Look to the Light is a series of short articles shared with subscribers to the Friends Journal email newsletter, elaborating on matters of Quaker faith and spirituality. You can receive new articles in your inbox, along with information about other Friends Journal articles and features, by filling out the signup form at the bottom of this page.
The Word of God Is Living and Active (October 7): “Do we believe in continued revelation as intensely as they did in the time of Friends like George Fox and James Nayler?”
As for Me, I Walk in My Integrity (September 30): “The Quaker establishment deliberately distanced themselves from James Nayler, assuring Puritan authorities they would never step as far out of line as he had.”
Would That All the Lord’s People Were Prophets (September 23): “God doesn’t need to come to help us—if we could but see clearly, we could detect the presence of Spirit accompanying us right now.”
WIth Joy and Gladness They Are Led Along (September 16): “To fully honor Margaret Fell, we should look beyond the mere existence of her ministry and delve wholeheartedly into its substance.”
The Lord God Has Given Me a Trained Tongue (September 9): “The earliest Friends had a model for ministry, in the voices of the prophets recorded in the Hebrew Bible. Their example calls to us as well.”
Be Doers of the Word (September 2): “We can’t just say we believe in simplicity and peace and all that. We have to actively commit ourselves to identifying what it means to live a simple, peaceful life, then live that way, every day.”
The Eye Is the Lamp of the Body (August 26): “What happens when you don’t believe that Spirit will see you through the hard times?”
This Teaching Is Difficult; Who Can Accept It? (August 19): “Some of us may find ‘the work of God’ much harder than others—especially when we’re called upon to apply it consistently, across the board, to everyone.”
I Sought the Lord, and He Answered Me (August 12): “I know many Quakers whose passion for peace and social action comes from the same holy enthusiasm that animated Mary as she set out on the path God had chosen for her.”
Let Us (Not) Set Up Three Tents (August 5): “Most Quakers today understand that a meetinghouse has no spiritual significance without Friends to give the meeting life.”
Filled with All the Fullness of God (July 25): “Is the seed which God sows in the heart inherently Christian?”
My Soul Thirsts for God (July 18): “Together, we reinforce one another’s faith—because believing not only that God exists, but that we might directly experience God in our lifetimes, takes work.”
Let Me Hear What God the Lord Will Speak (July 11): “The prospect of continued revelation, to use the technical term for it, plays a central role in Quaker faith and practice.”
They Shall Know That There Has Been a Prophet Among Them (July 04): “George Fox didn’t sound smart or clever to those he preached to, but he did sound convincing—and divinely inspired.”