My hubs and I dropped off your kids at Quaker Camp yesterday. And we kicked off our kid-free week with Quarterly Meeting.

During Meeting for Worship a Friend got up and spoke for a while about things on his heart. But the thing that got stuck in my head was the word "Radical" that he used a few times. Unrelated to what he was talking about, my mind began to wander and wonder with that word.

It is my opinion that this word like so many others have been usurped in their meaning by our ( humanity in general) over use of them. Much like (IMO)  Hero, Bully, Terror, Aggression, Violence and others, have we lost the power of "Radical"?

I say "yes". 

In a few days I am beginning a bible study on the Book of Ruth. Much like Ruth,and Sarah, and other men and women of those stories they all had to WAIT. Wait to hear Gods plan. Wait to see his revelation.THEN there was action. Are we in danger of working so hard to pursue this idea of radical that we are abandoning the Quaker idea of waiting on God to speak to us? Are we missing the next "radical" call in today's Quakerism by not doing enough waiting and listening? Are we doing enough waiting before we are acting? Perhaps we have allowed ourselves to become so absolutely positive that our own Will is speaking to us and not God that our new radicalism may be to sit down and listen for minute. 

Today I felt clear that God put it into my heart to keep this thought in mind as I begin studying the book of Ruth. I feel that there is purpose in the timing of today's Friend's message and my undertaking of this study.

To go along with this I would like to hear from other Friends on what they themselves understand the word "Radical" to mean. I would like to have these ideas in my heart in the coming weeks as well.