by Stacey Denny | Jul 24, 2024 | GraceTalk Messages
When I first came to Fairfield, I had a bad case of the big head. I’d had several books published, still had hair, was married to a striking, intelligent woman, and was under the impression I was God’s gift to Quakerism. I rolled into here thinking how lucky you all...
by Stacey Denny | Jul 8, 2024 | GraceTalk Messages
Several years ago, a man I know was told he was dying, which of course we all are, but his death was sooner than he had anticipated. Though well-off, he’d always been miserly, to the frustration of his wife who wanted them to travel and see things and visit their...
by Stacey Denny | Jun 24, 2024 | GraceTalk Messages
This happened maybe 30 years ago, when I attended a conference for Quaker pastors down in Orlando. Someone had the bright idea to get all the Quaker pastors in America together and somehow the Evangelical Friends were put in charge, which meant all the speakers were...
by Stacey Denny | Jun 20, 2024 | GraceTalk Messages
When our children were born, Joan bought a camera and started taking pictures. Pictures of everything—vacations, hikes, family gatherings, birthday parties, first haircuts, first days of school, holidays, thousands of pictures. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it...
by Stacey Denny | Jun 10, 2024 | GraceTalk Messages
I got the notice this week that my high school graduating class is planning our 45th year reunion, which I was looking forward to, but now am not, due to the confirmed presence of a narcissistic man who spent our twelve years together bullying our most vulnerable...
by Stacey Denny | Jun 3, 2024 | GraceTalk Messages
I remember when I was in the sixth grade and my best friend was a boy named Joe who was a Jehovah’s Witness. I was still Catholic and believed Joe was going to hell so made it my purpose in life to point out the errors of his religion and convert him to the One True...
by Stacey Denny | May 22, 2024 | GraceTalk Messages
One of the things Joan and I have always enjoyed is antiquing, so when we renovated her family’s farmhouse, and had to furnish it, we went to Gilley’s Antique Mall in search of a chest of drawers for the downstairs bedroom. We found a beautiful handmade chest with a...
by Stacey Denny | May 7, 2024 | GraceTalk Messages
The older I get, the more I look forward to summer, and this summer especially. It’s been several years since I’ve been to the state fair, and there’s something I’ve always wanted to do there, but never have, which is to visit the Pentecostal tent just inside the...
by Stacey Denny | May 7, 2024 | GraceTalk Messages
A friend phoned me recently, asking if he could borrow our Ford Flex. He didn’t say why he needed it, and I didn’t want to appear nosy, because if there’s one thing I’m not, it’s nosy, so I just said sure, come get it. A bit later I was looking out the window and saw...
by Stacey Denny | Apr 20, 2024 | GraceTalk Messages
Well, that was some eclipse, wasn’t it? I hope you were able to enjoy it since we won’t have another one until 2153, 129 years from now. Thirty-five of us gathered on the kitchen porch here at the meetinghouse. Herb and Chris grilled hot dogs and we ate moon pies and...
