4th Query: Believing our bodies to be the temple of God, are we concerned to attain a high level of physical and mental health? To this end are our lives examples of temperance in all things? Do we avoid and discourage the use and handling of intoxicants, tobacco, and improper use of drugs?

I exercise regularly and generally eat nutritiously. I avoid and discourage the use and handling of intoxicants, tobacco, and improper use of drugs except that, since my wife is not a Friend and does not feel called to avoid all use of alcohol, I sometimes inadvertently handle her wine bottles or glasses. I pray for and welcome the power of Christ to maintain the sexual purity of my thoughts to match that of my body and I encourage others to do likewise.

Our “temperance” is not to strengthen our wills to preserve and glorify the body for its life in the world for a time. It is to submit our wills to Christ’s, to prepare and humble our souls for its life in Him for eternity.

Due to various challenges and changes, including those caused by government and citizen responses to the Covid-19 viral problem.   Seekers’ Haven has not been answering queries for some time.   We have continued regular weekly worship,  with most people attending via Zoom rather than in person.   This has enabled us to have a peak attendance of about 50 folks from 6 continents in the early summer of 2020.  Our current typical attendance lately has been about 20, including some members of several OYM Monthly Meetings as well as Friends from  other Yearly Meetings and welcomed seekers.  This month, we will try to resume the answering of the general queries by those members of Salem-Upper Springfield Monthly Meeting who worship with us.

3rd Query answer:

One Friend reports: The time my wife and I spend together in prayer and worship restores the sense (which the challenges of daily life tend to dispel) of Christ’s presence in our home. It is in this sense of His presence that we are led and enabled to make the small offerings of hospitality and service that are frequently what He requires. We are to remember that it is mostly through the multitude of such humble bricks that the great edifice of heaven’s kingdom is built. We set as good a Christian example as we are able, often disappointed that our adult children do not seem to value it. We encourage them to accept Christ as their guide and to read and appreciate the Bible. We maintain biblical morals in our home at all times.

1 Friend and 2 regular attenders were present.  We also had query answers emailed to us from 2 distant Friends. 

7^th Query answer: We generally limit our purchases and possessions to those things that are practical for simple comfort in daily life in our culture.

We avoid speaking dishonestly.   We seek to answer questions such as, “How are you?” briefly but honestly – “Well,” or “Blessed,” or “I choose to have a good day.”  These answers are the truth, but no always the detailed truth.   Some of us sincerity in speech to call days of the week and months of the years by their numbers rather than by pagan names.    Some use of second person singular “thee and thou.”   We now find ourselves facing the common but dishonest use of third person plural “they” rather than “he” or “she” for third person singular, which seems to be from grammatical laziness and the “politically correct” avoidance of gender pronouns that might offend someone.

Our apparel is generally simple and modest for our culture.  Modesty is not only a consideration of the impression we may give of ourselves, but the temptation to forbidden thoughts our appearance might engender in others, causing them to “stumble.”   Modern fashions make this a particular challenge for women.

Some of us are prone over commit ourselves to “good” things, depriving ourselves of time to rest in the Lord.  Current affairs and social media can divert time and focus from wholesome activity. We do generally have special times of the day set aside for worship, prayer, and spiritual reading.

We are just in or dealings and careful to fulfill our promises.

We try to make our Christian faith a part of our daily lives by practicing the golden rule, even if it is a one-way street, and by living the affirmative of the other parts of this query.  We feel blessed and try to be good stewards of God’s gifts.  We try to live every day of our lives for Christ our Saviour.

6^th Query answer:  It is Jesus, Christ, who is the life and power that takes away the occasion of all wars – the envy, greed, vengeance, and other evils in our hearts.  We endeavor always to live in Christ.  He reveals God to us as a loving father who gives us rules to protect us.  We seek to be loving children in following those rules.  None of us participates directly in any military effort, but we recognize that some of our taxes pay for it.  We invite others to join us in following the Lord.

As we consider the command “do not kill” along with the concern for equal opportunities for all people, we pray that the elderly, infirm, and unborn will have equal opportunities for life.

Seekers’ Haven minutes 9/2/2018 One Friend and three regular attenders were present. Also, an answer for the second query from an affiliate member of Salem meeting was read. Second query answer: We do work to forgive and to empathize with those who have harmed us. Although this is more difficult when it appears the other party has no remorse, we know that failure to forgive only harms ourselves and our relationship with God. We are careful not to detract from the reputation of others through bearing tales or gratuitous criticism, while speaking truthfully. To love, in this sense, means to be thoughtful, helpful, kind, and considerate of others, to start. To go beyond this to a true concern in ones heart for the other may require the help of Christ and the forgiving spirit. We are not aware of any differences among us, praying that, if such should arise, we would acknowledge them and humbly submit to Christ’s resolution of them. We plan to meet again for worship at 10:30 a.m. on 9/16/2018. If the weather is good, this will be at Nike Park. Conrad Lindes