Category Archives: Facing Life with Faith

Spiritual Ancestors

Posted on December 31, 2022 by friendmarcelle

For years I did reading and research about the English Puritan and Quaker settlers to New England in the 1600s. I learned about the Puritan context, Anabaptist influence, theological ferment, and social unrest out of which Quakerism emerged, and I … Continue reading →

Posted in Facing Life with Faith, Learning from Early Friends | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Invitation to Quaker Eldering

Posted on November 3, 2022 by friendmarcelle

Early in the Quaker movement, Friends recognized that the living Spirit of God was guiding them directly without need of intermediaries. Members of the faith community were given particular gifts of the Spirit for the benefit of all. Not all … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemplative spirituality, Facing Life with Faith, Learning from Early Friends, Quaker Faith Today, Radical Christianity, spiritual practices, Supporting Spirit-led Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Between This Life and the Next

Posted on October 17, 2022 by friendmarcelle

About a year after my friend Jim died, I began to sense–or imagine–that from the next life he was somehow nudging me to write about my experience of his dying and death–and what happened afterwards. It was as though he … Continue reading →

Posted in Facing Life with Faith, Quaker Faith Today, Stories that Heal | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

A Hand Across the Ocean

Posted on September 18, 2022 by friendmarcelle

I’m grieving the death of my brilliant young friend Rachel, a Quaker climate specialist and university teacher who has died suddenly. I met Rachel almost twenty years ago when she was the young Friend sent by Britain Yearly Meeting (Quakers) … Continue reading →

Posted in All of Life is Sacred, environmental activism, Facing Life with Faith, Following a Leading, Quaker Faith Today | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Earth Day S.O.S.

Posted on April 27, 2022 by friendmarcelle

On a lovely spring day, Earth Day, we drove forty minutes from our home in Chester, one of the poorest cities in Pennsylvania, to the headquarters of Vanguard, a company that manages more than $7 trillion in financial assets. In … Continue reading →

Posted in All of Life is Sacred, environmental activism, Facing Life with Faith, Quaker Faith Today | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Brightening of Terry Patten

Posted on November 2, 2021 by friendmarcelle

Author and spiritual teacher Terry Patten died early Saturday morning, Oct 30th. His passing is mourned by many who benefited from his comprehensive, integral vision of life and by those who were touched by the heart with which he gave … Continue reading →

Posted in All of Life is Sacred, Facing Life with Faith, Living in a Time of Pandemic, spiritual practices, Stories that Heal | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Revolutionary Love

Posted on November 27, 2020 by friendmarcelle

I recently read a moving, powerful book that combines the personal, spiritual, and political, to show how, in the life of author Valarie Kaur, they are one. Kaur was raised in a faith that taught her to “see no stranger,” … Continue reading →

Posted in All of Life is Sacred, Facing Life with Faith, Stories that Heal, Working for Peace and Justice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Stay With Me

Posted on November 10, 2020 by friendmarcelle

On the night of this year’s Presidential election, I joined three different online vigils with Friends. Four years ago, I had spent many difficult hours alone on election night before the results were clear. This time around, there were again … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemplative spirituality, Facing Life with Faith, Living in a Time of Pandemic, Quaker Faith Today | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

One Nation Under Love

Posted on November 4, 2020 by friendmarcelle

A poem by Ken Jacobsen, a Quaker who lives in Wisconsin: One Nation Under Love    it is good to remember    in this time of political stress,    we are all already citizens    of the country of Love, … Continue reading →

Posted in All of Life is Sacred, Facing Life with Faith, healing, Quaker Faith Today, Radical Christianity, Stories that Heal, Working for Peace and Justice | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Interviewing EarthQuaker Carl Magruder

Posted on September 28, 2020 by friendmarcelle

Recently I had the opportunity to interview an extraordinary Friend, Quaker hospice chaplain and traveling minister Carl Magruder.  At the time of our interview, more than 500 wildfires were raging in the state of California, where he lives.  He spoke … Continue reading →

Posted in All of Life is Sacred, Facing Life with Faith, Following a Leading, Quaker Faith Today, Supporting Spirit-led Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments