"Thank you for this Mark! I agree with you about the importance of making a commitment to being a community. Too often the silence can merely mask our differences and our ignorance of one another. I also think that you a right to say that…"
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Primitive Christianity Revived, Again
QuakerQuaker
Primitive Christianity Revived, Again
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Mark Russ
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Latest Activity
Mark Russ posted a blog postVibrant silence
Every now and again I take part in a Quaker Meeting for Worship that is totally silent: a whole hour where not a word is spoken. To an outsider looking in, all these occasions may look the same, but to the worshipper these experiences can vary wildly. Sometimes I rise at the end of worship with a sense of nourishment, and have at times been graced with a renewed sense of connectedness to my Friends, God and everything. I vividly remember one totally silent Meeting where I felt a palpable, heavy…See More
James C Schultz commented on Mark Russ's blog post ''Community - build it or break it?''"I have found that when I am in doubt about what God would have me do, I try to do that which is loving and against my natural instinct. It's too easy to do nothing. If Christ is in me I have to believe He wants to love through…"
"San Francisco Meeting, a few years back, sold their beautiful Meeting House in a beautiful neighborhood & moved downtown to a building they share with the AFSC, right on the edge between ritzy & homeless. I don't know how many coming to…"
James C Schultz commented on Mark Russ's blog post ''Community - build it or break it?''"Your blog got my attention. So I posted my own. I think this is a man of la mancha moment."
Mark Russ commented on Mark Russ's blog post ''Community - build it or break it?''"Thanks for your comment James. It brought these words of Thomas Kelly's to my mind - "Within the Fellowship emerges the special circle of a few on whom, for each of us, a particular emphasis of nearness has fallen... But the membership of…"
James C Schultz commented on Mark Russ's blog post ''Community - build it or break it?''"There's a lack of intimacy among the brethren. I spent years trying to help someone but they only wanted help their way even though their way was to kill themselves. I can only help a limited number of people. I can't…"
Mark Russ posted a blog post'Community - build it or break it?'
Yesterday I attended 'Community - build it or break it?', tenth in a series of Dialogues organised by London Quaker's. 53 friends from across London gathered at Friends House to hear Catherine West and Nigel Norie speak about difficulties of finding ways of tackling inequality consistent with Quaker principles. We heard about initiatives such as the Islington Fairness Commission, North London Citizens and the Islington Youth Council. Catherine described Islington’s methods of tackling…See More
Mark Russ replied to James M. Branum's discussion 'The issue of dual-membership?'"Thanks James. When I saw the title of this thread my heart leapt a little, as this is a subject very much on my mind at the moment.
I came to Quakers when I was 17, and was an experience of 'coming home'. At that time I wasn't a…"
Mark Russ posted a blog postQuakers and the Peacemeal
In a previous blog post I shared my own journey with God and food, expressing my desire that Quakers would eat more regularly together, even suggesting that Meeting for Worship is incomplete until food has been shared. Now I would like to expand on these thoughts.Quakers speak a lot about the whole of life being sacred, faith in practice and letting our lives speak. Quakers are known for their activity in the world. However, to someone visiting a Meeting for Worship, they might see Quakerism as…See More
"Been there! Occasionally find myself visiting that state... Not that I'm a heap of self-loathing, either, but I'll suddenly catch myself at it-- realize that I've been trying to change myself again; while I wasn't the one…"
Mark Russ commented on Mark Russ's blog post 'Transformation and transition – growing as a resurrection community'"Thanks Forrest, I understand you now. Thanks for your truthful words. I was writing about transformation not from a place of self-loathing, but rather from a place of becoming more and more on the outside what God is revealing on the inside.
So many…"
"It takes at least a pair o docs to keep one person half-way sane?
Taking the Christian approach, you end up needing to juggle two considerations: that Jesus loves, and wants you to love, people who are no better than you. And so far as you're…"
Mark Russ commented on Mark Russ's blog post 'Transformation and transition – growing as a resurrection community'"Sorry Forrest, I'm confused by your comment. Could you clarify it for me?"
"Yes. No.
Anyone's ideas about what makes a person "a better follower of Christ" are likely to 1) run afoul of what's called "counterwill', and 2) be quite significantly mistaken.
"Significantly mistaken?-- Do you…"
Mark Russ posted a blog postTransformation and transition – growing as a resurrection community
Why do I go to Quaker Meeting? I go to be transformed by God. Whether this language chimes with other Quakers or not, I hope no one expects to leave Meeting for Worship the same as when they arrive.My desire is that everyday I will become a better follower of Jesus. This requires not only my own effort but also God’s grace. I meet with others to learn what committed discipleship looks like and witness how God’s grace is manifest in the lives of my fellow pilgrims. In a Quaker intentional…See More
Profile Information
- About Me
- I began attending Quaker meetings at the age of 17, seeking a community that would accept me as a gay man. Now I am exploring being part of a Quaker monastery without walls in London, a community that is disparate yet intentional. I am passionate about prayer and following Jesus.
- Website/Blog
- http://qicil.org/
Mark Russ's Blog
Vibrant silence
Every now and again I take part in a Quaker Meeting for Worship that is totally silent: a whole hour where not a word is spoken. To an outsider looking in, all these occasions may look the same, but to the worshipper these experiences can vary wildly. Sometimes I rise at the end of worship with a sense of nourishment, and have at times been graced with a renewed sense of connectedness to my Friends, God and everything. I vividly remember one totally silent Meeting where I felt a palpable,…
ContinuePosted on 5th mo. 15, 2012 at 1:00pm — 1 Comment
'Community - build it or break it?'
Yesterday I attended 'Community - build it or break it?', tenth in a series of Dialogues organised by London Quaker's. 53 friends from across London gathered at Friends House to hear Catherine West and Nigel Norie speak about difficulties of finding ways of tackling inequality consistent with Quaker principles. We heard about initiatives such as the Islington Fairness Commission, North London Citizens and the Islington Youth Council. Catherine described Islington’s methods of tackling…
ContinuePosted on 4th mo. 29, 2012 at 12:31pm — 5 Comments
Quakers and the Peacemeal
In a previous blog post I shared my own journey with God and food, expressing my desire that Quakers would eat more regularly together, even suggesting that Meeting for Worship is incomplete until food has been shared. Now I would like to expand on these thoughts.
Quakers speak a lot about the whole of life being sacred, faith in practice and letting our lives speak. Quakers are known for their activity in the world. However, to someone visiting a Meeting for Worship, they might see…
ContinuePosted on 4th mo. 15, 2012 at 11:36am
Transformation and transition – growing as a resurrection community
Why do I go to Quaker Meeting? I go to be transformed by God. Whether this language chimes with other Quakers or not, I hope no one expects to leave Meeting for Worship the same as when they arrive.
My desire is that everyday I will become a better follower of Jesus. This requires not only my own effort but also God’s grace. I meet with others to learn what committed discipleship looks like and witness how God’s grace is manifest in the lives of my fellow pilgrims. In a Quaker…
ContinuePosted on 4th mo. 7, 2012 at 5:23am — 5 Comments
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Latest Activity
William F Rushby replied to Missy's discussion 'Where's the Quaker in Quaker?'"My response to your comments is that a collection of people called Friends who want to function as…"
Olivia replied to Missy's discussion 'Where's the Quaker in Quaker?'"Okay, what about this version then:
Anyone who WANTS to join together, and do the hard work of…"
Olivia replied to Aaron Clark's discussion 'The Differences Between Christians And Quakers'"Good idea to share these thoughts, Ian!
What does real Christian or follower of Christ mean to…"
Paula Deming replied to Missy's discussion 'Where's the Quaker in Quaker?'"I'm with you, Olivia. I agree. I have no answers. And others may say I'm all wet.…"
Olivia replied to Missy's discussion 'Where's the Quaker in Quaker?'"So then are we utterly failing to be Ourselves......IN COMMUNITY ??
When faced with the fact that…"
Paula Deming replied to Missy's discussion 'Where's the Quaker in Quaker?'"William, thank you for your observations. I have been contemplating what Howard wrote and have felt…"
Jim Wilson posted a blog postRobert Barclay and Quaker Quietism
In the ‘Introduction’ to ‘The Second Period of Quakerism’ by William Braithwaite, Rufus Jones…See More
Ian Barnett replied to Aaron Clark's discussion 'The Differences Between Christians And Quakers'"......that God/Christ/the Spirit is a voice in your conscience, and if you listen for it and to it,…"
William F Rushby replied to Missy's discussion 'Where's the Quaker in Quaker?'"The merging of liberal and Conservative (or Orthodox unprogrammed) Friends was the great vision for…"
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