tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37106751.post1715986974082571871..comments2023-06-28T11:56:24.073-04:00Comments on The Lamb's War: Missional Quaker Faith: Organic GrowthMicah Baleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06849915973708989620noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37106751.post-66556091238455314912010-11-10T09:28:55.040-05:002010-11-10T09:28:55.040-05:00@Rex I can relate a lot to what you are saying. It...@Rex I can relate a lot to what you are saying. It's problematic if folks come into Quakerism with a sense that the Quaker tradition is all about affirming what we already believe and practice. For me, as well, being a Quaker has been a slow process of submitting myself to Christ and finding out how I am NOT living up to what I am called to in him. Christ reveals the darkness within me and calls me to repentance; I am called to change my life - both outwardly and in terms of my inward character and motivations - to become more like Jesus. <br /><br />This fiery process of conversion (the Lamb's War) is not something that most people count on when they first become Friends. This isn't surprising - it's a scary think to surrender oneself to be remade in Christ's image! If, when I first became a Quaker, I could have foreseen the changes that God would ask of me in the years to come, I'm not sure that I would have had the courage to continue down the path. Thankfully, God does not show us the length and the depth of the path ahead - only that next step in which we need to be faithful. Today's trouble is enough for today!<br /><br />@Kevin This is a good question. My sense is that we need to maintain a balance in our communication. On the one hand, we need to speak in ways that are intelligible to the wider culture; we cannot effectively communicate the Gospel if we are speaking in a jargon that only makes sense within our insular community. It is also important for us to speak in context. We are in different stages in our walks, and my next step in Christ's Way might not be your next step. Our role as servants of Christ is to encourage one another to take the next step that the Holy Spirit is leading us to, not to impose our own agenda or time table on others. <br /><br />On the other hand, I think that it is important to be plain-spoken - to say what we really mean. For me, this means being explicit about Whom I serve, Who is the source of my love for others. I try to speak in ways that will be understandable to those who are not already a part of the Quaker/Christian community, but sometimes what I say may be offensive simply because the Gospel is offensive to the proud (And, believe me, I stand convicted!). I don't see any way around that.<br /><br />@TheYellowDart Thanks! We're looking forward to seeing folks at <a href="http://capitolhillfriends.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Capitol Hill Friends</a> tonight! I hope we can see you again, soon, as well.Micah Baleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06849915973708989620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37106751.post-19301974276900692592010-11-10T08:28:34.054-05:002010-11-10T08:28:34.054-05:00YES!!!
I am sending a couple people your way toni...YES!!!<br /><br />I am sending a couple people your way tonight Micah :)Jason Lairdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04104740908547185915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37106751.post-71873390550771492382010-11-09T14:01:00.293-05:002010-11-09T14:01:00.293-05:00I wonder sometimes if we should engage the world o...I wonder sometimes if we should engage the world on Christian terms, or speak to the world in its own language, letting others know that though they may not recognize it, they hold many Christian ideals within them.Comrade Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11393718048145784837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37106751.post-78702132717450824082010-11-09T08:49:22.392-05:002010-11-09T08:49:22.392-05:00I hope that this is not off-topic. For many years ...I hope that this is not off-topic. For many years I have been hearing something like the following in Quaker circles: “There are a lot of people out there who are really Quakers; they just don’t know it yet. If we could identify them, maybe they would join our meetings.” While this may or may not be true, this does not correspond to my own experience of coming to Friends. My experience was definitely NOT that I had somehow been a Quaker all along and I just finally realized this in mid-life. Rather, coming to the Religious Society of Friends was for me inseparable from the MAJOR RE-DEFINING MOMENT of my life, where I felt that I was hearing and responding to a call from God to CHANGE my life RADICALLY. The Apostle who reached me was Margaret Fell, who seemed to reach out to me across the centuries in the words quoted on p. 12 of Howard Brinton’s Friends for 300 Years, not by telling me how much I had in common with Quakers already, but by telling me that we are all thieves, because we have taken the words of the scriptures on our lips [not even that had been true of me], but have known nothing of them in our lives. I yearn for the emergence of modern, living Quaker Apostles who will point to the transformation that a God-centered life of listening to and obeying the Light Within will bring to anyone who is willing.Rex Sprouse, Fall Creek Friends Meetingnoreply@blogger.com