Gathering In Light

The Cultural

The Wounding of Creation

This morning someone in our meeting requested prayer for the oil spill and during the time of prayer the image of the oil spill came back to me in a powerful way. I envisioned the hole where the spill gushes out as a seeping wound. Creation is deeply wounded, and

The Theological

Lady Wisdom, Feminine Divine and Proverbs 8

Last week we discussed Proverbs 8, here are some of my thoughts on the passage. Let’s be honest here, the (divine feminine) language in this passage can be little shocking to American Christianity, which is so often dominated by men. Who is wisdom? Well, whoever she is, she’s

Featured

Sometimes the Long Days Are Really Good

A lot of people want to know what a pastor does with her or his time throughout the day. I have one person who mentioned that they figured I had a lot of free time, because “pastor’s don’t do much more than prepare sermons right?” Right? Well not

The Pastorate

Doing Film Events in the Church

One idea we’ve been doing at our church (Camas Friends) we started last fall, it’s called “Last Sunday’s for the Earth.” The idea was to create a forum where topics could be discussed using films as a starting point for those conversations. We have shown a number

Featured

Movements and Common Language of the Spirit – Acts 2

Last week I wrote a little about our experience of visiting another Quaker meeting in Portland last Sunday. During that time of open worship I thought some about Acts 2 and Pentecost. It was obvious that there is much that these two communities have in common and can learn from

The Theological

Reenforcing Totalitarian Power Through Masculine Language

I came across this quote today while working on my sermon for Sunday: “We have tended to use particular power models for God that image divine power as like that of a monarchical ruler, or a military general who crushes all who oppose him. The model of power assumed here

The Theological

The Spirit Skips, God Dances

During worship at Multnomah Meeting on Sunday I kept thinking about the fact that it was Pentecost Sunday and reflecting on the Holy Spirit. One thought, given the context of worship, was that although there were many language represented in Acts 2, the Spirit was the one language all could

Featured

Where do we see ourselves in each other? Camas Friends Visit Multnomah Quakers

This Sunday morning Camas Friends locked the doors to our  meetinghouse and took a field trip into Portland to worship with Multnomah Monthly Meeting, an unprogrammed (as in silent worship) that  is a part of North Pacific Yearly Meeting. There was a pretty good group  of us who drove down,

Blog Entries

Friends Association for Higher Education Coming Up

I am going to make this plug for my friends at Friends Association for Higher Education coming this summer. I would be there if I wasn’t already all traveled out. This note is geared towards young Friends who are in higher education (students, scholars, teachers, etc.) I can’t

Featured

Building Networks of Support and Eldering

There’s a lot to say about this past weekend retreat on Convergent Friends and New Monasticism and it’s going to take me some time to unpack all the various experiences, ideas and thoughts that came out of it. However, one thing is for sure it was a learning

Featured

Mary’s Flowering Tree (John 12)

I preached a while back on John 12:1-8 which reads: Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus,  whom he had raised from the dead. 2There they gave a dinner  for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with

Blog Entries

Spirit Rising: Young Quakers Are Speaking

Two weeks ago I was in Indiana for the book release party for the book I helped get published: Spirit Rising: Young Quaker Voices. I’ve written about Spirit Rising and the Quaker Youth Book Project over the last couple years. I was one of ten young Quaker editors on

Blog Entries

Too Many Dave’s

And now for something out of the ordinary. Since we have small children in the house, we get our fair share of reading great children literature daily. I think I love reading this stuff as much as they love being read too! One of my favorites is the obvious Dr.

Blog Entries

New Monastics and Convergent Friends Retreat Outline

Martin Kelley and I will be leading a weekend retreat at Pendle Hill in just a couple weeks (May 14-16) and I’m starting to get really excited about it! Martin and I have been collaborating a lot together over the past few months in preparation for this weekend and

Practices

The Resurrection and Quaker Communion

Awhile back a reader commented on a post I wrote on Open Worship: A new Friend shared with me that she had started reading about the other branches of Quakerism. She concluded with these words. Going to a Quaker Meeting with no unprogrammed worship would be like a Episcopalian going

Practices

Digital Detox: Why Not?

Adbusters is encouraging a digital detox this week and I think it’s a fantastic idea. So why not give it a shot? I’m going to be at a pastor’s retreat with our yearly meeting, and am then flying out to Indiana to participate in the release the

Green

Community Supported Agriculture in Southwest Washington

As we try to find ways to eat more locally grown, organic produce, it’s always nice to know what are our available (and reasonable) options. Community supported agriculture is one of the ways we can support local farmers through purchasing a “share” from the farmer for the growing season.

Six Months Quaker Preacher

The 6 Rules for Allies

This was sent to me by a friend today and I have to share it. Dr. Omi Osun Joni L. Jones gives 6 rules for allies (cross race/gender/sexuality/nationality/religion etc) in her keynote speech given 2/19/10 at a luncheon sponsored by Abriendo Brecha Vll Conference

Featured

A New “Convergent” Mapping Project hits the Web

Martin Kelley isn’t the only one really excited about the new Quakermaps.com project from Micah Bales and Jon Watts. While there are other quaker maps out there this is by far the coolest (IMO) because it is fully DIY, looks great, and is simple to use. As Martin

The Theological

The Cross of Repentance: Thoughts on Forgiveness and Confession

For the Third Month of the 2010 Friends’ Calendar this quote sits above the dates: The life of the cross is a life of the cross of repentance…Most of those who inform us today that they “do not believe in sin” are really saying that they cannot believe in

Quotations

Berrigan on Prayer

This quote caught my attention today: And then there is the question of prayer, which consists for the most part in inisiting that God do for us what we are unwilling to do for one another. Resolve: Let’s do for one another what we would have God do for

Six Months Quaker Preacher

Becoming Thomas (John 20:19-29)

This is the text from my sermon this week. It was delivered within the context of joint worship at Camas Friends Church who invited Friends from Multnomah Meeting and Bridge City Meeting to join us in worship (we will be visiting their meeting house May 23rd). Isaac and Mary Penington_

Six Months Quaker Preacher

Easter: The First Day of New Creation (John 20:1-18)

This is my Easter sermon. Intro_ For me it was at a church I recently begun attending with my family back when I was back in Ohio when I was a kid. Our was a big, patchwork family. There are six kids on my mom’s side of my family.

Blog Entries

(mis)Quote of the Day: Jesus and Equipment

The recent arrest of a “Christian” militia group (yea Ohio and Michigan) has made international news (just what I want my friends around the globe reading about us) and for good reason, the initial response of hearing about a group of people who think of themselves as followers of Jesus

Convergent Friends

New Convergent Friends Article (Quaker Studies)

Next time you find your way to a university library you should pick up the latest copy of Quaker Studies journal (Volume 14, Issue 2 March 2010).  My first journal article, “Convergent Friends: The Emergence of Postmodern Quakerism,” appears there. Here’s the abstract: Postmodernism is ushering in radical change