Hi all, I wanted to send a short newsletter because there's a bunch of stuff going on that I thought you'd like to know about from some upcoming travel to coffee discount codes! I hope to send another update or two soon now that the crush of the semester is almost over. And more importantly, I hope that you all are finding peace and joy in this season. ## **Pros and Cons of Seminary Discussion** Tuesday, December 9th - 7:30-8:30pm Seminary Wess - While working on my doctoral research in Birmingham, UK (2007) I'll be sharing this Tuesday on a panel discussion with some great Friends/Quakers on the subject of The Pros and Cons#ministryjourney of Seminary. _Thinking about seminary—or reflecting on your own journey? Join us for an honest conversation with three panelists as they share how seminary shaped their lives and ministries, what they wish they’d known, and advice for prospective students._ 🗣️ Panelists: ✨ C. Wess Daniels— Director of Friends Center & Quaker Studies at Guilford College ✨ Rachel Guaraldi — Pastor, chaplain, and ESR graduate ✨ Christina Repoley — Founder of Quaker Voluntary Service; VP at the Forum for Theological Exploration 📅 Hosted by Public Friends & Quaker Leadership Center Be sure to register today at: https://tinyurl.com/PF-ProsandCons ## **☕️ Fireweed Coffee News** ### Espresso, Coffee Collab and a Discount for You I think most of you know I own a small coffee roasting business here in Greensboro called Fireweed Coffee Co. This holiday season we have a couple fun, new, offerings: **Public Universal Blend is Back for a Limited Time:** The coffee collaboration we did last year called Public Universal Blend (to honor the queer Quaker minister, Public Universal Friend) is back up on my Fireweed Coffee Company Website and available for a limited time over the holidays. **New Espresso Blend:** I've been working on an espresso blend and have finally released it to the public. It's a blend of light and medium roast coffees that is absolutely delicious. You can order it online here. **Discount for Readers:** If you'd like to order some coffee to send as gifts or for yourself, here is a 10% discount as a thank you for being readers of this website. It is good on single orders or monthly subscriptions. The discount will last through the end of this year. Discount code: "gatheringinlight" ## **Quakers, Empire, and The Lamb's War** ### Discussion at Chapel Hill Friends - Sunday, December 14. I'll be leading First Day School on the subject the Lamb's War this coming Sunday. If you're around the Chapel Hill area, I'm sure Friends wouldn't mind having some guests. I'll let you know how it goes as this has been a new area of research for me over the past month and a half. ## Silence as a Practice of Resistance (and more) ### March 6-10 - Visiting the Pacific Northwest to Travel in Ministry I'll be visiting Portland, OR and Camas, WA and speaking on a variety of subjects including _Silence as a Practice of Resistance in the Attention Economy_ at Reedwood Friends Church. I'll also be speaking at Camas Friends and doing some work with Sierra Cascades Yearly Meeting of Friends. If you're in the area, I'd love to see you at one of the events and connect if possible. _More info on this in the coming months._ ## 🔗 Links of Interest * Just about finished reading Ted Chiang's, _Exhalation_ _._ It was my first book I've read by Chiang and I really enjoyed it Chiang's version of science fiction. * I'm looking forward to seeing the 4.5 hour version of Kill Bill in the theaters over break. * Is six-seven brain rot? The case is strong. * I love this - The Latest Defense Against ICE: 3D-Printed Whistles * This tickled my growing interest in mending and repairing things: How to Fix a Typewriter and Your Life. * The podcast / blog The Pen Addict is adding a lot of fun to my life recently. ## Micro-Blog - I'm A Trapeze Artist Since I've mostly extracted myself social-media (with a post to IG about once every 6 months), I had a bit of a hole in my life. I wanted to place to share short posts, links, and other things I come across that I find interesting (or want to find later). Therefore, I started a "Micro-Blog" a few months ago and am working under my old Tumblr title: I'm A Trapeze Artist. I'll add a link to it from this blog for easy access. Feel free to dig around there and bookmark it if you'd like. The title is inspired by a line from Bob Dylan: > _You don't necessarily have to write to be a poet. Some people work in gas stations and they're poets. I don't call myself a poet, because I don't like the word. I'm a trapeze artist._ Peace and Blessings to you all! Wess Daniels Haw River Watershed (Greensboro, NC)

This past week, I was asked to give a few remarks for a fundraiser at New Garden Friends Meeting for the organization, Every Campus a Refuge. If you don't know about "ECAR" you need to check it out. It was started at Guilford College by faculty member, Diya Abdo in the fall of 2015 (NPR). > In September 2015, Pope Francis called on every European parish to host one refugee family. This simple yet powerful appeal resonated deeply with Dr. Abdo, sparking a revolutionary idea: Why couldn’t colleges and universities, with their abundant resources and supportive communities, serve as sanctuaries for refugees? About ECAR - Link The first chapter was at Guilford College and our first family moved in not that long after. Here is a very well-done, short documentary about that first family. ECAR has grown to more than 2 dozen campuses and has supported many refuge families. I'm really proud of Guilford's involvement in this program and inspired by the work that Diya Abdo and her team has accomplished over the last 10 years to support vulnerable families. My invitation was to speak of the local Quaker history with the Underground Railroad and our famous Witness tree that we visit on tours we give. The overlapping narratives of "sanctuary" in history of the Underground Railroad and present work of ECAR is important link for all involved. Below are my remarks. * * * This week my staff and I gave 10 underground railroad tours. Each tour consisted of 30-50 students from local schools and churches. Just last year, we took more than 1000 people back into the Guilford woods to share stories of the underground railroad. Many of our visitors are students from local schools, Guilford college, but we also have community leaders, religious folks, Quakers, out of state visitors, and alumni all joining to learn more. For those of you who haven't been on a tour, we always end at what we call **the witness tree.** The witness tree is a beautiful old Tulip tree that dates back well before the 1800s. We believe that it somewhere between 250-300 years old. This Tulip not only towers over the rest of the trees on the hillside where it stands, but its girth takes at least 12 middle schoolers to wrap around. We know because we've recently tested! We call it our Witness Tree for two main reasons. This was a tree that stood watch during the active years of the Underground Railroad in the New Garden Woods. The tree was there when an enslaved women named Ede fled David Caldwell's plantation (found where the botanical garden now stands) and hid there with her infant child until her child got sick and Ede decided to seek help from the Coffin family. It stood watch in the woods alongside the oaks and shagbark in 1817 when the first recorded journey of the Underground Railroad out of New Garden Woods took place as Levi Coffin and Freed Blackman, John Dimrey, traveled north to ensure John would not be re-enslaved by men who believe they had an inherited right to his body and intellect. The Tulip's canopy stood proud while an enslaved man—known only as Hamilton's Sol—worked for the freedom of those like him who were bound. Sol collaborated with Levi and Vestal Coffin to find people on the plantations most in need of escaping the bonds of enslavement. Our tree was a Witness to the more than 3000 freedom seekers who found safe passageway on that invisible train that ran through these parts: often at night, often in the cold, always with the support of others who believed another world was possible. A few years ago, we had a remarkable visitor to the campus: Robin Wall Kimmerer, the Potawatomi botanist, author, and environmental activist, best known for her book _Braiding Sweetgrass_ joined us on a walk through the Guilford woods to visit the Witness tree. Her wisdom that day left a deep impression on us. But there was one thing she said that changed everything about the way I understand the story of the underground railroad. Next to the platform where our guests sit to listen to stories and observe the Tulip at a distance that protects the roots of the tree from too much human impact, there is a sign that reads "Tulip Poplar dates back before 1800." A harmless enough sign at first, but Robin Wall Kimmerer pointed out to us that "poplar" names the tree as an object, the kind of lumber that the tree is to become. The name Poplar undoes the name Tulip by marking the tree, not as a subject, as she is when we talk about her as the Witness to the work of freedom and justice, but as an object meant to be cut down and turned into something "useful" for human consumption. But to remove poplar and refer to this Tulip tree as a Witness reminds us of the tree's subjectivity, agency, life and community exists outside of human maintenance or control. The tree has its own reciprocity with all the living things around it. This hit me like a ton of bricks: The tree as subject, like all the other living things that Robin Wall Kimmerer talks about, means that where I once saw the Underground Railroad as a powerful multiracial coalition, I now see that the circle of liberation expanded to include more participants, more allies: members of the more-than-human world. When we broaden the circle like this we are not just talking the power of a multiracial coalition but a multi-species coalition of justice and freedom. > "The trees, all act as one because the fungi have connected them. Through unity, survival. All flourishing is mutual. Soil, fungus, tree, squirrel, boy - all are the beneficiaries of reciprocity (P. 20)." Wall Kimmerer And of course this is always the kind of pattern reflected in the most successful movements of love and justice in our world. These are the ones that do not restrict circles or narrowly define who is in and who is out, as though justice mainly comes from being sure one is right rather than one is free. This pattern of extending the circle, looking for all the helpers everywhere, having the imagination possible to see that all of God's creation is living and bends towards justice and freedom is an imagination we desperately need more of in our world. Óscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, who was assassinated while serving communion to the poorest in his community once wrote: > I don’t want to be an anti, against anybody. I simply want to be the builder of a great affirmation: the affirmation of God, who loves us and who wants to save us. Quaker Abolitionist John Woolman put it even more simply when he said, > "Let Love be the first motion." This is the pattern I see in the very origin story and ongoing work of Every Campus a Refuge. Expanding the circle of welcome, love, and justice into a coalition that exceeds our most imaginative movements. I mentioned earlier, this is a second reason why we call it the Witness tree: it is a witness to us and of us part as a part of this ongoing story and struggle to create a new world. It witnesses us as part of this ancient tradition of resistance, inviting us into the struggle and the dream what it takes to imagine a beloved community in Greensboro, in North Carolina, in the United States of America, and all around the world. What will the tree witness of us today?

I was asked to write for the Political Theology website for the upcoming lectionary reading, Luke 18:1-8. This parable is well-known sometimes thought of as "the persistent widow and corrupt judge." My reading takes it in a different direction. Like all of Jesus' parables, this one has quite the hidden shock. Here's the pitch: > This parable is very much about the widow being a “new and unsettling force in the complacent life” of this unrighteous judge and the structures which incentivize his brutality. To speak of the widow in terms of unsettling force is anything but a stretch in this text. In fact, I think you might be surprised at the turn that is coming. Read more on the political theology blog: The Parable of the Widow as an Unsettling Force | Political Theology NetworkThis parable is very much about the widow being a “new and unsettling force in the complacent life” of this unrighteous judge and the structures which incentivize his brutality. To speak of the widow…Political Theology NetworkC. Wess Daniels

Dear Friends, Happy September. Is it really September already?! Living life in submission to the academic calendar makes August a complete blur. Between my wife, Emily, our three teenagers, and my work at Guilford College, the "getting ready for start of school" becomes a sort of mantra in the Daniels household. I did better this year in that weeks leading up to the mayhem. I had enough foresight to schedule a haircut and some "personal recovery time," right after the major crush of everything starting. Even still, the lesson for me this year is that the start of school is a bit of a misnomer. It's really the getting ready, the start, and then about 2 weeks after when we're getting into the rhythm that occupies a tremendous amount of energy, will power, and coffee (plug-in product placement). This Friday, the end of week 3, I am feeling more in the flow of things, more breathing room, and like a have a better sense of what I have on my plate. This means I'm finally able to sit down to write to all of you. **A couple Guilford-focused updates:** First, we succeeded in raising over 6 million dollars in the first half of the year which enabled the college to close out the fiscal year with a balanced budget. A tremendous of love, support, and energy went into helping Guilford get to more stable footing and I'm really proud of what our staff and faculty have been able to do. Because of this, and a number of other initiatives on campus, I am very optimistic about our accreditation review that is coming up in about a month. I know that a number of you, readers of this newsletter, were apart of giving to the college and I want to thank you for your support as well. Another really exciting piece of news, if you haven't heard, is that we've managed to entered into a conservation easement for 160 acres of the Guilford College woods. This is something a number of us have been asking for and dreaming about long before I got here. The easement is with Piedmont Land Conservancy. Guilford will receive money for the woods, which will then be locked into a land trust. We will continue to be able to use it as we have been but it will protect the woods from ever being developed. We all breathed a sigh of relief when this was agreed upon. Photo by Yuwei C on Unsplash For my part, I am teaching two classes and one independent study (advanced topics in Quaker Studies) this semester and I'm loving all of it. The highlight class is a new one I've been developing and talking about extensively. It is a first year seminar class called, "Boredom as a Superpower." **Here's the pitch:** _Do YOU like being bored?! In this class, we will look at boredom as a superpower that can help you resist the disconnection and fast-paced information, endless notifications, doom scrolling, and the always-on nature of our lives. Practices that help us slow down, or "get bored," will help grow our capacity for awareness, focus, deep work, and creativity. How are we going to get bored, you ask?_ * _Take notes in class by drawing pictures_ * _Have class with no tech_ * _Practice having a prolonged conversation with another person_ * _Let mind wandering lead to creativity_ _Join us as we challenge ourselves with practices like joy-strolling and discover how mastering boredom might become your greatest superpower for success at Guilford._ I'm loving the class and the students who decided to take a college class on boredom so much. I've got 19 first years in the class as so far as I can tell they are all game for the kind of stuff we're doing in the class. So far, in class, they go without cellphones or technology, we've done hand sewing (cellphone sleeping bags), spent time in silence out at the Guilford College lake, and learned how to build a fire (not as easy as they thought) that we then used as a centering point for more silence and conversation. I'll tell you more about this class soon, but wanted to share one of the things that's been bringing me a lot of joy right now. Some photos from my visit to California ## Updates from Visit to California I mentioned in my last note that I was headed to California for Quaker Connect work. For those of you who are Quakers reading this, if you're interested in knowing more or applying to be in the next cohort we are accepting applications now. Quaker Connect is a Quaker renewal program that I helped design and am working very closely with. This led to an opportunity to travel out to Northern California and work with a couple Quaker groups there (San Mateo Worship Group and Santa Cruz Monthly Meeting). I also enjoyed a visit to Wednesday evening worship with San Francisco Friends. I won't share the specifics of the work I did with these groups but I am really pleased with what both groups are doing. I had time to worship with each group, conduct some interviews, learn more about the contexts their meetings are in, some of the challenges and opportunities they face, and spend time with the apprentices who are in our program. A couple of things that stood out to me about the process: I think that Quaker Connect provides the support and permission apparatus, if you will, for meetings to try things they may not try or push themselves to do without it. I already see all kinds of things our groups are doing that are a result of their involvement in the program. A second thing I saw, is that energy begets energy in a meeting. If folks are excited and trying new things, it's is possible to get others excited and pull people in. Both groups are regularly seeing new people visit and more engagement. Some of the questions that ran across where around loneliness and community. A lot of folks are looking for friendship and camaraderie in this difficult political and cultural climate. Friends who are able to create welcoming, low-threshold experiences for new folks to enter into are finding that people genuinely want to build new (and more) connections. I also heard ongoing desire for more religious education, discussions around God-language, and how to remain centered as a meeting in such trying times. There is no one answer fits all, but I do think meetings who are willing to ask and continue to wrestle with these questions will find ways forward that can strengthen their community. For the next couple of months all of the meetings in Quaker Connect are trying their first experiment, trying something new that is "safe to fail," for at least 6 times, creates an opportunity to learn by doing, and see how meetings might address some of their leadings and challenges. I'm eager to see what their findings are and will report back here when I have more to share on how the program is going. Feel free to email with questions about any of this if you'd like: wess@gatheringinlight.com Our dog, Magnolia, out on the front porch during our morning reading time. ## Wess' Notepad: _A few notes on things I've been exploring and enjoying recently_ * I just finished Dilla Time by Dan Charnas. This biography of Detroit's famous, although under known for how much impact he had, Hip-Hop producer is so incredibly good. If you like Hip-Hop history, love Dilla or 90's Rap, music theory, cartography (yes), and learning about folks like Common, Questlove, Q-Tip, and more you're going to love this book. * I've been reading more lately. My best time for reading is in the morning after my workout and dog walk. I like sit on the front porch with coffee for about 30 minutes with Emily and our dog, Magnolia (see above). A big part of this is my own "boredom practice," inspired by class. I set my phone out of the way and on do not disturb, keep a Life Noble Memo next to me for thoughts, ideas, and quotes that pop-up while I'm reading and then just try and focus for about 30 minutes. In this case, a boredom practice, as we're calling it for the class is really just about doing something with focus and attention for a period of time, and pushing past the urge to distract yourself with the phone or anything that gets you off track. Below is an activity I've done a few times to gauge how often I look up or get distracted. This is the 2nd and 3rd attempt combined on one page. This is an activity I borrowed from a friend and am planning to do with my students soon. Attention Timeline for morning reading * I've been enjoying the app Fable to track my books and reading. * The Disappearance of Literary Men Should Worry Everyone - NY Time Opinion piece * Here's what happened when I made my students put their phones away - Another interesting article from NY Times. * I love this piece from Austin Kleon - How to Make a Map of Your Mind. * Rev. Barber and others have written A Pastoral Letter to Donald Trump after hearing him say he “want(s) to try to get to heaven if possible,” but that you are hearing you are “really at the bottom of the totem pole.” Lastly - Happy Anniversary to my wonderful wife of 24 years (don't tell her I put a picture of us in this week's newsletter or this may be my last year (And newsletter)! 🤣). Best, Wess Daniels Greensboro, NC (Haw River Watershed) ## Sign up for Gathering In Light Build Community. Share Light. Resist Empire. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Dear Friends, Next week, I travel to Northern California for some renewal work with Quaker meetings in San Mateo and Santa Cruz as a part of the Quaker Connect program of FWCC (applications are open for the 2026 cohort if you're interested). If you're in the area and would like to connect let me know, I have a little wiggle room in the schedule and would love to see folks. Also, you're invited on **August 2nd to a Monthly Potluck at the Santa Cruz Meetinghouse** where I will be hanging out and hosting a discussion on Quaker renewal. **Find more information about that event:** Aug 2, First Saturday Monthly potluck at the Meetinghouse: Singing, Meal, & Discussion with Wess Daniels — Santa Cruz Friends MeetingAug 2, First Saturday Monthly potluck at the Meetinghouse —join for all or part: 4-6 The community Song Circle--do you have a favorite song? Meet others who have been participating in this Circle for quite a while.  Then, whether or not you come to the singing, we’ll follow witSanta Cruz Friends Meetingdeborah burton Beyond this trip, things are moving along at Guilford College. My summer has been busy. Recently, I coordinated some community service days on campus to help beautify our welcome center. As those things tend to go, it was a lot of fun and we were able to get plenty done in a pretty short amount of time. It was fun also incredibly hot! On Tuesday afternoon, my colleague, Mark, and I were painting railings and I realized the sweat dripping from my face was hot. I turned to Mark and I said, "I don't think I've ever been hotter than this in my life." Despite that, working together with the folks who came out to help was really meaningful and has shifted the way I feel about that space and my work on campus. I mentioned some of this learning in my recent message: Attention and Empire's Algorithms. The other big thing I've been working on is supporting the work of a General Education Curriculum revision. It's creative and big picture work and I'm really enjoying it. I feel confident that we will have something compelling to share soon and while student's don't typically go to a college for its GenEd, I do think that it has the power to shape the culture and experience for our students. For that, I'm very excited. Soon, I'll write about my First Year Experience class, Boredom as a Superpower, and what all is going into that but I'm not quite ready just yet. If you'd like to get the weekly updates with how the college is doing please send an email to _president@guilford.edu_ to request being added to the list. ## **Notepad:** _A few notes on things I've been exploring_ Just finished reading Jeff Vandemeer's newest book, _Abolition_. If you're read the Southern Reach series, you'll enjoy it. It's very well-done and as creepy as the rest of them! Let me know if you like Vandemeer's work! As a lover of stationary and pens, I've been digging my new Rollbahn spiral bound. I like that they are less expensive than the Baron Figs I've been using for ages (and still love). Plus, I love the spiral bound graph paper with perforated tear-out edges. I like the versatility and the way it lays completely flat, which works perfectly for note-taking and drawing. I picked up a Caran D'Ache gel pen when I was in Los Angeles a few months ago, and while I really like the size, weight, and body, the clicker with the refill (I went with a refill so I could get a smaller tip) is not great which has been a disappointment. Life Kit is a great podcast put out by NPR if you're not subscribed. They've been really putting out some strong episodes over the last few months including this one on living a creative life. I can't believe I haven't shared this yet. My good friend Ashley Wilcox wrote a really moving piece for the Modern Love column of the New York Times titled: Why I Lied About Being Married. It's a MUST read. Just learned about the Trump Action Tracker. This is a great website where, “Each action is mapped to one or more of five broad domains of authoritarianism, helping to make sense of a deeply concerning political trajectory.” via Kottke. The $2,000/week summer camps aiming to cure teens of phone addiction. You don't need to pay for a summer camp, come to Guilford College. We're working with students on this all the time. I love this from the Kairos Center - A Matter Of Survival Mini Zine Folding Tutorial Thanks for reading and hope you all are well! Wess Daniels Haw River Watershed (Greensboro, NC).

This was a message I shared with First Friends Meeting in Greensboro this past Sunday based in part by the parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10. ## Empire's Algorithms I have been thinking a lot about attention recently. I've been developing a first year class for Guilford students called "Boredom as a Superpower" that looks at ways in which our ability to focus and hold attention is being lost - and of course - how the practice of silence and allowing ourselves to feel bored in order to be more present with ourselves and others is like having superpowers today. So as it goes, I see attention everywhere. The dominant framework today is one that shapes our attention through constant streams of information served up through algorithms and empire. These algorithms are not trying to serve the betterment of humanity; they’re trying to keep us hooked because it’s good for their bottomline. These things skew what and who we see as human, valuable, and worthy of our concern. These algorithms aren't just distractions; they're designed to shape us into their values. Values that I think are rooted in wealth for the few, suspicion of others, and stoking fear. Empire's algorithm wants us to see each other as enemies, as commodities, and as less than human. But fortunately, we are not powerless against these forces. When I became a Quaker, my attention shifted. If there are dominant forces that want to shape our attention, then there are traditions and communities that resist those forces. I would call the Quaker tradition one such community. Becoming a Quaker in college was part of a longer process of change for me that began when I was 13 and attending Catholic Mass. From that time forward, I was searching for a community I fit within and, in a sense, a pair of spiritual glasses that would help me understand the world and know what to pay attention to (and how to do it). While it is not the only way and not for everyone, my encounter with the Quaker faith was marked by both a deep sense of “these are things I already knew to be true but didn’t have language for it,” and “this is an entirely new way of seeing myself and the world that is bigger and broader than what I currently have.” In other words, it confirmed in me some parts and pushed me to grow in others. This kind of faith spoke deeply to me and has, for the past 24 years, continued to shape how I interpret and see the world. I am here in front of you this morning because I believe that practicing faith in this tradition has the power to change ourselves and the world for the good. ## Attention and Suffering Our text this morning reveals something about what and who we see. Jesus uses the story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate a contrast in attention. First, you have the man victimized. Robbed. Beaten. Left for dead. While in the story this is an individual, we know that there are many communities in America today who are being terrorized, beaten, and left for dead by empire. Then you have the Priest and the Levite. These are people of power and privilege. It does not say why they do not see the man who is hurt worthy of compassion, but we know from our own experiences all of the excuses and reasons why this occurs. The part that always gets me in the story is when it says “and when [each man saw] him, [they] passed by on the other side.” They saw suffering, and they crossed the street. They saw, but they did not pay attention. Maybe they saw but were distracted by things they felt were more important. They took in information, but they did not encounter the truth of this person’s humanity. It is easy to imagine these men walking by this man, looking at their phones or pretending not to see while listening to their podcasts with AirPods in. In either case, they didn't see him as human, as having dignity, as worth their time, or worth caring about. What's happening in their moral algorithms that enabled them to walk away from a dying person? Lastly, the Samaritan is shown to pay attention to something deeper and broader. He is one whose spiritual lens enabled a very different kind of action. The Samaritan is a stand-in for the unlikely hero, the unexpected person, and quite frankly, the one who, if you were the victim, you might not want their help. As Friends might say, “that name did not occur to me.” To put a finer point on the subversion of the place the Good Samaritan occupies in society, Clarence Jordan, a farmer and theologian growing up in the segregated south known for his work around racial equity and founding Koinonia Farm, retells this parable as though it took place in Atlanta during segregation. The man beaten was white. Two white Christian men (a pastor and a worship leader) are the ones who pass him by. And it is an African American man who, when he sees the man beaten lying at the side of the road, is “moved to tears.” _He, whose own reality within society is radically marginalized, is the one who tends to the man whose reality is very likely just a momentary victimization._ What we pay attention to tells us something about what we want to see. What we’re looking for. It tells us something about the shape of our spiritual lenses, and for Jesus and his parable, it is a way of seeing that allows us to be moved to action. That could be because of a sense of shared responsibility, compassion, practices that shape us over time to pay attention to suffering, or it could be because of one’s suffering or marginalization that keeps us awake to others. # Our Shared Responsibility This past week, I organized community service work days at Guilford. The idea stemmed from something a Friend said during a business meeting a few months ago, which really stressed the point that Quakers - at least in NC - feel a deep sense of responsibility and care for Guilford. And so if it needs help, make space for folks to help. That’s a paraphrase, but that’s what I took away from it. And so this past week, a number of people donated funds and worked to spruce up the _welcome center_ for interested students and their families in the hopes that it will help with recruitment. We had folks from First Friends, New Garden, Friendship Friends, and college staff show up to put in some hard and hot days. When asked why he was doing something like this during his summer off from college, a faculty colleague of mine responded, “Guilford belongs to me.” Guilford belongs to me. Not in ownership, but in love. I hear echoes of the Samaritan seeing that beaten man and recognizing: this person belongs to me. In solidarity and in love. I hear this same sentiment from Anne and others about Guilford - it matches a deeper Quaker commitment. If the algorithms of empire teach us to pass by on the other side, “that’s not my concern,” “that’s not my problem,” then the Quaker algorithm stands in contrast: “we belong one to another and are responsible for the places we are rooted and called.” * We are the ones responsible for a better world. * We are the ones responsible for healing the broken. * We are the ones responsible for feeding the hungry. * We are the ones responsible for giving compassion to friend and enemy alike. I came across a funny but somewhat poignant saying from a Quaker elder at our old meeting in Washington who had this cross-stitched in her house: > “If you’re looking for a helping hand, you have no further to look than the end of your own arm.” I think if we hear this not as an individualized expression, but as a reflection of a certain way of seeing the world, a sense of co-laboring, co-responsibility for what we are creating, a solidarity with those who are struggling, we have come close to the Quaker algorithm of love. It is a commitment to trust that the work we are called to can be accomplished if we pull together and do the work. Love of God and Love of Neighbor is about a continual process of broadening compassion and solidarity. God is with those who find ways to expand and deepen love in the world. As Quaker John Woolman once said, “let love be the first motion.” May it be so among us. Queries: * What and who do you see? * What do you pay attention to? What do you notice? * How might we keep love and compassion always in front of us, moving us forward?