For our latest "Encountering Silence field recording," Cassidy Hall visits the farm of Indiana Quaker author J. Brent Bill for a conversation about silence and other essential elements of life. This is part one of a two-part episode; the remainder of this interview will be released on our next episode.

J. Brent Bill

J. Brent Bill is a Quaker minister, retreat leader, and photographer. He's written more than twenty books, including Holy Silence: The Gift of Quaker Spirituality and Beauty, Truth, Life, and Love: Four Essentials for the Abundant Life. He has served as a local church pastor, denominational executive, seminary faculty member, and go-kart track operator. He lives on Ploughshares Farm, which is forty acres of former farmland being reclaimed to tall grass prairie and native hardwood forest.
Finding rhythms of silence throughout our days, our ordinary day, really returns us to center, returns us to God, and keeps us centered. — J. Brent Bill
Cassidy Hall and J. Brent Bill
In writing, especially, I need the centeredness of silence, especially in the editing stages, to say 'Is this the right word? What am I conveying here, and am I conveying it in such a way that it can be heard? And the only way I can do that is to look at the words in silence. And I do regard my writing as a form of worship, in an exploration, too, in worship of where God is leading me. — J. Brent Bill
Some of the resources and authors we mention in this episode:

J. Brent Bill, Holy Silence: The Gift of Quaker Spirituality
J. Brent Bill, Life Lessons from a Bad Quaker: A Humble Stumble Toward Simplicity and Grace
J. Brent Bill and Jennie Isbell, Finding God in the Verbs: Crafting a Fresh Language of Prayer
J. Brent Bill, Mind the Light: Learning to See With Spiritual Eyes
J. Brent Bill and Beth A. Booram, Awaken Your Senses: Exercises for Exploring the Wonder of God
J. Brent Bill, Sacred Compass: The Way of Spiritual Discernment
J. Brent Bill, Beauty, Truth, Life, and Love: Four Essentials for the Abundant Life
T. Canby Jones, George Fox's Attitude Toward War
Thomas Kelly, A Testament of Devotion
John Greenleaf Whittier, The Poetry of John Greenleaf Whittier: A Reader's Edition
Thomas Merton, Day of a Stranger
Patricia Klein et al., Just as We Were: A Nostalgic Look at Growing Up Born Again

Episode 85: Beauty, Truth, Life, Love — and Holy Silence: A Conversation with J. Brent Bill (Part One)
Hosted by: Cassidy Hall
Date Recorded: December 3, 2019