Invitation

What:  Meeting for Worship for Business and Recording
When:  10:30 a.m. on June 2, 2013
Where:  Freedom Friends Church, 2425 13th St. SE, Salem, OR 97302
Bring:  cupcakes or pie

Freedom Friends Church is expecting to record a Minister of the Gospel next month. On June 2, a recommendation to record Ashley W will be brought to the meeting.

Quakers record gifts of ministry after they have been witnessed, we believe that only God can ordain.

Many Friends here know and love Ashley and we hope that you can join us for the celebration.  If you cannot attend, please consider sending a written note, poem, or prayer. These may be sent to the church address.

Five Years

I realized a couple days ago that I had missed my blog's fifth birthday.  (Actually, I posted on it, but not about that.)  I wrote my first post for this blog on April 29, 2008, so today it is five years and five days old.  That's a long time!  

So, in honor of five years of blogging, I am going to list the top five most popular posts.  I don't have reliable stats to back this up, but I'm pretty sure these ones have gotten more hits than the rest.

Joyful Alaskan Friends:  A description of visiting Anchorage Friends Meeting and Anchorage Friends Church in August 2008.  (This post still gets regular hits from people looking for Friends in Alaska.)

Voice:  A post about finding my voice during a School of the Spirit residency.

Dialogue:  A satirical script about miscommunication between young adult Friends and older Friends while traveling in the ministry.

Another Way (LGBT):  Some reflections on the Bible and sexuality after returning from the Sixth World Conference of Friends.

The Cost of Traveling Ministry:  A budget of the expenses and financial aid for a trip I made last summer traveling in the ministry.

A lot has changed over the past five years, but a lot has stayed the same too.  I am still a member of Freedom Friends Church and I still share my home with two orange cats.

And I am still grateful.

I am grateful to everyone who has read my blog over the years: Friends, non-Friends, and ex-Friends, Christians, Pagans, Jews, and atheists.  Thank you for your comments, emails, prayers, and support.  Thank you for sharing what I have written and for letting me know when I have missed the mark.  Thank you for introducing me to Friends around the world who continue to challenge me with your writing and your faithfulness.  

Thank you.