Will be hosted by Louise Taylor, Valerie Coyle, and Rod Kotebbrick. 903-739-0332

One Hermann Place  is at 1699 Hermann Dr., 77004.

The community room is on the 1st floor, public parking on the west side of the building , just inside the garage entrance are more spaces marked “ Future Resident “  and opposite the main entrance of the building is free parallel parking after 6PM. 

This week, Ordinary Life brings to you a guest speaker that many of you already know from past presentations, Dr. Holly Hudley. Holly has presented with Bill on many occasions and especially supported Bill through the pandemic when there was no audience for Ordinary Life.

Holly has titled her presentation to Ordinary Life,

"Faith Development and Mysticism
Where the Two Seas Meet"

Holly describes her presentation in the following manner:

Today’s class is inspired, in part, by the tagline for Ordinary Life which reads, “Wisdom teachings for ordinary mystics in ordinary life.” I began to think about what it means to be an ordinary mystic, and while any of us could claim that path, to genuinely live it requires something of us.

1) To love people more than doctrine
2) To stay curious and humble
3) To trust that there is an underlying unity keeping this whole thing together.

As we progress in our spiritual journey, most scholars agree that mysticism is the ultimate destination. It is “The Place Where the Two Seas Meet.” The title of today’s talk is borrowed from a story from the Qur’an in which Moses goes seeking wisdom.

Outside of the political violence and division currently braiding the Abrahamic traditions, there is actually a common thread that connects them, and it is that thread I want to tug on in hopes that we can lean toward love rather than hate and heal rather than harm.

As you all know, Holly is a recent PhD in Philosophy and Religion and I am amazed how Holly managed to do this while raising three children. It takes a great deal of dedication and hard work.

Holly says of herself, "My PhD is in a subject I very likely learned to love by attending this class (Ordinary Life) for a quarter of a century. I'm a native Houstonian, and was raised attending St. Paul’s Church, but found my true spiritual home with my mentor, Dr. Bill Kerley. I am a mother of three teenage boys, a huge baseball fan, an educator, and possibly more than anything, a life-long learner."

I hope you can make it this Sunday, in person or by livestream. Blessings.

Folks, this is a special edition of Ordinary Life, where you, the Ordinary Life members, have the opportunity to let Bill and the steering committee know what you want for Ordinary Life in the future.

The class will be guided by Debbie Moffett, a strategic planning consultant who was engaged to help chart the future of Ordinary Life. Debbie has many years of experience in helping organizations plan for the future, including for profits, nonprofits, and religious organizations.

Debbie will first review the results of the planning committee meeting and will answer any questions that you may have.

The second part of the presentation will be an interactive survey that all Ordinary Life members can participate in using their cell phones. It’s easy and we’ll all get to see the results in real time.

Finally, we’ll talk about some of the ways that you can support Ordinary Life moving toward the future. And of course, we’ll do our best to answer all your questions and concerns.

I hope to see you there. Wayne Herbert

To access the survey, click here. You can either use your phone’s camera on the QR code that will be displayed or you can enter the URL into the browser on your phone, tablet, or PC. There will also be QR codes available in the meeting.

Don’t forget that the Cornerstone Society has prepared free breakfast tacos and fresh fruit, beginning at 9:30 AM. Come early to get breakfast before sitting down.

The Cornerstone Society, a giving arm of the St. Paul’s Methodist Foundation of Houston has provided funding this year for two worthwhile charities, “SEARCH” and “The Landing”. Ordinary Life has asked representatives of these charities to speak to our class about the services they provide.

Johanna Wolfe, Executive Director for the St. Paul’s Foundation will introduce our speakers, will tell you something about the functions and activities of the St. Paul’s Foundation, and will answer any questions that you may have.

Cara Parker serves as Executive Director of The Landing and will provide insight on the impact of human trafficking on Houston and our community.   

An estimated 25 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking. Texas ranks in the top three states in the U.S. with the highest number of reported cases - over 300,000. The Landing has a faith-based approach to help survivors find safety, empowerment, and freedom. Their resources include a drop-in center, a youth advocacy program, and outreach to increase victim identification and engage them with services.

Phoenix Johnson, Community Partnerships Manager for SEARCH, will discuss the accomplishments of The Way Home initiative, and programs provided by SEARCH.

SEARCH is a major contributor to Houston’s efforts to address homelessness through its role as a leader and key partner in The Way Home – a community wide effort of service providers and agencies with a goal of ending homelessness. Working together, Houston has decreased homelessness by 64% in the last 10 years – making our city a model for the rest of the country.

 SEARCH continues to play a role in convening providers and offering services to eliminate homelessness. Among those services are House of Tiny Treasures, a nationally accredited preschool program that provides developmentally focused early childhood education for children who have experienced homelessness.

 Click here for an agenda of the Cornerstone Society’s Oct 15 activities.

Suzanne Stabile, considered the Godmother of the Enneagram, is a highly sought after speaker and teacher, known for her engaging laugh, personal vulnerability and creative approach to Enneagram instruction.

As an internationally recognized Enneagram Master, Suzanne has conducted over 500 Enneagram workshops over the past 25 years. She has spoken to College audiences that include Baylor and Drury Universities, Hendrix College, Perkins School of Theology (SMU) and Brite Divinity School (TCU), Formation Gathering 2017 (Harvard Divinity School), Pepperdine Bible Lectures 2017, Seminary of the Southwest, Austin, hundreds of churches across America including First Baptist, Austin, Highland Park United Methodist, Dallas, First Congregational Church, L.A., Otter Creek Church, Nashville, and teaches in the Baylor Health Care System, in Dallas, in both the Cancer and Transplant Hospitals.

Enneagram Handout