June 2010
Robert Griswold: Reflections on the Inner Light at... →
Experience of the Inward Light teaches us that we are not stuck solely in a relationship with self. There is that to be found within which is awesomely real and commanding. And this is not a…
British Friends defend large BP investment →
Britain Yearly Meet, the organisation of Quakers across England, Scotland and Wales, has a higher proportion of its investments in the oil giant than in any other business. BYM say it has engaged…
Kevin Camp: On Spiritual Gatherings →
I’ve been reflecting recently on the nature of conferences, gatherings, retreats, or camps. For me, at least, attending such functions almost always proves fruitful in all sorts of ways. Making deep,…
Scott Wagoner: The meaning & purpose of our... →
I recognize that at some point early Friends established structure and organization. My sense, though, is that their vision was that the structure would serve the vision and mission and not that the…
Wess Daniels: The Testimony of Enough →
I actually tend to use “plainness” far more often [than “simplicity”] for two reasons. First, it is more historical accurate as the word early Friends used when they discussed these issues (that and…
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WatchWait a minute, we’re FISH!
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WatchI love Red, White and Blue: A Francis sing-along
Quaker Jane updates: Practical Advice for those... →
“I’ve made some major updates to the ‘Practical Advice for those Seeking Quakers,’ ‘Spiritual Practices for Isolated Friends,’ and ‘Suggested Reading for Isolated Friends’ pages to emphasize freely…
Micah's Ministry Newsletter #20 - YAF Gathering... →
It is safe to say that each one of us was uncomfortable some of the time, and I know for a fact that some Friends came away from the event feeling that it was a “mostly Liberal” gathering, while…
Changing Perspectives: A Growing Concern →
When I went to question her specifically on some holdings.. such as Dow Chemical and Walmarts and Coca Cola…with snippets from our Earth Testimony… she countered that Quakers did not have an…
Mark Wutka shares his spiritual journey →
Mark shares his travels from pentecostalism to Friends, with Belief-o-Matic to a tauferbard. In four parts.
Epistle from Pacific NW Women's Theology... →
Though we represent different backgrounds and branches of Quakerism, the lines between these seemed very thin and blurred. No one avoided talking about her home meeting or church, but our membership…
Lydia Caros: The Written Test →
Queries have been used since the time of the early Quakers as a way of keeping track of personal and community progress. The Queries ask us to examine our lives, our spiritual activities, our…
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"I'm Comic Sans, A******," an imagined monologue... →
When people need to kick back, have fun, and party, I will be there, unlike your pathetic fonts. While Gotham is at the science fair, I’m banging the prom queen behind the woodshop. While Avenir is practicing the clarinet, I’m shredding “Reign In Blood” on my double-necked Stratocaster. While Univers is refilling his allergy prescriptions, I’m racing my tricked-out,...
Timothy Travis asks: Of What Value Is Theology? →
If you share the traditional Quaker experiential knowledge of direct and transforming guidance from Christ/Light/Spirit, what good is theology? (the study of God and God’s relation to the world. What…
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Linda Wilk with Some Questions on Communities &... →
Some know that I am doing research on Quakers and community and reading journals of early Friends and the communities they established as they pushed out into the wilderness that was early America… So, keeping that in mind, please consider responding to a few simple queries: What was the meaning of forming the “Religious Society” of Friends? What is the meaning of belonging to a...
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Wess Daniels: the Testimony on Truthfulness →
Irregardless of what we call it, listening to, learning, and living the truth are the central activities to the Quaker tradition of truth. These practices of the truth what we see in God’s own acts: when God speaks, God speaks truth, when God acts (as we see in the life of Jesus), God acts truthfully, and when we build communities based on the Holy Spirit these communities become learning...
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Joyce Ketterer: An Argument for Comprehensive... →
When, at age 19, as an already avowed Quaker, I finally learned that much of that information was outright false I felt deeply betrayed… Despite intensive Quaker experience at the monthly and yearly meeting levels as well as through Friends General Conference, I was failed by the Quaker adults in charge of my religious education. The word “failed” here seems strong so I want to qualify it....
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"James Naylor": Walking the line between charity... →
So now what do I do if he comes to Meeting? And what do I do if I am in a situation where it is just he and I in Meeting? Do I assume that God has my back? How does one tread that line of Christian love and charity, finding that of God in others, and staying safe?
Wess Daniels: Lady Wisdom as Mid-Wife →
During one of our periods of open worship God reminded me of the role of a mid-wife. We all know what a mid-wife does and that maybe this is the language, and the image, that we in the church need to…
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NWYM's Colin Saxton on vision statements →
A useful vision statement is sort of like a star to steer by. In the absence of a clearly illuminated path or an easy-to-read road map, a brightly lit star can keep us heading in the right direction. In ministry, when so many options are available to us and so many needs crying for attention, we need some sort of direction to help us stay focused on the work God called us to do. When we live in...
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“If called, I will certainly serve. But if not called, I will probably serve...”
– Carl Malamud, Washington’s I.T. Guy. From the article: “His art is in figuring out how to free documents that aren’t restricted by secrecy but by the fact that the government has failed to put them online.” Via @timoreilly.
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Su Penn: Still Thinking About My Quaker Meeting &... →
I want to be a person of God. I want my faith community to aid me in becoming a person of God. I want, in my faith community, to be able to use the word “God” without someone immediately following up with a comment about how uncomfortable they are with that word. I do not like listing our testimonies as a way of defining ourselves. I don’t like the SPICE acronym. And I...
Mark W: Thought on Dymond's Thoughts on Gospel... →
There is often a reticence among liberal Friends to be more involved in each other’s lives. I can understand the fear of living under a microscope, but when that fear is taken to an extreme, instead…
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Angie Domenico obituary →
The obituary for our awesome neighbor Angie. A real saint, she’ll be missed. I can still hear her say “ah, but what are you gonna do?” response to all of life’s troubles.
DOMENICO, ANGELINA “ANGIE” (NEE MAZZA) 84 - of Hammonton, passed away Friday peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family. Born in Hammonton she was a lifelong resident there. Mrs....
Ashley W concludes "Valiant Sixteen" series with... →
E.g.: What gifts do you recognize in the young people in your faith community? How do you name those gifts? How can the community as a whole receive these gifts?
Administration Hardens Stance Against Leaks to... →
In 17 months in office, President Obama has already outdone every previous president in pursuing leak prosecutions. His administration has taken actions that might have provoked sharp political criticism for his predecessor, George W. Bush, who was often in public fights with the press.
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DiMeo Blueberry Farms - Premium Blueberry Plants... →
The DiMeo farming family owns and operates several of the largest blueberry farms in the world, in the “blueberry capital of the world” Hammonton, New Jersey.
Check out the new site I helped them launch at Dimeoblueberryfarms.com. I also profiled them over on MartinKelley.com.
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Photos from the YAF 2010 Gathering from @cabaretic →
From the recent gathering in Wichita KS
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WatchABC News talks with the man behind @BPGlobalPR
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Deep Thoughts Michael with a person epistle to the... →
At this conference, I was reminded that dead trees and living flesh share ideas quite differently. One advantage of this conference was the ability to dialog with people with different viewpoints and…
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Epistle from the Young Adult Friends Gathering →
The seeds that were planted this weekend must be tended and nurtured, or they will not grow. We look forward to the joy of continued labor, and to the fruit that our branches will bear. Before these…
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Timothy Travis: The Light and the Enlightenment →
It causes me a dissonance in that I have always thought that we were led by the Spirit, not by our own notions and reasoning. But what, if not notions, abstract reasonings about things we can never…
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Tony Lowe: Unapologetically Christian vs... →
If there is hope for a future for Friends marked by anything other than the same divisions and resentments we have nurtured in the past, we have to find a non-confrontational way of being with one…