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. 4.7.23 

1. I remember a Good Friday from a few years ago. I was living in and raising a family in Evanston, IL.  In the late morning I rode my bike to the chapel at Loyola University in Chicago. It’s  beautiful. Nestled steps away from Lake Michigan. 

There I opened my Bible, read the Passion accounts, journaled, and prayed. In mid-afternoon I went to see Schindler’s List (a must see movie). The remembrance of Nazi cruelty and one  man’s redemptive response to evil was sobering especially after having just immersed myself in the reality of Christ’s passion and death. 

Good Friday always reminds me of my ‘stuff’. I never doubt my need for a Savior. Ever. And for Jesus I am grateful beyond measure. And as I look at our world in pain,  I pray that the Jesus who lives in me will embolden me and you to become like Schindler who became the answer to a whole lot of people’s prayers.

I’m reminding myself not to rush to the Resurrection this year. It’s quite OK to sit with the sorrows, the hopes and the uncertainty of Holy Week . ‘Tis good to wrestle with the harder things of life. It makes the coming of Sunday all the sweeter.

2. The Women’s Final 4 was very, very  interesting 

-I thought the coaching was really good across the board. 

-Loved Iowa’s read and react offense which gave South Carolina’s defense fits. What a season the Lady Gamecocks had. Dawn Staley is a real deal coach. As is Iowa’s Lisa Bruder.

-Caitlin Clark plays the same way Pete Maravich played and she said some people call her Ponytail Pete. She is a generational talent. 

-LSU faced a good Virginia Tech team in the first game and then came in with a good game plan and executed it in the Final. They deserved the win. Referees were more than a bit iffy and got in the way of the game but the better team on Sunday won.  Coach Mulkey is a warrior. And Angel Reese is really good. 

-Four quarters is far better than two halves.

-Not  a fan of the trash talking/gesturing. 

 -I’ve said for a long time that if you want to teach young people the essentials of basketball, take them to see the  women play. They play below the rim. That’s good for kids to see. I’ve watched too many kids try to emulate slam and jam when what they need to see is pass, screen, block out, rebound, defend, and cut. The women’s game is filled with players who do these things well. 

3. “When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.” ~ Proverbs  21:15 

The furor over the indictment of you know who is a bit over the top don’t you think? What are they afraid of? Is it because their guy finally has to face the consequences of his actions? They better get used to it. There are three more indictments right around the corner. An indictment means there’s strong evidence that laws have been broken. 

No one is above the law. Some people think they are and have the chutzpah and cash to work the legal system but eventually they get caught. As they should. To those crying “this is political” I just want to say that this is what justice, fairly applied to a man with a long history of unscrupulous behavior, looks like. This is a morally corrupt man who hangs out with morally corrupt people who do morally corrupt things. These indictments are not political. They are about justice. 

P.S. I know this is hard to believe but they will be trying him as an adult. I know. I was shocked too. 

4. “When I went back to church, I was so hungover that I couldn’t stand up for the songs…. The last song was so deep and raw and pure that I could not escape. It was as if the people were singing in between the notes, weeping and joyful at the same time, and I felt like their voices or something was rocking me in its bosom, holding me like a scared kid, and I opened up to that feeling—and it washed over me.  

I began to cry and left before the benediction, and I raced home and … walked down the dock past dozens of potted flowers, under a sky as blue as one of God’s own dreams, and I opened the door to my houseboat, and I stood there a minute, and then I hung my head and said, “[Forget] it: I quit.” I took a long deep breath and said out loud, “All right. You can come in.”  

So this was my beautiful moment of conversion.” ~ Anne LaMott 

Amazing grace. That’s what she experienced. What a beautiful testimony.

5.  Discernment is an inner listening and responding to that place within us where our deepest desires align with God’s desire.” ~ Robert Jonas

Discernment needs to be looked at as a holy discipline which aligns us and our desires with God’s purposes and intentions. Thus, we must know ourselves and be acquainted with the God who loves us. 

Therein lies the rub.

Do we know ourselves? 

Are we acquainted with God?

Do we really want to be aligned with God’s purposes and intentions? 

6.  “No man is an island,

Entire of itself;

Every man is a piece of the continent, 

A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less,

As well as if a promontory were:

As well as if a manor of thy friend’s

Or of thine own were.

Any man’s death diminishes me,

Because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.” ~ John Donne 

“I am because you are” is the definition of the Swahili word Ubuntu. The understanding is that when we see each person as having deep value and together we contribute towards the common good and the welfare of others, everyone wins. 

Jesus gathered the twelve. Together, they ministered. Each brought something different to the table. It reminds me that when my giftedness links with yours, we are the better for it. 

Ubuntu. 

We are not islands. 

We are not meant to be rugged individualists, bereft of community. We need each other.

7. “It wasn’t the water he came for. It was me. ~ woman at the well.”

I don’t know who wrote this but it’s spot on. It stopped me in my tracks. 

8. Finland, the newest member of the United Nations, has been ranked the happiest country on earth for six straight years. An article in the New York Times by Penelope Colton helps shed light on Finland’s way of being. She writes: 

“It turns out even the happiest people in the world aren’t that happy. But they are something more like content. Finns derive satisfaction from leading simple  lives and perceive financial success as being able to identify and meet basic needs.

 Arto O. Salonen, a professor at the University of Eastern Finland who has researched well-being in Finnish society, explained. “In other words,” he wrote in an email, “when you know what is enough, you are happy.”

Maybe this is part of our problem. We’re never satisfied with ‘enough’. We want more. And when we get it, we still want more. 

9. Jesus’s very presence disrupted the status quo. Follow this Jesus. But watch out. When you do, the ‘status quo’ will react. It goes with the territory. 

10. You might not have a relationship with God but be assured that God has a relationship with you. He knows who you are. He’s known you for a long, long time. 

The post Mike’s Rumblings – 04-07-23 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.

If you’d like to support this podcast you can do so through a gift to PayPal using the email address [email protected].

If you enjoy the beautiful guitar music, you can learn more about Steve Wick and how to purchase his music on his website.

The post Lectio Divina 46 – John 12:3-8 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

My husband, Mike Murphy, joins me on the podcast this week as we highlight Holy Week and talk through a couple of important issues that also made it into his weekly column, his Friday Rumblings. We look at an important prayer the Senate Chaplain prayed, talked about Rachel Held Evans and finished up with some important questions about our soul to ponder and answer, maybe in the presence of a friend or spiritual director. I hope you’ll take a listen and maybe even use this weeks podcast as a conversation starter among friends.

Find Mike on Facebook

This week’s Rumblings:

Rumblings. 3.31.23 

1. U.S Senate Chaplain, Rear Admiral Barry Black: “Lord, when babies die at a church school, it is time for us to move beyond thoughts and prayers. Remind our lawmakers of the words of the British statesman Edmund Burke: ‘All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.’ Lord deliver our senators from the paralysis of analysis that waits for the miraculous. Use them to battle the demonic forces that seek to engulf us.” (March 28, 2023)

Not just the Senators, Lord. The House needs a whole lot of Divine prodding. Oh ya, a whole lot. Good luck with that. 

2. “For too long, Christians have used the Bible as a weapon and not as a mirror. The gospel for oppression instead of liberation. The church as a judgment gavel, not a table of inclusion.  And  Jesus as their mascot, instead of the example. Time to flip the tables.” ~ Carlos A. Rodriguez

Rachel Held Evans died much too young but she still speaks through her writings. She was and still is a table flipper. She wrote: “The  gospel doesn’t need a coalition devoted to keeping the wrong people out. It needs a family of sinners, saved by grace, committed to tearing down the walls, throwing open the doors, and shouting, “Welcome! There’s bread and wine. Come eat with us and talk.” This isn’t a kingdom for the worthy; it’s a kingdom for the hungry.” 

Those who have ears to hear, please listen. “This isn’t a Kingdom for the worthy; it’s a kingdom for the hungry.” We’ve forgotten that. Instead, we’ve created little boxes of faith, each with its own little twist on the message of Jesus, which we will defend until our last breath even if it’s a perversion of what Jesus actually taught and even if it means making him into a cute little mascot. All that defending leaves us with little energy to do the real work God has for us.

3. Presbyterian pastor Eliza C. Jaremko wrote: “Everyone else was grieving, but I was busy.” 

You could easily replace the word grieving with caring, praying, helping, protesting, voting, and for that matter, table flipping. You get the point. 

4. “Most people don’t want the truth. They just want constant reassurance that what they believe is the truth.” ~ unknown origin  

Reassurance is such a good thing except when it’s not. Reinforcing what is obviously untrue leads nowhere good. 

Here’s something that’s true. It’s an inconvenient truth. Another mass killing occurred this week. Facebook is filled with those offering thoughts and prayers. 

But let’s get honest. 

Frankly, these killings are getting old. 

It’s getting scary. 

It’s becoming normative.

Thoughts and prayers aren’t enough. 

Miroslav Volf once said: “There is  something deeply hypocritical about praying for a problem you are unwilling to resolve.”

The biggest  truth is that our country lacks the will and desire to do whatever is  necessary to stop this tidal wave of violence. One of our political parties, especially, doesn’t want to do anything. Its members have a love affair with their guns, value a rather absurd interpretation of the 2nd Amendment, and are indebted to the NRA and other similar groups which help fund their campaigns. Until they value people more than guns we will be mourning over and over and over again. 

It doesn’t have to be this way. 

5. “I didn’t see a single true leader on Trump’s stage, not even Trump himself. I saw a collection of followers, each vying for the affection of the real power in Waco, the coddled populist mob.” ~ David French

I agree with David French, a  conservative of some stature. Truly, there wasn’t a true leader on stage in Waco. Including Trump. Especially Trump. He’s the one who, if elected, is promising to deliver retribution. That’s his platform. And the coddled, populist mob cheers loudly and enthusiastically every time he speaks of revenge.

Anyone with an ounce of integrity and patriotism stayed far, far, away. They knew how vulgarly anti-American that rally would become. It became just that. Hard to believe that glorifying the January 6 Insurrection was plan #1. Actually, it’s not hard to believe. It’s right out of the authoritarian playbook.

Sun Tzu, presumed to be the author of The Art of War, wrote that  “An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes.” Prophetic, huh? Let’s pray we don’t get that far.

6. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with a parent deciding a certain book is not right for her child. There is a colossal problem with a parent deciding that, therefore, no child should be allowed to read that book.” ~ Jodi Picoult

Banning books is a go to strategy of autocrats. They know that those who read good books are a danger to all their plotting and scheming.

My advice. Read whatever gets banned.  

7. “We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And  the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for…

Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all.” ~ John Keating (Robin Williams), Dead Poets Society

Stay alive. Expectant. Find your voice and use it. Today. Do these things today. 

 8.  At one of the churches I served we used EGR to describe interactions with certain people who needed a bit more of our patience, attention, and care. EGR stands for Extra Grace Required. It wasn’t meant to be mean spirited nor degrading.  No, it was just a reminder that ministry with that person might take a bit more time and energy. And it was helpful to know that.

My hunch is that all of us, at various times in our life, have felt vulnerable enough, and knew deep in our heart we needed someone to come alongside of us, willing  to offer the extra grace required for us to believe we could take the next step.

9.  “If love is the soul of Christian existence, it must be at the heart of every other Christian virtue. Thus, for example: 

justice without love is legalism; 

faith without love is ideology; 

hope without love is self-centeredness; 

forgiveness without love is self-abasement; 

fortitude without love is recklessness; 

generosity without love is extravagance; 

care without love is mere duty; 

fidelity without love is servitude. 

Every virtue is an expression of love. No virtue is really a virtue unless it is permeated, or informed, by love.”~ Richard Rohr

That ‘faith without love’ list is nasty isn’t it? It ends up ripping us and others apart.

With love we become whole and complete and help others to do the same.   

10. Tell me. Is it well with your soul? If it isn’t well, what will you do to change that? Where will you go for help?

The post Mike Murphy – episode 360 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. 3.31.23 

1. U.S Senate Chaplain, Rear Admiral Barry Black: “Lord, when babies die at a church school, it is time for us to move beyond thoughts and prayers. Remind our lawmakers of the words of the British statesman Edmund Burke: ‘All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.’ Lord deliver our senators from the paralysis of analysis that waits for the miraculous. Use them to battle the demonic forces that seek to engulf us.” (March 28, 2023)

Not just the Senators, Lord. The House needs a whole lot of Divine prodding. Oh ya, a whole lot. Good luck with that. 

2. “For too long, Christians have used the Bible as a weapon and not as a mirror. The gospel for oppression instead of liberation. The church as a judgment gavel, not a table of inclusion.  And  Jesus as their mascot, instead of the example. Time to flip the tables.” ~ Carlos A. Rodriguez

Rachel Held Evans died much too young but she still speaks through her writings. She was and still is a table flipper. She wrote: “The  gospel doesn’t need a coalition devoted to keeping the wrong people out. It needs a family of sinners, saved by grace, committed to tearing down the walls, throwing open the doors, and shouting, “Welcome! There’s bread and wine. Come eat with us and talk.” This isn’t a kingdom for the worthy; it’s a kingdom for the hungry.” 

Those who have ears to hear, please listen. “This isn’t a Kingdom for the worthy; it’s a kingdom for the hungry.” We’ve forgotten that. Instead, we’ve created little boxes of faith, each with its own little twist on the message of Jesus, which we will defend until our last breath even if it’s a perversion of what Jesus actually taught and even if it means making him into a cute little mascot. All that defending leaves us with little energy to do the real work God has for us.

3. Presbyterian pastor Eliza C. Jaremko wrote: “Everyone else was grieving, but I was busy.” 

You could easily replace the word grieving with caring, praying, helping, protesting, voting, and for that matter, table flipping. You get the point. 

4. “Most people don’t want the truth. They just want constant reassurance that what they believe is the truth.” ~ unknown origin  

Reassurance is such a good thing except when it’s not. Reinforcing what is obviously untrue leads nowhere good. 

Here’s something that’s true. It’s an inconvenient truth. Another mass killing occurred this week. Facebook is filled with those offering thoughts and prayers. 

But let’s get honest. 

Frankly, these killings are getting old. 

It’s getting scary. 

It’s becoming normative.

Thoughts and prayers aren’t enough. 

Miroslav Volf once said: “There is  something deeply hypocritical about praying for a problem you are unwilling to resolve.”

The biggest  truth is that our country lacks the will and desire to do whatever is  necessary to stop this tidal wave of violence. One of our political parties, especially, doesn’t want to do anything. Its members have a love affair with their guns, value a rather absurd interpretation of the 2nd Amendment, and are indebted to the NRA and other similar groups which help fund their campaigns. Until they value people more than guns we will be mourning over and over and over again. 

It doesn’t have to be this way. 

5. “I didn’t see a single true leader on Trump’s stage, not even Trump himself. I saw a collection of followers, each vying for the affection of the real power in Waco, the coddled populist mob.” ~ David French

I agree with David French, a  conservative of some stature. Truly, there wasn’t a true leader on stage in Waco. Including Trump. Especially Trump. He’s the one who, if elected, is promising to deliver retribution. That’s his platform. And the coddled, populist mob cheers loudly and enthusiastically every time he speaks of revenge.

Anyone with an ounce of integrity and patriotism stayed far, far, away. They knew how vulgarly anti-American that rally would become. It became just that. Hard to believe that glorifying the January 6 Insurrection was plan #1. Actually, it’s not hard to believe. It’s right out of the authoritarian playbook.

Sun Tzu, presumed to be the author of The Art of War, wrote that  “An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes.” Prophetic, huh? Let’s pray we don’t get that far.

6. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with a parent deciding a certain book is not right for her child. There is a colossal problem with a parent deciding that, therefore, no child should be allowed to read that book.” ~ Jodi Picoult

Banning books is a go to strategy of autocrats. They know that those who read good books are a danger to all their plotting and scheming.

My advice. Read whatever gets banned.  

7. “We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And  the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for…

Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all.” ~ John Keating (Robin Williams), Dead Poets Society

Stay alive. Expectant. Find your voice and use it. Today. Do these things today. 

 8.  At one of the churches I served we used EGR to describe interactions with certain people who needed a bit more of our patience, attention, and care. EGR stands for Extra Grace Required. It wasn’t meant to be mean spirited nor degrading.  No, it was just a reminder that ministry with that person might take a bit more time and energy. And it was helpful to know that.

My hunch is that all of us, at various times in our life, have felt vulnerable enough, and knew deep in our heart we needed someone to come alongside of us, willing  to offer the extra grace required for us to believe we could take the next step.

9.  “If love is the soul of Christian existence, it must be at the heart of every other Christian virtue. Thus, for example: 

justice without love is legalism; 

faith without love is ideology; 

hope without love is self-centeredness; 

forgiveness without love is self-abasement; 

fortitude without love is recklessness; 

generosity without love is extravagance; 

care without love is mere duty; 

fidelity without love is servitude. 

Every virtue is an expression of love. No virtue is really a virtue unless it is permeated, or informed, by love.”~ Richard Rohr

That ‘faith without love’ list is nasty isn’t it? It ends up ripping us and others apart.

With love we become whole and complete and help others to do the same.   

10. Tell me. Is it well with your soul? If it isn’t well, what will you do to change that? Where will you go for help?

The post Mike’s Rumblings – 03-31-23 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. 

If you’d like to support this podcast you can do so through a gift to PayPal using the email address [email protected].

If you enjoy the beautiful guitar music, you can learn more about Steve Wick and how to purchase his music on his website.

The post Lectio Divina 45 – Luke 6:12-13, 17-19 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

Melinda joins me this week as we talk about positive affirmations. If you wonder what that is, here is a definition: Positive phrases or statements used to challenge negative or unhelpful thoughts. We expand this on the podcast and get specific and talk through a variety of positive affirmations as well as touch on brain science. I think you’ll find this a deeply uplifting podcast.

Here are a few books mentioned during our conversation:

• 10,ooo+ Positive Affirmations by R.M. Winters

Find Melinda on Facebook and Instagram

The post Melinda Schmidt – episode 359 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. 3.24.23 

1. I’m thinking that Putin must be giggling like a little kid opening presents on Christmas Day. Why? He’s learning that prominent people in the USA aren’t really all that alarmed about what he’s doing in Ukraine, are growing more ambivalent about the value of NATO, and kind of like cozying up to dictators.

2. Most political usages of the word ‘woke’ today are a bit infantile. It’s being used as a curse word on one side of the political aisle and presents itself, all too often, as smugness on the other side. Neither is particularly helpful. 

A common sense application of the word ‘woke’ implies that those awakened become alive to the possibilities before them and live with a deep, mature sense of curiosity and wonder. Let’s go with that and ditch using ‘woke’ as an epithet and let’s lose the smugness. 

3. “Let nothing disturb you. / Let nothing upset you. / Everything changes. / God alone is unchanging. / With patience all things are possible. / Whoever has God lacks nothing. / God alone is enough.” ~ Teresa of Ávila

I believe this but am often befuddled by the aura of mystery contained within it, delighted with the simple truth it proclaims, and frustrated by my inability at times to live in a less perturbed manner.

4. “Senate Bill 1718, part of Florida Governor Desantis’s broad repressive legislative agenda this year, targets not just undocumented people but also anyone associated with them. The bill, which is likely to pass the Republican-controlled state legislature, criminalizes anyone who transports an undocumented person “into or within this state.” In other words, anyone—co-worker, friend, neighbor, classmate—giving a simple ride to someone they know or care about who is undocumented would be guilty of a third-degree felony.” ~ Prem Thakker, The New Republic

It’s estimated that Florida has 775,000 undocumented immigrants within its borders. That’s roughly 4% of its population. That’s a lot of people to target, treat poorly and marginalize. 

 I have given rides to undocumented people. I have broken bread with them. I will do so again if the need and/or opportunity arises. And, if this legislation passes, I guess I’ll be risking arrest. If I’m fortunate, I might end up on the same cell block with some of you. 

5. Frodo: “I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.”

Gandalf: “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

There are days when I’m convinced we are standing before the very gates of Mordor, outnumbered and afraid. 

Now what? 

How then shall we live when scary things and people are out and about?

Who will hear our cries when we beg for rescue?

Who will be our heroes?

6. “Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, 

‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’

Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.’ But the Lord said to me,

‘Do not say, “I am only a boy”;

for you shall go to all to whom I send you,

and you shall speak whatever I command you. 

Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,

says the Lord…” ~ Jeremiah 1

What a dramatic encounter with God. I’m sure I would have protested just as Jeremiah did. “What? Who me? Surely you jest?”

Is God still speaking? Is that true? I think so. I sense God poking me about one thing or another every day. I pray these Rumblings can be used by God to touch your life. Have they? Hope so. Creation speaks. Music speaks. Stay open to hearing. Who knows what your next divine assignment might be or who God assigns to deliver it. 

7. Our former president (the one with all the much deserved legal troubles), once again, has managed to show his disciplined, masterful and poetic command of the English language and his edifying  commitment to a  moral code that honors God and others.  

He recently wrote:

“Congratulations to Kellyanne Conway on her DIVORCE from her wacko husband, Mr. Kellyanne Conway. Free at last, she has finally gotten rid of the disgusting albatross around her neck. She is a great person, and will now be free to lead the kind of life that she deserves … and it will be a great life without the extremely unattractive loser by her side!”

Perhaps school children will be encouraged to memorize those words someday, huh? Possibly, someone will put music to his words and the song will become a favorite in classrooms throughout the land. Maybe a play, entitled ‘The Disgusting Albatross’ will be crafted for a  Broadway run.  

—-

Sometimes, a person is easy to read. It doesn’t take much to discern whether he/she is mature or immature, right? Nor is it difficult to determine if that person is safe  or dangerous.

8. “The deepest sin against the human mind is to believe things without evidence.” ~  Aldous Huxley

Expert testimony about things that aren’t true is plentiful. Hearsay, rumor, and innuendo do so much damage. The untruth that is passed on by seemingly mature adults is at times mind numbing. It happens on pickle ball courts, at churches, book clubs, and on the sidelines at soccer games. I live in a 55+ community and there are brief moments when I feel as if I’m back in middle-school with all the name calling, rumors, and catty behavior.  

We all need to do our homework and quit passing on and believing lies.  Read widely. Look for and listen to wise people, even those with a different  point of view. Challenge the liars. Desire, find, and tell the truth.

9.  “You have given all to me

To you, Lord, I return it

Everything is Yours

Do with it what you will

Give me only your love and your grace

That is enough for me.

Amen.” ~ Pray as You Go

What a challenging prayer. “Give me only your love and grace. That is enough for me.” 

This is an aspirational prayer, not necessarily the reality of our lives. That’s OK. We’re all a work in progress, right? 

Praying these words as part of my spiritual practice has reminded me that my desire for a God who is ‘enough’ is still strong. Without that desire, I’m sizzled. All that’s left is for me to actually turn that desire into true submission to God. 

10. “Young people say, “What can one person do? What is the sense of our small effort?” They cannot see that we can only lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time; we can be responsible only for the one action of the present moment. But we can beg for an increase of love in our hearts that will vitalize and transform these actions, and know that God will take them and multiply them, as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes.” ~ Dorothy Day

Dorothy Day was a moment by moment, day by day, one person at a time, difference maker. She had a prophetic edge, not afraid to stir the  pot while standing up for justice and compassion. 

With love, it’s one brick, one action, one step at a time. We all do what we can do. That’s our calling. It is our daily discipline. Then we trust God  to accept what we offer and multiply our offering  as He sees fit. It leads to a simpler, less exacting way to live.

The post Mike’s Rumblings – 03-24-23 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. 

If you’d like to support this podcast you can do so through a gift to PayPal using the email address [email protected].

If you enjoy the beautiful guitar music, you can learn more about Steve Wick and how to purchase his music on his website.

The post Lectio Divina 44 – John 6:28-33 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

A leading voice in the conversation integrating faith and psychology is Aundi Kolber. She is a licensed professional counselor and author of Try Softer and the brand new book we will focus on today, Strong Like Water. She specializes in trauma and body-centered therapies which is evident in our conversation on the podcast. And she is also a survivor of trauma. Aundi raises the question of whether instead of working harder to be the strong one, we might learn that strength can look different. It can look more like the tide: soft and bold, fierce and gentle, moving together as one powerful force. I think you’ll enjoy and glean much from this weeks conversation.

Find Aundi 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 Aundi Kolber – episode 358 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. 3.17.23.

1.  “God is not indifferent to or far from anyone’s life, but rather draws near to those who know pain because of the sin and indifference of others. The prophet loudly insists that God is not impartial and that God will not allow anyone who professes belief in the Holy to harm another.” ~ Megan McKenna

It seems to me that amidst any sort of spiritual awakening, a desire is formed in a person to do what they can to help others live their very best life. 

The reality is that far too many real people have more than their fair share of obstacles. Instead of helping, there are those who callously point fingers, call them names, and tell lies about them. Somehow, they actually believe that’s what righteous American Christians do. It isn’t. 

Even if we don’t point and name call, our silence emboldens those who do. That my friends is what the good book calls ‘sin’. And the wages of that sin ain’t  pretty. 

2.  “We will be known as a culture that feared death

and adored power, that tried to vanquish insecurity

for the few and cared little for the penury of the

many. 

We will be known as a culture that taught

and rewarded the amassing of things, that spoke

little if at all about the quality of life for

people (other people), for dogs, for rivers. All

the world, in our eyes, they will say, was a

commodity. 

And they will say that this structure

was held together politically, which it was, and

they will say also that our politics was no more

than an apparatus to accommodate the feelings of

the heart, and that the heart, in those days,

was small, and hard, and full of meanness.”   ~ Mary Oliver

Whew. “…the heart in those days was small, and hard and full of meanness.”

3. Someone once asked me what it might be like to live under  authoritarian rule. I smiled and replied that I had first hand experience,  explaining that “in the 1950’s I attended a Catholic grade school staffed by nuns. It was not a democratic regime.” The truth is that as hard nosed as they could be at times, they shaped me in some rather wonderful ways. I’m grateful. 

My attempt at ‘growing up Catholic’ humor, I hope, doesn’t detract from the very real and sinister threat dictators today and wannabes (even in the USA) pose to individuals and countries. 

I pray these attempts, both here and abroad, fail. Please join me in those prayers.

4.   “If they spit at you behind your back, it means you’re ahead of them.” ~ Confucius

It could also mean you’re a jerk, racing to the front of the pack, oblivious to those you stepped on in order to be first in line. 

5. “Strong Back, Soft Front, Wild Heart  … The strong back is having grounded confidence and healthy boundaries. The soft front is staying vulnerable and curious. The mark of a wild heart is living out these paradoxes in our lives. It’s showing up in our vulnerability and our courage, and, above all else, being both fierce and kind.” ~ Brene Brown

6. My approach to politics is pretty basic these days. 

I will vote and make it a habit to stand against those who habitually lie and who delight in plotting and doing cruel things to others and/or defend those that do. 

7. When the owner of a TV network admits they lied to you and their hosts lied to you and you still believe them, congrats you’re in a cult.” ~ The Other 98 %

I know people in this particular cult. They are hard to reason with.  Dialogue is next to impossible.  “What about” is a favored strategy.  It’s very sad and dangerous.

I keep reminding myself that they think the same thing of me. That reminder helps me do some soul searching. 

8.  “We are either chaplains of empire or prophets of God.” ~ Rev. Dr. William Barber

Prophets challenge the ‘empire’. The Empire wants prophets to go away. Far away. Forever away.

Read the prophets of the Bible. Listen to the prophets God has raised up today. Then do a reading of your own life. Compare and contrast. Ask the harder questions. See what happens.

9. Mea culpa

Mea culpa

Mea maxima culpa

Growing up I prayed these Latin words at Mass. They were part of the Confiteor, a prayer of confession.  

Loosely translated it means:

I blew it. 

I messed up. 

Seriously, it’s my fault. 

Confession is good for the soul. As is, God’s forgiveness. 

 “God of a familiar light, God of a heavy familiarity … help us turn our weariness into readiness; our hesitance into curiosity; our ending into beginning; so this heaviness becomes light.  Amen.” ~ Daily Prayer: Prayer  from The  Corrymeela Community 

10. We went to a luncheon this week sponsored by a Sarasota non-profit named Project 180 which seeks to reintegrate formerly incarcerated citizens into community life.

Each year 365+ incarcerated individuals are released and come back home to Sarasota County. It’s not always an easy homecoming. Ex-prisoners need a support structure. They need housing, employment, health services and recovery programs. Project 180 helps provide a pathway to success. 

All around our country non-profits fill in the gaps in the system in all kinds of ways. They give people hope who have forgotten what hope looks like. They remind us that caring is a virtue and every human life has value. 

I’d like to remind us all that our generosity keeps non-profits afloat. Find one. Find more than one. Give. Give again. Volunteer. Pray. It will make a difference. 

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