Greetings, Friends!

Chapter 4 of Minding the Light: Our Collective Journal is now available online and in PDF format.

For this chapter, we invited Friends to respond to the query, "When have you encountered God’s Presence through a stranger?"  We received seventeen personal stories, a photo essay, and three original still photos.  Many of the strangers who appear in these stories are poor. Some are children. Some are ordinary people who act in unexpected ways, while others are conceivably angels. In each of the stories, the stranger reflected God’s Presence in a way that was unforgettable to the writer.

We continue to be amazed at the fruits of telling our stories to each other. Back in April of this year (when the publishing committee met for the first time), we were drawn to the vision of providing a forum for people to share their experiences of God, but we wondered whether people would respond to the queries. Seven months later, we’ve published 59 stories by 35 different authors, and most of the stories have needed little editing. We hear over and over again from people in our community that they have been touched, inspired and challenged by these stories. The words people use to express their appreciation for Minding the Light affirm our vision that sharing stories of encounters with the Light is a priceless gift to the community.

Perhaps best of all, these stories are helping us see deeper into each other’s hearts.

Minding the Light is a bimonthly publication of West Hills Friends, a Quaker meeting in Portland, Oregon. Using "worship sharing" guidelines, we invite members and attenders to reflect on a specific query for each chapter. Earlier queries have been, When did you first recognize the Light?, When has your longing for God's Presence been unfulfilled, and When have you experienced God’s presence in nature?

We invite you to read these stories for yourself. We would love to hear your response. There is a link to the website below, along with a links to Chapter 4 of Minding the Light in PDF format.

Blessings!

Sally Gillette, West Hills Friends

Chapter 4

Minding the Light website