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], or Venmo Anita-Murphy-20

The post Lectio Divina 130 – John 8:12-18 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], or Venmo Anita-Murphy-20

The post Lectio Divina 129 – John 7:37-44 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. 11.1.24

1. I do have to say that the MAGA rally in New York last weekend was particularly soul sucking and it certainly wasn’t the ‘lovefest’ they say it was. Not even close. 

When we lose civility, when we forget the lessons history teaches, when cultish behavior becomes normative and facism is embraced, we’re in deep trouble. 

Jimmy Kimmel quipped:

“This is the first election where reporters have to ask the candidates ‘Who did you root for when you watched “Saving Private Ryan”?’” 

2. “Every bombed village 

is my hometown 

every dead child 

is my child, 

every grieving mother

is my mother, 

every crying father 

is my father, 

these people 

they are all ours, 

they belong to us 

and we belong to them. 

They are not “other” to us. 

They are all ours 

and we are theirs.” ~ James Baldwin

Baldwin, I believe, found the heart of Jesus. I bet we can do that too.

3.  Retired Methodist Bishop Kenneth Carder said: “I’m no Solomon, but here’s my proverb for the day: “Power, privilege, and pride without character, conscience, and compassion equals corruption, chaos, and catastrophe.” 

It’s a no-brainer to stand against politicians who habitually bring  corruption, chaos, and lack of character to the table. I feel compelled to speak out. It’s what I’ve been taught people of ‘faith’ do. 

In the face of such ‘danger’ I often wonder how anyone can stay quiet? 

Do I pray for those politicians?

I do pray (admittedly not as often as I could) for the MAGA guy, in particular, to be seized by the power and glory of God, to fall to his knees, to repent of his sins and then to humbly begin to make amends for harm done. 

Could that happen? Sure, it could. However, I’m not holding my breath. I hope it does because the actual act of repenting sins and making amends would be good for him. 

And it should keep him busy and quiet for quite a long time. That would be great for the rest of us. 

4.  So, on November 5th, it’ll be as if the whole world is waiting for a biopsy to come back.” ~ source unknown

I confess to being a little antsy. There are so many unknowns, so much that lacks clarity. Here’s what I’m leaning into:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus…” ~ Philippians 4

The world around us might be in turmoil but in the Kingdom of God there’s no worry or instability. Lean into God’s Kingdom agenda and keep leaning.

5. Genocide is biblical. 

Loving your enemies is biblical. 

But only one is Christlike. 

Slavery is biblical. 

Chain-Breaking is biblical. 

But only one is Christlike.

Patriarchy is biblical. 

Counter-cultural elevation of women is biblical. 

But only one is Christ like. 

Retributive violence is biblical.

Grace-filled restoration is biblical. 

But only one is Christ like.

Segregation is biblical. 

Unity is biblical.

But only one is Christlike. 

Christ transforms, not the Bible. Be wary of those who know one but not the other. ~Jordan Harrell 

Take aways? 

Bible reading and study is a very good thing but discernment is necessary. 

Pay attention when Christ-likeness shows itself. 

Don’t lift the Biblical text out of its context, attempting to make it say what it doesn’t say. 

6. “If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 

The dividing line between goodness and evil is razor thin. Anyone with even a smidgeon of a  prophetic voice and a conscience struggles with speaking out against evil for it requires dealing with their own ‘stuff’ first.

7. I confuse some people. Heck, I confuse myself sometimes.  

In particular, folks who lean to the far right politically are suspect of someone like me who leans left politically and who also claims to be a follower of Jesus. How can that be? After all, in their world Jesus leans to the right and absolutely adores all things MAGA. And then someone like me comes around and says “not so fast.” It doesn’t compute. 

And when I quote someone who’s not part of their tribe they don’t know what to do with it. It’s someone like Richard Rohr (who I held at arms length for far too long) for instance,  who cuts against the grain of their beliefs when he writes: 

“Christianity is a lifestyle—a way of being in the world that is simple, non-violent, shared, and loving. However, we made it into an established “religion” (and all that goes with that) and avoided the lifestyle change itself. One could be warlike, greedy, racist, selfish, and vain in most of Christian history, and still believe that Jesus is one’s “personal Lord and Savior” or continue to receive Sacraments in good standing. The world has no time for such silliness anymore. The suffering on Earth is too great.”

 8. “Visionaries, prophets, and Jesus have all warned us that this journey that we are on will be beset by troubles. In this life, you will have trouble. How we handle that trouble is our witness to future generations.” ~ Barbara Holmes, Center for Action and Contemplation. RIP

How blessed we are to live in such interesting, troubling times. Could it be that God chose us specifically “for a time such as this?”

9. How then shall we pray? This works.

“In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” 

Then silence. 

Be present to the very Presence (of God).

Listen. 

Respond.

Finally, an Amen.”

10, As we enter the path of transformation, the most valuable thing we have working in our favor is our yearning. Some spiritual teachers will even say that the yearning you feel for God is actually coming from the opposite direction; it is in fact, God‘s yearning for you.” ~ Cynthia Bourgeault

God yearns for me. 

That’s both sobering 

and life giving.

The post Mike’s Rumblings 11-01-24 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. 

If you’d like to support this podcast you can do so through a gift to PayPal using the email address [email protected], or Venmo Anita-Murphy-20

The post Lectio Divina 128 – John 6:35-40 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. 10.25.24

1. The countdown has begun for what astute people say is ‘the most consequential election of our lifetime.” They’re right.

Get ready, however, to ‘embrace the suck’ because Tropical Storm Donald is primed and ready to wreak havoc on everyone and everything whether he wins or loses. 

That’s what he’s saying. 

That’s who he is. 

That’s his promise. 

That’s what his version of ‘faith’ requires. 

And it’s what the ‘Bible Trumpers’, who believe he is ordained by God for this moment, will demand. 

Sad and scary isn’t it. Such is the fruit of vengeance.

Vote wisely. I’m all in on Harris/Walz because they’re all in on democracy and I don’t think the other team is. If they lose, they will lose with dignity. If they win, liberty and justice will be well served. They are not perfect and I’m not fully aligned with all they say and do but I do believe they are trying hard to do what’s right and honorable. And I do believe that, if elected, that they will listen to and respect opposing points of view.  

A big plus is that Harris, unlike her opponent, speaks clearly, using complete sentences. Seriously, that’s a big deal to me. And unlike her MAGA opponent she doesn’t take 10 minutes talking about Arnold Palmer’s genitalia. Whew, that was an awkward moment. 

Win or lose, I’m committed to inhabiting whatever space God lays before me. And in that space I will endeavor to continue to stand against evil and on behalf of all that is good. That’s what ‘Kingdom of God’ folks do. No election can change that.  Right? 

If you’ve never done so, perhaps now is the time to tell family and friends who you are voting for. If you’ve already done that, remind them again. A simple declarative sentence is all that is needed. “I’m voting for _______________.”  That’s it. 

If you get an immature, shaming response, ignore it and if you can’t ignore it, delete it. Immature, shaming  people don’t want to have a discussion, only an argument. Walk away. Above all stand tall and brave in the power of your convictions. But make sure people know what they are.

The power of your simple, non-argumentative testimony might be the very thing that helps someone make a wiser, ballot box choice 

2. Then Jesus said unto the sick:  “You better have insurance.” 

Then Jesus said unto the stranger: “Are you here legally?”

Then Jesus said unto the hungry: “My taxes better not be paying for these loaves and fishes.”

Then Jesus said unto the poor: “This is your own fault.” 

With tongue planted firmly in cheek, Rev. Benjamin Cremer reminds us of what the real Jesus doesn’t embrace. 

3. “In Christian monastic fixed-hour prayer … the sacred pause at first light is called lauds … Brother David Steindl-Rast distills the holy message of lauds to the notion that each sunrise, each new beginning, is a never-ending gift. In turn, in response to this unasked-for benevolence, our reciprocity is to ask ourselves, “What gift might I bring to this day?” ~ Center for Action and Contemplation, Barbara Mahany

4. “You either quit or keep going. 

Both hurt. 

Choose wisely.” ~ source unknown 

5. As Trump danced on stage for 30 awkward minutes a couple of weeks ago, I wondered if Putin went to bed, with a big smile on his face, thinking: 

“I never thought it would be this easy.”

6. As the world threatens to break apart weird religious types, sketchy politicians, wannabe authoritarians, durn fools, and ever ready scam artists show up and begin messing with our heads and weaponizing our fear.

Could it be our #1 task is to refuse to let them rent space in our heart and head? 

7. “We are made for goodness. We are made for love. We are made for friendliness. We are made for togetherness. We are made for all of the beautiful things that you and I know. We are made to tell the world that there are no outsiders. All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor, educated, not educated, male, female, gay, straight, all, all, all. We all belong to this family, this human family, God’s family.” ~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu

We are made to be right side up people in an upside down world, inviting everyone (and I mean everyone) to come taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

8. “A leader is a person who must take special responsibility for what’s going on inside him/herself, inside his or her consciousness, lest the act of leadership do more harm than good.” ~ Parker Palmer

A good leader needs to know him/herself. He/she takes the time to do some serious soul searching. That’s a good and necessary process. It shapes and defines a person.

We are all called to some form of leadership. Get to know yourself. Wrestle with your demons. Find your ‘true north’. You and those you interact with will be the better for it.

9. “The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true.” ~ Galadriel, “Lord of the Rings”

As long as the Company is true hope remains. Never underestimate what a loyal, committed band of people can do. Better yet, be part of one. 

10. “I’ve been forced to explain homosexuality to my kids age three and four because their uncle is gay. This incredibly difficult and traumatic experience went as follows: 

Child: Why does Uncle Bob go everywhere with Pete? 

Me: Because they’re in love just like mom and daddy are. 

Child: Oh. Can I have a biscuit? 

We’re all scarred for life. 

Scarred, I tell you!” ~ Skeptical Kitten

Common sense, a caring heart, simple age appropriate answers and a lack of hysteria can make all the difference when discussing hot button issues. 

If someone shows me a glaring lack of common sense, an unkind heart, and a genuinely scary way of being, I know a good discussion is probably out of the question. 

The post Mike’s Rumblings 10-25-24 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. 

If you’d like to support this podcast you can do so through a gift to PayPal using the email address [email protected], or Venmo Anita-Murphy-20

The post Lectio Divina 127 – John 6:25-29 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. 10.18.24

1. We’ve decided to  “chase the approval of strangers on our phones. We build all manner of walls and fences around ourselves and then wonder why we feel so alone.” ~ Barack Obama

Walls and fences? 

I’m on the lookout for bridges. On the other side there’s people to meet, good things to do, and ideas to be explored.

2. “Are they here legally?” That’s a modern version of “Who is my neighbor?” Both are questions used to determine if we have justification to mistreat and harm others.”~ prophetic imagination

The ‘hate’ towards immigrants is beyond the pale these days isn’t it? A fire has been lit and someone (guess who) keeps fanning the flames. Imagine what his presidency would look like this time around. I shudder when I think about it.

I’m continually saddened by the number of people who claim faith but keep looking for loopholes so they don’t have to actually live it out. 

Stephen Colbert suggests that “ … either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don’t want to do it.” 

3. Irenaeus, writing toward the end of the second century, said “ Christ became what we are in order to enable us to become what He is.” 

The more I look at the person and work of Jesus, the more  I am blown away by his ability to not major in the minors and to make the main thing the main thing. 

4. ”I used to think they 

believed his lies.

That’s not it.

They know he’s lying 

and they don’t care. 

He hates who they hate, 

that’s enough.” ~ source unknown

Who are they? I’m particularly interested in the ones who brazenly maintain that their faith is what compels them to behave so badly. I’m now referring to them as  “Bible Trumpers”. 

Are they Christians? I think at one time they held a deep affection for Christ and the Word of God but then they got seduced by a rather troubled  personality who openly and proudly defies the person and work of Jesus. So saying they’re  a follower of Jesus’ becomes very problematic.

Oh, I still pray for them. I wish them a happy birthday and inquire about their kids but I no longer count on them for anything substantive. The Jesus they proclaim is not even close to the Jesus I want to emulate.

5. “We grow spiritually by passing beyond some perfect Order, through an often painful and seemingly unnecessary Disorder to an enlightened Reorder … Apparently, God enjoys doing this because it never stops happening …” ~ Richard Rohr 

Going through a season of disorder isn’t necessarily fun but it sets the table for what God wants ultimately to do with and through us. Reordering is always a bit scary but it helps us to adjust what needs adjusting so we can start breathing in all the better things God has for us. 

6.  “It is said that before entering the sea the river trembles with fear.

She looks back at the path she has traveled,from the peaks of the mountains and the long winding road, crossing forests and villages.

And in front of her,

than to disappear forever.

But there is no other way.

Nobody can go back.

The river needs to take the risk

I’ve posted Gibran’s poem before and probably will again. It is so beautiful, so layered, and so worth contemplating. In our world there is a growing number of people who want to go back to the good old days (which for many, many  weren’t very good at all). But we can’t go back. It’s really not possible. In our own way “we must become the ocean.” 

On those very rare days that I’m smart, I look around and say: “I wonder what God is up to now.”And when I discover it, then I join in. I become, in a mystical sense, the ocean. I go with God’s flow and rhythm.” Those are my happiest days.

7. “Studying history will sometimes disturb you. Studying history will sometimes upset you. Studying history will sometimes make you furious. If studying history always makes you feel proud and happy, you probably aren’t studying history.” ~ source unknown

The study of history is disruptive, challenging our assumptions about what really happened back in the day and it rocks our world a bit. That’s a good thing.

8. “MAGA Republicans are now lying about the federal response to recent hurricanes. And they lied about Haitian migrants bringing chaos and disease to Springfield, Ohio. Both disinformation efforts are flat-out lies, and both are designed to demonize immigrants. Immigration was the issue Trump was so eager to run on that he demanded Republican lawmakers reject the strong border bill a bipartisan group of lawmakers had hammered out.” ~ Heather Cox Richardson

The New York Times reports that “when the former president endorses violence and proposes using the government to attack his enemies, many of his supporters assume it’s just an act.”

It’s not. They’ve put blinders on. 

Someday, people will study these turbulent times in our country and they will conclude that ‘sin’ ran rampant and that too many who could have done something to stop the nonsense didn’t make the effort. Instead, they shrugged their shoulders and joined the chorus of those who, with great emphasis, embraced the lies and vilified the innocent.

9. As I grow older, I aspire to be a sage elder, someone who desires to be a willing listener, a perceptive mentor and a wise and interesting companion. Let me know if you actually see that happening.  

10. Hurricane season, in Florida, for sure, measures your psychological, physical, and spiritual stamina. This is our  second go around in a month. It stretched us especially hard because it came on the heels of two weeks of COVID. Yes, I’m whining a bit . My privileged self does that now and again. 

Mea culpa, mea culpa,  

mea maxima culpa. OK, I’m better now. 

Thanks for your love, prayers, and messages of concern. The Sun Coast was slammed hard and is still cleaning up and trying to figure out what snowbird season looks like now. Disorder has descended (reread Rumble #5) and prayers for hard hit business owners and residents are appreciated.  

We are so grateful for the friends who opened their home to us and we are sad for those in our specific housing community  where significant damage was done to about 200 homes. Not all were insured and those that were don’t have platinum coverage. Such is the state of insurance protections in Florida. 

My prayer is a simple one. “Lord, here I am. Melt me, mold me, use me.”

The post Mike’s Rumblings 10-18-24 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. 

If you’d like to support this podcast you can do so through a gift to PayPal using the email address [email protected], or Venmo Anita-Murphy-20

The post Lectio Divina 126 – John 5:24-30 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], or Venmo Anita-Murphy-20

The post Lectio Divina 125 – John 5:1-9 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. 10.4.24

1. Christians: We will spread the Gospel by spending a week in a third world country, and maybe go on safari.

God: I am going to bring the developing world to your community. By the way, they already know and follow me. Just welcome them and care for their needs. 

Christians: No, not that way. ~ Kevin M. Young

There’s so much sad truth in this. Is a mission trip a stupid idea? No, not at all. I recommend them. It softens our hearts and gives us a vision of a bigger world.

But let’s face it, the world is already at our doorstep. When we finally see the families at our border as children of God and the Haitians in Ohio as mattering greatly to the Lord, then we will know our faith is truly maturing. 

Opportunities abound for all of us to build relationships with the ‘other’, embracing them as brothers and sisters, not enemies. But there is a nefarious, anti-Jesus force, masking as a pro Jesus movement,  that is trying to tell us that they are not our brothers and sisters but rather ‘enemies’ determined to destroy our way of life. 

Russell Moore hammers it home. “To sing praise songs in a church service while trafficking in the bearing of false witness against people who fled for their life, who seek to rebuild a life for their children after crushing poverty and persecution, is more than just cognitive dissonance. It’s modeling the devil himself, whom Jesus called ‘the father of lies’ (John 8:44)…”

2. “These two men were both a heartbeat away from being interesting this evening… In the end it was 90 minutes of constant talk that made one thing clear: Tonight was like Thanksgiving with your most nervous uncle, and your smuggest nephew.  It was unpleasant, awkward, and thankfully you only have to do it once every four years.”  ~ Stephen Colbert’s reaction to the VP debate

Walz, who admitted to being a bad debater, proved it. It was painful and awkward at times but when Vance refused to acknowledge that Trump lost the 2020 election, Walz had his moment and he looked him in the eye and declared  “That’s a damning non-answer.” He became the favorite uncle again.” Still not a very good debater though. 

Vance was smooth and polished for most of the debate. He was asked, I’m sure, not to be snarky and smug but sincere and laid back. He was playing to an audience of ‘one’. Guess who? He had to do some pretty heavy lifting and laundering of Trump’s (and his) positions on all kinds of issues. That’s a whole lot of shifting sand and a whole lot of “Hey, they took it out of context” which translates to “We were just kidding” but they never kid and never, ever provide the proper context. 

Nothing changes for me. Character and preserving our democracy is what’s on the ballot in November. I’m going with the nervous uncle and the woman who had her debate opponent down for the count.

4. ”The whole purpose of spiritual direction is to penetrate beneath the surface of a [person’s] life, to get behind the façade of conventional gestures and attitudes which he/she presents to the world, and to bring out his/her inner spiritual freedom, his/her inmost truth, which is what we call the likeness of Christ in his/her soul.” ~ Thomas Merton

I am a spiritual director as is my wife. We both go to a spiritual director. We all need help going beyond the facade that all too often defines our lives. Self honesty needs to be encouraged. Confession needs to be normalized. Freedom needs to be found. The likeness of Christ in our soul needs to be coaxed out.

Interested in finding out more? Let me know. 

5. How does trickle down economics work again?

The top 1% of the richest of the rich gets all the money.

Then what?

That’s it.

Sorry, trickle down enthusiasts but something very basic keeps getting in the way. Plain and simple, it’s greed. 

6.  “It is Christ Himself, not the Bible, who is the true word of God. The Bible, read in the right spirit and with the guidance of good teachers, will bring us to Him. We must not use the Bible as a sort of encyclopedia out of which texts can be taken for use as weapons.” C.S. Lewis

7. “There was a 60 Minutes documentary many years ago that took a look at the monks and monasteries on Mount Athos in Greece. The journalists who made the episode were interested in understanding the life of the island and what the monks there did. So in one scene, the reporter asks a monk who is out in a field, picking olives and trimming trees, “what is it that they do here?” To which the monk, looking around at his menial task, replies, casually,  as if it should be obvious to everybody, “This is an arena of unseen warfare. We fight against the angels of the dark side, the Demons, the devil, Satan.” ~Colin Miller, ”We Are Only Saved Together” 

In other words, they simply inhabit the spaces they’ve been given and as they do they stand against that which is evil and for all that is good.  We can do that. I know we can. It’s a ‘ministry of presence’ and it is insanely powerful. 

8. I do have to say that Saturday Night Live came out of the gate swinging.  Their satirization of both the Dems and MAGA was spot on funny and a bit cringeworthy. My guess is that the Dems were pretty much OK with the needling and MAGA wasn’t. Humor, especially satire, isn’t their strong suit. 

9. Hurricane Helene left its mark. It’s heartbreaking. 

Now is the time to open our pocketbooks to help those in desperate need. And the need is indeed great. We are choosing to give to a local  food bank (All Faiths) and the Salvation Army. Both organizations have boots on the ground and are already feeding the hungry and comforting the afflicted. They are proven good stewards of the funds people give to them. 

I’m sure you have your own ’go to’ non-profits (no need to name them). Your gifts are a blessing to them and allow them to bless others. It’s a win/win.

10. Pope Francis told his priests to “be shepherds who smell like sheep.”  

Makes sense doesn’t it? It should. 

The post Mike’s Rumblings 10-04-24 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.