Overview

Christian theologian Marcus Borg talks about the three A’s of our culture: affluence, achievement, and attractiveness.  These cultural values that surround us shape how we see ourselves, how we interact with others, and limit the options we consider for our lives.  While we may know intellectually that social norms and expectations are just ideas that we can choose to follow or reject, the impact on our lives can be very real.  We carry internalized biases and may fear the social consequences of going against the grain.  We may very explicitly prioritize the values of love, connection, and simplicity, yet find ourselves too busy, distracted, or in-debt to follow-through on the meaningful choice.

From the beginning, Quaker faith and practice has been countercultural.  This legacy has left us many beautiful gifts that can support our quest for grounded and connected lives.  The direct experience of Truth invites us to “keep within” and “let the Light show you,” rather than being swayed by external forces.  We can look for guidance in the lives of many early and contemporary Friends who sought and found wholeness, often through countercultural ways of being.  Our Quaker practices of discernment encourage faithfulness and authenticity and our meetings can offer community, mentorship, mutuality, and encouragement. 


Read this message from Diego Navarro, The Veil, the Shadow, and the Abundant Life

Discernment requires taking a step back from the dominant culture, waking up from the trance of what the dominant culture expects of us, and lifting the veil from our eyes. In our tradition, we put ourselves at odds with the taken-for-granted assumptions of the dominant culture, as early Friends did. And at times, our own assumptions become our toughest challenges. Early Friends spent a lot of time working on waking up. It was the trance that they were concerned about, and they developed processes for helping to lift that veil.

Excerpts from the keynote presentation to Intermountain Yearly Meeting; June 11, 2015; Ghost Ranch, Abiquiú, New Mexico.  Published in Western Friend, September/October 2015.  Used by permission of Western Friend.


Or read A Community Formed for Faithfulness by Marcelle Martin

Even more essential, we need to help one another clear our hearts and minds of whatever impedes our awareness of the Divine Presence, so we can open to the guidance that wants to shape our lives in counter-cultural ways. If we learn to better help each other live faithfully and make doing so an important part of our community, then we will grow in our ability to discern and respond when the Spirit leads.

Published in Friends Journal, September 2017.


Or read The Value of Loss, by Emily Weyrauch

Living into Quaker values for me isn’t just donning a cloak of wholesome ideals. It is also a stripping down: an examining, questioning, and acceptance that I will have to leave some things behind in order to continue on the long journey. I say goodbye to them, these uglier but still somehow dear parts of myself, and I walk onward.

Originally published in Friends Journal, May 2018.


Listen to this episode of the Quaker Faith & Podcast about Integrity (21 minutes, audio player found below transcript).  Podcast hosts Mackenzie Morgan and Micah Bales discuss integrity and the process of sanctification: 

People often use “integrity” and “honesty” interchangeably, but integrity is bigger. It means wholeness or completion. What’s whole? Well, you could say it’s our lives or our relationships with God. But the temptation to separate parts of ourself off is huge. We need integrity in order to let our lives preach.


Queries for Reflection & Conversation
  • What have you found to be the barriers that most get in the way of your meaningful and connected life?
  • What would it look like for your life to be “whole”?
  • What support have you found from a Quaker meeting or spiritual community?
45 minutes High School and Up Reading
Translate »