Comments broken...and fixed

Thank G-d its fixed. However, re-reading some of my responses to posts, its embarrassing to see how deeply I've misinterpreted the post, and how quickly I sprint down the well worn worn ruts of my own opinions. Ahhh....the soapbox. Thanks for providing a forum for soapboxing, boxing, wraslin, and at its best, intelligent discussion. Your site is so user friendly. I tried responding on the other Q-sites you've linked, and some of them just defeated me. I know, Martin, its not that hard, but I'm a gray head. Regarding the 'people yet to be gathered'...people are attracted to something real. People are also alienated by the real. There is always an underground church while the official one thinks its sucking up all the goodies from G-d. There are so many who are fed up with church, me being one. I came to the Quakers deeply wounded from the evangelical church. The Quakers still have so much to offer, spiritually, and in welcoming the outsider. But, if I had to depend on my Quaker community for spiritual sustainence, I would be starving. I felt that in the evangelical church too however. I think its incumbent on every seeker, to do their one-on-one work with G-d. Quakers will only be as strong corporately as the individuals that do this work. Once again, its the invisible work of various individuals that supports the whole, meanwhile the whole thinking...huh..we're pretty swell ! Look...meeting is deep! I dont know how to turn this into a recipe for drawing people to Q-ism, except that the Real attracts and repells at the sametime.

Hi Barb: I love the idea that people are both attracted to the Real and afraid of the Real (and yes, I've noticed the non-accidental capitalization in the last instance!).

I find much solace in that well-told line of Fox, where he recounted that he had gone around to all the churches and all the wise priests and professors trying to learn God but had failed. "There is one," said the voice, "even Christ Jesus" shock of shocks, "that can speak to thy condition." And then he was told that the human failure was part of the divine lesson: "Then the Lord let me see why there was none upon the earth that could speak to my condition, namely, that I might give Him all the glory." Good stuff there. And if it was true in George Fox's time, there's a good chance it's true now. Our meetings aren't meant to be the primary source of our spiritual bread, no sir-ee. They're where we go to collectively witness to our great gift and declare it to the world.

Thank you, me dear. -Barb