QuakerQuaker

Primitive Christianity Revived, Again

Featured Blog Posts (58)

Standing Knee Deep in a River and Dying of Thirst

This morning, as an observer rather than a participant, I witnessed the annual Race for the Cure event here in DC. It is, for those who may be unaware, a charity run/walk that has served as an effective means of raising funds to combat breast cancer. It also memorializes those who have tragically perished from the disease and celebrates those who have survived. Before… Continue

Added by Kevin Camp on 6th mo. 5, 2010 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Coming Out as Religious, and Other Stories

I'd rather not entertain the intersection between politics and religion for a while, and instead tell you a bit more about the Quaker Young Adult gathering I recently attended. Primarily this is because it is supremely depressing to contemplate the oil spill. The beaches on Alabama's Gulf Coast that I visited every summer as a child and young teen might be forever… Continue

Added by Kevin Camp on 6th mo. 3, 2010 at 9:00am — No Comments

Departed Friends and Memorial Day

In my unprogrammed meeting we have one program and I'm on the program committee that plans it. It's called "Connections," and it falls between the two worship hours. Last Sunday, Pentecost for those who believe in liturgy, we planned for Connections a worship sharing on the topic of departed elders. By "departed" we meant anyone who no longer came to meeting, whether they had died or moved away or couldn't come because of illness or other reasons. By "elder" we meant anyone we had loved and… Continue

Added by Rosemary Gould on 5th mo. 28, 2010 at 11:05am — 1 Comment

Book Review: The Concurrence and Unanimity of the People Called Quakers . . .

The Concurrence and Unanimity of The People Called Quakers As Evidenced By Some of Their Sermons is a collection of transcriptions of the preaching done by fourteen weighty Friends between 1688 and 1694. Originally published in London in 1694, under the name Andrew Sowle by his daughter Tace, it is being re-printed in its entirety for the first time in this 2010 edition from Foundation Publications, though some individual sermons have been re-printed… Continue

Added by Isabel Penraeth on 6th mo. 1, 2010 at 12:03pm — 2 Comments

Fishing Strategies for the Future

Several of the disciples were there--Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples. "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. But when the day was now breaking,…

Continue

Added by Kevin Camp on 5th mo. 24, 2010 at 10:22am — No Comments

"That We Shall Be Made Able to Serve Him"

"This is the end of the testimony of the gospel of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus, that we may all come to partake of His life, and that by partaking of it, we may live upon it, and being made alive to Him, we shall then be made able to serve Him." (From a sermon preached by Robert Barclay at Grace Church Street, Sixteenth of Fifth Month 1688. Source: The Concurrence and Unanimity of the People Called Quakers as Evidenced by Some of Their Sermons, first published by Andrew Sowle,… Continue

Added by Isabel Penraeth on 5th mo. 19, 2010 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Myth of Midwestern Quakerism

I have uncovered some older writings that I will post on the blog "Seeker of Truth and Reality" occasionally as a "track record" of my own search.

This was written and read in 1969, at the age of 25, when I was Clerk of West Branch Quarterly Meeting in Indiana Yearly Meeting. IYM was reorganizing from Quarterly to Regional Meetings and this was the last Meeting of West Branch QM. Most of my current views are remarkably similar 40 years later. This… Continue

Added by Tom Smith on 5th mo. 15, 2010 at 6:16pm — 3 Comments

My Favorite Piece on Quaker Plain Dress, thank thee Caroline Stephen

by Caroline Stephen, from Quaker Strongholds, the Fourth Edition, printed 1907

"I believe that asceticism is in a very deep sense contrary to the real Quaker spirit, which desires in all things to abstain from any interference 'in the will of man' with Divine discipline and guidance, and which would, I believe, regard the idea of self-chosen exercises in mortification of the flesh with the same aversion as it entertains for pre-arranged forms of worship.…

Continue

Added by Isabel Penraeth on 5th mo. 9, 2010 at 6:30pm — 3 Comments

The Meeting Community as a Musical Instrument

This week I was given a significant complement by my mountain dulcimer instructor. Of all her students, she told me, I was the one who put the greatest consideration into bringing out the full potential of the instrument.

Now I can't take full credit for this. My instrument was built by a master luthier. Years of craftsmanship went into everything from the selection of the wood to the careful placement of the frets to the delicate inlay. From the beginning, I knew that I had an… Continue

Added by Stephanie Stuckwisch on 5th mo. 9, 2010 at 3:35pm — No Comments

Going Plain as a Young Adult Friend

Before I dive into the details of my new experience/experiment, I will start by stating the facts:

1. I was not raised in a Quaker household.

2. Unfortunately, due to my busy schedule and mobile lifestyle, I do not belong to a Meeting.

3. I wasn't fully immersed into a Quaker culture until last summer in the YALD program and...

4. Even while I was immersed in such a beautiful culture and considered myself a Friend, I feared that my experience of the Divine would be limited… Continue

Added by Jess Easter on 5th mo. 4, 2010 at 11:57pm — 4 Comments

In Support of Community Expectations, 2010 YAF Gathering: Wichita, Kansas

I would like to respond to the controversy over the Expectations for Community guidelines in place for the upcoming 2010 Young Adult Friends Gathering in Wichita, Kansas. Before I begin, let me say that had I not experienced negative and destructive behavior firsthand at similar gatherings, I would be somewhat reluctant to support one or two of these guidelines myself. However, speaking from experience, I believe these sorts of rules are necessary to maintain the stability and general health of… Continue

Added by Kevin Camp on 4th mo. 30, 2010 at 8:30am — No Comments

Providing a Way to Encourage the Best in Other People

So much of my life I spend cynically griping about the bad side of human nature. The work I do every day frequently centers around a ceaseless source of constant frustration. Seeking strategies to reform destructive behaviors is the basic skill set of many professions and basic activism. Influencing people so that they might understand the correct means of conducting their lives is a substantial challenge and a constant energy drain. I'm sure… Continue

Added by Kevin Camp on 5th mo. 1, 2010 at 10:00am — No Comments

Institutional Meetings??????????

I was doing some…

Continue

Added by Elzie Simons on 4th mo. 20, 2010 at 4:17pm — 2 Comments

Guidance

We almost lost a good friend the other day.

There was me, and another three people feeling this unease... "We haven't seen her around today; I wonder is she all right?"

We listened to 'reason' first of all! We stopped to think. We knew it had been cold out, not too surprising for someone feeling poorly to hole up in their place and keep to themselves awhile...

We listened to each other. "Probably she's gone to sleep by…

Continue

Added by Forrest Curo on 4th mo. 24, 2010 at 11:03pm — No Comments

Earth Day Video

People so far like the horse birth best on our Earth Day video, duck hatching second. What does thee think?

We hope it will be useful, thought homeschoolers might find it so especially.

http://quakerfarm.com/#earthday

In Peace;

Kimberly Anne

Added by K M on 4th mo. 26, 2010 at 12:58pm — No Comments

Notes on Belief

I am a religions junkie. Probably because I don’t have one of my own, I kinda find the same pieces floating everywhere, in different language, but the symbols are all the same…

My early background, until 14 really is Vedanta. And it shapes me, no doubt. But I also know a fair bit about Judaism and more about Christian Scriptures than even some clergy have been able to appropriate. I have gone into many churches, talked to many, many kinds of…

Continue

Added by Lindsay on 4th mo. 20, 2010 at 2:28pm — 4 Comments

Rewards in Heaven -- oops Literalism again

I got into a interesting discussion on the merits of fasting on my blog and a certain verse was the topic, see here in Matthew were Jesus confronts the idea of the pharisees fasting...

And again up came my issue with literalism .. cuz here’s the interesting thing — in that passage, even… Continue

Added by Lindsay on 4th mo. 20, 2010 at 2:30pm — No Comments

seek and Ye shall Find

In Matthew 7:7 Jesus tells us to ask and it shall be given to us, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. I want to address this verse and especially the word "seek". It has been my observation that most people don't seek the truth. They might ask someone they know what is the truth but they don't ask God. And when they do, they don't seek the truth. It is my position that like the Israelites in Exodus we are willing to send Moses… Continue

Added by James C Schultz on 4th mo. 19, 2010 at 5:11pm — 1 Comment

Who is Jon Watts and Why is he a Judge?

Who is Jon Watts and Why is He a BFF Judge?

Jon is a self described "Quaker spoken word poet, guitarist, produce, and performer." A traveling minstrel, when he performs, some consider… Continue

Added by Bridge Film Festival on 4th mo. 6, 2010 at 6:00pm — No Comments

The Empty Tomb

A wag once said that it's always darkest just before the lights go out. We may chuckle at this cynical modification of a common aphorism, but I'd suggest that in some ways it's truer to life than the original. I think we've all experienced--I know I have--that moment when belief falters, hope dies, and we cry out from our cross: my God, my God, why have you forgotten me? And sometimes--again, I speak from my own experience--the darkness seems not to yield. The lights don't come back… Continue

Added by Dave Trowbridge on 4th mo. 4, 2010 at 8:38pm — 1 Comment

Latest Featured Blog Posts

Featured Monthly Archives

2011

4th mo. (3)

2010

11th mo. (2)
10th mo. (2)
9th mo. (2)
8th mo. (2)
7th mo. (7)
6th mo. (8)
5th mo. (12)
4th mo. (14)
3rd mo. (10)
2nd mo. (2)
1st mo. (1)

2009

11th mo. (2)
9th mo. (4)
8th mo. (2)
6th mo. (1)
5th mo. (1)
2nd mo. (1)

Welcome to
QuakerQuaker

Sign Up
or Sign In

Or sign in with:

Support Us

Did you know that QuakerQuaker is 100% reader supported? Our costs run to about $50/month. If you think this kind of outreach and conversation is important, please support it with a monthly subscription or one-time gift.