Have You Ever Heard A Quaker Preach?

No? 

Me neither.  I have, however, heard some fine Southern Baptist preachers, my dad being one of them, and one of our family roots is Quaker.  Elizabeth Harvey Day (married John Day; their daughter Elizabeth married Thomas Branson) was an early Quaker minister in America, in the 1600's.  A later Branson woman, Ann from I believe Illinois or maybe Ohio, during the Civil War era kept a 'journal'.

In my mind's eye I see a group of people, such as I have read about, sitting together quietly in their faith, respecting one another and each his/her own self as they tune themselves individually and as a group in to that still small voice, searching their own souls and making their own peace with the Creator. 

It's a quiet time as each and all are in meditation, following their own individual path to their Maker. 

I think that it is maybe during these quiet times, in the midst of busy lives, their connections with themselves, each other, and God are strengthened. 

But I know that silence has not always been the order of their days ... histories have records of times when they did not keep their silence. 

I think that maybe the quiet times are necessary, because the strengths they bring to each and all might be very much needed when the time comes for the silence to be broken.  Without that strength, who would have the courage to follow their faith, to do what is right in the face of apparently insurmountable odds? 

I won't go into all of the historical people who have impacted our American society as well as the world at large, in more ways than one could count, large and small.  You're perfectly capable of looking them up yourself. 

All I'm saying here is that, while I have never personally heard a Quaker preach, if I ever did it would probably be worth listening to.  It's my impression that, with a few notable exceptions, they aren't all that big on preaching - but if they feel led to do so they don't pull any punches.