tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25892579.post939776681993350156..comments2015-09-01T00:29:36.131-05:00Comments on The Quaking Harlot: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 NIV Study BibleElizabeth Bathursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03480478633086491762noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25892579.post-36048631379919839832008-07-18T08:18:00.000-05:002008-07-18T08:18:00.000-05:00Now I now why I was fatening that calf , come home...Now I now why I was fatening that calf , come home and we shall all be happy. I too have strayed and am now journying back, and it feels good to be on the right track.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04439228712166959068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25892579.post-8510551538412579422008-07-16T10:43:00.000-05:002008-07-16T10:43:00.000-05:00When I worked at FGC I can say that they used the ...When I worked at FGC I can say that they used the Guilford and Earlham programs as a kind of "rent a token young Quaker" service. When they wanted some bright young thing they'd call up Max Carter or Michael Birkle and place an order. Sorry to sound so cynical but it was clear that if you weren't part of those programs--or the son or daughter of a well-known committee Quaker--then you didn't get invited to things. That left out 99% of young Friends of course, and I can probably count the exceptions on one hand. Every couple of years the "future of Quakerism" cast changes as the rosy cheeks of youth fade on the old group.<BR/><BR/>I've seen the stress of that Super-Quaker imperative and I sometimes actually feel sad when I hear some interesting young Friend is going into some uber-Quaker program. If they have a blog I know it will dry up. I know they'll go silent with any interesting critiques they've been wrestling with to pose for annual report. I'm glad these programs exist, of course, but by themselves they're just feeding the weird generational power dynamics within the rsof.<BR/><BR/>For what it's worth, independent YAF groups can just materialize out of nowhere. I saw that happen at Central Philadelphia meeting ten years ago. I'd go every month or so hoping to connect with someone and never really succeeding. At one point I feel really led to attend every week and unbeknownst to me a couple of other YAFs had just started attending every week. Pretty soon the whole thing snowballed as we brought all the occasional YAFs in. It wasn't all just a youth fest of course, but the social part gave us an anchor that brought us into the life of the meeting. Unfortunately it didn't go very deeply spiritual and self-destructed within five years. But I still get people contacting me out of the blue from those years, it meant a lot to the people involved.<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure how to address the larger drift problem. I overstayed my welcome and was shown the door. Most of my friends who drifted away still look back in from time to time. If things started to shift it's possible to imagine some of them becoming involved again. But I don't know what that would take. At this point I just try to be faithful to the cloudy instructions I'm given and trusting that God has a plan.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25892579.post-14012276218042527992008-07-13T07:04:00.000-05:002008-07-13T07:04:00.000-05:00This speaks to my condition, James - I'm so glad t...This speaks to my condition, James - I'm so glad to hear you're on the road back.Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18160971651020687637noreply@blogger.com