How limber are our souls? Are we ready for the stretching, bending, reaching, work of faith? How rigid is our understanding of God? Are we ready for what God might reveal to us? Do we have the capacity and the willingness to stretch our souls?

What connections are you making between Paul’s language–sincere faith, power, self-discipline, love, kindling the gift of God within you–and your own spirituality or Quaker spirituality in general? To what needs might Quakers be well-equipped to respond? How does Quaker spirituality equip us? How would we go about responding to those needs? How are we already responding? Who ought we to be becoming? How would we go about becoming that? What practices could help us or are already helping us become that? What is “Quakerism come alive?”

Who needs the hope of relief this parable communicates? Do you feel relief? Who needs the confrontation of this parable? Do you feel confronted? How have you experienced the ease or difficulty of change? What makes change difficult? What makes it possible?

Meghan Crozier is co-host of the Thereafter Podcast, progressive Christian writer, speaker, and educator. She writes about faith deconstruction, religion, purity culture, spirituality, justice, mental health, feminism, and more. You can find her website at www.thepursuinglife.com or follow her on all social media @thepursuinglife.

‘The harvest is past, the summer is ended,

    and we are not saved.’

For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt,

    I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me.

Is there no balm in Gilead?

    Is there no physician there?

Why then has the health of my poor people

    not been restored?

O that my head were a spring of water,

    and my eyes a fountain of tears,

so that I might weep day and night

    for the slain of my poor people!

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him…