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 1.27.23 

1. “Turn our lives around, God. Help us to identify in ourselves those parts of us that need to change if we are to experience your joy. Too long we have been hiding in the shadows, reluctant to express our faith. Too long we have shunned the light, afraid of what might be exposed. Too long we have avoided people with whom we have a quarrel, refusing to build bridges across our differences. Save us from ourselves so that we may enjoy your realm. In Jesus’ name.” Amen. ~ Prayer of Confession, Church of the Palms, Sarasota

2. “I think about things I love … birds, trees, wetlands, forested mountains, coral reefs, my grandchildren … and I see the bulldozers and smokestacks and tanks on the horizon.  And so, because I love, I am angry. Really angry.  And if you’re not angry, I think you should check your pulse, because if your heart beats in love for something, someone, anything … you’ll be angry when it’s harmed or threatened…when I or someone I love is in the company of insult, injustice, injury, degradation, or threat, anger awakens. It tells me to change my posture or position; it demands I address the threat…

Anger does its work. It prompts us to action, for better or worse. With time and practice, we can let the reflexive reactions of fight/flight/freeze, mirroring, and judging pass by like unwanted items on a conveyor belt. Also, with practice, we can make space for creative actions to be prompted by our anger … actions that are in tune with the Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (see Galatians 5:22) … actions that overcome evil with good and bring healing instead of hate.  

So, yes, you bet I’m angry. It’s a source of my creativity. It’s a vaccination against apathy and complacency. It’s a gift that can be abused—or wisely used. Yes, it’s a temptation, but it’s also a resource and an opportunity, as unavoidable and necessary as pain. It’s part of the gift of being human and being alive.” ~ Brian McLaren

When I’m perturbed and when anger rises up I have to be careful. How do I make that anger redemptive? Is it rooted in a ‘holy discontent’ or just one of my moods? There’s a difference. A big difference. My response is different.  

In the face of dramatic wrongdoing and pure hate in our world it would be easy to either overreact or to just ignore what’s going on in our world. Overreaction isn’t particularly redemptive. And if I just ignored what is going on I’d have to twist myself  into a moral pretzel to defend and justify some really awful things and people. I know too many who have done just that and they’ve become a shadow of who they used to be. 

McLaren is right. Seeing anger as an opportunity and resource takes us down a much better path. It doesn’t mean our response won’t have some bite to it. It just means our anger will be fueled by our desire to make our discontent, holy.

3. We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. ~ Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

This particular book has touched the lives of many and Frankl’s take on “the last of the human freedoms” has shaped me in all kinds of wonderful and challenging ways.

4. In Florida, AP Black History is on the chopping block. The DeSantis crowd wants nothing less than curriculums that don’t intrude upon the fairy tale takes on history white people favor. DeSantis and cronies seemingly care very little about the dissonance that occurs in the lives of Black students when their history is dismissed because White people feel threatened. 

5. I saw that a big time evangelical conference just signed their last speaker. The publicity commended the size of his congregation, the media network he oversees, and the books he has written and sold. 

Whoopee. 

It strikes me as odd that the evangelical church still hypes the very things that got them in so much trouble in recent years. 

6.  “We yearn for intimacy, belonging, significance, transformation, power, and eternity.  This longing is written in capital letters onto the emptiness of our souls, the pain of our lives, the struggle of our relationships, and the strife of our shattered communities.” ~ Trevor Hudson

I believe this. I believe there is a whole lot of emptiness in our world. I think that’s why I admire those who keep seeking all the best God has for them and even when that seeking looks messy.

I have a soft spot in my heart for those who are honestly deconstructing their faith in the hope of building it back up but perhaps in a very different container. They’re questioning the institutions that once nurtured them and the professional Christians who gave way too many simplistic answers. They are reading authors who were once considered taboo. And they’re fuming a bit about the form of Christianity that emboldens white nationalism. Working through all that takes time. I think there is something holy about those who dare to do this kind of hard work. I have to believe that God will honor their search.

Faith requires movement. The questions we ask matter. Our doubts can be disturbing to some, but not to God. 

8. Our basic desire should be to “walk and talk” with God and then find ways to do just that very thing.  When our desire doesn’t lead to finding a ways and means to achieve it, then we will rightfully be labeled a fake and a phony.

9. One day, on their way from here to there, the Master told his disciples this parable. “In the home and office of two influential men, classified documents were found. Those documents should not have been there. One went afoul of the law because of his sloppiness, the other was deliberate in his intentions. The one who was deliberate became belligerent, doubled down on making a fuss, fought  like mad to hold on to the documents  and the authorities were forced to conduct a raid to obtain them. The other man, despite being horribly embarrassed about his sloppiness, did not make a fuss and cooperated with the process to get those documents back where they belonged.

Which man took the nobler path?”

The disciples pondered this and said: “Master, the one who cooperated despite his embarrassment.”

“Yes, the embarrassment means he was paying attention to his conscience. His cooperation means he was trying to right a wrong.” 

10. “The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest (people) of the past centuries.” – René Descartes

Why would we ever want to deny access to anyone who wants to be part of this centuries long conversation? I know the answer. It’s fear. There are folks who will do anything to keep their world from being rocked.

The good news is there’s more of us who know our world actually needs rocking. Can I get an ‘amen’?

The post Mike’s Rumblings – 01-27-23 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 36 – Luke 2:43-51 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

K.J. Ramsey pays Faith Conversations a return visit to talk about her new book The Book of Common Courage: Prayers and Poems to Find Strength in Small Moments. It is an invitation to a journey, word by word, through Psalm 23. It’s all about how the Good Shepherd is with you and for you, even in life’s valleys. I’m a fan of the book because of the poetry and the beautiful photography included, not to mention the thoughtful, heartfelt prayers.

Here is where you can find K.J. Ramsey on social media:

• Website

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

The post K.J. Ramsey – episode 350 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. 1.20.23 

1. “Not all prophets do as they are told. Not at first, anyway. When the call comes, most of them turn left and then right: “Who, me?” they murmur. If the call is a true one, the voice of the Holy Spirit will roar: “Yes, you!”” ~ Mirabai Starr

I like to believe there’s a bit of the prophet in all of us. Don’t we all have that ‘voice’ inside of us that pops up every now and then and asks us to say or do something that makes us and others a bit uncomfortable? That could be a pivot point moment, inviting us to be brave.  Why would we dismiss it?

2. “Saints are those who wake up while in this world, instead of waiting for the next one. Francis of Assisi, William Wilberforce, Thérèse of Lisieux, and Harriet Tubman didn’t feel superior to anyone else; they just knew they had been let in on a big divine secret, and they wanted to do their part in revealing it.” ~ Richard Rohr

That’s my desire too. I want to be part of the big, divine secret ‘reveal’. 

3. “Teacher, what does it mean to work on yourself? 

It is to stop waiting for others to change.” ~ Unknown

4. When Jesus invited himself over to Zacchaeus’s house, scripture tells us that “all the people saw this and began to mutter, he has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

There’s a lot of muttering that goes on in religious circles. Lots of it is about who’s in and who’s out. Or who’s right and who’s not. 

Jesus pretty much ignored the muttering. He didn’t have time for petty religious games. He knew full well who this tax collector was. Simply put, Zaccheus was but a ‘sinful man seeking’.  And Jesus wanted him to find what he was looking for. 

5. “Do not mess with librarians. The inner strength required to meticulously care for history’s greatest works of literature and then just let total strangers borrow them willy-nilly is Jedi level stuff.” ~ Jonathan Edward Durham

Without the library in Superior, Wisconsin where I was born and raised I would not be the man I am today. The librarians encouraged me to read and someway, somehow got a 10 year old access to the adult stacks. 

6.  The Sarasota Herald Tribune posted an article about all the changes occurring in our state as a result of its radical and unsettling swing to the far right. In particular, the article focused on the tremendous pressures being brought to bear on the  LBGTQ+ community. Many are leaving the state, looking for a safer climate in which to raise a family. One woman said: “Yes, we live in paradise, but I can’t wait to get the hell out.” Another said that “For the safety of our kids, I think we just have to get out now. Choosing to stay would be choosing to struggle every day, but I am heartbroken about the move.” 

I get it. Life is hard enough without having to continually watch your back and fear for the safety of your children.

What galls me about this swing to the authoritarian right is that it’s being fueled by a subset of Christians who appear to be quite OK with serving  a caricature of Jesus and reading a Bible without any red letters in it. They make it hard for those of us who take the real Jesus quite seriously and are keen on understanding and applying His message. 

7. As a spiritual director I struggle at times explaining what it’s all about. With a nod to Eugene Peterson I’m beginning to describe it as “a long conversation in the same direction.” And the purpose of that conversation  is to help someone figure out how best to walk and talk with God.

8. “Lord, make me a channel of disturbance.

Where there is apathy, let me provoke;

Where there is compliance, let me bring questioning.

Where there is silence, may I be a voice.

Where there is too much comfort and too little action, grant disruption.

Where there are doors closed and hearts locked, Grant the willingness to listen.

When laws dictate and pain is overlooked… When tradition speaks louder than need…

Grant that I may seek rather to do justice than to talk about it;

Disturb us, O Lord. To be with, as well as for, the alienated; to love the unlovable as well as the lovely; Lord, make me a channel of disturbance.”~Author Unknown

This is not a prayer for the faint hearted is it? Nope, not at all. It’s a prayer of confession, a prayer of desire, a prayer for help and a rallying cry for those who believe making a difference makes a difference. 

I think of pastors today who want to be difference makers but are terrified that they’ll be eaten alive by congregants if they have opinions that align with Jesus but not MAGAworld. Of course pastors in more progressive churches also have congregants who are quick to squeal if he/she takes a stand that runs contrary to their particular liberal leanings. 

Being a difference maker is sometimes a no-win proposition. 

 Pray for them please. Stand up for them. 

9. “Where do we go from here—chaos or community?”  Martin Luther King, Jr.

Unfortunately, we seem to be growing more at peace with chaos. Sad, isn’t it? Until we lean into and embrace our need for the beloved community King believed was possible, chaos will continue to dull our senses and steal our dreams. King really believed that we are “all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” 

I believe that too. 

10. Tell me about your most recent conversion experience. Not that one from long ago. I want your freshest memory of when you wanted to say “no” but instead said “yes”, when you chose the narrow path, not the wide road, and when you trusted God instead of your fears. Yah, tell me that story. That’s the one I need to hear from you. I need that ‘witness’. I want to know about your scars and your defeats and about that moment when you wanted to give up but then God lifted you up. 

The post Mike’s Rumblings – 01-20-23 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 35 – Matthew 2:13-16 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

Our spiritual lives are deeply connected to bread, says Kendall Vanderslice, my guest this week on the podcast. She goes on to say that bread is central to God’s story and your story, too. Her latest book, By Bread Alone: A Baker’s Reflections on Hunger, Longing and the Goodness of God, is part memoir, part theology, and loaded with stories about how we are created for community and in the community of faith, that means we often come together around the table. It is a delightful and insightful conversation.

Find Kendall Vanderslice 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 Kendall Vanderslice – episode 349 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. 1.13.23 

1. Eugene Peterson, author of The Message, was featured in one of the daily offerings of the Center for Action and Contemplation this week. The focus was Jeremiah 12. Peterson offered a pithy, imaginative look at God challenging the prophet, followed by a short, insightful, commentary. 

“Life is difficult, Jeremiah. Are you going to quit at the first wave of opposition? .… Are you going to live cautiously or courageously? I called you to live at your best, to pursue righteousness, to sustain a drive toward excellence. It is easier, I know, to be neurotic. It is easier to be parasitic. It is easier to relax in the embracing arms of The Average. Easier, but not better. Easier, but not more significant. Easier, but not more fulfilling. I called you to a life of purpose far beyond what you think yourself capable of living and promised you adequate strength to fulfill your destiny. Now at the first sign of difficulty you are ready to quit. If you are fatigued by this run-of-the-mill crowd of apathetic mediocrities, what will you do when the real race starts, the race with the swift and determined horses of excellence? What is it you really want, Jeremiah, do you want to shuffle along with this crowd, or run with the horses?.…

It is unlikely, I think, that Jeremiah was spontaneous or quick in his reply to God’s question. The ecstatic ideals for a new life had been splattered with the world’s cynicism. The euphoric impetus of youthful enthusiasm no longer carried him. He weighed the options. He counted the cost. He tossed and turned in hesitation. The response when it came was not verbal but biographical. His life became his answer, “I’ll run with the horses.””

His life became his answer. Yah, that’s the golden ticket.

2. “Never once did Jesus scan the room for the best example of holy living and send that person out to tell others about him. He always sent the stumblers and sinners. I find that comforting.” Nadia Bolz-Weber

So do I. There’s hope for me yet.

3. Every six months or so I feel compelled to share this simple, sage advice.

 “You’re not God.

This isn’t heaven.

Don’t be an ass.” ~ John O’Malley SJ

4. What ails us as a country?

I’m pretty convinced we’ve persuaded ourselves to believe that character doesn’t matter all that much anymore. 

5. Amidst the chaos of the GOP’s attempt to find a speaker last week a sane voice of reason emerged. Unfortunately for them it wasn’t one of their own. It was the Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, who was the breath of fresh air. He made sure that everyone knows what his side of the aisle believes in. 

“We’ll always put American values over autocracy, benevolence over bigotry, the constitution over the cult, democracy over demagogues, economic opportunity over extremism, freedom over fascism. Governing over gaslighting, hopefulness over hatred, inclusion over isolation, justice over judicial overreach, knowledge over kangaroo courts, liberty over limitation, maturity over Mar-a-Lago, normalcy over negativity, opportunity over obstruction, people over politics, quality of life issues over Qanon, reason over racism, substance over slander, triumph over tyranny, understanding over ugliness, voting rights over voter suppression, working families over the well-connected, xenial over xenophobia, ‘yes we can’ over ‘you can’t do it’ and zealous representation over zero sum confrontation.”

“Maturity over Mar-a-Lago.” Perfect.

6. “Religious idolatry for us Christians, at its core, is when we love our beliefs about God and people more than we actually love God and people.” Rev. Benjamin Cremer

“If the truth makes you uncomfortable, don’t blame the truth. Blame the lie that made you comfortable.” ~ Unknown

“The purpose of prayer and religious seeking is to see the truth about Reality, to see what is. And at the bottom of what is – is always goodness. The foundation is always love. Here is a mantra that we might repeat throughout our day: “God’s life is living itself in me. I am aware of life living itself in me.” ~ Richard Rohr

7.“Do not be too quick to assume your enemy is a savage just because he is your enemy. Perhaps he is your enemy because he thinks you are a savage. Or perhaps he is afraid of you because he feels that you are afraid of him. And perhaps if he believed you were capable of loving him he would no longer be your enemy.” Thomas Merton. New Seeds of Contemplation

8. “All human beings have three lives: public, private, and secret.” ~ Gabriel García Márquez

All three need to be taken seriously, right? They need to be looked at and examined. Sometimes that examination can feel like we’re waltzing through a minefield or sailing through heavy seas. But if that’s where the journey takes us that’s where we need to be. “The unexamined life is not worth living” Socrates once wrote. Everything in me says he’s right.

9. “Never fight until you have to. But when it’s time to fight, you fight like you’re the third monkey on the ramp to Noah’s Ark and it just started raining. ~ Christopher Woods

I don’t think you want to arrive in heaven with no scars because that would mean you found nothing worth fighting for. Fight hard and righteously for what really matters. Walk away when you’re just trying to fight for the sake of fighting. 

10. Here’s my best piece of advice. “Today, give as much as you know of yourself to as much as you know of God.”

The post Mike’s Rumblings – 01-13-23 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 34 – Matthew 2:7-12 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

The pandemic, continued racial trauma, and economic uncertainty. That is just a short list that has many of us asking where do we go from here? My guest, Joni Sancken, says the griefs of this time have revealed difficult truths about the wounds we carry, and the damage of these traumas has affected every part of our lives together. Many are also asking where does the church go from here? This is an engaging conversation covering a lot of territory. Joni Sancken’s book, All Our Griefs to Bear: Responding With Resilience After Collective Trauma, is well worth reading and pondering. Our conversation on this weeks podcast will give you a glimpse into her book.

Find Joni S. Sancken in the following places:

• United Theological Seminary

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

The post Joni S. Sancken – episode 348 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.