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A collection of 523 posts

Silence can save us

Featured Featured

Silence can save us

If liturgies of empire lull us to sleep, silence is a practice of resistance that can wake us up. It can wake us up to the pain and suffering of our neighbors. Wake us up to our own pain, our own inaction, our bitterness, or call to act.

Building a Writing Studio

Building a Writing Studio

About two years ago, I moved out of my home office and handed it over to our oldest daughter so she could have her own room. Up to this point, the three kids shared rooms in all of the houses we’ve lived in. But in 2021, we moved into

An Update & Next Steps

Dear Friends, I wanted to offer a little update since you haven’t heard from me in awhile. I am doing well and enjoying my sabbatical (read more about that below). What I wanted to let you all know is I am moving towards publishing solely from my blog: gatheringinlight.

Review of Quaker World by Stephen Angell

Stephen Angell, Leatherock professor of Quaker studies at Earlham College, wrote a very positive review of our book, The Quaker World, for Quaker Studies Research Association. Here are two excerpts: “This lively, refreshing and innovative volume comes along in a very timely fashion to make a huge mark in Quaker

For Faculty, Boards, and Trustees of Quaker Schools

For Faculty, Boards, and Trustees of Quaker Schools

I wrote this list specifically for staff, faculty, and trustees of Quaker schools. I expect that more will be added to it overtime. We have a lot of learning and teaching to do if we are going to bring up a base level knowledge and appreciation of the principles and

Convergent Friends Conversation Coming Nov. 29

Photo by ShareGrid on Unsplash Hi Friends, On Wednesday, November 29th at 7:00 PM, Robin Mohr, General Secretary of Friends World Committee for Consultation Section of the Americas, and I will be hosting a conversation in partnership with Quaker Leadership Center at Earlham School of Religion. The conversation is

And In the End

The Love You Take Is Equal to the Love You Make Dear Friends, I’m writing to you after an unplanned hiatus. As many of you have heard by now, my father, Winfield Scott Daniels, passed away on August 24th. He was 68 years old. I have been telling you

A Reset Button

Good morning, Friends. I have a shorter-than-usual newsletter for you today. As I mentioned last week, we were moving offices (more like houses) this past Wednesday and while it has gone well, it is still very much going. I’m in my new office, but everything is still in boxes.

A Check In

There’s No Rain in our Train (anymore) Dear Friends, Readers, Skimmers, and everyone in between, I hope you’re doing well this late July. I wanted to check in with folks and let you know what’s happening here (I hope you’ll drop a comment below or in

What Does The Eye See?

“Pay attention to what you pay attention to…” Friends, Things have been joyfully hectic in the Miller Daniels household. I’ve made more trips up to Ohio to visit Dad who continues to improve slowly and steadily. He is still in the ICU but has hopes of being in a

What Does the Eye See?

This is a message I shared with Jamestown Friends Meeting in Jamestown, NC on June 11, 2023. Matthew 9:9-13 “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

Clara Ione Cox – A Little Quaker Pastor Inspiration During Pride Month

This is a post I wrote as a part of series we’re working on at Friends Center to celebrate Pride by lifting up Quakers who were also part of the LGBTQIA+ family. I first met Clara when I visited the Quaker Archives at Guilford College shortly after my arrival

Announcing the Nurse Log Wiki Site

A Paid Feature of Nurse Log Notes Happy Monday, I hope that you all had a lovely weekend. One of the things I’ve had in the works for some time is my Wikipedia-like site with back information, specialized definitions, and theories I am drawn to. There are entries on

What About Time?

Chronos, Kairos, and Time as Money Hi Everyone, I’ve been swirling around the topic of time recently. A couple months back, I mentioned reading Jenny Odell’s book, How to Do Nothing, for my silence class. One of the big takeaways I got from the book was the importance

A Doorway Into Life

On Change, Trust, and Patience Dear Friends, Life has been humming along here in Greensboro. This past Saturday we celebrated commencement which is always a glorious occasion at Guilford (I will tell you a little more of that below). An update on my dad: he is still making progress and

A Short Update

Hi all, I wanted to send a short note to thank you all for your notes, thoughts, and prayers for my dad and our family. I mentioned last week that he had a massive heart attack last Thursday. He is still in ICU and not out of the woods yet,

Some Thoughts on Friendship

Friendship is a Spiritual Practice Hey all – it’s been a cold and rainy week here in the American South. I’ve worn my wool socks, boots, and gloves several times. I’m trying to accept it as it comes. Speaking of accepting things as they come, my wife, Emily,

Friendship as a Spiritual Practice

This is a sermon on Friendship I shared with First Friends meeting on 2023-04-23. This text is based on the story known as the “Walk to Emmaus” in Luke 24:13-35. Why Did We Choose Loneliness? In a recent episode of The Ezra Klein Show titled “The ‘Quiet Catastrophe’ Brewing

Write What You See

Friends, As I mentioned in the weekly chat, it’s been quiet here because the family and I took a little vacation to our favorite beach here in NC, and then I took a trip to Philadelphia this past weekend. There’s not much to report from the vacation, just

Write What You See: Standing In The Great Traditions of Resistance (Revelation 1)

I want to share the sermon I preached on April 15, 2023, for the American Friends Service Committee’s annual gathering in Philadelphia. Each year AFSC gathers for business, workshops, and community building. During this time, they have a programmed worship service as a part of their time together. This

Transgressing the Boundaries of Empire

Three Palm-Sunday Processionals That Show the Way Hello Friends, I hope that you found rest and restoration with the past weekend and are finding hope amidst so many tragedies, from the natural ones to the human-made ones. Particularly on my mind are the transgender bans running rampant across the country,

Mid-Week Notes: Being Connected vs Belonging

Is Imitation Better than the Real Thing? The sermon this Sunday at our meeting was on the topic of belonging. It was a great message that I’m still thinking about. Belonging is a topic I’ve written about some in the past and think about often. I have also

Rebuilding the Collection: One Record and One Story at a Time

Content warning: Mention and discussion about suicide. Yesterday I went to the record store with my wife and 10 year old son C to work on building my collection. I love visiting record stores not only because I love music but because of the memories encased in dust jackets. I

A Little An Aside About The Quaker Nomad

In my last post, I wrote about Natalie Ramsland’s zine-making Quaker Project, Fold in the Light. It’s fresh, original, and inspiring. But I left out an aside I wanted to share here: One of the zines she included in the mail sent to me is of a Quaker

Fold in The Light – A New Quaker Zine Project

A few weeks back, I got some mail from someone I didn’t know. As I opened it, these cute little booklets fell out, and a letter addressed to me: Hello, Mr. Daniels. The letter writer, Pacific Northwest Quaker Natalie Ramsland, told me a little about how she came into