West Hills Friends

Mark Pratt-Russum speaks about watching some old home videos and being captivated by a story in the news. How many times have you pulled up the sprouts of change in your life for fear that you wouldn't be welcomed within the group? How much love and beauty are we missing out on when groups we are a part of appear unable to embrace the unfolding narratives of individuals?

Stephen Deatherage read the Song Of The Swordsmith by Coleman Barks. How do we tap into that other world within? What is the song that makes you remember essence?

Mark Pratt-Russum spoke about it being a simultaneously confusing and clarifying time for many of us. How can we have more compassion for ourselves when it feels like time to yell or wail in the direction of God? When our hearts are ablaze, what is it telling us about what we care about?

Mark Pratt-Russum speaks about aromas, the limbic system, and how we might find connection with the Spirit of Love, Light, and Creativity this coming week. As you sit in the silence and pay attention to the thoughts and feelings that visit you, what are they revealing about your heart, mind, and spirit? How does reconnecting with God in the silence help you view those visiting thoughts and feeling...

Mark Pratt-Russum speaks about expressing your fears and longings in prayer. What opportunities do you have for expressing your fears, longings, concerns, gratitudes and complaints ? How does being intentional about expression help clear the way for your heart and mind to be more fully present during times of turmoil? How does trusting that God is already present in the future you are fearing help...

Mark Pratt-Russum spoke about who we give our attention too, and the biblical story of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. How are you paying attention to the cultural pressure for more attention and availability as it relates to your ability to be centered and ready for compassionate action? How have you ordered your social systems so that you can be more loving to yourself and other...

Mark Pratt-Russum gives a message about climate despair. Queries: When experiencing tumultuous times, what does it sound/feel like inside you? How have you experienced connection with an inner-guide during such times? Do you find yourself preparing your heart, mind, soul, and body for upcoming storms? What does that look like for you?

Mark Pratt-Russum shares a message about temple obsession and read a passage from a book by James Allison. Do you carry a hope for a more just, liberated, and joyful future that is sustained beyond the soul-sucking influence of institutions of power? How do you do this? How can communities become places of mutual inspiration, rest and joy in the face of political/cultural/social realties that make...

Mark Pratt-Russum shares about a photo taken in 2006 with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, recalling the profound sense of liberation he experienced in that moment.

Mark Pratt-Russum reads the story in Exodus about Moses approaching the burning bush. Mark offered a different perspective about Moses removing his sandals. Perhaps it was recognizing the need to shed something for this transformative moment. When you consider the growing moments of your life, how did shedding play a part in becoming who you are now? Do you remember what it was like to be in that...

Mark Pratt-Russum offers a message about what areas in your life could benefit from being grounded in play (the playground). A query from one of our youth, "do you just pick one of the voices in your head and call it God?" How do you recognize and interact with the various voices within you? How might they be interplaying with one another to become the voice of your inner guide?

Mark Pratt-Russum shares a message about Covid and the Eucharist. Here are the queries Mark offered: - Is assessing who/what has your attention a part of your spiritual practice?  - How is your internal narrative shaped by the things that have your attention? - How has tending a God/Kingdom/Spirit-led perspective of time and energy changed the way you’ve thought about yourself and others?

Mark Pratt-Russum makes parallels to Octavia Butler's writing and shares a message about orienting one's self towards loving, compassionate presence in the world.

Mark Pratt-Russum shares a message about reclaiming our imaginations. How is visioning a better future guiding your daily life in relationship with the Divine?

Mark Pratt-Russum reads from Mark 4 and shares a message with about change and the natural world being of equal importance in creation. What is your current relationship with change? What tools are you using to measure it? What do mustard seeds, migrating forests, and relocated mountains tell you about what is possible in your life?

Mark Pratt-Russum shares a message about Quaker Lewis Fry Richardson and his findings that ever closer observation reveals more and more detail and complexity. This is later described as fractals. In what ways are you embracing or resisting the interplay of Spirit at the boundaries of your life? How are we allowing or resisting the prophetic witness of the LBGTQIA+ community to deepen your capacit...

How can we become more attentive to Divine leading, trusting that we may find our way out and forward by a reorientation towards Spirit's presence in the natural structures and systems surrounding us?

"Communion with God" by Gil George by West Hills Friends

Mark Pratt-Russum offers a message about paying attention to your heart and preparing for the situations of life. How has heart/mind/spirit attention prepared you to enter into situations differently? What possibilities emerge, in your imagination, if the process of heart/mind/spirit re-orientation were more widely practiced?

Jill Townley shares a First Word about an encounter with a young woman on a recent bus trip on her morning commute.

Mark Pratt-Russum offers a message about feeling comfortable with being completely you. How have you become aware of the "normative" narratives that have influenced the way you interact with others? How does your spirituality challenge you to deepen the grace and understanding you extend to others?

Mark Pratt-Russum offers a message about eclipses and epiphanies and shares the poem “Spellbound” by Bethany Lee. What are the epiphanies you've had in your life? When have things come together, or connected in such a way to bring you Into a profound sense of a world filled with light? Are you hoping for an epiphany? What remains disconnected, or unsettled in your life? How are you actively inviti...

Leanne Benner shares a First Word about asking the question what difference does Jesus’ resurrection mean for us?

Mica Coffin shares a message about how metaphors help us understand God. At the end of the message Mica speaks about a song called "God is a River," copyright Peter Mayer, that can be downloaded at petermayer.net.

Mark Pratt-Russum shares a short story about George Fox. Later we were invited to weave a message on a canvas.