ORDINARY LIFE - Thoughts and Ideas to Help You Live a Happier Life
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Summary of Ordinary Life for November 19, 2023
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Dear Ones -
The religious/spiritual journey I am attempting to teach about requires an intense commitment and a relaxed faith - both at the same time. This reflection on the phrase in the Lord’s prayer - “give us this day our daily bread” - offers an excellent opportunity to reflect on this way.
Both existing Hebrew Scripture and Jewish liturgy shaped the telling of the Jesus story. No aspect of the Lord’s Prayer was more so significantly shaped than this phrase. What is required to hear it is an intense commitment and a relaxed faith. The phrase is: a prayer for food, a request for help in living one day at a time, a prayer for justice, and a prayer for help in trusting. It is a difficult teaching for us to hear because we are not Jewish, we love to be in control, and we are dissatisfied with “what is.” However, the things that matter are not all sparkly, new, and novel. They are ancient and ordinary - like bread. The Exodus story is a myth about freedom from bondage, death, and darkness.
That’s a brief summary of this week’s time in Ordinary Life.
The audio version of the talk has some significant differences from the text I spoke from. You can find the text of the talk, the presentation slides and the audio version of the talk using the links below.
Our podcast, “In Between,” can be accessed through the Ordinary Life web site.
If you would like to know how to make a contribution to Ordinary Life, click here for video instructions.
Be well and much love,
Bill Kerley
To read or download the text of the talk, click here.
In order to view or download the presentation slides, click here.
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