As some of us begin to take a hard look at our finances, be it personally or corparately, it seems fitting to look into the testimony of simplicity and our faith for guidance.
In 1985 Frances Irene Tabor wrote "It may come as a surprise to some of us that the first generation of Friends did not have a testimony of simplicity. They came upon a faith, which cut to the root of the way they saw life, radically reorienting it. They saw that all they did must flow directly from what they experienced as true, and that if it did not, both the knowing and the doing became false. In order to keep the knowledge clear and the doing true, they stripped away anything which seemed to get in the way. They calle dthose things superfluities, and it is the radical process of stripping for clear-seeing which we now term simplicity."
Perhaps, as we look at our circumstance and our need to redirect our resources, we should look to that which gets in the way of our directly experieceing our faith and our families. Perhaps, like Dr. Suess's, Gertrude McFuzz we have accumulated so many tail feathers, we are unable to fly. And as Gertrude found out, the cure is a painfully process of plucking those tail feathers until we are again free of what encumbers us.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Faithful Living
These excerpts have been taken from the Book "Practicing Peace" by Catherine Whitmire.
Nineteenth century academic Isaac Sharpless wrote about Pennsylvania "that for seventy years there was neither war nor rebellion, the frontiers were secure without forts, and the harbors without men-of-war." As a further reflection of his inclusive faith, William made Pennsylvania a place of religious toleration where dissenters could practice their religion freely, so it was not plagued by the witch hunts and religious strife of some other colonies. William's children and others, however, fell away from his faith, and William's original vision of his 'holy experiment" held on only as long as Friends governed the colony. But despite this fact, what happened in Pennsylvania continues to serve as a historical model of governance based on faithful adherence to justice, tolerance , and peace.
William Penn did not set out to change the world; he simply tried to faithfully build God's Commonwealth on Earth. By allowing his faith to guide him, however, the world was transformed by his example of faithful living, his vision of just government, and his practice of peacemaking.
Queries: How does my practice of peace reflect my faith? When has my faith given me the courage to take risks in practicing peace?
Nineteenth century academic Isaac Sharpless wrote about Pennsylvania "that for seventy years there was neither war nor rebellion, the frontiers were secure without forts, and the harbors without men-of-war." As a further reflection of his inclusive faith, William made Pennsylvania a place of religious toleration where dissenters could practice their religion freely, so it was not plagued by the witch hunts and religious strife of some other colonies. William's children and others, however, fell away from his faith, and William's original vision of his 'holy experiment" held on only as long as Friends governed the colony. But despite this fact, what happened in Pennsylvania continues to serve as a historical model of governance based on faithful adherence to justice, tolerance , and peace.
William Penn did not set out to change the world; he simply tried to faithfully build God's Commonwealth on Earth. By allowing his faith to guide him, however, the world was transformed by his example of faithful living, his vision of just government, and his practice of peacemaking.
Queries: How does my practice of peace reflect my faith? When has my faith given me the courage to take risks in practicing peace?
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Integrity?
Encounters with insurance companies over warranty work and dealing with the various contractors that have been trying to fix our air conditioning system (fixing a problem that "they say" doesn't exist) has started me thinking about the Quaker testimony of integrity and truth telling. In efforts to save money and time it seems that taking care of business is just not expected or in demand. Are we learning to settle for what is good enough when we know it isn't. Don't we have a responsibility to commit 100% to whatever we are doing, whether it's fixing an air conditioner, coaching a baseball team, or serving & loving God?
Friends concern for integrity is more than honesty and truthfulness, it is a fundamental belief to "let your life preach", to be authentic and real so that others may come to know what one's beliefs and commitments are by the way life is lived. How do we go about integrating these values into our lives? Do we seek to be truthful, honest, and authentic in word and deed, even when compromise might be easier and more popular? How can we strive to maintain the integrity of our inward and outward lives?
Friends concern for integrity is more than honesty and truthfulness, it is a fundamental belief to "let your life preach", to be authentic and real so that others may come to know what one's beliefs and commitments are by the way life is lived. How do we go about integrating these values into our lives? Do we seek to be truthful, honest, and authentic in word and deed, even when compromise might be easier and more popular? How can we strive to maintain the integrity of our inward and outward lives?
Friday, July 3, 2009
Freedom and What We Do with It
Scott Wagoner, pastor of Deep River Friends, N.C. is contemplating freedom and July 4th and wonders, "Is our freedom designed to further our individual rights or does our freedom allow and call us to practice creative goodness for the common good? Are we being good stewards of our freedom?" Any thoughts anyone?
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