Our Friday Wrap-up, Week Ending 10/22/10
God Talk:
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 22, 2010 at 8:00pm —
No Comments
Ashley W shares the (sometimes messy) style of Freedom Friends. As a member of Freedom Friends, I feel honored when it is mentioned by someone from outside the church, but I know that the reality is a lot messier than our image sometimes is. When I have led worship at Freedom Friends, it has usually been a last-minute thing. Someone else was not available, and I am there and able to lead, so I…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 19, 2010 at 11:30am —
No Comments
Danny Coleman: Hearing God. But what I find is that if my mind is filled with "stuff" -- TV, music, etc., then there is too much noise to hear the still small voice of God. It is when I get still and small myself that I'm apt to hear God speak. One of the reasons I became a Quaker was because they seem to have realized this and made it a central part of their worship.…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 19, 2010 at 11:16am —
No Comments
Timothy Travis: Being Free Here and Now. My states of mind create my behavior. Sinful states of mind cause evil behavior that causes problems for me and for those around me. Fear pushes me around as though I am a grocery cart. The work of Christ is to bring sin and evil down to earth, down to size, down home, down to me. Sin and its resulting evil are not huge and not far away. Both are small, quiet and…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 19, 2010 at 11:11am —
No Comments
Susanne K: Liberal White Guilt and the Quaker Peace Testimony. 'The original [peace testimony] texts actually don’t address the impact of physical violence on its victims. Instead, the writers say they are willing to accept physical suffering if that is the consequence of refusing to engage in violent actions that would make them morally guilty.'…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 19, 2010 at 9:40am —
No Comments
Cherice: Preparation and Forms of Worship. I think if programmed worship is done well, it is planned in the presence of God. This means we listen to God as we're planning and preparing various elements. It also means we hold everything loosely during the worship time: if something doesn't feel right at the time, we're open and responsive to letting God change the plans…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 18, 2010 at 8:05pm —
No Comments
Aj Schwanz: Wanting to commit to being with God. I have a piece of paper next to my bed with a quote from the previous week’s homework: 'God, I want to commit to starting every day by asking for you to remind me of your presence with me.'
Read Full Post
Related on QuakerQuaker:… Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 15, 2010 at 7:31pm —
No Comments
Cherice: Living Out Calling in Radical Ways? And if we listen to Christ, are we willing to break away from mainstream Christianity in the United States and live out that calling in more radical ways? Are we willing to be different, to not just be another Protestant denomination with a few quirks, like not taking communion? We definitely need to make space to listen to prophets rising…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 15, 2010 at 7:00pm —
2 Comments
Max Carter: Scripture written before homosexuality understood. In terms of homosexuality, I suspect that most scripture was written way before we had an understanding of the term - and the nature of human sexuality. Most clergy are products of their own culture and boxed sets of perceptions. Our personal experiences are limited. Our logic is often faulty and our reason…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 14, 2010 at 5:37pm —
4 Comments
LizOpp considers privilege and prophetic ministry. What happens when we "persist in deciding things in this way" to the detriment of the bringing about the kin(g)dom of God? What if we give so much weight to the role of the community and to testing the sense of the meeting that we fail to recognize prophetic ministry that has risen from among us?…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 12, 2010 at 5:38pm —
No Comments
Kevin Camp: Shall We Resemble Our Founder Or Our Creator? I am reminded of this when I contemplate just how many schisms and divisions Quakerism has undergone over the years. Being that we carry within us the memory of George Fox, we often believe that our unique branch, yearly meeting, organization, tradition, or manner of worship is the correct one, and that someone else’s is in vain. One…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 12, 2010 at 3:00pm —
No Comments
David Johns: When Do We Lay it Down? Occasionally we expect the committees (and let’s add here, organizations, meetings, churches, programs, etc.) we form to last, if not forever, for a very long time. How do we know when something has served its purpose? How do we know when it is time to move on? How do we know when it is time, as Quakers like to say, to “lay it down.”…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 11, 2010 at 2:50pm —
No Comments
Brad Tricola: Postmodernism & Friends' Opportunities. On the last day part of the dialogue was, how are we as Friends especially equipped and prepared to minister within a post-modern culture. Leading Christian thinkers like Leonard Sweet, (and Todd Hunter) believe that Quakers, as antiquated as they may seem, are uniquely…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 11, 2010 at 1:17pm —
No Comments
Robin M: Help Wanted 2010. Will all these institutions survive this once in a lifetime mass shift in leadership? How many will move in new and vibrant directions? Are there too many openings at one time? Are there enough younger Friends who are ready, willing and able to take on new responsibilities? To take on the hard work and hard choices? To commit? New wine needs new wineskins with every harvest. But…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 10, 2010 at 2:34am —
No Comments
Martin Kelley: "Tell them all this but do not expect them to listen". I’m more than three-quarters of the way through the Bible (I’m stretching my One Year Bible plan across two years) and that’s really all it is: story after story of human’s relations with God. Friends have picked up this methodology in a big way. Our primary religious education is the journals elders have…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 9, 2010 at 7:23pm —
2 Comments
Ashley W Shares her Visitor Report from NWYM. Thank you for the opportunity to visit NWYM on behalf of NPYM again. I enjoyed my time at NWYM annual session and I felt well used while I was there. I am glad that NPYM and NWYM have such a good relationship and I hope that the yearly meetings will continue to send visitors so that Friends in the Northwest can get to know each other better. Posted by…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 9, 2010 at 7:00pm —
No Comments
Eileen Flanagan: Living in 'Right Relationship' with Creation. Because Quakerism is a decentralized faith, Quakers don't have a common doctrine or creed, though the belief that there is "that of God in everyone" undergirds many Quaker traditions, such as opposition to war and concern for the least powerful. In recent years, a number of Quaker writers and organizations have argued…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 8, 2010 at 9:12am —
No Comments
"Plain Dress November" on Facebook. Keeping with Friends' testimony of simplicity I thought it would be a neat idea if we take the month of november to reflect on our personal ideas about simplicity and plain dress.
See Facebook Event Page
Related on QuakerQuaker:… Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 7, 2010 at 3:39pm —
1 Comment
Greg Woods: Meaningful Work and Long-Term Commitment to Change. As I am about to end two plus years of leading a service-learning program, I am reflecting on my time here and the lessons I have learned. A common phrase I hear a lot is “meaningful work”. Pastors, youth group leaders, and parents have all use this term when they call to inquire about my programs. Over time I have found out…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 7, 2010 at 3:30pm —
No Comments
Micah Bales: Are We Ready for New Wineskins? I believe that if we focus most or all of our energy on resuscitating stagnant or dying institutions, we risk failing to re-contextualize the Gospel to emerging generations. Just as in Jesus' day, there are many of us who have the form of righteousness - who follow all the procedural rules to be "church people" - but who are not radically submitted to Christ. The…
Continue
Added by QuakerQuaker on 10th mo. 6, 2010 at 7:30pm —
No Comments