Aimee McAdams on writing the epistle for the Wichita YAF Gathering (Friends Journal). I wrote in my journal:
“Lord we have finished the epistle. There are parts I like. There are parts I wish were cleaner. I do not know if everyone will feel in unity with it. I hope and pray that Friends will feel the truth and meaning and spirit behind the words. I pray that we are open to receiving…
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 21, 2010 at 12:59pm —
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Greg Woods: Transformative Experiences. This year, at the annual Friends General Conference Gathering I noticed a theme of personal transformation in the three evening plenaries. I started to reflect on the transformations I have experienced in my life, especially a transformation that led me to become a follower of Jesus in the last couple years. As I reflect on this experience, I…
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 20, 2010 at 4:54pm —
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Tony Lowe: What Ifs, and trusting the Spirit Instead of Ourselves. When I look at the history of the Society of Friends, I am always bothered by the great What If. What if Friends in 1827 had said ok, we have two somewhat different understandings of the basis of Quaker spirituality, so let’s find a way to continue to work together so that our witness to the Kingdom of God…
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 19, 2010 at 10:12pm —
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Colin Saxton: Christian Quakers. One of the compelling questions is, “What does it mean to be the Friends of Jesus in the 21st century?” Friends are often hesitant to talk about a communal spirituality. Historically, we’re nervous about too much emphasis on what we believe together and how we are to live together. When we’re concrete at all about our faith…
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 19, 2010 at 8:00pm —
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The past several days I've been musing on the chosen strategies employed by the privileged and the well-educated to solve societal problems. In particular, I've been contemplating the idea of poverty. As is typical for me, I've been seeking to find intersections and similarities between seemingly divergent topics, all in the hopes of eliminating confusion among everyone. Sometimes we disagree because we inadvertently work at cross-purposes…
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Added by Kevin Camp on 7th mo. 19, 2010 at 8:58am —
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Johan Maurer: Who Owns the Quaker Brand?. In Britain, many Friends describe themselves as non-Christian or post-Christian, and the yearly meeting as a whole requires no explicit Christian commitment for membership. "In fact, you don't actually have to believe in God to be a Quaker." On the other hand, most members of the worldwide Quaker family would not recognize themselves in a British description of…
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 18, 2010 at 9:08pm —
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Emerging Diane: More questions if all Religions are the Same. While I believe one can be a hyphenated universalist (and I am, in the traditional 17th century Quaker sense, a Christian-universalist), I think it is difficult to be a stand-alone Universalist, because, whether you mean to or not, that can easily slide into the false-for-a-human God position: "Yes, I am the parent and…
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 18, 2010 at 8:46pm —
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Joanna H: Looking into the Darkness. I’ve been thinking lately about the benefits and dangers of talking about what’s wrong, broken, evil, as well as what is good. Pamela Haines’ Friends Journal article on good and evil was one reminder that I needed to consider this. Another was a collaboration with a Friend whom I admire and who is inclined to focus on the positive, to divide things…
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 18, 2010 at 8:30pm —
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NYTimes: Pleas Evolve for Conscientious Objector StatusFor Ms. McNeil, a Quaker lawyer committed to helping anyone with valid legal grounds get out of the military, the call presented a legal and personal conundrum — and a possible unintended consequence of a repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 17, 2010 at 7:45pm —
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RantWoman & the RSOF: Go Ahead Ask Me For Money. 'RantWoman has a concern for helping others learn how to ask for money effectively.' A timely topic.
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 17, 2010 at 4:30pm —
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The stories we tell to one another reveal much about who we are, and what we believe. In my family, the children love to hear stories of how mom and dad met, or the ice storm that was occurring when mom went into labor with Micah. With Emma, we didn’t even own a car, and relied on neighbors to drive us 15 miles to the hospital. Such stories, which are similar to those narratives told by most families, not only keep our children or friends amused. Stories of our lives are integral pieces of…
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Added by scot miller on 7th mo. 17, 2010 at 2:40pm —
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Chris M: San Francisco starts a "Fund for Leadings". In May 2010, San Francisco Friends Meeting created a Fund for Leadings (Minute 2010-05-09). The purpose of this fund is to encourage Friends who feel “a sense of being called by God to undertake a specific course of action” to pursue their leadings. I share them here because I think this is an exciting effort that Quaker meetings and…
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 15, 2010 at 4:41pm —
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Emerging Quaker: Quakers and Universalism. I'm glad more and more people are challenging the truism that "all religions are the same." As both a Quaker and a religion reporter I chose to bite my tongue more than once when an older white male leaned over to me and said, as if revealing the secret of the ages: "Buddha and Jesus believed the same things" or "all religions are the same." After…
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 15, 2010 at 4:30pm —
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Addressing The Poisonous Root Of Bitterness. Jesus is not the enemy and never will be. If he were alive now, I firmly believe, he would not be a member of any existing movement, faith group, or organization. Based on how I read his ministry, he would be much more inclined to be out on the ground among those who needed his guidance and assistance most. Jesus would not seek to shore up his…
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 15, 2010 at 12:00pm —
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Pamela Haines: Good, Evil, and Rest for the Weary (Friends Journal). There is some intimate connection between evil-doing, oppression, and grief. What if hardness of heart is an indication of the need for tears of grief to soften that hard shell? Does the end of oppression require the grief of those who oppress? Then this man would need to grieve the evil he has done. But perhaps the process could be started…
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 15, 2010 at 11:44am —
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I have written openly about my Christ-centered faith on numerous occasions. I rediscovered it relatively recently after rejecting it out of hand earlier in life. The best way to describe the experience is that, for whatever reason or another, it found me, rather than the other way around. A belief in a higher power keeps me mentally supple and not fixated on the…
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Added by Kevin Camp on 7th mo. 15, 2010 at 10:36am —
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John: poem 'The End'. And God will wipe away all tears from our eyes, Will surely wipe away all tears from our eyes. Inclined no way but One, we lose all dread; Unthreatened, we disarm all spears from our eyes.
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 15, 2010 at 9:44am —
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Micah Bales - Setting off on the Quaker Youth Pilgrimage. The great challenge that I see before me, and for which I beg your prayers, is this: I am called to be like good potter's clay. I am to be yielded, receptive to whatever shape the Potter chooses to give me; yet I am also to be firm enough that I hold my given form, even against great external pressure. I pray that I…
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 15, 2010 at 9:27am —
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Nanna Kapp: What Is The Function Of The Scriptures To Your Faith?I have found it very interesting to read the various different takes on what part the scriptures play in the lives of Quakers. How do you see their importance. Are the scriptures an account of God's relationship with man and His people? Are they meant as a guideline? An anchor? Do you follow them loosely or literally? Are they to be…
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 14, 2010 at 8:06pm —
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A Passionate and Determined Ashley wrestles and fights with God. I think I sometimes unintentionally give the impression that this faith stuff is easy for me. It's not. It is very, very hard. But I committed to try to make God the center of my life, and I shouldn't be surprised when God moves in and disrupts all of the ideas I have about how my life should go.…
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Added by QuakerQuaker on 7th mo. 14, 2010 at 6:03pm —
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