Thank you Rene, Forest and James and Jim for contributing to this line of thought. It made me think about the importance of the mindset when looking at the Bible. Rene, I reread your chapter on Quakers and Scripture in your book. What a witness of the power of the allegorical or metaphoric way Quakers taught the truth of Scripture.

Your chapter set off a distant bell in my mind about Scripture being taught by allegory so I looked at the history of the church mostly using internet…

Below is an excerpt of a message delivered by ESR student Leigh Eason at West Elkton Friends on  November 11, 2012:

Change is so very uncomfortable, that many times we just stay with what we have, even when we know it isn't working for us.  Take the state of Quakerism, for instance. Today in the United States of America the number…

Ezekiel 43 – At the eastern gate of the city, Ezekiel is given a vision of the “glory of the God of Israel approaching from the east” (43:2). It comes in towards the prophet sounding like the ocean and shining like the sun. It is exactly like the vision he had had at the time of Jerusalem’s destruction. The glory of God fills the Temple and a “man” stands beside him. He hears a voice assuring him that this presence will abide among the “sons of Israel forever” (43:7).…

Ezekiel 41 – Ezekiel describes the “Hekal” [Hall] and Debir [Sanctuary] of the new Temple  – its dimensions and place in the vision he has of Jerusalem. He mentions some side structures, the wooden altar and doors.  There are few places in the Scriptures where the writer describes what he is talking about in such excruciating detail: Noah’s ark, the building of the first Temple and now here. I love Ezekiel for his poetry and his amazing vision of what will change in his people’s…

Today, during Meeting for Worship, we discussed the idea of Simplicity. All who shared ministry appeared to have very different, very personal definitions of a seemingly straightforward (even simple) concept.



What may motivate us in our efforts to de-clutter our lives is the concept of Asceticism, or self-denial. This may be well and good, in theory. Yet, what we seek to remove from our own lives is rarely…

I walked to the Alamo to learn some Texan history and because I find Spanish missions some of the most magical places.…

I walked to the Alamo to learn some Texan history and because I find Spanish missions some of the most magical places.…

[I was invited to talk about Quakers for my wife's adult Sunday school class at St Mark's Episcopal Church nearby, which I normally attend on my way to Meeting. What I told them is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge, but is not a description agreed to by any official Quaker body.



This post was short enough to read in the first week's session, together with short portions of George Fox's Journal and Pacific Yearly Meeting's Faith and Practice. The next post…

Ezekiel 40 – The note in my Jerusalem Bible says that this final section of Ezekiel “is a blueprint for the religious and political rehabilitation of the Israelite nation in Palestine . . . He “assumes the role of organizer intent on realizing . . . long-desired reforms . . . a founding charter for what was shortly to emerge as Judaism, and to provide a basis for all future efforts and aspiration from Ezra to the heavenly Jerusalem of the apocalypse of St John”…

Quakers, as you will know, are not great ones for celebrations. The idea is that every day is a sacred gift of God and that setting days aside as ‘special’ really has no meaning. Having said this, most ‘modern Quakers’ will take breaks at Easter and Christmas as  secular holidays, because the rest of the world does so, and, after all, it’s a break. I myself as a Quaker was once very dismissive of all festivals until I came upon the strange Etruscan myth of Tages, by chance. The…

Ezekiel 39 – The prophet is again told to prophesy against Gog this time, the prince of kingdoms that have attacked the mountains of Israel – as an agent of God’s wrath against His people.

Now it is they who will be brought low. “I am going to see that my holy name is known among my people Israel, and I will no longer allow my holy name to be profaned; the nations shall learn that I am Yahweh, holy in Israel (39:7).

They shall be slain,…

Ezekiel 38 – The footnote introducing this chapter says that this is the earliest apocalyptic, eschatological, vision in scripture. Other examples are Isaiah 24-27, Daniel 7-12, Zechariah 9-14. This type of literature bloomed in the 2^nd c. BC (Book of Enoch, etc.). The countries of Meshech and Tubal were on the Black Sea; Magog is not known. Gog is a “type” of victorious barbarian who will inflict the final ordeals on Israel.

In an…

Biblical basis of Quaker belief. 

It is obvious from early Quaker writings that they based their beliefs on the Bible.  Because anyone who has read Quaker writings would come to this conclusion, I would like to move beyond this question and address the issue of teaching Scripture to those who wish to understand and possess the power and energy that existed among early Quaker men and women.  



Since there is no doubt but that all the early Quakers including  Fox, Barclay, Penn,…

Ezekiel 37 – The Dry Bones – The hand of the Lord carries Ezekiel to the middle of a valley full of bones. He makes him walk up and down among them.

“He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ I said, ‘You know, Lord Yahweh’. He said, ‘Prophesy over these bones. Say, “Dry bones, hear the word of Yahweh. The Lord Yahweh says this to these bones: I am now going to make the breath enter you, and you will live. I shall put sinews on you. I shall make flesh…

We explored the twin emotions or states of being of sorrow and joy this week, using Psalm 126, as we continued our series on the Psalms of Ascent. Sarah Klatt Dickerson spoke on Seasons of Joy.

Ezekiel 34  – Ezekiel prophesies against the shepherds [leaders spiritual and temporal] of Israel’s people who “feed themselves” instead of feeding their flocks. They have failed to make the weak stronger; they have not cared for the sick or wounded sheep. So they have scattered and have become prey for wild animals. The shepherds will be called to account, but also the Lord will not rely on them any more. He says, “I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in…

Below is an excerpt of a reflection by ESR student Josh Seligman on a message delivered in worship on November 8, 2012:

In today's programmed worship service at ESR, Michael Sherman preached from Hebrews 10 about sacrifice.  Michael argued that Jesus' death on the cross was the final sacrifice and that God no longer desires Christians to…

The honeymoon must be over at Artsy Fartsy, the monthly arts-exploration I hold for at-risk kids in my neighborhood. I'm not saying I'm not deeply engaged with these kids; I still am – maybe more so now than ever. I'm just saying some are comfortable enough to not be on their…

His eyes moved from the cracked sidewalk block beneath his feet to the cracked window of the upper flat. There was a sleepy eyelid of space between the window frame and the dingy bedspread that covered the rest of it. A flickering blue light emanated from a television and radiated through the eyelid in contrast to the depressing gray of the Detroit neighborhood. That light - the blue light, - promised that someone would be home.

He walked quickly so as not to betray his anxiety or his…

Ezekiel 33 - God tells Ezekiel to speak to the nation and tell them that he is meant to be the sentry God has appointed to protect the people of Israel. A sentry is there to warn of coming disasters. If the sentry blows his horn and people ignore him, then they are responsible for their own fate. But if the sentry does not warn them, he is responsible for and will be held responsible for the people’s deaths. In a similar way, if the sentry God has sent – the prophet – warns the…