By Joann Neuroth My body has had a wild ride this fall and winter: I fell and fractured my femur in Nov … in Dec the incision became infected, putting off physical rehab and lengthening the time I needed to spend without weight on the leg. In my rehab facility I contracted RSV. In many […]
God Starts with What Is Read More »
By Mary Linda McKinney A word on language before I jump in: I am setting aside my distaste for the “king” part of the phrase Kingdom of God. I prefer “Kindom of God” or God’s world or any number of other ways of expressing living into the perfection of God’s creation. If you are challenged
Living Into the Kindom Read More »
by Elizabeth Terney Sometimes, I take a second glance at my life out of surprise. How did an unprogrammed Quaker deliver two Advent sermons this year, not just as a guest preacher but as a pastor? It’s a long story, but I’ll shorten it for you: I followed God’s guidance. In 2019, I received an
Delivering Advent Sermons: How Did I Get Here? Read More »
by Mary Linda McKinney I’d never been one for New Year’s resolutions until a few years ago when I lit on the idea of committing to more. The first year, I decided that I needed more tacos in my life so set the intention to eat tacos at least once per month. With the support
By Mary Linda McKinney: I think a lot about the faithfulness of the earliest generation or two of Friends. They were arrested and imprisoned for their beliefs on the regular. Their homes, farms, and businesses were taken by the authorities to pay their fines because they didn’t doff their hats or they preached in public
by Mary Linda McKinney: School of the Spirit held the online one-day retreat Listening to the Sacred recently. Our four programs were represented during sessions by a teacher from each. Scott Wagoner, as the clerk of our Contemplative Retreats committee, encouraged us to consider contemplative spiritual practices. Interesting questions arose during Scott’s session: One Friend
by Joann Neuroth: I almost didn’t apply for the Spiritual Nurturer class that was so transformational for me – I pictured the School of the Spirit as very Christocentric, and I was still smarting from encounters with a judgmental and narrowly prescriptive childhood version of Christianity that excluded me. I hadn’t been successful, though, in
by Joann Neuroth: In 1846, Michigan lawmakers enacted this provision into law: “the preceding provisions of this chapter [on marriage] shall not affect marriages among the people called Friends or Quakers, nor of any other particular denomination, having any peculiar mode of solemnizing marriages.” Until a recent modernization of the marriage license form made Quaker
Are We a Peculiar People? Read More »
by Mary Linda McKinney You know the Bible verse in the first chapter of Luke when Elizabeth, pregnant with John, greets her cousin Mary? Elizabeth doesn’t seem to know yet that Mary is with child. The Common English Bible says this, “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was
Answering That of God Read More »
by Adria Gulizia Have you ever been to FGC Gathering? It’s a lot. It’s a lot of Friends gathered together – over a thousand, as a matter of fact. It’s a lot of sensory stimulation – just finding a table at mealtimes can be an exhaustingadventure in color and sound. It’s a lot of opportunity.
Taking Time for Eternity at FGC Gathering Read More »