Replace the Old ~ Arthur Gish

 "The radical will not work through the power structure in order to take it over. Neither will he wait until the establishment is ready to accept his ideas, for he may very well spend his whole life waiting as so many have done. He begins to act now on the vision. He is building a new society which will replace the old."

~ Arthur Gish

More at http://theviewfromthisseat.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/arthur-g.html

Artwork from  Carrie Wachsmann http://www.wachsmannstudios.com/paintings.html

For What is Thine ~ William Penn

"We give them back to you Dear Lord,
who gavest them to us.
Yet as thou didst not lose them in giving,
so we have not lost them by their return.
For what is thine is ours always if we are thine."

~

PS I found this in a book of children's prayers credited as a 'Quaker Prayer'. It is obviously drawn from William Penn (see below)

"We give back to you, O God, those whom you gave to us. You did not lose them when you gave them to us, and we do not lose them by their return to you. Your dear son has taught us that life is eternal, and love cannot die. So death is only an horizon, and an horizon is only the limit of our sight. Open our eyes to see more clearly, and draw us closer to you that we may know that we are nearer to our loved ones, who are with you. You have told us that you are preparing a place for us; prepare us also for that place, that where you are we may also be always, O dear Lord of life and death."

~ William Penn

More at  The Lion Book of 1000 Prayers for Children
Artwork from Deborah Champion http://www.deborahchampion.co.uk/2011_05_01_archive.html

Intimate Conversation~ Agnes L. Tierney

"The habit of turning instinctively to God at any moment of life is of immeasurable benefit to mind and spirit. The entreaty of the moment may be for one’s own strength, forgiveness, courage or power to endure. It may be petition for the well-being of another. It may be an involuntary expression of gratitude for joy or peace in one’s own or another’s life. Whatever the need, longing or aspiration this instinctive prayer may take the form of silent communion, of petition in words, or in times of perplexity or trouble, enjoyment or happiness, of something akin to intimate conversation."

~ Agnes L. Tierney

More at. http://www.pym.org/publications/pym-pamphlets/effective-prayer/
Artwork from Giuliana Lazzerini http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheBluebirdGallery?page=1

Process of Liberation ~ Harvey Gillman

"Many of the people who come to us are both refugees and seekers. They are looking for a space to find their authenticity, a space in a spiritual context. It is a process of liberation. Some discover what they need among Friends, others go elsewhere. This gift of the sacred space that Friends have to offer is a two-edged sword. It is not easy administratively to quantify; it leads to ambiguity. It demands patient listening; it can be enriching and challenging to our complacency. It is outreach in the most general sense and it is a profound service. It may not lead to membership and it may cause difficulties in local meetings. But if someone comes asking for bread, we cannot say, sorry we are too busy discovering our own riches; when we have found them, we'll offer you a few. Our riches are precisely our sharing. And the world is very, very hungry."

Harvey Gillman

More at http://archive.londonquakers.org/news/harvey-gilman-mysticism-kingston

Artwork from Peter Reddick http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/nov/24/peter-reddick-obituary

Definitive Answers ~ Iris Graville

"Definitive answers had long been a comfort to me.  I listened, without questioning, for years to the wisdom of my parents, teachers, and ministers. I welcomed the certainty that there was an explanation, a logic, a right answer, for the many parts of life I didn't understand. Eventually, though, somewhere around the time my Lutheran pastor frowned at my questions, such conviction began to feel stifling rather than reassuring......

That’s what has kept me among Friends for over thirty years.  Not only is it acceptable to ask questions, it’s expected.  We use open-ended questions that invite us to speak from our own experiences and that guide us to explore how God is leading us now, individually and collectively.  So now, I sit in the silence—sometimes on a hard, wooden bench, but usually on a couch in a friend’s living room or on a folding chair at a Quaker gathering, at other times on a rocky beach or deep in a pine forest—and ask questions. And now, it’s the questions that sustain me through life’s mysteries."

~ Iris Graville

More at  http://bloggerbyconvincement.blogspot.co.uk

Artwork by Roger Medearis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Medearis

A Different Life ~ Ben Pink Dandelion

"I am a Quaker. I am part of the worldwide Quaker community and I inhabit that knowledge daily. It helps me live the way I want to. The knowledge and reality of that community membership informs my life and gives me the strength I need to live faithfully, to speak truth to power, to witness in the world.

I feel different from those around me, and my faith impels me to live a different life from the one the secular world tells me. As I walk down the road, catch the bus, take the train, drive, eat, speak, or buy, I am not following societies norms, but those alternatives hewn out by Quakers over three and a half centuries of discerning what is called from us as people of God. I feel clothed in my faith."

~ Ben Pink Dandelion

More at http://www.pendlehill.org/lectures/fall2009/249-the-inward-supper

Artwork by Ron Waddams http://www.larrenart.org.uk/about_artist.htm

Adapt the World ~ George Bernard Shaw

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

~  George Bernard Shaw

More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bernard_Shaw
Artist Lynd Ward http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynd_Ward

Time is Short ~ Elizabeth Goudge

“Nothing living should ever be treated with contempt. Whatever it is that lives, a man, a tree, or a bird, should be touched gently, because the time is short. Civilization is another word for respect for life...”

― Elizabeth Goudge

More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Goudge

Artwork by Richard Bawden http://www.birchamgallery.co.uk/catalogue/artist/Richard:Bawden/

The Mystery of it All ~ Susanne Kromberg

"I can no longer keep myself from telling everyone who wants to listen that hope, joy, peace, and feeling safe arise out of being in the hands of a God who promises to be with us in whatever we encounter. How can I keep from proclaiming what I know to be true – that this God of ours has plans of peace for us? That God is actively at work, using even the bad things that happen for good.The mystery of it all is that as I allow this joy and gratitude to bubble up within me, I can hardly keep myself from throwing myself into work for peace and  justice. The more I trust God, the more I also see God at work in societal developments, too. It looks like peace, abundance, and safety are just waiting to be birthed into the world, and I want to be part of it!"

~ Susanne Kromberg

More at  http://quakersusanne.wordpress.com/

Artwork Natalia Moroz http://www.nataliamoroz.com/