In Bill's absence, we had Tom Daugherty present on spiritual leadership.
Reverend Thomas (Tom) W. Daugherty is the Intentional Interim
Director of the Clinical Pastoral Education Center in the Department
of Pastoral Services of the Valley Baptist Health System (VBHS).
Prior to coming to VBHS in September 2006, Tom had retired from the
Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in June 2004
after 35 years of service in the active ministry of that
denomination. Except for a few years service early in his career as a
staff member of several large Methodist Churches, all of his ministry
occurred in appointments beyond the local church in hospital ministry
settings. His last appointment was to The Methodist Hospital System
(TMHS) in Houston, Texas where he served as Vice President for
Spiritual Care and Values Integration.
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Read moreDear Folks -
I continue to think constantly in the work you see here about the
matters of authority, mysticism, ritual and transformation. I am
seeking for myself, and am offering what I'm finding in these "life
talks," a good religious and spiritual fit. I have been using as a
framework for my talks the lines in what we call "The Lord's Prayer."
This week I deal with the line: "Give us our daily bread.
We have a very difficulty time hearing this line and learning what it would teach us because
we live in such a comfortable culture, have difficulty staying in the present, want more than mere bread and get bored with the ordinary.
Much love,
Bill Kerley
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Read moreDear Folks -
The majority of Jesus' teaching was about something he referred
to as "God's rule." We usually use the phrase "the kingdom of God."
Sometimes we use the phrase "the kingdom of heaven." In this "life
talk" I try to say what I think Jesus meant when he referred to this
elusive, comprehensive and surprising reality. What he was doing in
his teaching was offering a third way - in contrast to the two major
ways we have of dealing with major issues, especially conflicts - to
bring God's rule into reality.
Much love,
Bill Kerley
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Read moreDear Folks -
The word "recognize" comes from the Latin word "cognito" which
means "to know." Consequently, one of the meanings of the word
"recognize" is "to know again" or "to know in a new and deeper way."
If we want to know the Sacred, we have to set aside places within and
around us so this "recognition" can take place. This "setting aside"
is what is meant by the phrase "holy be your name" in what we call
the Lord's Prayer.
Much love,
Bill Kerley
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