iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 13h

Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received - only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage. Francis of Assisi

The image includes the quotation below, along with a picture of St Francis ( a monk holding a cross, with a dove resting on his hand):

Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received - only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.

Francis of Assisi

092

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

However long the night, the dawn will break. African proverb

The image includes the quotation below on a picture with the sun shining through trees and leaves:

However long the night, the dawn will break.

African proverb

020

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Quakerism is just a scam by Big Simplicity to sell more less. 😂

172

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

As humanity stands on the precipice...perhaps it is only the deepest form of surrender and the spiritual empowerment and fearlessness that this can bring, which will enable us to make the right choice. Tangled Roots: Navigating the Complex Legacy of Early Quakers, p.83.

The image includes the quotation below, along with a picture of the "Tangled Roots" book cover:

As humanity stands on the precipice, facing what might well be the final and ultimate choice – between heaven and hell, peace and war, compassion and destruction, perhaps it is only the deepest form of surrender and the spiritual empowerment and fearlessness that this can bring, which will enable us to make the right choice. It seems clear that without this kind of fundamental transformation, humanity and most other species will not survive.

Tangled Roots: Navigating the Complex Legacy of Early Quakers, p.83.

052

Reposted by Stuart Masters

Mark D Russ @markdruss.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Back on the radio again doing BBC Radio 2's Pause for Thought. This time I'm sharing my love for Howard Thurman, who speaks so beautifully about the mystical life. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... #Quaker #spirituality @quaker.org.uk

bbc.co.uk

Pause For Thought - Mark Russ: "Be a better listener" - BBC Sounds

Mark Russ on this week's theme 'Someone who inspires me'.

035

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

…I am only slowly learning to dwell in the place where leadings come from. That is a place of love and joy and peace, even in the midst of pain. The more I dwell in that place, the easier it is to smile, because I am no longer afraid. Gordon Matthews, 1987 (Quaker Faith & Practice 29.01)

051

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

"The fact that it was easier to think of the kingdom in the other world so as not to have to change this one." Ernesto Cardenal

053

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Esther Mombo is claimed by both the Quaker and Anglican communities. For example, she was one of the 2016 Swarthmore Lecturers and she is included in the book, 'Twentieth-Century Anglican Theologians.'

030

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

"We cannot be in relationship if you are oppressing me, excluding me. That is where gender equality and peace meet. They are inseparable." Esther Mombo

173

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

"I don't believe you can stand for freedom for one group of people and deny it to others." Coretta Scott King

052

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"There is something in the human spirit that will survive and prevail, there is a tiny and brilliant light burning in the heart of man that will not go out no matter how dark the world becomes." Leo Tolstoy

061

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

From a note on nhis Wikipedia page.

000

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

"I'm not a Baptist in any formal way. I go to the Baptist church, where my wife plays the piano, on days of bad weather. On days of good weather, I ramble off into the woods somewhere. I am a person who takes the Gospel seriously, but I have had trouble conforming my thoughts to a denomination."

200

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

"It is sinful for people to misue or destroy what they did not make. The creation is a unique, irreplaceable gift, therefore to be used with humility, respect, and skill." Wendell Berry (1934-2026)

The image includes the quotation below along with a picture of Wendell Berry (an older white man wearing a woolly jumper):

"It is sinful for people to misue or destroy what they did not make. The creation is a unique, irreplaceable gift, therefore to be used with humility, respect, and skill."

Wendell Berry (1934-2026)

151

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Matthew 25 tells us that when Jesus judges between the righteous and the unrighteous, he doesn't judge them based on their orthodoxy, their patriotism, or their individual definitions of morality. He judges them based on their compassion towards vulnerable people. Benjamin Cremer

061

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

"I raise up my voice—not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard.“ Malala Yousafzai

The image includes the quotation below, along with a picture of Malala Yousafzai:

"I raise up my voice—not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard.“

Malala Yousafzai

051

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

No one heals himself by wounding another. St. Ambrose of Milan

The image includes the quotation below, along with a traditional 'icon' style picture of Ambrose:

No one heals himself by wounding another.

St. Ambrose of Milan

0196

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Feminism exists because a man's rights are treated as UNIVERSAL, while a woman's rights can depend on laws, religion, and WHERE she was born.

021

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Yes, that is sad. Unfortunately this tendency has a very long history, despite what Friends claim about a testimony to equality.

010

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

"Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial." Macklemore

162

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

[Early] Friends experienced a strong sense of being bound together in the eternal power of God... In describing this, [they] drew on three important New Testament metaphors for the gathering of the Church: fish caught in a net; a temple of living stones; and a body of many parts. Tangled Roots p.33

The image includes the quotation below, along with a picture of the "Tangled Roots" book cover:

[Early] Friends experienced a strong sense of being bound together in the eternal power of God, who was actively present within them and among them. In describing this, early Quakers drew on three important New Testament metaphors for the gathering of the Church: fish caught in a net; a temple of living stones; and a body of many parts.

Tangled Roots, p.33.

071

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

"The death of human empathy is one of the earliest and most telling signs of a culture about to fall into barbarism." Hannah Arendt

The image includes the quotation below, along with a black and white photograph of Hannah Arendt (a middle-aged white woman wearing glasses and smoking a cigarette):

"The death of human empathy is one of the earliest and most telling signs of a culture about to fall into barbarism."

Hannah Arendt

032

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I suspect that Brandi is primarily addressing those who believe that their religion should be used to control individuals and society. MLK was not seeking to enforce his religion on others. His faith compelled him to engage in the public sphere to achieve goals within a democratic framework.

010

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

When someone discovers their faith journey and the spiritual awakening it inspires, they won't use it to legislate and control other people. A punitive faith is the first sign of spiritual inauthenticity and ill intent. "I contemplate with sovereign reverence." Brandi Carlile

130

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

"All that dwell in the light, their habitation is in God, and they know a hiding place in the day of the storm; and those who dwell in the light, are built upon the rock, and cannot be moved." Edward Burrough (1634-1663)

051

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

“Nayler’s vision of a better world is…predicated on the life of Christ being revealed in the bodies of men and women in his time. Through this process, a society based on pride, greed, hatred, violence, and injustice is overcome by God’s kingdom of humility, generosity, love, peace, and justice.”

The image includes the quotation below, along with a picture of "The Rule of Christ" book cover:

“Nayler’s vision of a better world is…predicated on the life of Christ being revealed again in the bodies of men and women in his time. Through this process, a human society based on pride, greed, hatred, violence, and injustice is overcome by God’s kingdom of humility, generosity, love, peace, and justice.”

The Rule of Christ, p.72

032

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

"Action is the antidote to despair." Joan Baez

042

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

When Jesus ate with tax collectors, welcomed prostitutes, forgave sinners and touched lepers he wasn't acting out of character. Jesus was revealing the truth of God.

031

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

"...a faith community that values a relatively fixed tradition...can easily become moribund and irrelevant. On the other hand, a protean faith community that ...finds itself perpetually changing and innovating is vulnerable to instability and fragmentation." Tangled Roots, p.12

The image includes the quotation below, along with a picture of the "Tangled Roots" book cover:

...a faith community that values a relatively fixed tradition, placing its primary emphasis on roots and constancy, can easily become moribund and irrelevant. On the other hand, a protean faith community that sits too lightly on its roots and finds itself perpetually changing and innovating is vulnerable to instability and fragmentation.

Tangled Roots: Navigating the Complex Legacy of Early Quakers, p.12.

021

Reposted by Stuart Masters

Mark D Russ @markdruss.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

A good and needed statement, and it's refreshing to hear a direct challenge to "the public." Often "the public" is treated as this innocent body that must be placated at all costs, but "the public" (usually meaning "white people" when invoked by politicians) need to repent too.

095

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

…many Quakers have adopted a welcoming and inclusive approach to queer and gender-nonconforming people. The reason for this may have deep roots within the Quaker tradition. The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, p.126-127.

The image includes the quotation below, along with a picture of "The Quaker Faith" book cover:

The issues of human sexuality and gender identity are a source of conflict among Friends today… Despite this…many Quakers have adopted a welcoming and inclusive approach to queer and gender-nonconforming people. The reason for this may have deep roots within the Quaker tradition. In defending the spiritual equality of women, 17th century Friends argued that the transformed life in Christ transcended all outward divisions associated with ethnicity, social status, and sex.

The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, p.126-127.

161

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

"The Lord God of heaven and earth is come to teach his people himself." George Fox

031

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

"We're due for a gospel that drives out fear rather than depends on it." Brad Jersak

060

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

A solid...introduction to and survey of the whole history and theological range of the Quaker faith... The author's summation of what the different types of Friends can offer to Christianity today in the conclusion is particularly valuable. Dr Russell Fox - Friends University, Wichita, KS

The image includes the quotation below, along with a picture of "The Quaker Faith" book cover:

A solid, succinct, and--to me, anyway--sometimes surprising introduction to and survey of the whole history and theological range of the Quaker faith... The author's summation of what the different types of Friends (Conservative, Evangelical, and Liberal) can offer to Christianity today in the conclusion is particularly valuable.

Dr Russell Fox - Friends University, Wichita, Kansas (Goodreads review, 24th December 2025).

011

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Subjection of women, in fact, is a symptom of man's fallen nature. If the work of Christ involves the breaking of the entail of the fall, the implication of his work for the liberation of women is plain. F F Bruce

031

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

At the beginning of the twentieth century, there were many interesting interconnections between Evangelical Friends and the emerging Pentecostal movement.

The image includes the quotation below, along with a picture of "The Quaker Faith" book cover:

At the beginning of the twentieth century, there were many interesting interconnections between Evangelical Friends and the emerging Pentecostal movement. For example, A J Tomlinson, coming out of the Quaker community in Indiana, was a founder of the Church of God of Prophecy. However, Evangelical Friends were not willing to fully embrace the Pentecostal understanding of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and those who wished to move in that direction either left or were disowned. John Wimber, who established the Vineyard Church, left an Evangelical Friends Church in California.

The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, p.154.

031

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

The principles of our faith teach that we can be filled with the same life and power and spirit that produced the prophets and saints of the past. Cecil Hinshaw, 1945

031

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

You can't bring peace on Earth when you use the weapons of war. You can't build up God's Kingdom of love, mercy, forgiveness, and self-sacrifice using the tools of death, deception and destruction. Jesus interrupted violence. He didn't use it. Diana Oestreich - Waging Peace

144

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

The kingdom of God is not a matter of getting individuals to heaven, but of transforming the life on earth into the harmony of heaven. Walter Rauschenbusch

170

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Change will have to come from outside, from the margins. The desert, not the temple, gave us the prophets. Wendell Berry

0157

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The regenerated do not go to war, nor engage in strife. They are children of peace who have beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning forks, and know no war. Menno Simons

051

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

“Let there be an opening into the quiet that lies beneath the chaos, where you find the peace you did not think possible and see what shimmers within the storm.” John O’Donohue

051

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Despair is a sin. I believe that. It is easy to be bleak about the human race, but there are people who have proved to me that we can be better than we are. James Baldwin

1106

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Thanks for the encouragement Ellen and Mark! ❤️

020

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

I wrote a short academic book on his theology in 2021. I am now thinking about writing a longer, more affordable book incorporating this material.

130

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

The second man is…willing to be a fool to the world and serpent's wisdom, content to suffer wrongs...without seeking revenge, but bears all the venom the serpent can cast upon him with patience and thereby overcomes him and bruises his head, and is made perfect through suffering… James Nayler, 1653

The image includes the quotation below along with pictures of Nayler's punishment (flogging and tongue boring):

The second man is… willing to be a fool to the world and serpent's wisdom, content to suffer wrongs, buffetings, persecutions, slanders, reviling, mocking, without seeking revenge, but bears all the venom the serpent can cast upon him with patience and thereby overcomes him and bruises his head, and is made perfect through suffering…

James Nayler – A Discovery of the First Wisdom (1653)

111

Stuart Masters @stuartkmasters.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I'm afraid the truth is a bit more tricky. The 1688 protest was by a small number of Friends against the more general involvement of Pennsylvania Quakers in enslavement. It took another 100 years for abolitionism to become a generally accepted position. That said, they were ahead of the curve.

0140