Author: johnfreal
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Spoken Through the Prophets-2
Holy Mountains The day is coming when the holy mountains willbe for all people All nations will stream toward them so God can show us the wayWe can learn to livewith God and the word God speaksto our minds and hearts turning our swords to plowshares our weapons to pruning hooksThe nations shall cometo the…
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Spoken through the Prophets-1
Hear Me, Earth and Sky Hear me earth and skyYou children do not trust meYour minds are not well Your hearts are no longer whole Fearful selfishness guides youAnimals know moreThey know when they are woundedLook around and see Your country lies desolate and your cities are burningYour nobles are knavesand seek thieves for companionsall…
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Leaving the Liminal
Although we learn to runfrom brokenness, – our own and that of others – we are made to notice it.Slowly we learn to open our heartsin hospitality and our world to justice.We can remain for a time on a threshold.Help us see the shalom and the suffering,the outcasts and the strangers,and the revelations that they…
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Isaiah Is Coming
The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, lived in Jerusalem in the 8th century BCE. He wrote mostly poetry and spoke at the intersection of spirituality, social collapse, and cultural conflict. We live in a similar time. He might have something to say to us. I have heard his echos in recent books like At Work…
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Christmas Presence
We Wait for the Coming Already HereThe prophets speak and angels are coming the beauty of the music overwhelms me every AdventIn public school in 5th grade I learned Stille Nachtthen Adeste Fidelis in 6thIn the cathedral one adventHandel’s Messiah started vibrationsthat revisit me every yearalong with Cantique de Noeland in other musical storiesof peasants…
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Our Collective Vulnerability
Isaiah reference / Chapters 52-53 Format / Japanese renga Look at my servantwho will be great and prosperwill rise to great heights. Many were astonished at him since his appearance was marredHe will surprise usteaching what we never heardseeing new visions Who sees the revelation of our God and hears this new songHe grew among…
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This or That
Discernment might be defined as acting or deciding without an either-or mind. It is also an attentiveness to God that can be developed over time. It is an intuitive sense of God’s heart and purpose regarding decisions of the moment. But this familiarity with the tone, quality, and content of God’s voice takes commitment and…
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Requiem
For a Father and His Dying Son 1Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who walk a trail of tears,for he will wipes the tears from their eyes and comfort them.Those who plant in tears will harvest in singing.The planter walks along with his seeds and weeps.He will certainly come back singing, carrying his harvest.2 All…
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Pity the Dominos
Individuals who get stuck in an information processing mode have a maladaptive mindset characterized by reality distortion through denial of information, an inability to deal with ambiguity, a tendancy to view and treat others as mere tools, and a profound lack of empathy. – Oliver Schultheiss, psychologist and neuroscientist The unwanting soul sees what’s hidden,…
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What the Children Taught Us
Perhaps we all founda life that called to our heartsfor we nourished lifeby asking children to singto read, to count, and to buildto attend and to imagineDidn’t we give thanksfor hard questions and for trustand community and uncertaintyThere was no right wayWe had to trust those younger otherson their path and to find our ownoften…