October 2010
Micah Bales: Encouraging Discipleship →
When we participate in Christian community, we are surrounding ourselves with “bumpers,” people who care for us enough to nudge us back on course when we are clumsily pitching ourselves into dark…
Steven Davison on the "lost history" of Friends... →
It is almost impossible to exaggerate how important Quakers were to the transition from mercantile capitalism to industrial capitalism and to the progress of the industrial revolution itself. It is…
Johan Maurer on FUM's history of anti-racism work →
I think it is sad that somehow all the (often misguided) efforts of Friends United Meeting to avoid and escape colonialism—sometimes by being too engaged, sometimes by not being engaged enough—are…
New blog: Through the Flaming Sword →
From Steven Davison of Philadelphia YM: “I’ve always had a passion for the study of Quakerism—its history, its ‘theology’, its approach to the life of the spirit, both personal and corporate, its…
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“Don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights....”
– Paul, Second letter to Timothy, 2:23
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“So maybe it’s true that talk is the reason having a sister makes you happier,...”
– Deborah Tannen, Sisters and Happiness - Understanding the Connection
Forrest Curo: Why talking about God is rude? →
“I used to think that “knowing” God was obviously better than “believing in” God… But confronted with people who have been socially conditioned to avoid God-talk, knowing they’re violating the…
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Thorny Quaker: Advent, in the Manner Of Friends →
Advent celebrates the birth of Truth in the form of a living being – Jesus. It is a joyous remembering of the greatest event in human history. But to leave the celebration there, is both to miss the…
Marshall Massey: Why we practice corporate... →
So why did early Friends actually engage in corporate discernment? They didn’t do it to build community. They already had community, without seeking it, amongst themselves. Their reasons for engaging…
“How do we keep our eyes on Jesus? How do we make sure that we are following him...”
– Micah Bales, Missional Quaker Faith: Following Jesus
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“So why did early Friends actually engage in corporate discernment? They already...”
– Marshall Massey, Why we practice corporate discernment
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Five Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate [song]
5yo Francis just starting singing us an unfamiliar song about Halloween. A quick Google search found the lyrics:
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate;
The first one said, “Oh my it’s getting late.”
The second one said, “There are witches in the air.”
The third one said, “But I don’t care.”
The fourth one said, “I’m ready for some...
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The War Log: WikiLeak's second archived published... →
The archive is the second cache obtained by the independent organization WikiLeaks and made available to several news organizations. The Iraq documents shed new light on such fraught subjects as civilian deaths, detainee abuse and the involvement of Iran
Colin Saxton: Jesus has risen, what difference... →
There are characteristics about Quakers that, if lived out with integrity, offer the world a somewhat unique expression of Christianity that speaks to a listening world. This may be most true in how…
Cherice: What do you like about your branch of... →
What are some of your favorite things about being part of that organization of Friends? What is most important theologically for your branch of Friends? What is most important to you about the manner…
“A long time ago, we joined a meeting that had relatively few younger people....”
– Johan Maurer, “Proclaiming or pandering?”
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“Long hair is not the appropriate choice of grown-ups. It says rebellion. Hillary...”
– Dominique Browing, Why Can’t Middle-Aged Women Have Long Hair?
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Ashley W Shares The (Sometimes Messy) Style Of... →
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…
Micah Bales: Missional Quaker Faith →
Introduction to a multi-part series: “As we examine what a missional Quaker faith might look like, we should always have this simple truth in mind: God loves us and wants to have restored…
David Johns: Trusting Friends? →
I mentioned the irony that STILL, we (i.e., white, US Quakers) were in leadership of the major Friends theological training institute in the country, Friends Theological College (FTC). I’m a…
“Unlike a business, the Church exists first and foremost for the love and proper...”
– Ever heard of a saint who grew holy by closing churches? (Part 3) by Julie for Save St Mary’s.
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“Some generous-hearted pundits have theorized that this was just woman-to-woman...”
– Why Ginni Thomas made that weird phone call to Anita Hill (Dahlia Lithwick, Slate Magazine)
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WatchJust watched the Chameleon piece from It’s a Jungle Out There with Theo, who was asking about camouflage. That’s one creepy tongue!
Danny Coleman: Hearing God →
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…
Timothy Travis: Being Free Here and Now →
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…
Cherice: Preparation and Forms of Worship →
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…
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“Certain numbers have magical properties. E, pi and the Fibonacci series come...”
– “The Magical Properties of Everyday Numbers” by Daniel Gilbert (NYTimes)
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Cherice: Living Out Calling in Radical Ways? →
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…
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“And that may be the Plain witness, to have our lamps lit. We cannot be hidden...”
– Magdalenaperks: Plain as Prophecy
Max Carter: Scripture written before homosexuality... →
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…
