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Valiant for Truth In the middle of the night about ten years ago, my son Rick burst into my bedroom with the announcement, "There's a baby bunny in the living room!" Now, the middle of the night is not my best time and I muttered something like, "And I suppose there are giraffes and pink elephants, too." As I rolled over to go back to sleep, Rick insisted, "But there is a baby bunny in the living room and the cat has it cornered!" In a grog, I slipped out of bed and went downstairs. Sure enough, the cat was growling and acted like he had something cornered under the china cabinet. First things first — we removed the cat, much to its dismay. He went out the front door growling, kicking and hissing. I kept the baby bunny cornered, while Rick, who was fully awake, devised a plan to remove it. He asked me to nudge it out so he could catch it with the laundry basket he had located. Then the chase was on — to get the bunny under the basket. Whew! The bunny was finally caught. But now how to release it? Rick found a piece of cardboard he slipped under the laundry basket, and he began to carry it, with the bunny, outside. Of course, the cat was just outside the door and spotted his bunny right away. The howling and growling intensified as I tried to grab him to bring him back into the house. (Did I mention I was still in my PJ's and not fully awake?) With the cat back inside the house, Rick could finally safely release the rabbit. As we plodded back in, the late-night bunny round-up seemed almost more than I could handle. My Dad had died and I was grieving. My stress level was high and I had no margin for extra stress. Yet life always seems to bring just one more thing. Today I am reminded of this bunny round-up because a squirrel family has moved in between our first and second floors. Their unwanted presence seems like just one thing too many. I feel overwhelmed and weighted down. So what do we do when we find ourselves in this place — this place where stress seems to overwhelm us? God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1) The word translated "trouble" from the Hebrew means being tied up in a narrow, cramped space. Sure sounds like the overwhelmed feeling I get from stress — where problems seem to pile up and squeeze me in. A modern paraphrase of this verse might be: "God is our instant help when we are in a tight squeeze." Yes, God is our instant help, not sometime in the future, but right now. God is protecting us and surrounding us with his care and strength instantly. But there is a condition to receive God's presence — it can only be immediately available if we ask. So in the middle of feeling squeezed, we have to train our minds and hearts to remember to call out and ask for God's help. Rather than succumbing to the load and our feelings of weakness, God gives us the remedy — Be still, and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) In the chaos of stress, stillness seems so far away, so unattainable. But that is the condition to receive God's help — be still in the moment and know that God is present. In your next bunny hunt of life, receive this balm for the stress ridden — God is our instant help, when we are still, and receive his presence into our trouble. Blessings in Christ, Trish Edwards-Konic

COVER STORIES 10 Quaker Pastoral Care Pastoral care from a Quaker perspective is different. Bill Ratliff outlines four basic beliefs of Friends as well as five themes of Quaker pastoral care. 12 Sowing Tears...Reaping Joy As a Hospice volunteer, Lavona Reece Bane summarizes the four seasons of grieving. 14 Quaker Responses to Sexual Abuse The tension between criminal background checks, and privacy and rehabilitation issues of sexual offenders is explored. Friends churches need to corporately explore their policies; queries are suggested. 16 End of Life Decisions Everyone dies. The importance of making end of life decisions before they are needed is emphasized. 17 Forgotten Weapon in the Battle Against Evil "Fasting combined with prayer is a particularly effective tool because it integrates body and spirit in the quest for faithfulness to God," writes author Ron Ferguson.   FEATURES 4 News from Friends United Meeting 8 News 13 Bible Study Canceling the Old IOUs Sara Beth Terrell 18 Salt and Light God's Presence in Trauma Pam Ferguson 20 Peace Notes 22 Reviews 24 Booknotes 26 Passages 28 Classifieds 29 Friends United Meeting Member Yearly Meetings 30 Meeting Directory 34 Viewpoints 35 The Back Bench Fish Lips and Other Easy Answers Nancy Thomas   ON THE COVER Receiving line immediately following graduation at FTC. From right to left: Margaret Amudavi, Caleb Khaemba, Fredrick Kidake, Francis Kutima, Matayo Makokha, David Muniafu and Rodgers Wekesi. (See story on page 7.)

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