For the message, Mike read Matthew 20:20-28, and suggested we might find unexpected power in servanthood. Darth Vader and Gandalf are icons of power, but they also saw themselves as servants. We’ll probably serve best where we are most powerful (e.g. the eye serves the body by doing what it’s *best* at doing). How can you align your power with something larger than yourself, so it is less and less important whether you are afraid What does the Spirit have to teach you about being a powerful servant?

Anthony Munson brought First Word. He read a poem about his experience interacting with the local police as a person of color.

Here Elijah speak about God's abundance, and how we all have a seat at the table.

West Hills Friends is a Quaker meeting in Portland, OR. You can find out more about us at westhillsfriends.org

Steve M. read James 2:14-18 & 1 John 3:18, and brought the message. Steve, who serves as local director for Habitat For Humanity, offered this vision of his work: "To put God’s love into action by building homes, community and hope." Steve had some good statistics for us, like one in three Portland homes is purchased with *cash* (a sign that the purchaser is an investor, rather than a homeowner). Oregon is one of two states where rent control is illegal. Steve urged us to be a voice and to volunteer, leaving us with the query: "How are you being called to respond to the local housing crisis?"

For First Word, Jen S. addressed housing concerns in SW Portland. She encouraged us to expand our sense of "belonging" to those who are seeking shelter in our neighborhoods.

For the message, Mica read Luke 10:30-35, and described her own experience as a Good Samaritan. On Thanksgiving, Mica and her son left the family gathering in search of a Starbucks. Although they couldn’t find coffee, they did provide transportation to a homeless woman (who fell asleep in the backseat). Mica described a wonderful sequence of misadventures. In thinking about this experience, Mica ultimately refocused her attention away from "failures" and toward being "good enough" to act on the Light she was given. Mica offered these queries: Do you live by the Light you’ve been given? Do you believe your Light is good enough?

For the message, Greg read Mark 8:27-29 and reflected on his conceptualization of God. Rather than acting directly to intervene in world events, Greg conceives of God as moving indirectly through a divine influence on human will. Greg finds this concept of God more relatable.

For the message, Greg read Mark 8:27-29 and reflected on his conceptualization of God. Rather than acting directly to intervene in world events, Greg conceives of God as moving indirectly through a divine influence on human will. Greg finds this concept of God more relatable.

For the message, Mike read Revelation 21:2-4, and reflected on the power of touch. Touch is our first language, and can communicate at a place deeper than words. God comes to us in the eloquence of our first language. God enters the world as a baby who needs to be held. Touch is the only language that babies know. And this is how God arrives among us. Have you tried connecting with God in a place deeper than words? Have you held onto God’s presence the way you would hold an infant? Have you listened to God with your skin?