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Dear Reader, Behind the rush of Christmas holiday-making lies the mystery of God choosing to live among us as a man. Can you find a few moments in this busy season to reconnect with the wonder of it? I found Bruce Bishop's essay, "The Incarnation Continues," (page 10) to be both startling and practically helpful in that regard. This month we have our third and final excerpt from the first chapter of Richard Foster's new book, Streams of Living Water. By great good fortune, it concludes with a discussion of "incarnation"-bringing us to the heart of Christmas spirituality. I hope you'll read the rest of his book in which Foster expands on the spiritual traditions he has located in the life of Jesus. Each chapter has stories from the Bible, church history (e.g., John Woolman exemplifies the social justice tradition), and contemporary life. It is a rich panorama. Amy Runge Gaffney's essay (page 20), "I Shall Give You Hearts of Flesh," points us to a redemptive possibility in suffering. While the essay has no Christmas references, isn't the incarnation about God taking on "a heart of flesh" and suffering so we all might have new life? "The Choice" (page 5) is not a "Christmas story" either. Or, perhaps it is. Elizabeth Downing has written historical fiction set during the first World War. See if you find the theme of incarnation emerging as Ferguson struggles with his conscience. Elizabeth was 15 years old when she wrote the first draft of this story. If "The Choice" is a Christmas present from Quaker Life to you, then Phil Gulley's story is our Christmas card. Having returned to his hometown of Danville, Indiana, Phil has an encounter with Cleo's angels (page 4). Merry Christmas! Ben Richmond

3 Viewpoints 4 Cleo's Angels Phil Gulley 5 The Choice Elizabeth Downing 8 Special Book Excerpt: Streams of Living Water Richard Foster 10 Salt and Light::The Incarnation Continues Bruce Bishop 11 Commitments: Headlines I'd Like To Read Johan Maurer 12 News 14 News from Friends United Meeting 16 Focus on Ministry: Expanding Ministries Around the World Retha McCutchen 18 Bible Study Anne Thomas 19 Turning Points Eden Grace 20 Readers Essay: I Shall Give You Hearts of Flesh Amy Runge Gaffney 23 Passages 23 Poem: Make the Hillside New Ruth Naylor 24 Meeting Directory 28 Classifieds 30 Reviews & Releases 35 The Back Bench Tom Mullen

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