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 »
by Joann Neuroth Carolyn and I just returned from a glorious bucket-list trip to Alaska, where among other indelible memories, we learned to mush a four-sled-dog team. The excitement of the dogs was palpable – they’re race dogs after all, who were dragging their handlers toward the harness in order to getunderway. Carolyn had clear
Pacing for Distance Read More »
by Adria Gulizia My name is Adria Gulizia, and I’m addicted to love. Well, not to love, exactly, but to thinking about love and reading about love and talking about love compulsively. It’s an actual struggle, as I get sidetracked from necessary tasks by Internet rabbit holes and algorithmically perfected YouTube playlists. But while I
A Few Thoughts About Love Read More »
by Joann Neuroth Asked once whether a non-theist could be a Quaker, my friend Lloyd Lee Wilson memorably replied, “Well, Quakers have pretty much bet the farm on the Inner Teacher. We leave belief to be built by experience. So, all are welcome. The tent is large and there’s no card-check at the entrance.” My mother
Emily Provance has done it again: stretched, challenged and rewarded me. If you haven’t met her yet, she is a Quaker thinker, blogger and teacher who is currently hosting a series of structured on-line conversations (read about them here). In them, she identifies pre-conditions observed globally that warn of likely election violence, documents that they
Expanding the “We” Read More »
by Joann Neuroth My meeting has had an extended wrestling period in which we’ve explored our use of the powerful Light metaphor that has meant so much to Quakers. A beloved Friend of Color among us shared his distress at terms such as “blacklist,” “blackball,” and “blackmail,” which deepen our association of white as good
O Beautiful Darkness Read More »
by Christopher Sammond More than thirty years ago, a member of my meeting asked me to serve as his elder while he did some ministry with another meeting nearby. I had never done anything like that in the six or so years I had been attending, but it seemed right, so I said yes. And
My January has been joyfully busy facilitating Faithful Meetings with Friends and I’m excited to be able to share some of what I did with you! On the first Saturday of the new year, I witnessed the closing Faithful Meetings retreat of Red Cedar Friends Meeting. I say “witnessed” because, although I am the facilitator
Faithful Meetings: Juicy January! Read More »