Ministry and Pastoral Care

Quakerthink Kevin on preaching our lives in a large voice

When we do this, we ignore the advice of George Fox. We do not let our lives preach. Because no one knows why we do these things, we do not become the patterns, the examples that we were charged to be by the first generation of Friends. (Posted by martin_kelley on 2008-07-02T17:41:03Z.)

Emerging Quaker ponders Imperfection

[T]his story has played over and over in my mind. "parable of the cakes." (Posted by chrismsf on 2008-06-26T19:15:54Z.)

Anna on the contemplative path

Description and queries from an interest group at the Young Adult Friends conference in Richmond, Ind., 2008 (Posted by chrismsf on 2008-06-20T04:01:38Z.)

Shawna at "Mystics, Poets, and Fools" offers a reflection about grief, joy, God, and life

'Surely God, who can turn the failure of an old tree into joyous life, can turn our own failures to good beyond our imagining.' (Posted by lizopp on 2008-06-20T02:52:59Z.)

LizOpp on the different kinds of pride

That said, there i. quiet pride that lends itself to being low, and then there is another sort of pride that lends itself to being high, to pushing God out of our lives because we mistakenly take up the belief that there is no more room. (Posted by martin_kelley on 2008-05-06T00:37:30Z.)

Wess on breaking the cycle of listening to God just so He listens back

We keep things safe by keeping up the appearance of listening when in fact we're really just investing in currency. This may be why Quakers silence is stil. very radical practice, there is always the chance that the cycle will be broken (Posted by martin_kelley on 2008-04-08T03:18:52Z.)

Stephen Matchett's listen epistle (posted on cubbie's blog)

'Listen: If you have given up, or come up dry before, or mad. judgment tha. have departed from here, come back.... Opening to my message together may be the hardest thing you've ever done.' (Posted by lizopp on 2008-04-04T00:13:43Z.)

You, Too, Can Rein In Military Recruiters in the High Schools (from Friends Journal)

Practical tips on starting and runnin. counter-recruitment program, with stories from the authors on how they did it (and continue to do it) in Lee County, Florida. (Posted by friends.journal on 2008-04-03T09:36:48Z.)

Tania has a dream for Quakerism

'I hav. dream that one day Quakerism can live up to its testimonies: all of them, not just the Peace testimony... hav. dream that Quakers will take seriously the inward work required of our religion...' (Posted by lizopp on 2008-04-03T03:44:37Z.)

Will T explores Ministry, humility and community

The problem is that by no longer naming ministers and elders, we have removed the structures that would have provide. check o. guide to those who, for whatever reason, are not being sensitive to their inward guide. (Posted by robinmohr on 2008-03-27T16:32:55Z.)

Cherice on ordination and recording

(Posted by robinmohr on 2008-03-20T16:28:05Z.)

Cherice on individual prophecy and group action

I don't often feel lik. prophet. tal. lot but what a. actually doing that's abnormal to American mediocrity and pompous comfortability. wish Friends would get together and decide on one issue that we're really going to tackle together. (Posted by martin_kelley on 2008-03-15T05:28:23Z.)

Liz Opp on The Birth of an Epistle

Suddenly. understood epistles to b. way to lift up matters of the Spirit that reflected, articulated, or otherwise identifie. Truth newly revealed t. group of Friends that also needed to be shared with others. (Posted by chrismsf on 2008-03-15T01:39:19Z.)

Gregg's Been blogging in my head and leading on the ground

We are not people who want to go through the motions, who want just the forms of religion. We want God to guide us to living with justice, joyfully worshipping our Savior, free to live and love and celebrate. READ THE LINKS (Posted by robinmohr on 2008-03-14T17:05:06Z.)

Susanne K on prayer and lifelessness in worship

George Fox seems to me to be saying not tha. mainline church service is necessarily wrong but that repetitive or required acts of worship hav. tendency to dull our spiritual awareness. Silent worship, too, can becom. spiritually dead structure. (Posted by martin_kelley on 2008-03-13T21:00:50Z.)

Will T examines Preparation for the Ministry

"It is the same personal teaching and guidance as we learn to follow God's ways and forsake the ways of the world. ... This includes the pain and desolation that comes as we are transformed but it also includes the joy and peace the comes as well." (Posted by robinmohr on 2008-03-12T16:51:16Z.)

Will T: the awkward role of ministers among liberal Friends

Today, people wit. ministry often find themselves in an awkward position. Our Quaker culture says to wait until you are recognized. But then we don't recognize anyone. [The] people who do come forth are people who are willing to put themselves forward. (Posted by martin_kelley on 2008-03-07T05:09:44Z.)

Gregg on joining the Spirit in the trenches

I have so many things that need to be plucked, so many chains of attachment: desires for things, for significance, for others' approval. want God to pluck out and break the bonds of these things that show how the world has shaped me more than God. (Posted by martin_kelley on 2008-03-07T01:41:58Z.)

LizOpp on how Friends are and are not individualistic

The trick is that our meetings, a. whole, must be willing to engage in the labor of understanding just how far to tilt the scales, whether it be toward the individual and each of our preferences, beliefs, and practices. (Posted by martin_kelley on 2008-03-07T01:40:29Z.)

Will T: True ministry is like that of the apostles and primitive church.

'If we want God to rais. prophetic ministry among us and God raises prophets from the downtrodden, what is it that has to happen to us before suc. ministry can arise? Who are the marginalized already among us who may be trying to speak to us?' (Posted by lizopp on 2008-03-03T23:39:26Z.)

Raised Anna on The Strength to Go Into the Wilderness

I believe that when we act with love and faith in God and in each other we can never make things worse, only better. If some things break, or change, we must have faith that this is what God has meant to happen and all things will be made right and whole (Posted by chrismsf on 2008-02-27T21:08:54Z.)

LizOpp on sharing leadings with our own meeting community

The panel ha. chance to share with the wider meeting community the tenderness, vulnerability, intimacy, and challenge of working with an ongoing care-and-accountability committee. (Posted by martin_kelley on 2008-02-26T01:48:32Z.)

Robin M on unprogrammed Friends being willing to follow God into dramatic exhortation

The. very elderly woman. lifelong Quaker (a very weighty Friend, we would say), stood up in the silence and said, "I wish our Friend would run up and down shouting Hallelujah if God is asking him to." (Posted by martin_kelley on 2008-02-26T01:40:08Z.)

Paul on confusing God by making an idol of Quakerism

Almost immediately. regreted putting it the wa. did, and the reason why came u. few minutes later when another Friend. noted Quaker historian and writer, admitted to sometimes making an idol out his Quakerism instead of worshiping the Living God. (Posted by martin_kelley on 2008-02-19T00:15:13Z.)

Johan M on Quaker scale in a chruch where there are three services each Sunday

I was curious about how it would feel inside to speak three times from essentially the same burst of inspiration. Would it feel artificial the third time--would the inspiration "wear out"?. Woul. get confused? (Posted by martin_kelley on 2008-02-16T14:43:12Z.)

Further Reflections on Gospel Ministry - The Lamb's War

I. can commit myself to seeking the Spirit of unconditional love, i. can dedicate my life to living the incarnation, i. can accept the very real possibility of bearing the sufferings of Christ in my own bod. that, by the grace of God, will spea. (Posted by micahbales on 2008-02-05T22:54:34Z.)

Raised in the Light Anna on God Constantly Waiting

A Friend rose and spoke of the things in our life we use as excuses for not following through with what God is leading us to do. (Posted by chrismsf on 2008-02-03T06:38:54Z.)

Liz Opp's 2007 state of her ministry

to encourage one another to examine our faith tradition and share our understandings of the foundations of our practice; to encourage us to restore the Light of God to the center of our discernment; to remember that Love binds us to one another... (Posted by robinmohr on 2008-01-28T19:50:21Z.)

Cherice is joining a christian peacemaker delegation

for two weeks this May and June I'm going to begin trying to help resolve conflicts using nonviolence i. place where there has been an ongoing war for decades, and off and on for much longer. (Posted by robinmohr on 2008-01-28T05:21:08Z.)

Gregg K on the non-use of communion among Friends

Onl. few have anything to say in response to [question about use of communiion]. That troubles me; it tells me that we are not articulating well, we are not calling people toward, we are not setting before them the beautiful example of lives lit aflame. (Posted by martin_kelley on 2008-01-25T18:02:30Z.)

Thin Place Dan on forgiveness as salvation and spiritual peace

The doctrine of forgiveness shows up i. lot of different places. It is explicit in the Lord's Prayer, but it is also inherent in the commandments that we love our neighbors as ourselves, that we love our enemies, and that we not judge others. (Posted by martin_kelley on 2008-01-12T17:56:08Z.)

Gregg says yes, we are really going to talk about...

"We're going to tackle some of the controversial and difficult topics that don't get talked about much, because we disagree with each other in so many ways." Like hell, and environmentalism and communion. (Posted by robinmohr on 2008-01-08T23:01:49Z.)

Kirk W on Quaker and other meanings for worship

I?ve found some food for thought in the word ?worship.? It never occurred to me, until now, that the Quaker phrase ?meeting for worship? might mean something different to other people. (Posted by martin_kelley on 2007-12-17T18:16:16Z.)

Thorsmark Mark on the art of tending to worship at Friends schools

Balance is best, but sometimes risks must be taken. There are times when someone (the head of school. teacher. child) needs to nudge the group away from darkness and self-absorption and back towards the light.. You will know it when you see (hear) it. (Posted by martin_kelley on 2007-11-09T18:33:09Z.)

Brent B on sleeping in meeting and resting in Jesus

Penn probably had Jesus? statement in min. ?Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, an. will give you rest.? Who among u. mother, father, co-worker, bos. is not weary and burdened? Whose soul doesn?t need nourishment and refr (Posted by martin_kelley on 2007-11-09T17:08:57Z.)