April 2010
Philadelphia Convergent - Quaker Quaker →
Philadelphia area Friends interested in discussions, meet-ups and gatherings of Quaker Quakers. Eastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey, Delaware.
Passionate Ashley: Becoming Whole →
I don’t think it’s an accident that I am frequently called to ministry between the branches of Friends. As someone who grew up in an evangelical culture but now worships with liberal Friends, I feel…
Emergent Quaker Diane asks about Quakers and... →
Our beliefs about God or what God “should be,” can block our direct, unmediated experience of what God IS. Quakers are rightfully concerned about having that direct experience. However, I also…
Robin M on the fear of not being everywhere →
Part of me is afraid that something really important happened there and I WASN’T THERE. Like now they’ll all be friends and I’ll be on the outside, never quite part of the in-crowd. Really, I know…
Laura G: Interbranch communication and liberal... →
The primary benefit of interbranch gatherings… is that I learn about new (to me) ways to find, deepen, and practice relationship with God and other Friends. Learning is not, however, the only…
“We didn’t make it. I think I’ll go home tonight and sleep like a...”
– Brian P. Tierney, CEO of Philadelphia Newspapers L.L.C., after delivering news that locals lost the bidding war for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News. Via philly.com
Nancy Thomas on Quaker publishing →
There are differences between the branches of Quakerism, some hard issues that swim beneath the surface in any gathering. We need wisdom as we name and face these. But deeper than the tensions, I…
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Students Protest School Budget Cuts in New Jersey →
Finally, some real Facebook organizing:
Some 18,000 students accepted the invitation posted last month on Facebook, the social media site better known for publicizing parties and sporting events. And on Tuesday many of them — and many others — walked out of class in one of the largest grass-roots demonstrations to hit New Jersey in years.
The mass walkouts were inspired by Michelle Ryan Lauto, an...
Deep Thoughts Michael: If Quakers were a Religious... →
I have felt our tradition is undervalued by many Orthodox Friends. I keep thinking, if I plant a meeting — out of respect for the concept of “Religious Society”, our meeting would NOT meet between 9…
Anthony Manousos looks at ecological work among... →
On this the fortieth anniversary of Earth Day I’d like to lift up some Quakers who have played a key role in raising consciousness about environmental concerns among Friends.
“Imagine that hundreds of black protesters were to descend upon Washington DC and...”
– Ephphatha Poetry: “Imagine if the Tea Party Was Black” - Tim Wise via Seekinginthezeitgeist
Comrad Kevin: Progressivism and the Light →
One of the reasons I work so hard at what I do is in the hope that someday none of us might have to feel isolated, lonely, and ignored. The comfort, guidance, and wisdom upon which I am blessed due…
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On 40th Anniversary, Earth Day Is Big Business →
From the NYTimes:
So strong was the antibusiness sentiment for the first Earth Day in 1970 that organizers took no money from corporations and held teach-ins “to challenge corporate and government leaders.” Forty years later, the day has turned into a premier marketing platform for selling a variety of goods and services, like office products, Greek yogurt and eco-dentistry.
Spirit Rising: Young Quaker Voices →
New Quaker Youth book off press. “Spirit Rising: Young Quaker Voices” celebrates, critiques, questions, and reflects on the Quaker faith experience.
Bill Clendineng reviews Gulley's "If the Church... →
Gulley asks the right question. If the church is following Jesus it should be reflecting the priorities of Jesus. Gulley presents his vision of those priorities and gives many examples of people and…
Emerging Diane: Crossan, Jesus, Fox →
George Fox wasn’t born in China, Spain or the Ottoman Empire but England. History matters. So I wonder: what would Quakerism look like if we were more willing to embrace the possibility of miracle…
“I’m occasionally granted a sense of place in this way, a privilege to see...”
– Kevin Roberts, Quakerthink: A Sense of Place
Wess Daniels: Resurrection and Quaker Communion →
Quakers meet in silence to commune inwardly with the risen Lord. If Christ truly is risen, and he is here with us when we gather as his body, then we celebrate and remember his resurrection when we…
Anthony Manousos shares the first chapter of his... →
During their nearly fifty years of marriage, Howard and Anna Brinton exemplified what it meant to be a committed Quaker couple—teaching, writing, traveling and working for peace while raising a…
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Facebook Looks to Extend Its Presence →
Who will be the universal sign-in?
Now Facebook is intensifying its efforts to expand its empire beyond its Web site; the company wants to turn scores of sites across the Internet into satellites where users will be able to interact with their Facebook friends.
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WatchIn theory I should be head over heals in love with Broken Bells, the collaboration between The Shins’ James Mercer and Danger Mouse. In reality, the album hasn’t quite caught me, at least not yet. But it’s good stuff. Here’s The High Road, the first single off the album.
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Big Changes at Ning →
From Jason Rosenthal, the new Ning CEO:
We are going to change our strategy to devote 100% of our resources to building the winning product to capture this big opportunity. We will phase out our free service. Existing free networks will have the opportunity to either convert to paying for premium services, or transition off of Ning… As a consequence of this change, I have also made the very...
Watch Europe's air traffic shut down in real time... →
Via Techcrunch
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Max Carter: Jesus to Beck: Share the wealth →
I’m not sure what Bible Glenn Beck is reading, but it must be some modern-day “Jefferson Bible” version, one with all the bits he doesn’t agree with expurgated. One can’t read the Sermon on the Mount or any of the Hebrew prophets and come away with the idea that the Bible teaches “Whoever dies with the most toys wins!”
Wess Daniels: Forgiveness and Confession →
We live in a society that will refuses accept responsibility for itself, from “global weirding,” to the various wars we find ourselves in, to failed marriages, lost jobs, split churches, you name it,…
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Anglican, Plain on a rule of life →
A look at the rule of St Benedict:
A good routine, and good order, make room for prayer, meditation, scripture and holy conversation. Holy conversation, while needful, is not of first order. Silence is. We are to listen to God, not ourselves. A rule of life is creative. It creates time with God, and allows for the sponteneity of that joyous conversation, out of which good works will flow....
Faith Kelley: God in all spaces →
I was, once again, reminded of the very real temptation to view a certain space as being more sacred, more full of God’s presence, than other spaces. But of course, we’re all good Quakers here and…
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QuakerMaps.com launches! →
A cool DIY map of Friends meetings and churches across the U.S.
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Obedient Linda: Life takes over (as it should) →
If I cultivate a loving spirit that is in kinship with that of Jesus as he walked the earth, it does not mean that I will not make mistakes, that I will not lose my temper or say the wrong thing. But…
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“But I am not a mystic. I am too enamored of words for that, and of the human...”
– Why I Am Not a Mystic by Stephen Prothero in Killing the Buddha
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Wess Daniels: on early Friends Isaac and Mary... →
While Mary was offended, as I certainly would have been, Isaac was willing to engage in conversation. He was a seeker, he deeply longed to find truth and therefore he had a deep seated curiosity that drove him. So even when someone came along and said something to him that was offensive, ridiculous, even downright mean he was able to keep a posture that was both open and curious.
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WatchRunning along the surf
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Sad Bastard Music →
I’m building up a seeded playlist on Pandora. The title is inspired by an outburst by the Jack Black character in “High Fidelity.” Griping about a Belle & Sebastian song, he shot back “Put on some old sad bastard music, see if I care.”
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Su Penn writes a FGC First-Timer's Tips for... →
These moms kept saying to me, tiredly, “How do you do this?” and suggesting I write up tips telling moms how to make it look easy and fun, like I apparently do.
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Get Religion on the strange politics of the... →
A more complicated scandal that reverses some of the standard good guy/bad guy assumptions.
Clergy sexual abuse is taking place across the theological spectrum. Yes, there was a spike in abuse of children, but especially teen-aged boys, soon after Vatican II and that may have had something to do with the fact that many priests left to get married, contributing to the creation of what insiders...
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WatchWho shall find the elusive egg?
