Anita Lustrea

You’ll enjoy this beautiful conversation with K.J. Ramsey. She is honest about her own wilderness which includes spiritual and religious abuse as well as major health challenges. In her new book, The Lord Is My Courage, she walks us through Psalm 23 phrase by phrase. I guarantee that you’ll see that Psalm with fresh eyes as therapist and author K.J. Ramsey helps us cultivate courage.

Find K.J. Ramsey 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 K.J. Ramsey – episode 327 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 a certainly much food for thought contained here. You can friend Mike on Facebook for the printed version or read it below

Rumblings. 6.24.22

Rumble 1. “We should measure the prosperity of a nation not by the number of millionaires, but by the absence of poverty, the prevalence of health, the efficiency of the public schools, and the number of people who read worthwhile books.” ~ W.E.B Du Bois

I dare say that current methods of keeping score are failing us. Du Bois and others remind us that what we currently value just might be the instruments of our undoing.  Perhaps status, wealth, web surfing skills, radical denial, and ownership of assault weapons, just might not be enough, huh?

Rumble 2. “American notions of freedom are usually at odds with Christian freedom.   American freedom says, my freedom is mine to enjoy. Christian freedom says my freedom is for the purpose of serving my neighbor. ~ Rich Villodas

Rumble 3. “The biggest problem in the culture today is the failure of the church. We wouldn’t even have a racial crisis in America if the church had not consistently failed to deal with racism as the severe sin it is. But because the church has historically ignored and downplayed it, the issue still exists. Where the church is called to set an example, we have cowered.” ~ Tony Evans

The church has historically either ignored it or downplayed racism instead of being brave and naming it. When racism is courageously named and claimed it often puts ‘high influence congregants’ on edge. And then the plotting begins and a purge in one form or another is right around the corner.

Kudos, however, to congregations which don’t cower when faced by bullies and courageously deal with the sin in their midst. There’s more of them than you might think.

Rumble 4.“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.” ~ The Great Gatsby

What an apt description of the former president, his cronies, appointees, family, and hangeroners. They are careless, messy, brutal, and irresponsible. They are a caravan of grifters, devoid of conscience. And yet, some who read this actually believe this cabal of narcissists were actually sent by God. Don’t get it.

Perhaps both P.T. Barnum and H. L. Mencken were right when they made the depressing observation that “no one ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the American public.”

Rumble 5. “With my voice I cry to the LORD;

with my voice I make supplication to the LORD.

I pour out my complaint before him;

I tell my trouble before him.

When my spirit is faint,

you know my way.” ~ Psalm 142: 1-3

In times of distress, this is the first step towards recovery.

Rumble 6. “The prophetic tasks of the church are to tell me the truth in a society that lives in illusion, grieves in a society that practices denial, and expresses hope in a society that lives in despair.” ~ Walter Bruggemann

It takes courage, doesn’t it, to point out to others, that they live in an illusionary world that holds them captive? Of course, it takes even greater courage to banish the illusions we have so brilliantly erected for ourselves.

Truth? Do you desire it? Hope so. Or are you quite comfortable with lies and valiantly declare it to be truth? If so, that’s akin to putting lipstick on a pig and then trying to pretend it’s not a pig anymore.

Grief? Are you grieving over the very things that break the heart of God?

Who in your sphere of influence needs a ‘hope’  transfusion? How do you bring it to them?

Rumble 7. “The early Franciscan friars and Poor Clares wanted to be Gospel practitioners instead of merely “inspectors” or “museum curators” as Pope Francis calls some clergy.” ~ Richard Rohr

What good is faith, the writer of the Book of James asks, without good works? Real faith is lived out, not just verbally expressed. The inspectors of faith and the curators of its museums have a role to play for sure. But we’ve allowed them to supersize that role and in the process inflate their own importance and undermine the actual teachings of Jesus.

Rumble 8. Texas Republicans, MAGA loyalists to the core, produced a party platform last week that includes ripping apart any notion that Biden beat Trump, ending all gun safety measures, ending our participation in the United Nations, arming all teachers, protectIng Confederate monuments, ending same sex marriage, rejecting the Equal Rights amendment, and calling for a vote so the people of Texas can determine whether or not the State of Texas should reassert its status as an independent nation. Whew. There’s even more. It’s depressing to read.

Why do I speak out about such things? Whenever I think about my grandchildren I begin to worry about their future. If the MAGA brand wins, in Texas and elsewhere, they will lose. They will live in a rigid world where might makes right, where dissent is limited and just might be considered subversive, where knowledge is suspect, where greed is a virtue, and White Christian Nationalism will be the preferred and perhaps only version of faith allowed.

For the life of me, I don’t understand why so many remain silent. I just don’t get it. So, in the meantime I will echo the sentiments of Langston Hughes:

“Looks like what drives me crazy

Don’t have no effects on you—

But I’m gonna keep on at it

Till it drives you crazy, too.”

Rumble 9. “Slaves sing more to make themselves happy than to express their happiness. Every tone was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God was for deliverance from chains.” ~ Frederick Douglass

This past Sunday our church reverently and respectfully incorporated Juneteenth into our worship service. A member of our sister church, a primarily Black congregation, joined our pastor for a conversation. Using the biblical story of the Jews wandering in the desert as their anchor, they talked about Juneteenth -what it was and what it means for us today as people of faith.

I’m  sure many churches didn’t make that effort. Perhaps even yours. If so, perhaps it is time to ask why and to keep asking until you get an answer that proves satisfying.Rumble 10. St. Thomas Moore wrote: “ We need people in our lives with whom we can be as open as possible. To have real conversations with people may seem like such a simple, obvious suggestion, but it involves courage and risk.“

Yes, to all of this, yes. Spiritual Directors create safe havens where real conversations can take place. Look for one. Make meeting with him/her  a regular discipline of your spiritual life. Both Anita and myself are spiritual directors and are in spiritual direction ourselves. We also know many good directors we’d be happy to recommend. Let us know if we can be of assistance if you sense this kind of nudging from God.

The post Mike Murphy’s Friday Rumblings – 06-24-2022 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 platforms or tell a friend about this weekly spiritual practice.

If you’d like to support this podcast you can do so through Patreon. You’ll find that option on the Faith Conversations homepage, www.anitalustrea.com. You can also give a gift via PayPal by using the email [email protected].

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

The post Lectio Divina 5 – Luke 13:10-17 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

I’m delighted to have another conversation with Melinda Schmidt on the podcast. This time we talk poetry. We read and discuss a number of poems written by Luci Shaw. All are from her more recent book, The Generosity: Poems. I think you’ll enjoy the conversation and I hope we entice you to find some good poetry to read and ponder.

Find Melinda Schmidt:

• 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 326 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 hearing. 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. 6.17.22 

1. Rich Villodas of New Life Church in Queens, NY always reminds me of the basics of life and faith. 

“The theologian, Kosuke Koyama imagined Jesus saying this to those who see him upon death:

“You’ve had a difficult journey. You must be tired, and dirty. Let me wash your feet. The banquet is ready.” 

2. While reading Matthew 5 this week in the Message, two words “Grow Up” leapt off the page. Matthew 5 is a difficult passage. In it, Jesus asks us to love those we don’t consider to be very lovable. He asserts that “loving enemies” is the mark of a mature faith. It is both an invitation and a command. It’s not as much backing off as it is leaning in. It’s a willingness to see even the most despicable as having worth. After all, they too are made in the image and likeness of a good God. Grrrr.

To love, while at the same time opposing someone’s tactics and message, is one of those “both/and” postures requiring us to indeed grow up. It requires deep faith and major resolve doesn’t it? It might even mean getting kicked out of your current tribe.

3. “President Trump,” Liz Cheney declared, “summoned the mob, assembled the mob and lit the flame of this attack.”

This is at the heart of the issue the January 6 House Committee is bringing to us. I thought the hearings this week were quite gripping and revealed much about the moral rot that defined Trump’s presidency. Will it change minds? Who knows. But there is something satisfying about having it as part of the public record. 

Dana Milbank, writing in WAPO said: “President Donald Trump, his former aides testified, faced a fateful choice on election night 2020: Heed the best advice of his top political and legal advisers? Or go with the erratic drunk guy? 

Trump chose Option No. 2.”

That says it all.

It should be noted that even though many in Trump’s  inner circle turned on him, they waited until they faced legal jeopardy. Now they’re trying to ‘save their butts’. Their testimony rings more than a bit hollow, however. Once it became clear that Option No. 2 was the choice, they rallied behind Trump. They reinforced The Big Lie. They provided cover. With malice and forethought they damaged our nation, weakening our democratic foundations. ‘In the moment’ integrity might have saved us from a good portion of the stink we’re experiencing now. But they didn’t  have that kind of integrity. That’s why they were hired in the first place. They are not heroes. 

I’m wondering if FOX and other right wing media groups will cut their losses and distance itself from the stench they helped create and if they do that will their audience pivot with them?

I’m not holding my breath. 

4. “We can recognize people who have had a second baptism in the Holy Spirit. They tend to be loving. They tend to be exciting. They want to serve others, and not just be served themselves. They forgive life itself for not being everything they once hoped for. They forgive their neighbors. They forgive themselves for not being as perfect as they would like to be.” ~ Richard Rohr

5. My elected representatives in Florida are fond of using ‘fire up the base’ words to describe people like me who have a fundamental moral argument with their political platforms. They can barely open their mouths without alluding to “the woke mob” who are, in their eyes, anti-patriots. They say that with generous amounts of disdain, venom, and scorn implying that because I am not like them, I am worthless in their eyes. To them, I am not a constituent but only a threat to their tomfoolery. I consider all this to be a badge of honor actually,  and I gladly wear their disdain, venom and scorn. It reminds me that I haven’t sold my soul to the highest bidder. 

6. “When I was a boy at my father’s knee, the pride and joy of my mother, He would sit me down and drill me: “Take this to heart. Do what I tell you – live! Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding! Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch! Never walk away from Wisdom – she guards your life;  love her – she keeps her eye on you. Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom! Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding! Throw your arms around her – believe me, you won’t regret it; never let her go – she’ll make your life glorious. She’ll garland your life with grace, she’ll festoon your days with beauty.” ~ Proverbs 4: 1-9, MSG

7. There is an old Mt. Everest saying: “Reach the summit and you’ve only climbed half the mountain. Oftentimes, getting back down safely is the real hurdle.”

In the ongoing battle for our democracy, it’s wise to remember that this freedom journey we’re on requires a long climb up a winding, arduous, and dangerous road. Anyone looking for a lesser journey, on a lesser road will be sorely disappointed. They won’t get to where they need to go. 

8. Someone once asked me if my God was too small. I think at the time that was true, my god was too small. My god was just like me, created in my image and likeness. I was worshipping myself. 

It’s still a good question. How big is your God these days? 

9. “Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness the energies of love, and then, for the second time in the history of the world, humans will have discovered fire.” ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ

10. In the ongoing battle within the Southern Baptist Convention, this voice pretty much states the ultra conservative tone and position. This quote is from an address at The Conservative Baptist Network, an upstart wing of the SBC.

“You don’t advance the kingdom of God by lining up with the kingdom of Satan,” John MacArthur, a dean of conservative evangelical preaching, told the audience, referring to issues including the role of women and addressing racism. “You will never advance the kingdom of God by being popular with the world. If you think you will, you’re doing the Devil’s work. How can you negotiate with people who hate Christ, hate God, hate the Bible and hate the Gospel? …“Pretty soon it will be women preachers, social justice, then racism, then [critical race theory], then victimization because the world is a ball and chain, and when you’re hooked, it will take you to the bottom.”~ Michelle Boorstein, WAPO

I once heard him speak publicly. I shook hands with him afterwards and kindly suggested that he had made the primary scripture he was using say what it wasn’t meant to say. The ‘how dare you look on his face’ pretty much said it all. 

The post Mike Murphy’s Friday Rumblings – 06-17-2022 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. You can email me at [email protected].

If you enjoy the beautiful guitar music underneath the spiritual practice you can learn more about Steve Wick and how to purchase his music here.

The post Lectio Divina 4 – Luke 4:16-22 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

What are the biggest challenges for people living on the margins these days? On this episode of Faith Conversations I talk with Yolanda Fields. Yolanda is the Executive Director of Breakthrough Urban Ministries and a committed and passionate non-profit and community leader. She started her 20-year career with the East Garfield Park (Chicago)-based organization as a volunteer in 2001 and now leads this incredible organization.

This is an enlightening conversation about the struggles that marginalized people and those experiencing homelessness face.

Checkout Breakthrough here!

The post Yolanda Fields – episode 325 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 hearing. 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. 6.10.22 

1. “One of the most cowardly things ordinary people do is to shut their eyes to the facts.” ~ C.S Lewis

FOX News, to their shame, is not covering the January 6 hearings. They know what they’re doing. The network doesn’t  want their audience to see and hear what their hosts have been covering up for the past couple of years.

2. Saint Augustine writes in his Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” Many believe that this sentence captures the essence of the desire that dwells in the deepest part of every human being. It’s the desire to know and be known by God. 

3. “In the wake of deadly mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas, Representative Chris Jacobs of New York, a congressman serving his first full term in the House, stunned fellow Republicans by embracing a federal assault weapons ban and limits on high-capacity magazines.

Speaking from his suburban Buffalo district a week ago, about 10 miles from the grocery store where 10 Black residents were slaughtered, Mr. Jacobs framed his risky break from bedrock Republican orthodoxy as bigger than politics: “I can’t in good conscience sit back and say I didn’t try to do something,” he said.

It took only seven days for political forces to catch up with him.

On Friday, facing intense backlash from party leaders, a potential primary from the state party chairman and a forceful dressing down from Donald Trump Jr., Mr. Jacobs announced that he would abandon his re-election campaign.

“We have a problem in our country in terms of both our major parties. If you stray from a party position, you are annihilated,” Mr. Jacobs said on Friday. “For the Republicans, it became pretty apparent to me over the last week that that issue is gun control. Any gun control.” ~ Nicholas Fandos and Jesse McKinley, NY Times

One of the members of Congress, a Republican from Florida, showed up in a Zoom committee hearing about gun laws with his own firearms on the table in front of him.  I just shook my head in disgust when I watched the video. This is the kind of immature approach to a serious issue that is indeed worrisome and potentially dangerous. What kind of person does this especially after what we’ve been through in the past few weeks? Will someone like this vote for common sense gun legislation?  Nope. He’s driven a stake into the ground. As have his colleagues. My biggest fear is that they will embolden the crazies who are eager to use all those assault rifles and high magazine revolvers they bought. How many crazies are there? Who knows? Too many, I’m thinking.

I wrote this to a Canadian friend. “We in America don’t have the moral or political resolve to solve gun issues.  This is our ‘sin’. We will do everything we can to parse, excuse, and justify anything that has to do with ‘guns’. But we won’t do what’s necessary to dive deeply into the issue and come up with legislation that will help to resolve the fact that ‘kids’ are being killed and that  guns are being sold to people who shouldn’t be allowed to possess a pea shooter. The 2nd Amendment has become our 11th Commandment. That is to our shame. It’s what is making us the laughingstock of the free world.”

4. Anita and I enjoyed watching an Amazon Prime documentary called “Jesus Music”. Of course, Anita knew and interviewed many of the folks featured. That made it even more fun. Tommy Coomes of LoveSong caught my attention when he said: “Faith doesn’t get passed on automatically. Every generation has to fight for it.” 

Sometimes fighting for it doesn’t happen until you fight against it for a while. I find that much of the fighting isn’t against God. It’s a fight with the institutions that represent God. Some end up throwing both God and the institutions away. And then what?

5. “Because I promise you, America – we are not as divided as we’re being told we are…. How about we get inspired? … Maybe set an example for our children, give us reason to tell them, ‘Hey, listen and watch these men and women. These are great American leaders right here. Hope you grow up to be like them.’ And let’s admit it: We can’t truly be leaders if we’re only living for reelection…. We’ve got to make choices, make stands, embrace new ideas, and preserve the traditions that can create true progress for the next generation.”

As Matthew McConaughey finished and left the podium, James Rosen from Newsmax called out: “Were you grandstanding just now, sir?” ~ Heather Cox Richardson

No, James Rosen, you were listening to a patriot. Sadly, you and your ilk don’t know one when you see one anymore. 

6. “What if it was exactly at the point at which the words go wobbly, at which they start to slip through our fingers, that we might find ourselves able to take an unobstructed glimpse into holy truth?” ~ Janet P. Williams

If this isn’t one of those times when words are wobbling, and answers don’t come easily, I don’t know what would qualify. I do believe that our good God is, indeed, trying to get our attention. Let’s open our eyes and unplug our ears, holy truth is trying to tell us something. And it’s important.

7. Jesus was ready, willing, and able to jump to the aid of anyone being bullied. Now, he asks us to do the same thing. 

8. “I do not want to see the Republican Party ride to political victory on the Four Horsemen of Calumny—Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry and Smear.” ~ Margaret Chase Smith,  GOP Senator from Maine, June 1, 1950. 

This was a brave response to her party’s love affair with Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. She bravely stood against a man who caused so much deep hurt and harm. I pray that kind of bravery still exists today. Instead we’re getting this:

“If you’re a Republican, you can’t even lie to Congress or lie to an FBI agent or they’re coming after you… Of course you’re gonna lie. Everybody lies!” ~ Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)

This guy is a piece of work. Screws loose everywhere you look.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright once wrote: “The temptation is powerful to close our eyes and wait for the worst to pass, but history tells us that for freedom to survive, it must be defended, and that if lies are to stop they must be exposed.” 

9. What’s the hardest thing to say? 

I’m sorry 

I’m scared 

I’m unsure 

I don’t know 

I need help 

It’s my fault.

Worcestershire

Worcestershire. That’s a given.

Now what’s next. Which of the remaining ones are hard for you to say out loud?  It might make for a good journaling exercise or a great discussion starter for a small group.

10. “Skepticism is a virtue. It requires a willingness to question conventional wisdom, and the guts to accept something after you discover that it’s actually true.

Denialism, on the other hand, is a willful rejection of reality. It’s safe and easy, and unproductive. Because there’s no room to change your mind.

… Skeptics are a key to the scientific method, organizational design and even investing. Often, people in denial pretend to be skeptics. It feels more powerful than acknowledging that we’re simply avoiding change.” ~ Seth Godin

Sticking your head in the sand has never been a particularly good idea. And yet, I know people who do it religiously. Habitual avoidance is cowardice. Deciding to not know serves no one well. It diminishes the impact of your life. 

The post Mike Murphy’s Friday Rumblings – 06-10-2022 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. You can email me at [email protected].

If you enjoy the beautiful guitar music underneath the spiritual practice you can learn more about Steve Wick and how to purchase his music here.

The post Lectio Divina 3 – Mark 2:13-17 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

One of my favorite guests, Brian McLaren, is back on the podcast. His latest book, Do I Stay Christian?, is a terrific read. The subtitle lets you know who the book is for. It’s A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillusioned. If we could read the inner thoughts of pastors, priests and parishioners alike, we’d see that most of us are asking the same questions about our faith. McLaren, in his book, answers the question posed by the title with three words, which head up three parts of the book—No, Yes, and How. I highly recommend anything McLaren has written and especially this new book which thoughtfully responds to the important question, Do I Stay Christian?

Find Brian McLaren 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 Brian McLaren – episode 324 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.