West Hills Friends

For this message, Mike read Mark 3:1-9. Instead of accepting the sabbath as a bubble of enforced inactivity, Jesus provocatively healed people on the sabbath. He transgressed the barrier between "rest" and "work." Mike suggested that we think of self-care as a kind of *work.* If we don’t have energy for the work of self-care, then we aren’t fully functional. What kind of self-care do you need this...

Quaker's have been revered for being ahead of the curve on slavery and women's rights. We have a lot of pride in our history on these issues of human rights, but a part of our history that isn't known is how resistant much of the Quaker world was to these changes. Here, Carole Spencer talks about "The Dark Side of Quakerism" highlighting how our prophets were not always the most loved and accepted...

Amanda brought First Word, reflecting on the tension between Biblical theology and the truth she feels in her hearing. She recognizes that an "autopsy" of the Bible provides objective information, but proceeds from the assumption that the Word is lifeless. Amanda is forming a new group to study the Bible as a living revelation.

Mica has come to realize that her "submission" to God’s will was actually better captured in the phrase, "Show me your way to get my way." In particular, Mica has discovered that *success* has more to do with how she is living her life in the here-and-now than it does with waiting for the life she *should* live.

For the message, Mike read Romans 5:15-19 and Matthew 5:48. George Fox said that we can become "like Adam before the fall." That is, we can walk with God the way that Adam walked with God at the dawn of creation. If we seek and follow the Light, we can be *exactly* where God wants us to be. This belief in the power of change is all about hope — but it is so easily distorted into judgement. "You ca...

What if we hear, first and foremost, that God LIKES us? How does releasing the shame and guilt of following God open us up to being more empathetic to ourselves and each other?

West Hills Friends is a Quaker community in Portland, OR. You can find more information about us at westhillsfriends.org.

Beth Woolsey joined us for our Kindling Conversation time and talked about the topic, "The Church isn't Dying, it is being Reborn."

West Hills Friends is a Quaker meeting in Portland, OR. You can find more information about us at westhillsfriends.org. Special Note: There was a glitch in the recording of this message and a section of Greg's words were cut from the recording. Here are the words from his written message that were accidentally omitted, "I have left churches before when I felt the voice of God was being drowned out...

For the message, KD read Matthew 6:25-35, and told the story of Alma’s heavy burdens. After much negotiation and tenderness, Jesus was able to convince Alma to relinquish one of her heaviest burdens. What burdens are you carrying? How does God help you, and how can we help each other carry the load?

A.J. brought First Word. Returning to his car after celebrating Landon’s graduation, A.J. interrupted a thief. In her haste to leave, the thief left a lot of stuff in A.J.’s car — including her identification. Feeling protective toward this person, A.J. is using the occasion to learn about mercy.