Previously seated in my kitchen, I was brought to my feet, feeling handcuffs snap tightly around my left wrist. It was clear where I was headed, but it wasn't to jail. A petition had been put out on me, and my…

The Infallible Mark

Studies from "The Christian Quaker ..." by William Rogers (1680).

Note: The spelling and sentence structure from the quoatations of Rogers behold has not been modernized.

"For though the Apostle saith, Gal. 5. 2. I Paul say unto you, if ye be Circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing, and Gal. 4. 9, 10, 11. But now after ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the Weak and…

I am collecting my reflections for a book that I will release for free this fall in hopes that people will donate to a fund that helps low income folks pay for shares in cooperative housing developments. 

www.morison.ca/thingswesay

While attributed to Alexander Graham Bell, Bob Marley and others, this phrase can be found in the Spanish Novella, The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes and of His Fortunes and Adversities,. The story was published anonymously, due to its heretical content Written originally in 1554, it was later translated into English. A young boy, Lazarillo, is given up by his…

This is an open question to readers here who have a broader knowledge of Quaker history than I do.  I am wondering if the early Quakers had any relationships with the Cambridge Platonists.  I have only recently become aware of them.  Some of their doctrines seem similar to some Quaker perspectives (though admittedly I have at this time read very little).  I have not come across any mention of interaction between Quakers and Cambridge Platonists.  But the timing is right; the Cambridge…

This adage is similar to “a little piece of churchyard fits everyone.” It speaks to our common fate of death and a reminder that each one of us is neither irreplaceable nor indispensable. This is true even though we often believe ourselves to be. I attended my 30th high school reunion and stood next to a classmate I had not spoken to since graduation. As we looked at…

The last half of this quotation is one of many additions that follow the first half. These few words hold some common themes in this book and much spiritual writing. It speaks of the call to be present in the moment. It speaks of the centrality of gratitude. And the phrase ties these two concepts together with only five words.

Psalm 118:24

This is the day…

Here's an excerpt from an essay titled "That They All May Be One," which can be found on my website Abiding Quaker . Please visit my site and read the essay. The excerpt follows:

The Quaker movement began with the discovery that God is with us, that we can hear and obey the will of our Creator, a will that…

A common image that eulogists share at funerals is that once we die we sit in a comfy chair and smile as we look down at our loved ones as they go about their lives. This notion is not biblical but is, instead, a certain extrapolation of the Greek idea that we have an enduring soul or spirit. I cringe at this thought! My mother was a wonderful person but had a…