Emily Provance has done it again: stretched, challenged and rewarded me. If you haven’t met her yet, she is a Quaker thinker, blogger and teacher who is currently hosting a series of structured on-line conversations (read about them here). In them, she identifies pre-conditions observed globally that warn of likely election violence, documents that they […] The post Expanding the “We” appeared first on School of the Spirit Ministry ..read more

by Joann Neuroth My meeting has had an extended wrestling period in which we’ve explored our use of the powerful Light metaphor that has meant so much to Quakers. A beloved Friend of Color among us shared his distress at terms such as “blacklist,” “blackball,” and “blackmail,” which deepen our association of white as good […] The post O Beautiful Darkness appeared first on School of the Spirit Ministry ..read more

by Christopher Sammond More than thirty years ago, a member of my meeting asked me to serve as his elder while he did some ministry with another meeting nearby. I had never done anything like that in the six or so years I had been attending, but it seemed right, so I said yes. And […] The post Growing the Seed appeared first on School of the Spirit Ministry ..read more

My January has been joyfully busy facilitating Faithful Meetings with Friends and I’m excited to be able to share some of what I did with you! On the first Saturday of the new year, I witnessed the closing Faithful Meetings retreat of Red Cedar Friends Meeting. I say “witnessed” because, although I am the facilitator … Faithful Meetings: Juicy January! Read More » The post Faithful Meetings: Juicy January! appeared first on School of the Spirit Ministry ..read more

by Joann Neuroth Last week brought me a humbling, and at the same time encouraging, experience. I woke one morning with what I think early Quakers might have termed a “conviction” experience: a palm- to-forehead groan accompanied by “Oh no, Joann – you did it again. You were THAT PERSON you don’t want to be.” … A Humbling Conviction Read More » The post A Humbling Conviction appeared first on School of the Spirit Ministry ..read more

By Mary Linda McKinney and Joann Neuroth We have the belief that everything we need is available to us when we are doing God’s work. When God leads or calls or nudges us to do something, God provides everything we need in order to do it. Everything we need may not look like what we … What We Need Read More » The post What We Need appeared first on School of the Spirit Ministry ..read more

 by Christopher Sammond A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine from another yearly meeting contacted me.  His meeting’s Ministry and Counsel was going to have a retreat, and a large part of their focus was going to be how to support the meeting in deepening spiritually.  As part of M&C, he was tasked … So, Just What is Spiritual Deepening? Read More » The post So, Just What is Spiritual Deepening? appeared first on School of the Spirit Ministry ..read more

by Mary Linda McKinney   schoolofthespirit · Perfection by Mary Linda McKinney   This message was given to me in worship a couple of Sundays ago. I knew it wasn’t for me because I’m a slacker, not a perfectionist, but neither did I feel the prompting to stand and share the message during worship so … Perfection Read More » The post Perfection appeared first on School of the Spirit Ministry ..read more

by Christopher Sammond These are heartrending, harrowing times.  The recent horrific escalation in the cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians has hit all of us very hard.  Added to the war in Ukraine, the unraveling of our climate, and the rise of fascism in our country, it seems at times too much to bear, … Living the Quaker Path In Heartbreaking Times Read More » The post Living the Quaker Path In Heartbreaking Times appeared first on School of the Spirit Ministry ..read more

by Christopher Sammond Two weeks ago I had the real pleasure of facilitating a workshop on Opening to the Heart of Worship with Friends from Milwaukee Monthly Meeting.  It was a wonderful time of exploring some of the nuts and bolts of our practice of worship- the “spiritual mechanics” of how to engage deeply in … If Worship Is A Potluck, What Do You Bring? Read More » The post If Worship Is A Potluck, What Do You Bring? appeared first on School of the Spirit Ministry ..read more