Dear Friends,

There is a Zen proverb that goes, “If you don’t have time to meditate for an hour every day, you should meditate for two hours.” This stands true with any increase in anxiety and confusion too.  If they are present, we have to make time to increase, not decrease our awareness of love and hope, and to increase our spiritual practices and community.  These have been anxiety-provoking days in our nation as funds were cut off and on and sometimes off again to people on the margins and those on the margins were, without evidence, blamed for a horrible plane crash.  How do we as people who assertively stand for equality get through these days?  They can feel overwhelming.

I have found help from an unlikely source.  Jay loves hiphop and rap music.  Sometimes when I hear the lyrics, I cringe.  But I have found one rapper from the early 90’s who combined his musical writings with his spiritual journeys and wrote a couple of books.  I find some of his writings inspiring. The artist is RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan, and the words that enlighten me today are in the book Tao of Mu. In it he writes, “Confusion is a gift from God. Those times when you feel most desperate for a solution, sit. Wait. The information will become clear. The confusion is there to guide you. Seek detachment and become the producer of your life.”

If confusion can be seen as a gift from God we may be heading into a time of spiritual abundance, so how do we respond?  How do we stay gentle with ourselves and others?  One important aspect to staying centered during  a storm is to focus on your values and live into them.  Focus on what is within your control and let go of what is not.  As RZA suggested, “detach.”  Turn it off. Step away. Seek value-centered activities and make a small difference every day in some small way, even if it is just stopping to listen to the person who is homeless.   But like RZA wrote, “sit and wait.”  We don’t have to frantically take on every problem even if they all seem interconnected.  This is going to be a marathon, not a sprint, so find things that give back to you spiritually.  What makes you smile? What is some small, tangible way to make this world better?  It could be just changing a mindset to look for the good no matter how bad it feels — look for the good.  Or to be better to yourself and show more selfcare.

We are entering a time when resources will be bleak and unsure, so we have to reach within for fortitude and around us for community. Surround yourself with beautiful people who would not hurt others or who would not want to see others hurt and gently live detached from the confusion and attached to love.  Detach confusion, attach love, community, goodness, hope and grace.  It may seem to be very little of those things around, but make them stronger by living into them. Spiritually guide yourself into a better space that empowers you and sustains you.  Surround yourself with people who are looking to empower and sustain themselves through love, community, goodness, hope and grace.  This can be called “church.”  Church right now is important as we can easily feel overwhelmed or disempowered by what is going on out in the world. But church is one place where you can find people to surround yourself with who will seek with you a world that is full of hope and equality for all people.

This Sunday is unprogrammed worship.  This is a wonderful time to listen to what little or new opportunities are available.  During the announcements we will have an update on the Quaker Meetings across the Eastern Seaboard who are suing ICE for disturbing open worship, and we will discern our way forward on this as our yearly meeting (SCYM) discerns the next steps.

February will be an active month at KFFC.  A couple of Sundays start at 9 and end at 12:15. So please find out what you want to participate in.   On February 9 we will begin a new Bible Study on Philippians.  It will be available on zoom using the same zoom address on the bulletin and in person. After worship we will have a fun time celebrating a love-themed potluck.  The following week, February 16, we will begin with Peace and Social Concerns at 9:00 and after worship will be the book study on Quaker Ecology.  We are going to be discussing the second chapter.  February 23 will be our meeting for business.  So choose a few and come to the 10:00 worship services as we build community and listen for God’s leading.

Stay centered.  There is good everywhere.

Leigh

·       February 9 – 9:00 AM – Bible Study

·       February 9 – 11:15 – Potluck with a Love Theme

·       February 11 – 5:30 Ministry and Care

·       February 16 – 9:00 Peace and Social Concerns

·       February 16 – 11:15 Book Study on Chapter 2 Quaker Ecology

·       February 23 – 11:15 Meeting for Business