West Hills Friends

Dick Evans, for First Word, read a portion of his late wife Pat's written reflection about a trip to FWCC* as a representative of NWYM* many years ago. She reflected on the diversity of beliefs in Quaker circles. She wrote, "Love and respect has to override my frustrations." When she respected them for their fruitful lives, she began to see them in a new light. She could love them, because they we...

Julie Peyton delivered the message and read from Luke 11:1-13. After being away on travel, she spoke about her appreciation for this community that gathers, listens and laughs together--it is what makes us who we are.

Chris Leonardo humorously described his first visit to West Hills Friends. With weather too hot to go all the way to the Presbyterian Church, he stopped in at WHF and discovered a worship experience he described as a wobbly Jenga tower. It was disorienting, but the anxiety it caused him helped him listen intently. He found beauty in the simplicity and the peculiarity of it all.

Stephen Deatherage shared the poem by the Sufi poet, Rumi, entitled, "Moses and the Shepherd." Moses realizes with the help of the shepherd that there are no rules to how we worship God; God delights in it all. Stephen offered the queries: what are the ways you glorify God in acts of worship? How do you praise God in your daily life?

"Holding the Baby" by Martha W. by West Hills Friends

Animosity. Friendship. Hatred. Horror. Delight. Words have meaning. Words make a difference. Words define who we are. Queries: What words matter to you? When you have an opportunity to bring the awareness to others that what they say affects others, do you take it?

In the spirit of Jesus's statement, "the last shall be first," Alyss talked about her experience in visiting a historic site in England where the "Ship of State" perpetuated injustices. This, unfortunately, is an ongoing theme today. She reminded us how the "least of these" in society are equally deserving of the comfort of heaven, and prompted the community to consider how we might be dehumanizin...

Modern Quakers are not as entrenched in specific language as early Quakers. We also are reacting to certain words whose meaning has been altered by "misbehaving" churches. In John, Jesus creates resonance between his words and the people listening, even in His most difficult teachings. Query: Are there ways we can use resonance to move closer to being the people we want to be?

Rosalie Movius read from Genesis 1:1-5, 27 and shared about how God has made us creatures who create. Rosalie sees our ability to create as the meaning of being made in God's image. She sees God in herself most when she is creating. Her favorite art form is quilting and the juxtaposition of colors and patterns. Her query for open worship was, "When do you see that of God in your own life?"

Parenting is hard. You've heard that one before. But sometimes admitting what is hard about it means we share some things that are vulnerable for us. Parenting can throw us into questioning the parts of ourselves that are already tender and sensitive. We can also feel inadequte to be the mentors our children need, especially when it comes to their spirituality. For this message, Amanda speaks abou...

For the message, Mark Pratt-Russum read the scripture passage Luke 5:14-16 and spoke of “wearing your faith.” Quakers have a history of dressing differently, mindful that clothes communicate our relationship to people and things. What if, instead of clothing, we put on compassion first thing in the morning? In the passage, Jesus went off alone to pray after being in the midst of crowds. What did h...

For the message, Julie Peyton read scripture passage John 10:3-5 and spoke of exploring among Friends. When she first came to West Hills, she carried the expectation of early Quakers she read about, how everyone "waited and went deep". Early Quakers not only read about Christ, but wrote about hearing Christ's voice all the time and knowing what it sounds like. Among all of Julie's travels througho...

Things feel particularly dark and hopeless now, huh? What if we engage in the practice of resurrection on a daily basis? Perhaps the active work of bringing new life to the world, even in small ways, can be the beginning of transformation in our communities.

Following the passing of her husband, Peg had a dream. In her dream, she was handed a basket and promised that every morning she would wake up and exactly the amount of fish she would need for the day would be in it. She put a posted note on her fridge as a reminder, "enough fish." Peg invites us to wonder about receiving and acknowledging what we are handed each day. (We apologize for the audio q...

Carol B. blew us away with a reading of Mary Magdelen's hearing of the beatitudes. These are as relevant as ever. Please, set aside some time and listen to this!

After suffering a concussion, Greg's relationship with fear intensified. He began to wonder what would be possible for him, living a life under the constant pressure of fear. Greg shares with us how his relationship with fear has evolved.

We all know the line, "everything happens for a reason." That can be a bitter pill to swallow in difficult times, and sometimes it doesn't really feel true. April V. provides us with another way of thinking about the journey of life.

Maybe doubt is necessary for greater spiritual exploration. Vargus brings us an original poem that explores this theme.

Jesus promises us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. What does this all mean?

Western Christianity has leaned quite heavily on condemnation. Daniel sees judgment and discernment as part of a similar process. How do these things help us serve love?

In the Western world, so much of our spirituality is driven by our brains. We've also been conditioned to ignore the messages our body sends us. What if a deeper connection with our spiritual lives depends on paying attention to our bodies? After all, we are people who believe that "the word became flesh"

For First Word, Kay spoke to us about her work organizing the "first word" element of our meetings for worship. How might this become an integral part of our meetings for worship again?

Julius McGee, a professor of sociology from Portland State University shares with us some of his research showing the connection between the use of land, slavery, and food justice.

For the message, Amanda read scripture passages Luke 15:20 and 1 John 2:21 and related the hero/heroine's journey that resolves by coming home. She used the image of God as an HGTV host, taking our worn inward dwellings and restoring them into a sacred space that is our true selves. Queries: In what ways does the hero/heroine's journey resonate with your experience? How does the idea of home culti...

When the plagues descended on Egypt we read that Pharaoh continually hardened his heart to the plight of the people. For his message, Stephen compared this to how time and again, as gun violence erupts in our schools, leaders and government officials speak words of regret, yet hearts are hardened, and real change does not occur. He asked, How have we hardened our hearts to modern plagues, and why?...