The crucifixion of Jesus Christ reminds us once again of the penalty which any highly organized society exacts of those who violate its laws. The social resistors fall into two general groups – those who resist the established order by doing the things that are in opposition to accepted standards of
Continue reading →From the very beginning of the Quaker movement, Friends have liked asking questions. Part of this is because they got rid of the creeds, and something need to take their place. So they used queries. We could have t-shirts made up that says something like “The church of questions.” (Q:
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This is a third post in a series of reflections on the nature of dialogue and transformation, or “convers(at)ion” as I am referring to it as for a little playfulness (see a and b). These are some ideas of how we try to inhabit some of the ideas
Continue reading →“Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is
Continue reading →“I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” -Flannery O’Connor /ht color turtle I’ve been following John Saddington’s 10 day blog challenge as a means of both getting into the groove of writing more and developing my site here.
Continue reading →[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUI54niIfl8] via ▶ Marshawn Lynch and the Theater of Disobedience – YouTube. A powerful commentary by Jay Smooth not just on the game but on a number of critical issues that present themselves within the NFL. /ht Shelly F.
Continue reading →Yesterday I began to sketch out some thoughts on how my approach to teaching the Bible has shifted towards a participatory understanding of learning and community. (This is no small part is influenced by the research of my dissertation and is reflected in much greater detail there and in my
Continue reading →There has been an evolution of thought for me when it comes to understanding how to read, interpret and teach Scripture within community. That evolution has taken place over the course the last 18 years or so (I’ve been leading bible studies since I was in High School myself)
Continue reading →Expectations and Maze Dull Rats Robert Rosenthal was a psychologist who is famous for his experiment with rats in a maze. The experiment looked at “expectancy effects” and how our expectations have a direct effect on the outcome of what we are doing (link). In 1963, Rosenthal took two groups
Continue reading →One of the things I struggle with the most are endings. Whether it is writing endings, envisioning the ending of a project, or saying goodbye. I struggle with exit strategies. I have no problem getting started. I love a good opening story. A hearty laugh or a compelling metaphor. I
Continue reading →Three years ago we started a monthly convergent Friends worship gathering in the Camas/Portland Metro area. The goal of the meeting was to bring those Friends who desire to worship together, build relationships and create an open and flexible worship liturgy that can be adapted according to those who
Continue reading →In this online handbook you will find a variety of articles written by convergent Friends. This is by no means an exhaustive collection of writings but rather it is meant to function as an introduction to the concept of convergent Friends and part two of the handbook is meant to
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