Micah Bales

MLKJ: "And I come by here to say that America too is going to Hell..."

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:50:03 -0500

MLKJ: "And I come by here to say that America too is going to Hell...":

And I come by here to say that America too is going to Hell, if we don’t use her wealth. If America does not use her vast resources of wealth to end poverty, to make it possible for all of God’s children to have the basic necessities of life, she too will go to Hell. I will hear America through her historians years and years to come saying, “We built gigantic buildings to kiss the sky. We build gargantuan bridges to span the seas. Through our spaceships we were able to carve highways through the stratosphere. Through our airplanes we were able to dwarf distance and place time in chains. Through our submarines we were able to penetrate oceanic depths.”

But it seems that I can hear the God of the universe saying, “even though you’ve done all of that, I was hungry and you fed me not. I was naked and ye clothed me not. The children of my sons and daughters were in need of economic security, and you didn’t provide for them. So you cannot enter the kingdom of greatness.” This may well be the indictment on America that says in Memphis to the mayor, to the power structure, “If you do it unto the least of these my brethren, you do it unto me.”…

The Apocalypse of the Earthquake

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 23:04:13 -0400

The Apocalypse of the Earthquake

From These Stones

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 05:51:09 -0400

From These Stones

Summer Travels - Micah's Ministry Newsletter #33

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 11:31:22 -0400

Summer Travels - Micah's Ministry Newsletter #33

Report from the Field

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 04:22:09 -0400

Report from the Field

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:15:57 -0400

Report from the Field:

If Capitol Hill Friends were a sapling tree, we would perhaps only see a thin, tender stalk and a few leaves showing above the surface. Yet, we are experiencing a lot of development below ground.

Blessing my Enemies in Congress

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:15:18 -0400

Blessing my Enemies in Congress:

This morning, I was reminded in a very visceral way that I do have enemies, and while I do believe that the Lord is a God of justice, I also know that Jesus has called me out of the business of setting the world straight.

Why Suffering?

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 19:01:53 -0400

Why Suffering?

Called to be God's Temple - Visit to North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative)

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:37:50 -0400

Called to be God's Temple - Visit to North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative)

THE CONFESSIONS OF A CAGE FIGHTER: MASCULINITY, MISOGYNY, AND THE FEAR OF LOSING CONTROL

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:40:17 -0400

THE CONFESSIONS OF A CAGE FIGHTER: MASCULINITY, MISOGYNY, AND THE FEAR OF LOSING CONTROL:

Faced with the growing popularity of the Christian MMA movement, the church must return to its source of life and proclaim a masculinity rooted in the self-giving and Other-receiving perichoresis of the Trinity[8] and revealed in the flesh and blood of the God-Man whose strength is made perfect in kenotic weakness.

Called to be God's Temple - Visit to North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative)

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:38:23 -0400

Called to be God's Temple - Visit to North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative):

…if we continue down the course we are on as Conservative Friends, our exchange of epistles will soon be a formality - a fiction that masks a lack of real community. I do not believe it is too late to revitalize these relationships, but it will not happen without care and effort on the part of concerned Friends.

Being the Body in the Age of Facebook

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 07:14:49 -0400

Being the Body in the Age of Facebook

Prayer Without Ceasing

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 04:30:48 -0400

Prayer Without Ceasing

International House of Prayer: Where Worship Never Pauses

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:23:21 -0400

International House of Prayer: Where Worship Never Pauses:

The well-populated prayer room and the devout community growing up around it are at the epicenter of a little known but expanding national network: dozens of groups that are stressing perpetual prayer in a way seldom seen in modern America…

Who's Afraid of Prayer?

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:31:49 -0400

Who's Afraid of Prayer?

Encountering the Face of Christ in Africa

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 12:12:43 -0400

Encountering the Face of Christ in Africa:

On this trip, I saw the face of Jesus Christ in his Church. I saw the way that our brothers and sisters in East Africa love the Lord, not just through words and easy gestures, but through self-sacrifice and hospitality that costs something. I saw the radiant joy that comes from holding nothing back, from acknowledging that life is a gift from God that we can never own, only hold in trust.

Great Plains Yearly Meeting 2011 - Hominy, Oklahoma

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:55:16 -0400

Great Plains Yearly Meeting 2011 - Hominy, Oklahoma

The Value of Pastoral Call in the Quaker Church

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 19:04:27 -0400

The Value of Pastoral Call in the Quaker Church:

As Quakers, we value the equality of all people to hear the voice of God, and this is something I affirm. But I wonder if the ways in which we talk about this lead our young people to think less of pastoral ministry.

Native American Quakerism at Great Plains Yearly Meeting

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:52:38 -0400

Native American Quakerism at Great Plains Yearly Meeting:

Great Plains Yearly Meeting this year gave me much to think about, especially with regards to how our Quaker Christian faith plays out in different cultural contexts. What makes us Friends? Must we adhere to the British cultural heritage of most North American Quakers, or can the gospel as understood by Friends be adapted authentically to non-British, non-Western contexts and cultures?

Many Nations, One Body

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 21:03:52 -0400

Many Nations, One Body