West Hills Friends

Holly Dhynes shares her insights on the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus in John 3.  When Jesus says be born again and born with the Spirit from above, it sounds as if he is describing a spiritual practice of meditation and prayer.  Breathe the Spirit from above your head, into your heart, and through your body.  Cleanse your thoughts and your emotions with this spiritual breath.  Being bo...

The story of Abraham almost sacrificing Isaac is disturbing. What kind of god requires the blood of a child to prove loyalty or devotion? Maybe the story of Abraham and Isaac answers that question... it is not Yahweh. For his message, Mark reopens the near-sacrifice of Isaac, examining a curious shift in the words used for God in the passage. Could it be that Yahweh is breaking into the madness of...

The word apocalypse means "unveiling." Sometimes, what is unveiled is what sits at the heart of our closest relationships, a common enemy. Jesus said he came not to bring peace, but division. What could that really mean? In this message, Mark Pratt-Russum wonders if Jesus came to undo the healthy ways we build and sustain relationships, via a scapegoat, or a shared enemy. Sometimes, the unveiling...

Visiting Friend from Adelphi Friends, Mackenzie Morgan, gave a message also about Matthew 25. She shared about a vision she had of Christ on his hands and feet, which she shared with her Yearly Meeting in discussions about Quaker silence in regards to racism. In the spirit of Matthew 25, her queries were asking us to reflect how we see Jesus as a POC in current day: When did we hear you being disp...

Klarissa shares a message about why it matters that we shine our light in the world, and offers three ways we can embody radical welcome in our lives.

Holly Dhynes gave a message about the way staying at home has made her think of the spiritual opportunity to come and stay home and look in the mirror. Yoga has been a way into that spiritual exploration and it got her thinking about God as a consuming fire. She went way, way back to the pictographs used in earliest versions of Deuteronomy Chapter 4.

Mark Pratt-Russum reflected in his message that it's been nearly 10 years for him at West Hills Friends! This disruption in routines has made him think about how the days leading up to Jesus' resurrection must have been extremely disorienting and lacking cohesion in Jesus' disciples. Mark has been retreating to his hammock on some days where the unfathomable scope of the pandemic is limited to wha...

For his message, Mark Pratt-Russum considered the two crowds that gathered during Holy Week. One crowd witnessed provocative anit-empire theatre and cheered, and then just five days later another crowd formed and pressured a reluctant ruler to execute the man riding the donkey. Queries: Put yourself on the streets of Jerusalem. What are you feeling in this moment? What is swelling in your heart?

Mica read us the book, "The Rabbit Listened" by Cori Doerrfeld and shared thoughts about what being the warm presence of listening and comfort looks like, even within moments of discomfort.

For our second meeting for worship via Zoom, Mark shared a message about how meeting our most primal need, to be fed, can be the most structure we can expect of our lives right now. Jesus instructed us to pray, "give us this day our daily bread." How might listening to our bodies direct us through this time of uncertainty and struggle?

Using the framework of Rumi's poem "The Guest House" Mica offered a message to all of us gathered via Zoom during this time of social distancing during Covid-19.

West Hills Friends expresses deep appreciation to Martha Wood for he tim as our Interim Pastor. Peg E. offers this blessing to you, Martha, as you transition into what's next.

Mark Pratt-Russum read from John 3 and gave a message about paying attention in a different way. Love, compassion and grace are greater than the voice inside us that we aren't good enough, or that we should be afraid. When we pay attention differently, West Hills can be a waypoint and a resting place, but also a generative place. How have you noticed the competition for the attention in your life?...

Stephen's message comes to us from many sources, together singing one song. Most cultures, most religions have some articulation of the Golden Rule; the differences are just allusions or vanity.

Mica shares a First Word about a recent experience of buying a meal for a stranger in need. It became a comedy of errors, but instead of regretting the situation she learned a profound lesson from it. We all have the human desire to be seen and be significant.

Gil gives a First Word about being a non-conforming teddy bear daddy. He is a nurturer who desires to help others develop their gifts by being fully present to others, leaving room for others to speak and use their talents. Pain is often present in the process, but seeing mustard seeds grow into trees gives him great joy. Photo by Joshua Lanzarini on Unsplash

Mike Ellison shares a First Word about the impact on him of the Martin Luther King Jr. Vietnam War address delivered at Riverside Church in 1968. Mike has been looking for a movement that addresses the systemic issues of the war economy and poverty. He has found it in the Poor People's Campaign. The The Poor People’s Campaign is on a National Tour, and it is coming to the PNW. Photo by The New Yor...

Martha Wood shares about how she experiences time in traffic on the road as a living laboratory for her spiritual walk. She noticed that there is only a narrow slice of humanity whose driving she approves of. She thought about how it was the need to be right getting priority over bearing with one another in love. Photo by Alberico Bartoccini on Unsplash

Mark Pratt-Russum told us about about pondering the sheer delight of seeing the beauty of a spectacular Portland-area sunrise in January (see Mark's photo above). When he played around with the word delight it began to sound like "dah-light," as in "Look, there is "dah-light." In the way he and many others jumped out of their cars to take in the sunrise, can we create moments like that each and ev...

Martha Wood notices that this week's lectionary passages asked the questions of who, what, where and why. In each passage, the answer was completely unexpected. God upends our ideas of what makes sense. How often do we think X,Y,Z leads to something predictable? What does God require of us? Where is the one we would see as wise?

Anne tells a story for First Word about Sam and Sarah in Johannesburg. Sam is a geologist and a hoarder of rocks. Sarah is not happy with the piles of rocks all over the house. What does he do when he finds a diamond in the rough?

Martha Wood reflects on how spiritual formation is less like a linear flowchart and more like a metal detector sensing a target. We yield to the Holy which is both surrendering an giving way, but also an out-pouring and a fruiting of the Holy.

Holly Dhynes shares about realizing our oneness and unity. She offers a metaphor of the ocean to remind us that we all come from the same spiritual source. Photo by Shifaaz shamoon on Unsplash

Mark Pratt-Russum shares what he learned from listening to Jad Abenrod's podcast, "Dolly Parton's America." If we can avoid the trappings of a single story, we may find opportunities to know the Truth in these stories. We are in uncertain times as a congregation, but despite the fear of losing it all, can we turn, look up and take in the landscape that is around us? How might that beauty create sp...

Martha Wood speaks about Epiphany, defining it as the moment you feel you understand something important to you or find holiness in the everyday. She reimagines the story of the Magi and the gifts they brought to the Holy Child.