Our encounter with Jesus changes everything. When Jesus approached Simon, Andrew, James and John while they were working as fishermen by the sea, his call to them was so compelling that they immediately left behind everything that they had known – family, profession, security – and followed Jesus.(1) When we experience Jesus’ presence and hear …
Read more “Missional Quaker Faith: Letting Our Lives Preach”
Dear Friends of Jesus, As the month of October draws to a close, and the daylight hours grow ever shorter, we here in Washington, DC are seeing autumn at its apex. The trees are in the final throes of their changes of color; soon they will be entirely bare. Winter is coming. During this time …
Taking up the cross and following Jesus is not a once-and-for-all decision. It is a choice that we must continue to make, day after day, year after year. And the deep inward changes that come from surrendering ourselves to Christ’s guidance are generally not sudden. Though many of us experience pronounced “conversion experiences,” these intense …
“This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” – Mark 9:7When Jesus is at the center of our life as a community, he enters into our midst and serves as our Leader. He sends the Holy Spirit to console and guide us, and through his Light he purifies us and prepares us for …
This essay will be the simplest of all that follow. It may also be the most important. In considering what a truly missional Quaker movement might look like, it is essential that we clarify what is at the center of our life together. As the title of this essay suggests, I believe that the heart …
Recently on Facebook, I mentioned that I was “trying to piece together a Quaker philosophy of church-planting.” Before I knew it, I had dozens of comments, ranging from skepticism at the very idea of church-planting to excited messages expressing that this was something that God was laying on their hearts, as well. It felt like …
Most of us, at one time or another, have put a lot of energy into trying to preserve long-standing forms and institutions. In my own case, I have been drawn to seek revitalization in my local Meeting and in my Yearly Meeting, as well as in wider bodies, like Friends United Meeting. These are institutions …