A Collective Rebirth... a Five Minute Friday post.

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My, oh My! It's been another long, quiet absence! Who knew throwing in a job or two would so disrupt my writing routine? (The working women! That's who! They knew! )

I have been silent in many ways, processing all that our World is battling right now. If you've been around here much or know me at all, you know my bent is toward the positive... the Promises... the Yes and Amen's... the sunshine and laughter and joy! All this Heavy and Hard leaves me feeling --well, heavy and hard. It's so not my favorite! Still... I'm here, sitting in the chair, ready to see what pours out with our Word prompt...

This is a Five Minute Friday post... which, as you should know by now, simply means I set a timer and free-write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: BORN

{GO!} 

Born...

I see the prompt and my heavy heart goes immediately to the thought of how we need a Change. We need more than a restoration in our country. We need something brand new... We need a nation collectively being reborn!

My next thought goes to a quote I just read on Emily P. Freeman's blog.  She stated this: "Starting again doesn’t have to mean starting over." and I can't get over the relief of the truth of it!

Somehow, these two thoughts merge together in my mind and sink down deep and fast into my heart, and suddenly, I feel Hope arising!

I mean... I can't say for you, but for me? For me, it feels like we just keep going back to this brokenness... this injustice... this disease --or better, this dis-ease.  We do... and I tread carefully here, being well aware that I am a privileged white woman and my ignorance shows when it comes to talking racism and fairness. Nothing about this week, or month, or year, has been fair. (Nothing about many years upon years, decades upon decades, have been fair -to be honest.)

As I wrote in our monthly newsy-letter today (--if you subscribe, it should be in your inbox bright and early tomorrow morning so I don't want to repeat myself here...) the truth is, I feel once again the pull to apologize for being so silent.  

Part of my silence is honestly just not knowing what to say and not wanting to jump on and add nothing substantial to a topic that is so deserving of SOMETHING substantial being added.  

Part of my silence is quite bluntly simply privilege! I haven't had to think of it... it's easy (though not right!) for me to push it aside or not notice. I'm not proud of that. I'm just being real about it! 

And Part of my silence, since we're being honest here, is that I don't know what narrative to believe. I can't find a source that I trust who I think is unbiased and impartial and in this overly politicized climate we find ourselves in right now, it feels very volatile and risky to even approach someone and ask for a side that opposes my own. (Or take on an issue that I'm not sure I agree with... Or a problem I'm embarrassed to say I've managed to become heart-blind to once again!)

I'm the least political person around... I mean - I guess that's not accurate. I DO vote... I DO try to know what is going on (but again... lacking a trustworthy source to rely on impedes that!) 

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I lean towards Glass-Half-FULL and I was thinking there was nothing half-full about what is unfolding and what is being broadcast around America all. weekend. long!

But then I see posts that remind me of the truth of Emily's words... Starting again doesn't have to mean starting over!  We are still far, far away from where* we want to be --but just because we are in need of starting again doesn't mean we are starting at the beginning!

AND ALSO: God is able to birth something brand new!
There is something about Pentecost that stirs up Hope around the edges and makes me believe, yet again, that He is Able and He is Near... and it reminds me that He desires to fill us to overflowing so that we can be His Body and His Bride... 

{STOP!}

Holy Spirit, Come! Birth something new in us and give us a heart that beats to the rhythm of Yours!

"...a loveless world,” said Jesus, “is a sightless world. If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we’ll move right into the neighborhood! Not loving me means not keeping my words. The message you are hearing isn’t mine. It’s the message of the Father who sent me.

“I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.

“You’ve heard me tell you, ‘I’m going away, and I’m coming back.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I’m on my way to the Father because the Father is the goal and purpose of my life.

“I’ve told you this ahead of time, before it happens, so that when it does happen, the confirmation will deepen your belief in me. I’ll not be talking with you much more like this because the chief of this godless world is about to attack. But don’t worry—he has nothing on me, no claim on me. But so the world might know how thoroughly I love the Father, I am carrying out my Father’s instructions right down to the last detail.

“Get up. Let’s go. It’s time to leave here.”

                                                                                       John 14:23-31 The Message Bible

Until next time,

And remember to:

Linking up with  Kate Motaung and the #fmfparty Community today.  Five Minute Fridays give us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click HERE to read what others have to say about "BORN"!

* - This marks my Five Minutes. Grace, please, as I finished my thought!

The FMF lowdown:

The gathering happens on Twitter on Thursday nights & then we write our hearts out & hit publish all over the interwebs on Thursday & Friday (& sometimes on Tuesdays!) It's where we encourage & uplift... where we share prayer requests & praise reports... where we talk about food & friends & we find support & kindred hearts. It's where we are reminded that life is good & God is good & we're not alone... & then we all write for five minutes flat, a flash mob of wordsmiths letting our hearts & our fingers do the talking tapping & we hit publish before we can second-guess it all away. We'd love to have you join us!

I'm also linking up with the lovely writer communities linked below:

Anita Ojeda for #InspireMeMonday

Mary Geisen for #TellHisStory

Kelly Balarie for #RaRaLinkUp

Sue Donaldson for #LetsHaveCoffee

We sat down at the mics and recapped Mother's Day and talked about what was different this year and what remained the same! Check out episode 031: All About Mom and stay tuned for a new episode, coming soon!  THE CHANGING OUR MINDS PODCAST is somewhat non-bloggy related and I co-host it with my all grown up Girlie, Kayelyn! We cover a lot of topics! Faith plays a part, sure... but it is more like joining us for coffee as we catch up on the couch or sitting at the table! We talk about whatever is on our minds and often reveal things that we used to think we knew... but we've changed our minds! We'd love to have you join us at the table or a comfy couch as we catch up over a cup of something yummy and share life together! We invite you to SUBSCRIBE here to have the Podcast sent to your preferred listening device so you won't miss a thing! Also, follow us on Facebook to join in on the conversations!