Dear Folks -

I came up with what I call "the principles of ordinary life" several years ago by writing down things I have come to believe to be true. The first is this: We cause ourselves suffering by trying to be one-up on life.

This week's talk begins an "in depth" exploration is this principle. I start with what I consider to be a foundation stone for psychological and spiritual growth: the necessity of living in the tension of apparent contradictions and paradoxes. One of Jesus parables takes us quickly into this territory and I use it to illustrate my point. I call this talk: