Time away

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June 25, 2018

In this morning’s Fruit of the Vine, Andy Henry writes about the “paradox of retreat, or any kind of contemplative practice.” We need a break in the rhythm of our daily lives, so we seek time away – space for rest. For people who serve or minister to or work with other people, retreat is an opportunity “to get away from the crowds and the many needs.” But it’s not because people or people with needs are bad (or bad for us). According to Andy, “The mystery of contemplation is that when we withdraw from . . . people, our eyes are opened to their true condition and our true work.”

Jesus invited his disciples to go with him “to the other side of the lake” (Luke 8:22). During the crossing, there was a squall. Then, when they successfully made it to the other side, they were “met by a demon-possessed man from the town” (v. 27). “The peaceful retreat planned by Jesus and the disciples did not go according to plan,” Andy writes, reminding us that many others have written about similar experiences in ministry. “Henri Nouwen said that he used to complain about all the interruptions to his work until he realized that the interruptions were his work.”

Time away is an important space for restoration. Time away can give us perspective on the work we’re getting away from and strengthen us for our return to it. Time away can also get interrupted.

Andy writes that God enters the space we make for God and gives us “what we need but not always what we expect.”

How are you making space for God in your life? And how are you preparing yourself for God to give you what you need, especially if it’s not what you expect?

Fruit of the Vine is the only daily devotional by Friends for Friends. We’ve been gathering and sharing these personal reflections on Scripture for more than six decades. Personal stories, from real people, every single day. I’m convinced this little quarterly is the best way to welcome folks into the larger family of Friends.

The first printing of Norval Hadley’s memoir – Going the Extra Mile: Adventures with God in Seventy-Five Countries – ships from the printer this week, and we expect to have copies available by a week from today, four days ahead of schedule. Click on the link above to pre-order your copy!


Seeds of hope – the three-year campaign to fund the ministry of Barclay Press by developing new titles, supporting small churches, and balancing the budget – has a goal of raising $162,000 by December 31, 2020. In order to stay on target, we need to get to $34,859 by August 1, 2018. As of this morning, we have raised $26,960 in gifts and pledges.

Thank you,
Eric Muhr





 
BARCLAY
PRESS

211 N. Meridian St. #101
Newberg, OR 97132
503.538.9775


www.barclaypress.com

Seeds of Hope
Copyright © 2018 Barclay Press, All rights reserved.


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Going the Extra Mile

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June 18, 2018

When Dr. Norval Hadley first called me in April, he wanted to know how long it might take for Barclay Press to turn a draft of his memoirs into a book. I thought we could get it done in six to eight months. Dr. Hadley – who turned ninety in March – said he wasn’t sure he could wait that long. So we pushed all our other projects to the side and finished the book, Going the Extra Mile: Adventures with God in Seventy-Five Countries, in just under seven weeks.

Raised on a prune farm in rural Oregon, in a family with deep religious roots, Dr. Norval Hadley thought he might be a pastor someday. But after the farm boy and his friends won a barbershop harmony contest, everything changed. That foursome is remembered as the world-famous Four Flats, and in 1956 the quartet signed on with World Vision. They appeared with Billy Graham, performed on the ABC radio network, and led two evangelistic tours of Asia. Dr. Hadley made his way around the world, working with World Vision, Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends, Evangelical Friends Mission, New Call to Peacemaking, and the National Prayer Committee. In this collection of recollections, Dr. Hadley tells the story of how his decision to follow God no matter what took him into seventy-five countries and on a lifetime of adventure.

On how the Four Flats came to be:

“One day, Pop Knight, a part-time professor and dorm parent, invited everyone who was interested in singing in a male quartet to gather in a certain room and break into foursomes. When everyone had chosen their groups, there were four of us left whom nobody wanted, and we formed what became the Four Flats Quartet.”

On an early preaching experience:

“In grade school I had a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Severson.... She asked us to give a speech, I think in the fourth grade, and I preached a sermon on hell. These days I would probably be hauled into the principal’s office and told I couldn’t do that, but she didn’t scold me. Rather she invited me to give that same sermon to her ladies group at church.”

On unicycles and evangelistic meetings:

“When we pulled into northern Canadian or Alaskan villages where they had no streets, just board sidewalks, I would ride my unicycle through town on those boardwalks. When I got back to the ship, a crowd of kids would be following me. We would then announce our meeting.”

Click here for more information about Going the Extra Mile: Adventures with God in Seventy-Five Countries.

During his twenty-eight years at World Vision, Dr. Norval Hadley was an assistant to the founder, Dr. Bob Pierce; to the second president; and to the director of U.S. Ministries. Dr. Hadley also served as Director of World Vision Relief and as Director of Prayer Ministries. He later administered Friends mission work in more than seven countries as Executive Director of Evangelical Friends Mission. Dr. Hadley is a founder of the New Call to Peacemaking, a national cooperative movement of Friends, Brethren and Mennonites; and a member of the National Prayer Committee.

Eric Muhr

P.S. Seeds of hope is the three-year campaign to fund the ministry of Barclay Press by developing new titles, supporting small churches, and balancing the budget. In order to stay on target to meet our goal of $162,000 by December 31, 2020, we need to get to $30,375 by July 1, 2018. As of this morning, we have raised $26,960 in gifts and pledges.





 
BARCLAY
PRESS

211 N. Meridian St. #101
Newberg, OR 97132
503.538.9775


www.barclaypress.com

Seeds of Hope
Copyright © 2018 Barclay Press, All rights reserved.


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A Book of Beginnings

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June 11, 2018

In January 2016, I announced the imminent end to a six-year cycle of Illuminate Bible study materials and an interim year in which we planned to try something different – linking a teaching or saying of Jesus each week to both an Old Testament text and an additional New Testament text for context and conversation. That interim series, Christ as Present Teacher, ends this summer. Our new, six-year cycle of study materials for individuals, small groups, and Christian education classes will offer study helps for most of the Bible, starting this September with Genesis: A Book of Beginnings.

Each lesson includes seven additional Scripture passages for readers interested in exploring how a week’s themes are addressed in the larger scope of the Bible – one passage for every day of the week.

Each lesson identifies two key verses and offers a brief explication of what’s happening in each and why it matters. This is the context teachers have told us helps them think about what to focus on in a facilitated discussion.

Each lesson lists three study goals or conversational aims for a group study. These goals offer small groups flexible guidance about where a conversation about the Scripture might go or what ideas should remain at the center of the group’s time together. 

Each lesson includes one or two pieces of background information that might help an individual to notice meaning in the text. Did you know, for instance, that Genesis is structured so as to contrast the God of Israel with the gods of other ancient peoples and to demonstrate, through this juxtaposition, important aspects of God’s character? Did you know that God’s covenant with Abraham is repeated in three different forms in the book of Genesis, and have you considered what that might mean for us?

Each lesson offers a suggested prayer that can be read aloud by groups or that might serve as an outline of what to pray for and how to pray. Many of these prayers are adapted and revised from the Book of Common Prayer, offering readers of Illuminate a connection to the church at large.

Each lesson has a Quaker quote relevant to the Scripture passage and offering increased understanding of how Quakers over time have interacted with, understood, and lived out these biblical texts.

Each lesson incorporates two sections of Scripture and commentary. The commentaries are written to allow for individual study, small group discussion, or teacher preparation.

Each lesson has questions suited for classroom discussion, small-group conversation prompts, and individual contemplation.

Finally, each lesson includes a short, narrative reflection from a contemporary Friend. These Friendly Perspectives give Illuminate lessons a conversational tone while also helping us each week to hear the contemporary voices of our Quaker neighbors – a weekly reminder that even if the faith tradition we belong to is small, it reaches around the world and across nearly four centuries.

Illuminate is the only Bible study curriculum written by Friends and for Friends, and if you’re not familiar with it yet, send me an email. I’d love to mail you a free copy!

Thank you,
Eric Muhr

P.S. Seeds of hope is the three-year campaign to fund the ministry of Barclay Press by developing new titles, supporting small churches, and balancing the budget.

In order to stay on target to meet our goal of $162,000 by December 31, 2020, we need to get to $30,375 by July 1, 2018. As of this morning, we have raised $26,800 in gifts and pledges.





 
BARCLAY
PRESS

211 N. Meridian St. #101
Newberg, OR 97132
503.538.9775


www.barclaypress.com

Seeds of Hope
Copyright © 2018 Barclay Press, All rights reserved.


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