by Mary Linda McKinney It may surprise you to learn that it doesn’t matter to me what you believe. Whether you believe in The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost or an indescribable Divine or in absolutely nothing that is not tangible and measurable in this material world does not affect me. Mostly*. I talk …
Why do Quakers sing hymns so slowly? Because we’re reading ahead to the next line to see if we agree with it or not. When I tell that joke in workshops, I get a lot of laughs of knowing recognition. Yes, we are that way. Our quest for spiritual independence and autonomy has been …
by Christopher Sammond Because we cannot reasonably expect to erect a constantly expanding structure of social activism upon a constantly diminishing foundation of faith, attention to the cultivation of the inner life is our first order of business, even in a period of radical social change. …
by Mary Linda McKinney Some of our Quaker ancestors held an expectation that they could be transformed by Spirit while in meeting for worship with Friends. Using my own understanding and language I would say they might be guided to wrestle with their egos and inner shadows while the Light searched them. They were sometimes …
by Christopher Sammond As Quakers, we often bandy about the phrase “there is that of God in each of us.” We often remind ourselves of this when someone in our midst is acting out in ways that are particularly challenging to that assertion. But do we let it in, I mean really take it in, …
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By Mary Linda McKinney schoolofthespirit · Faithful? Meetings by Mary Linda McKinney I introduced spiritual formation to a new community that is participating in Faithful Meetings last week. As I explained the why and what and how of spiritual formation, a Friend raised their hand and asked, “Will this help us become a faithful …
by Mary Linda McKinney schoolofthespirit · Faithful Meetings has Launched! by Mary Linda McKinney I write with joy, gladness, and gratitude to share with you about the first Faithful Meetings opening retreat. Forty Red Cedar Friends participated. It was a loving, tender time with a community that cares deeply about all of its …
by Joann Neuroth There was nothing gradual or tentative about the commitment made by Sue Emmert, a graduate of the ninth class of On Being a Spiritual Nurturer, to the food ministry that is now a big part of her life. She remembers a Meeting for Business in the summer of 2020 when her meeting’s …
by Mary Linda McKinney New! You can listen to this blog post on SoundCloud. schoolofthespirit · Way Opening by Mary Linda McKinney Although I’ve been a fan of the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa since seeing “Dreams” as a young adult, I’d never watched his 1952 film “Ikiru” until last night. I could go …
by Mary Linda McKinney schoolofthespirit · Friendly Bumpers by Mary Linda McKinney My spouse, Mark Wutka, became a member of Nashville Friends Meeting when he moved here from Atlanta to be with me in 2011. We’d met years earlier when we were both chaperones in our yearly meeting’s teen program, Southern Appalachian Young …