West Hills Friends

For the message, Mike read 1 Peter 2:4-9 and reflected on the ways in which God appears. Although we usually introduce God with complex theological language, God almost never introduces God’s self in this way. God appears with a promise, in the context of relationships, and with a reminder of how God has worked in the community before. What is the promise that reveals God’s presence to you? What i...

For the message, Ruba recited the Dr. Seuss book What Was I Scared Of while wearing a very Seuss-like blue, furry hat with horns. The story follows the narrator’s fears of something very unfamiliar and peculiar: a pair of empty green trousers seen to be riding a bike and rowing a boat. When the narrator finds himself face to face with the pair of pants, he realizes that he is no longer afraid. The...

For First Word, Rachel reflected on her history with NW Yearly Meeting. Her family has been Quaker since the days of George Fox. She has attended YM summer camps, George Fox University and 7(!) yearly meeting churches. When she attended Newberg Friends (in high school and college), she was related to one-third of the 600 attenders. Her history with the yearly meeting has been good and bad, but it...

For the message, Mike read Luke 14:7-14, and reflected on the architecture of common ground. Mike was fascinated by the insights of a Syrian architect. She suggested that isolating different groups of people in tower blocks along the outskirts of a city is a precursor to war: "Tower blocks, even when they are luxurious, tend to promote isolation and 'otherness.'" For at least 500 years, the church...

For First Word, Adam began by saying that his band’s recent tour was their most successful: They lost less money than expected. Adam explained that money isn’t really his metric for success. This framework for judging success is countercultural and often misunderstood. Music is a big investment for Adam, but it’s what makes him happy. What’s the metric by which you measure your success? Are you nu...

At the start of her message, Darleen invited several friends to help her read through four stories in Matthew and Mark. Darleen reflected on what it means to be welcoming. During the life of Jesus, people were expected to exclude others — in fact, this exclusion was considered a mark of holiness. Jesus, on the other hand, made a regular practice of including the outsiders. In the stories of Jesus,...

For the message, Rosalie read Hebrews 11:1 and John 14:1-7. Rosalie facilitates a group that talks about loss and mortality. She has wondered about life after death, and whether certainty about what happens after death would change the way she lives her life. For Rosalie, her present connection to a higher being feels more central than what happens after death. She asked us to consider what brings...

For First Word, Ryan reflected on the work he’s doing to listen more intentionally to his feelings. This work prompted him to leave social media and has connected him to an experience that might be God. Ryan hopes that someday he will decide that it *is* God, and then introduce himself.

For First Word, Kaleen told us about a tradition she shares with Stephen. She buys him a new journal, and writes the first entry herself. For their 30th anniversary, Kaleen wrote about the work of being — and becoming — best friends: love is a process.

For the message, Peg read Hebrews 11:1 and Psalm 31:24, and reflected on being a people of hope in a time of chaos and fear. Rather than denying what is, hope is an assertion about what is *also* so. Hope is essential to activism; when Peg reads the names of the victims of gun violence, she does so in the hope she is creating a different possibility. What do you hope for? How can we help each othe...

For First Word, Julie reflected on what motivates her to stay connected with the people in NW Yearly Meeting who disagree with her and with WHF. Julie has traveled among Friends in Idaho, investing in those relationships. Julie has been deeply grieved by the sense that her efforts weren’t making a difference. In the context of that sorrow, she heard God say, "What you’re doing won’t fix it, but it...

For the message, Mike read Matthew 7:24-27 and told a story about people who lived at the edge of a dangerous ocean. Every week, they gathered on the beach to make a sand castle. When someone convinced them to build a *real* castle, they chose to make it out of sand. Sometimes, we can’t build what we want out of the tools we already have. The tools of empire will never build the kingdom of God. Wh...

For First Word, Jill T. reflected on her recent reading of, "The Magician’s Elephant." In the book, a noble woman’s legs are crushed by a falling elephant. Her path to healing comes through embracing the questions, "What if? Why not?" Jill invited us to consider what would happen if we embraced those questions a community.

For the message, Elijah read from Acts 2 & 3 and reminded us that the Holy Spirit can inspire us to do things that don’t make any sense. Early Quakers like Solomon Eccles and Mary Fisher are examples of this — Solomon made shoes during a worship service and Mary went to visit the Sultan of Turkey! While sitting in open worship a few months ago, Elijah resisted the leading to make a sign of the cro...

For the message, April read Psalm 40:5-8 and reflected on the wonder of God. Viewing creation with the eyes of a child helps April recognize the wonder around her. Knowing that God can work wonders also reminds April that all the work that *still* needs to be done isn’t entirely hers to carry. What helps you create a sense of wonder about God?

For the message, Mike read Acts 2:15-20, and reflected on the infectious boogie-woogie of God. The pathogen of divine transformation cannot be stopped; as the infected, we are meant to be gate-crashers — not wall-builders. When the God’s viral boogie fever sweeps over every barricade and gate, what notes will you carry? What is the infectious passion waiting to be unleashed through you?

For First Word, Kevin reflected on the source of his principles and convictions. He found the process of doing so unexpectedly difficult. Principles come from beneath the surface, resting atop our beliefs. They express themselves in our actions. Although it’s complicated, our lives are enriched when we examine the chain between belief, principle and action.

The poem is taken from January song. Thirty one poems for the thirty one days of January. The poem was written out of necessity. I needed to have something completed for the day and so I drew upon my childhood experiences and memories. There really was a picture of Christ in our dining room closet. It had been damaged and so it was put away but not thrown away. My mother had had a falling out with...

For the message, Mike read Matthew 5:13, and reflected on the difference between elements and compounds. The distinction between elements (which are made entirely of themselves) and compounds (which are made of distinct elements bound together) is important to science and to the stories we tell. What is the story we tell about ourselves as the people of God? Are we an element, needing to preserve...

For the message, KD read I Corinthians 13:1-3, and told us another story about interim pastor Molly. Since these stories are set in southern Louisiana, we passed the offering baskets for flood relief (and collected over $800)!. In the story, In the story, Molly’s aunt discovered that she couldn’t brew a good cup of coffee in Oregon because the water was all wrong; for it to taste like the coffee b...

For first word Thea shared the news that she will be moving to Friendsview Retirement Community in Newberg sometime in the next eleven months. This decision has prompted Thea to think about her calling to be in ministry, and how this calling hasn't materialized in the ways she has anticipated. Thea said that calling is more about the person than a job and that she will carry herself and her callin...

For the message, Claire read Matthew 7:7-12 and John 12:35. Claire wanted us to know that the heart of her message this morning was: do not be bashful with God. Claire wondered what a relationship with God might look like in a world where prayer and relationship building are challenged by endless distractions. She read from a book she discovered on a recent retreat, which urged us to not be afraid...

For the message, Greg read Matthew 18:21-22. Greg spoke about the landscape of forgiveness, and how asking for or offering forgiveness is a complicated process that may take a long time. The essence of forgiveness is acknowledging that the pain of the other person is real and deep. He offered the following queries: Are there are places that I feel blocked in offering forgiveness? Are there ways fo...

Mike suggests that the tax collector is more likely an "antidote" than a role model, and reflects on what it means to deepen in humility. West Hills Friends is a Quaker meeting in Portland, Oregon. You can learn more at westhillsfriends.org.

Ruba reflects on forgiveness as a gift we give ourselves. West Hills Friends is a Quaker meeting in Portland, Oregon. You can learn more about us at westhillsfriends.org.