Friends Journal
@friendsjournal.org
Friends Publishing is a non-profit organization dedicated to communicating Quaker experience in order to connect & deepen spiritual lives. Friends Journal is our flagship publication, with a legacy that goes back to 1827.
"I know from my own experience that the more I say something, the harder it is to listen to what I’m saying, and the less it means," Pamela Haines writes. "So I’m skeptical about putting a lot of weight on the value of saying what we believe."
So how DO Friends figure out our shared vision, then?
So how DO Friends figure out our shared vision, then?
What We Can Trust
Reaping the harvests of our shared practice.
www.friendsjournal.org
December 5, 2025 at 5:45 PM
"I know from my own experience that the more I say something, the harder it is to listen to what I’m saying, and the less it means," Pamela Haines writes. "So I’m skeptical about putting a lot of weight on the value of saying what we believe."
So how DO Friends figure out our shared vision, then?
So how DO Friends figure out our shared vision, then?
In The Littlest Drop, a hummingbird is building her nest in preparation for laying eggs when, not far away, a small spark lands on a leaf and grows into a raging inferno. As other animals shelter near the river, the hummingbird begins to carry water in her beak, one drop at a time, to the fire.
REVIEWED: The Littlest Drop
Everyone has something to offer—and working together, using those various gifts, we can overcome obstacles.
www.friendsjournal.org
December 4, 2025 at 1:00 PM
In The Littlest Drop, a hummingbird is building her nest in preparation for laying eggs when, not far away, a small spark lands on a leaf and grows into a raging inferno. As other animals shelter near the river, the hummingbird begins to carry water in her beak, one drop at a time, to the fire.
"From my cavern of envy, I present to you Rant #42.
My wife has each one numbered, you see.
This one concerns the barren cupboard of my life—self-pity
at how we can’t even dream of buying a parking space
in the neighborhoods where we once lived…"
—from "Real Estate Blues" by Alexander Levering Kern
My wife has each one numbered, you see.
This one concerns the barren cupboard of my life—self-pity
at how we can’t even dream of buying a parking space
in the neighborhoods where we once lived…"
—from "Real Estate Blues" by Alexander Levering Kern
Real Estate Blues
A poem by Alexander Levering Kern.
www.friendsjournal.org
December 3, 2025 at 9:01 PM
"From my cavern of envy, I present to you Rant #42.
My wife has each one numbered, you see.
This one concerns the barren cupboard of my life—self-pity
at how we can’t even dream of buying a parking space
in the neighborhoods where we once lived…"
—from "Real Estate Blues" by Alexander Levering Kern
My wife has each one numbered, you see.
This one concerns the barren cupboard of my life—self-pity
at how we can’t even dream of buying a parking space
in the neighborhoods where we once lived…"
—from "Real Estate Blues" by Alexander Levering Kern
Like John the Baptist, George Fox could sense the ax at the root of the trees, ready to cut everything down. He was convinced that the Spirit of Christ was already moving through this world—and he wanted to help others recognize and embrace that presence among them.
quaker.org/2025/12/01/e...
quaker.org/2025/12/01/e...
December 3, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Like John the Baptist, George Fox could sense the ax at the root of the trees, ready to cut everything down. He was convinced that the Spirit of Christ was already moving through this world—and he wanted to help others recognize and embrace that presence among them.
quaker.org/2025/12/01/e...
quaker.org/2025/12/01/e...
John Allen built a one-room cabin with a loft in Snow Camp, North Carolina, around 1780. His descendant, Marjorie Allen, was the last child born in the cabin, and narrates a story from her childhood (as told to her daughter, Jean Parvin Bordewich) in The Lost Book.
REVIEW: The Lost Book: An Allen House Mystery
What was life like for a family of 12 in a one-room cabin in 1930s North Carolina?
www.friendsjournal.org
December 2, 2025 at 5:01 PM
John Allen built a one-room cabin with a loft in Snow Camp, North Carolina, around 1780. His descendant, Marjorie Allen, was the last child born in the cabin, and narrates a story from her childhood (as told to her daughter, Jean Parvin Bordewich) in The Lost Book.
There is a prominent strain in Christian spirituality that teaches that we do not become better persons by obtaining more knowledge or different beliefs but by acquiring better loves. Hence, early Quakers exhorted one another to “love the Light”—even when it shows us things we would rather not see.
Beyond What Words Can Utter
Moving past the question of belief.
www.friendsjournal.org
December 1, 2025 at 4:30 PM
There is a prominent strain in Christian spirituality that teaches that we do not become better persons by obtaining more knowledge or different beliefs but by acquiring better loves. Hence, early Quakers exhorted one another to “love the Light”—even when it shows us things we would rather not see.
"Advent isn’t only about waiting for something to happen in the future. It’s about noticing what’s already holy now. The Christ who is coming has already come—and keeps coming still."—Teri McDowell Ott, @presoutlook.bsky.social.
That advice would surely have resonated with the earliest Quakers.
That advice would surely have resonated with the earliest Quakers.
First Sunday of Advent — November 30, 2025
Advent isn’t just waiting for what’s coming — it’s seeing what’s already holy now. Slow down, notice, and stay awake to God’s presence.
pres-outlook.org
November 30, 2025 at 1:01 PM
"Advent isn’t only about waiting for something to happen in the future. It’s about noticing what’s already holy now. The Christ who is coming has already come—and keeps coming still."—Teri McDowell Ott, @presoutlook.bsky.social.
That advice would surely have resonated with the earliest Quakers.
That advice would surely have resonated with the earliest Quakers.
"Making a knife for me is sort of like meeting for worship," Henry Freeman told us in 2024. As you get settled in, he explained, "there are parts of making that knife that are very routine... The place I really get to feel centered is when I get to the part of making the knife that really matters."
A Quaker Way of Knife Making - QuakerSpeak
quakerspeak.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:54 PM
"Making a knife for me is sort of like meeting for worship," Henry Freeman told us in 2024. As you get settled in, he explained, "there are parts of making that knife that are very routine... The place I really get to feel centered is when I get to the part of making the knife that really matters."
Some people look at the beloved community as a purely human endeavor, where everybody treats each other well because it makes sense to live that way. Others see God’s hand in its creation: “See,” God told the ancient Israelites, “I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.”
I Have Set Before You Today Life and Prosperity
New for 2025, the Bible Study column runs four times a year in the February, May, August, and November issues.
www.friendsjournal.org
November 28, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Some people look at the beloved community as a purely human endeavor, where everybody treats each other well because it makes sense to live that way. Others see God’s hand in its creation: “See,” God told the ancient Israelites, “I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.”
"On the platform of the Lexington Avenue and 96th Street station, a tall man was bent over a trash container. His body was folded at the waist, and his long, thrashing arms banged against the sides of the container, tipping it from side to side..."
A Thanksgiving story from Jeanine M. Dell’Olio.
A Thanksgiving story from Jeanine M. Dell’Olio.
Thanksgiving on the IRT - Friends Journal
A rushed moment on a New York subway platform is suddenly transformed.
www.friendsjournal.org
November 27, 2025 at 5:01 PM
"On the platform of the Lexington Avenue and 96th Street station, a tall man was bent over a trash container. His body was folded at the waist, and his long, thrashing arms banged against the sides of the container, tipping it from side to side..."
A Thanksgiving story from Jeanine M. Dell’Olio.
A Thanksgiving story from Jeanine M. Dell’Olio.
“Contemplation," Pico Iyer writes, "does not in any case mean closing your eyes so much as opening them, to the glory of everything around you. Coming to your senses, by getting out of your head.”
REVEIWED: Aflame: Learning from Silence
Pico Iyer offers meaningful guidance on slowing down and listening to that of God within ourselves, each other, and the natural world.
www.friendsjournal.org
November 27, 2025 at 1:01 PM
“Contemplation," Pico Iyer writes, "does not in any case mean closing your eyes so much as opening them, to the glory of everything around you. Coming to your senses, by getting out of your head.”
Reposted by Friends Journal
Have you sat in silent worship and had your mind spin out of control? I can totally relate. Centering is not always peaceful; sticking with it has enriched me. Listen to Quakers Today podcast as we demystify the internal experience of "waiting worship."
www.quakerstoday.org
@friendsjournal.org
www.quakerstoday.org
@friendsjournal.org
November 25, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Have you sat in silent worship and had your mind spin out of control? I can totally relate. Centering is not always peaceful; sticking with it has enriched me. Listen to Quakers Today podcast as we demystify the internal experience of "waiting worship."
www.quakerstoday.org
@friendsjournal.org
www.quakerstoday.org
@friendsjournal.org
Throughout history, people have tried to frighten the masses into believing the world will end, plunging us all into eternal torment. In Christian circles, this is often associated with "the Rapture."
Quakers (usually) don't get caught up in these panics—why not?
quaker.org/2025/11/24/y...
Quakers (usually) don't get caught up in these panics—why not?
quaker.org/2025/11/24/y...
November 26, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Throughout history, people have tried to frighten the masses into believing the world will end, plunging us all into eternal torment. In Christian circles, this is often associated with "the Rapture."
Quakers (usually) don't get caught up in these panics—why not?
quaker.org/2025/11/24/y...
Quakers (usually) don't get caught up in these panics—why not?
quaker.org/2025/11/24/y...
From the spring day in 1652 when Margaret Fell met George Fox and became convinced of the truth of Quaker ways, she threw herself wholeheartedly into the young movement. Shulamith Clearbridge takes a fresh look at one of Margaret's many letters, finding much wisdom in her words for us today.
Stand Still Where the Strength Is
Margaret Fell for modern Friends.
www.friendsjournal.org
November 26, 2025 at 1:00 PM
From the spring day in 1652 when Margaret Fell met George Fox and became convinced of the truth of Quaker ways, she threw herself wholeheartedly into the young movement. Shulamith Clearbridge takes a fresh look at one of Margaret's many letters, finding much wisdom in her words for us today.
Can Mary Magdalene be an example for Quakers?
Jennifer Powell McNutt's The Mary We Forgot suggests the Magdalene’s apostleship (commissioned by God, outside of any formal office and despite cultural barriers) can—and should—challenge the church to cultivate women's gifts for faith and ministry.
Jennifer Powell McNutt's The Mary We Forgot suggests the Magdalene’s apostleship (commissioned by God, outside of any formal office and despite cultural barriers) can—and should—challenge the church to cultivate women's gifts for faith and ministry.
REVIEWED: The Mary We Forgot: What the Apostle to the Apostles Teaches the Church Today
By misunderstanding Mary Magdalene’s story in the gospels, we miss crucial aspects of Jesus’s ministry to both men and women.
www.friendsjournal.org
November 25, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Can Mary Magdalene be an example for Quakers?
Jennifer Powell McNutt's The Mary We Forgot suggests the Magdalene’s apostleship (commissioned by God, outside of any formal office and despite cultural barriers) can—and should—challenge the church to cultivate women's gifts for faith and ministry.
Jennifer Powell McNutt's The Mary We Forgot suggests the Magdalene’s apostleship (commissioned by God, outside of any formal office and despite cultural barriers) can—and should—challenge the church to cultivate women's gifts for faith and ministry.
“What brings you out on this cold night, Robert and Silas?” Jacob asked.
“We’ve come for your gun, Jacob," Silas said. "We know you won’t join us, and we respect that, but we need more weapons to fight the British.”
Vickie Aldrich's "A Quaker's Gun" is a brief but compelling historical drama.
“We’ve come for your gun, Jacob," Silas said. "We know you won’t join us, and we respect that, but we need more weapons to fight the British.”
Vickie Aldrich's "A Quaker's Gun" is a brief but compelling historical drama.
A Quaker’s Gun
When the patriots came to seize the weapons.
www.friendsjournal.org
November 24, 2025 at 1:01 PM
“What brings you out on this cold night, Robert and Silas?” Jacob asked.
“We’ve come for your gun, Jacob," Silas said. "We know you won’t join us, and we respect that, but we need more weapons to fight the British.”
Vickie Aldrich's "A Quaker's Gun" is a brief but compelling historical drama.
“We’ve come for your gun, Jacob," Silas said. "We know you won’t join us, and we respect that, but we need more weapons to fight the British.”
Vickie Aldrich's "A Quaker's Gun" is a brief but compelling historical drama.
What does the Quaker practice of listening for Spirit look like in our day-to-day lives? How does it shape our relationship to the prophetic wisdom of the Hebrew Bible & the New Testament?
Over the last few months, we’ve asked several Friends to discuss their understanding of continuing revelation.
Over the last few months, we’ve asked several Friends to discuss their understanding of continuing revelation.
What Does Continuing Revelation Mean for Quakers? - QuakerSpeak
What does the Quaker practice of listening for Spirit look like in our day-to-day lives? How does it shape our…
quakerspeak.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:21 PM
What does the Quaker practice of listening for Spirit look like in our day-to-day lives? How does it shape our relationship to the prophetic wisdom of the Hebrew Bible & the New Testament?
Over the last few months, we’ve asked several Friends to discuss their understanding of continuing revelation.
Over the last few months, we’ve asked several Friends to discuss their understanding of continuing revelation.
FJ staff writer Sharlee DiMenichi spoke with leaders at some of the eight Quaker organizations that issued a joint statement a few months ago expressing their belief that the Israeli government has been committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza to learn how the statement was discerned.
Eight Quaker Organizations Draft and Sign Statement Saying Genocide Is Occurring in Gaza
The statement calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
www.friendsjournal.org
November 21, 2025 at 5:31 PM
FJ staff writer Sharlee DiMenichi spoke with leaders at some of the eight Quaker organizations that issued a joint statement a few months ago expressing their belief that the Israeli government has been committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza to learn how the statement was discerned.
"Transgender Day of Remembrance is a day of mourning and is a call to action. Too many of our siblings face danger, rejection, and loneliness simply for being who God created them to be. Today, we say clearly: You are loved. You belong. We will walk with you."
Friends General Conference Stands with Transgender People on Transgender Day of Remembrance - Friends General Conference
FGC honors Transgender Day of Remembrance, to lift up lost lives and affirm dignity and safety for all trans, intersex, and nonbinary people.
www.fgcquaker.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:15 PM
"Transgender Day of Remembrance is a day of mourning and is a call to action. Too many of our siblings face danger, rejection, and loneliness simply for being who God created them to be. Today, we say clearly: You are loved. You belong. We will walk with you."
Max Carter has lived, worked, and traveled in Palestine–Israel for decades. His latest book offers detailed reflections on the annual service learning trips that he and his wife, Jane Carter, co-led from 2006 through 2019 for Guiiford College students and for Friends United Meeting.
REVIEWED: Palestine and Israel: Understanding Encounters
Max Carter's reporting from Palestine and Israel reminds all Friends of our moral responsibilities as faith-based peace and justice activists.
www.friendsjournal.org
November 20, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Max Carter has lived, worked, and traveled in Palestine–Israel for decades. His latest book offers detailed reflections on the annual service learning trips that he and his wife, Jane Carter, co-led from 2006 through 2019 for Guiiford College students and for Friends United Meeting.
"I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, [and] I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall no longer fear or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord." (Jeremiah 23:3-4)
quaker.org/2025/11/17/i...
quaker.org/2025/11/17/i...
November 19, 2025 at 7:11 PM
"I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, [and] I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall no longer fear or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord." (Jeremiah 23:3-4)
quaker.org/2025/11/17/i...
quaker.org/2025/11/17/i...
Reposted by Friends Journal
Gumby as a Quaker icon? Hear us out.
Curiosity + kindness + imaginative compassion = a surprisingly perfect combo.
Catch this short clip from “Quakers and the Mystery of Worship.”
www.friendsjournal.org/podcast/quak... @friendsjournal.org
November 19, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Gumby as a Quaker icon? Hear us out.
Curiosity + kindness + imaginative compassion = a surprisingly perfect combo.
Catch this short clip from “Quakers and the Mystery of Worship.”
www.friendsjournal.org/podcast/quak... @friendsjournal.org
Oooh, this sounds like it might be in our wheelhouse. “A mode of religious practice that willingly disregards scripture, creeds, & confessions when they fail to suit the needs of the moment" seems like it might have much in common with Christ-centered Quakerism. We shall have to investigate further!
My book was reviewed in Christian Century today, and I think it's a very well-done and fair analysis of my project.
www.christiancentury.org/books/who-ge...
www.christiancentury.org/books/who-ge...
Who gets to define Christianity?
David Congdon links postliberal theology to the exclusionary politics of the Christian...
www.christiancentury.org
November 19, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Oooh, this sounds like it might be in our wheelhouse. “A mode of religious practice that willingly disregards scripture, creeds, & confessions when they fail to suit the needs of the moment" seems like it might have much in common with Christ-centered Quakerism. We shall have to investigate further!
Whether you’re a long-time Friend or someone who has never stepped into a mostly silent meeting, the latest Quakers Today podcast is pulling back the curtain to explore what happens in our hearts, minds, and bodies when we sit together in worship.
Quaker Podcast - Podcast Exploring Quaker Life & Religious Beliefs
Quakers Today, hosted by Peterson Toscano, features writers, musicians, and thinkers who are seeking wisdom and understanding in a rapidly changing world.
www.friendsjournal.org
November 19, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Whether you’re a long-time Friend or someone who has never stepped into a mostly silent meeting, the latest Quakers Today podcast is pulling back the curtain to explore what happens in our hearts, minds, and bodies when we sit together in worship.
David R. Haines is one of the leading collectors of Quaker books and manuscripts. Two new books, based on documents of the early eighteenth-century Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, reflect David’s interest in Quaker history—and are a model of both painstaking investigation and careful editing.
REVIEWED: The First American Quaker Discipline AND “What Canst We Say?”
David R. Haines digs into the historical records of the eighteenth-century Yearly Meeting in Philadelphia in two new books.
www.friendsjournal.org
November 18, 2025 at 1:00 PM
David R. Haines is one of the leading collectors of Quaker books and manuscripts. Two new books, based on documents of the early eighteenth-century Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, reflect David’s interest in Quaker history—and are a model of both painstaking investigation and careful editing.