Here’s the general outline of Paul’s letters. (I don’t know the source)

“Grace  

I thank God for you. 

Hold fast to the gospel. 

For the love of everything holy, stop being stupid. 

Timothy says hi.”  

3. I don’t know Taylor Swift’s music very well but I’ve figured out she is an accomplished and generous businesswoman, a gifted song writer and an amazing performer. I also know she’s dating a football player, Travis Kelce, of the KC Chiefs, who will surely be a Hall of Famer when all is said and done. Kelce will be playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday and Swift will be in attendance.  

They appear to be happy together. 

Now, I know you will find this difficult to believe but conspiracy theorists are saying their romance is fake news and it is really part of  an outrageous plot to use their popularity to somehow sway the next election. That plot will start to thicken, they’re saying, during the Super Bowl. Oh my. 

My predictions. 

-Chiefs 35. 49ers 21. 

-No Swift/Kelce political endorsements during the game.

-More than one camera shot of Swift cheering.  

-Conspiracy theorists will do what they can to save face and then rush to the very pits of hell or one of its many convenient subsidiaries to grovel for their next assignment. 

4. “Instead of withdrawing from the world, whether as individuals or groups or nations, we are called to be fully immersed in the places we are…Our contemplative practices are always ways of being more alive in the world and more active for the good…Instead of a lonely, separatist, isolationist life, we can become the contemplative life of the party or the most hospitable hermit.”~ Gareth Higgins, Center for Action and Contemplation

“We can become the  contemplative life of the party or the most hospitable hermit.”

That’s clever wording and it’s wonderfully thought provoking. 

5. “ .. I look at all the brokenness around me, the constant news cycle of gloom and despair… and I lament about the state of the world… Lament  is how you live between the poles of a hard life, trusting in God’s sovereignty. Lament is how we bring our sorrow to God. 

Without lament we won’t know how to process pain. Lament  fuels our prayers; it fuels our  cry of ‘Lord, please arise, please be lifted up, please be exalted in our time.”  ~ Lectio 365, a helpful Lectio Divina app. 

Lament is a spiritual, pressure release valve for those times when we’re hit by a kind of sadness and grief that knocks us off our feet and threatens to paralyze us. 

6. The documentary on Netflix, “The Greatest Night in Pop” is worth watching. It’s about how the song “We are the World” came into being and the incredible artists who sang it. It’s a feel good experience and the song still makes me tear up. It contains a much needed message for today: 

There comes a time

When we heed a certain call

When the world must come together as one …

We are the world

We are the children

We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving …

7. “You may write me down in history

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise… ” ~ Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise: A Book of Poems. 

I’m currently reading  Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”  It’s a perfect read for Black History Month. The bonus I have is that I will have a discussion about it next week with fellow readers from my “Manasota Interracial Book Club.” It’s always a lively discussion.

How about you? What are your reading, watching, or listening to this month that’s expanding your awareness of Black history and achievement?

8. “Resilience is really a secular word for what religion was trying to say with the word faith. Without a certain ability to let go, to trust, to allow, we won’t get to any new place.” ~ Richard Rohr

Letting go requires us to live with a sense of abandon. That’s hard for those of us who are  control freaks. 

Will our control issues bite us if we’re not careful?  And if we find a way to stay in control do we run the risk of bowing to and worshiping the god named SELF?

9 . “The gospel is absurd and the life of Jesus is meaningless unless we believe that He lived, died, and rose again … not to make people with better morals but to create a community of prophets and professional lovers, men and women who would surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, who would live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, who would enter into the center of it all, the very heart and mystery of Christ, into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy, boldness, and extravagant, furious love. This, my friend, is what it really means to be a Christian.” ~ Brennan Manning, The Furious Longing of God

Brennan Manning was one of those writers who greatly informed my thinking around matters of faith and practice. The “Ragamuffin Gospel” really rocked my world. 

10. “We believe that a democracy needs, among other things, a strong liberal party and a strong conservative party in order to flourish. Our concern is that the Republican Party has mortgaged itself to an antidemocratic demagogue, one who is completely devoid of decency…posing an existential threat to America and to the ideas that animate it …” ~ Jeffrey Goldberg of The  Atlantic writing for the entire Editorial Board  

I agree. It should concern us that autocrats  around the world are gleefully chomping at the bit over the prospect of another go around with MAGA’s presumptive nominee for president.

The post Mike’s Rumblings 02-09-24 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

This is a weekly release of the spiritual practice Lectio Divina. I hope you’ll listen and ponder the scripture passage offered and let me know your thoughts. My email address is [email protected]. Also, feel free to share this podcast on your social media or tell a friend about it. 

The post Lectio Divina 90 – John 7:37-44 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

I’m Anita Lustrea and I’m privileged to be a spiritual director. Each time I begin a session, I use a quote or poem or prayer.  As I share one of these with you, see what might catch your attention. Maybe there’s something here for you today. This is a prayer titled When I Need a Fresh Spirit.

The post Poem/Prayer 35 Fresh Spirit Prayer appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

This is an audio version of Mike Murphy‘s Friday rumblings. This is a regular post on Facebook that I’ve turned into a podcast. I decided Mike’s words needed a wider audience. You may agree or disagree with what he says, but there is certainly much food for thought contained here. You can friend Mike on Facebook for the printed version or read it below

Rumblings. 2.2.24 

1. “Courage, after all, is not being unafraid, but doing what needs to be done in spite of fear.” ~ James Farmer, Co-founder of the Congress of Racial Equality

I have a long history with both fear and cowardice. This much I know. Farmer is right. Sometimes, we have to courageously face down our fear to do what we’ve been called to do. Whenever I let fear win, I lost something of myself and found  it hard to look in the mirror. 

Speaking up courageously, despite our fear, is a learned habit. It is one part knowledge, one part skill, and one part desire. But it starts with desire. It’s what primes the pump.

2. “A jury is there to determine how much Trump will have to pay, and we know he doesn’t like to pay, so he showed up to speak on his own behalf. And everything went smoothly until the judge asked him to tell the truth, the whole truth, and everybody busted out laughing.” ~ Jimmy Kimmel 

Comedians see the former president, on one hand, as a really comical figure who has no ability to see the humor in his own words, actions and predicaments and on the other hand as a politician with absolutely no moral guardrails, who actually thinks he’s a virtuous guy. So comics see him as a goldmine of possible jokes, skits and quips. 

The very best comedians are social commentators, who are not just going after the laugh but are using humor for a purpose. Think of them as an early warning system. They use humor to get our attention, poking and prodding us to ask questions of ourselves and the issues of the day.

3. What’s your goal as a person of faith? 

Is it to be a habitual, winsome and Christ-like presence or is it to win the culture wars and own the libs? 

4. Princeton Professor and MSNBC panelist Eddie Glaude came to Sarasota last week. He said something that was very simple but quite profound. He said that we need to “pursue the country we want and love a new world into existence.”

Pursue, to my way of thinking, means that we go after something with deep resolve and unwavering determination. Love is the blessing we offer along the way.  

What do you really want this country to be? 

What do you  want it to stand for? 

What do you think is standing in our way?

5. “I think the border is a very important issue for Donald Trump. And the fact that he would communicate to Republican senators and congresspeople that he doesn’t want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame Biden for it is really appalling.” ~ Mitt Romney

It is truly appalling. Unfortunately, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. After all, on Planet MAGA wreaking havoc on people’s lives by not acting proactively comes easy, like breathing for most of us.  

Further complicating matters is the stand being taken by extremist Republicans to not provide aid to Ukraine until the border situation is resolved. And they’re being told not to resolve it. Crazy, isn’t it?

I  find it fascinating that the so-called pro-life party keeps showing us that their concern for life issues is actually quite narrow in both scope and application. 

6. “It doesn’t matter how old we are; we all need stories to believe in. If there’s no storyline, no integrating images that define who we are or give our lives meaning or direction, we just won’t be happy. I can’t imagine I’m alone in longing for us collectively to embrace a better story, one with the power to change our hearts and minds and enliven our imaginations.” ~ Richard Rohr 

Sign me up. I share that longing. 

7. “Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open where it can be seen and dealt with.”~Martin Luther King Jr.

King was quite adept at shining light on the tension, defining it, and then challenging folks to deal with it. And he did this for a long time. 

Guess what? 

The tension is still there. The struggle continues. I don’t think that would have surprised King. He knew it was going to take awhile. 

“We shall overcome – someday …” Remember  the song and the words? Someday isn’t here yet.  There’s still work to be done. It’s the work all of us must do. 

By the way, February is Black History Month. Jump on board. There’s music to listen to, stories to be read, and movies to watch. Make sure you indulge yourself in something that makes you truly uncomfortable. 

8. “Mike, you seem to be out of sync with evangelicals. What gives?”

Author Brennan Manning once said:  “The greatest single cause of atheism  in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world finds unbelievable.”

So, I am proudly out of sync with evangelicals who, in word and deed, carry the banner of Christian nationalism and accept the extremism that accompanies it.  

I am proudly in sync with evangelicals who align with the Kingdom of God that Jesus talked about and live redemptively under that banner. 

9. Sometimes I just need a dose or two of Anne Lamott. She’s pithy and wise.

 “I’m here to be me, which is taking a great deal longer than I had hoped.”

“You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.”

10. “When I shine your light

of love and goodness

into the world, the darkness 

inside me recedes.

Help me shine brightly

in all that I do,

lest the darkness creep further   

into my own soul.

Let it be so.”

     Donald K. Nelson, ad gloriam Dei

The post Mike’s Rumblings 02-02-24 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

This is a weekly release of the spiritual practice Lectio Divina. I hope you’ll listen and ponder the scripture passage offered and let me know your thoughts. My email address is [email protected]. Also, feel free to share this podcast on your social media or tell a friend about it. 

The post Lectio Divina 89 – Isaiah 40:25-31 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

Melinda Schmidt is back on the podcast with me as we dive into our POV (point of view) on 2024! How are we going to lead ourselves and others in this new year we’re entering? How will we be light in the darkness and seed casters. How might we engage with change and maybe even change the history in our families and in our world. If you want some encouragement as you enter 2024 then come along with us and think about what your POV will be.

We mentioned a couple of books that might be helpful in the process.

Connect with Melinda on:

• Facebook

Note: When clicking through on links to products on Amazon, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Melinda Schmidt – episode 379 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

I’m Anita Lustrea and I’m privileged to be a spiritual director. Each time I begin a session, I use a quote or poem or prayer.  As I share one of these with you, see what might catch your attention. Maybe there’s something here for you today. Today’s poem is by Denise Levertov and it’s titled The Avowel.

The post Poem/Prayer 34 Denise Levertov appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

This is an audio version of Mike Murphy‘s Friday rumblings. This is a regular post on Facebook that I’ve turned into a podcast. I decided Mike’s words needed a wider audience. You may agree or disagree with what he says, but there is certainly much food for thought contained here. You can friend Mike on Facebook for the printed version or read it below

Rumblings 1.26.2 

1. “Conspiracy theories are cheat codes for ignorant people. Acquiring expertise in a given field is hard. It takes effort and dedication. It’s a lot easier to write it off as bull s#!t  than it is to put your nose in a book or spend hours in a lab. So, rather than put in the work, just convince yourself that they’re all liars and you are one of the few who see through it. …” ~ Steven Reynolds

Frankly, I’m tired of conspiracy theories and truly cannot understand  how people can fall for the obvious nonsense spewing from the mouths of every Tom, Dick, Harry, Lauren, Marjorie and Donald.  

2. “God, I don’t want my soul to shut down and dry up. Help me to be honest and curious, even when it’s hard. Remind me of all You have done before and give me faith for all You can do in the future. Give me perseverance. Today I yield to wild hope.” ~ Lectio 365

3. “It’s a strange affair to be Black and live in America, and even stranger to be Black and a person of faith in these yet-to-be-United States, to carry around the burden of a socially constructed idea called race and yet be filled with a divinely inspired mandate to eradicate all limitations to the human soul. Being Black means you are born with a Blues song tattooed on your heart, and at the same time you still have a Gospel shout that is welling up in your soul about to come out.

Another way to say it is that we live with repression and revelation simultaneously swimming in the same tributary of our spirit. There is nothing more confusing to the postmodern personality, to the millennial sojourner, than to have to exist between the strange life of dealing with your Blues and Gospel all the time. Madness and ministry, chaos and Christ. My father heard an elder in Georgia say it this way. When he asked her, “How are you doing, Mother?” she said, “I’m living between Oh Lord and Thank you, Jesus.” ~ Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III

“… born with a Blues song tattooed on your heart, and at the same time you still have a Gospel shout that is welling up in your soul.” 

“I’m living between Oh Lord and Thank you, Jesus.”  

Amen. Amen. Amen

4. “If change is to come, it will have to come from the margins.” ~ Wendell Berry

The established order is not known for championing meaningful change. It’s too busy defending what already is. Change threatens the status quo. And the status quo is very kind to those who have much power, privilege, and many resources. And it’s  not very kind to those on the margins. And so those being marginalized reach a breaking point and with words and deeds, say “enough is enough”. They start squeezing the status quo, insisting on substantive, lasting change  and demanding  justice. 

5. This is what I know about extremists. They don’t blush and won’t  say “I’m sorry.” They will do emotional harm (some, even physical harm) to another person in the blink of an eye. If they are religious, they tend towards fundamentalism. They wrongly cherry pick biblical texts, quite often out of context, that bolster their agenda. They are not good conversation partners because they don’t like to listen. They don’t know what they don’t know and have no desire to find out.

You know what makes me both sad and angry? A rather large segment of the evangelical church has become a shelter and a launch pad for extremism and in the process linked the message of Jesus to hate and deceit. It has normalized the words and behavior of truly awful people, in effect canonizing them. 

6. There are two ways to be rich: one is by acquiring much and the other is by desiring little.” ~ Jackie  French Koller

Our desires are what drive us. If our desire is to have a lot of stuff, wealth and prestige, we’ll develop a game plan to get there. We’ll do whatever it takes to get what we desire the most, even if it’s not good for us and hurts others. 

Something satisfying happens when we discover that ‘less is oftentimes more’  and living in simpler, saner ways is quite enough.

7. “I am talking about just holding the tension, not necessarily finding a resolution or closure to paradox. We must agree to live without resolution, at least for a while. I think opening to this holding pattern is the very name and description of faith.” ~Richard Rohr

He’s right. Not all things can be solved quickly. Not all things will be solved justly. The old hymn reminds us to “trust and obey for there is no other way …” That’s the way of the pilgrim, the way of faith.

8. Is this the time when the anti-Christ emerges and sets up shop? All I know is that a whole lot of folks  seem to have their resumes ready in case staff positions open up. 

9. Good news. DeSantis dropped out of the race.  Someone quipped He was “Ted Cruz without the personality.” Ouch. 

The bad news is that he’s ticked off and has a lot of time on his hands. Pray for Florida. 

Seriously, pray for Florida. 

The swing here is to the far, far right, which demands absolute loyalty to its cause, no matter how absurd it gets. They will get what they want as long as people who know better remain timid. 

Perhaps that’s the real prayer. It’s a prayer for all of us no matter where we live. Pray for good people to reject timidity and to stand boldly for what is good and honorable. Pray for ‘encouragers’ willing to lift  up those who have been beaten down. Pray for a different kind of standard to be raised.  One that is opposed to absurdity, opposed to fear, opposed to talk of retribution and civil wars, and opposed to cruelty and lies.

10. “The moment Christians start looking for an authoritarian strongman to lead us is the moment we stop looking for the One who leads by washing feet, who rides a donkey instead of a war horse and who tells his followers to put away their swords and take up their cross instead.” ~  Rev. Benjamin Cremer

The Jesus many revere these days has nothing to do with the Jesus we encounter in the scriptures. You can see that, right?  Please tell me you can. 

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