No one would question the fact that things are very different today than they
were not very long ago at all. Some things have changed for the better and some
things are dramatically, dangerously worse.

My father was born 98 years ago. Here are some facts about the world into
which he was born.

The average life expectancy in the U.S. at the time of my father's birth was 47
years. Only 14 percent of homes in the U.S. had a bathtub. Only 8 percent had a
telephone. A three-minute call from Denver to New York City costs eleven
dollars. There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S. and only 144 miles of paved
roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. California was only
the 21st most populous state in the Union. The population of Las Vegas, Nevada,
was 30.

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How many of you came to hear Marcus Borg?

During one of the breaks one of you said to me, "I can see why you like him
so." Absolutely. If you got to hear him, you not only got exposed to good
scholarship but also saw how essential good theology is to spiritual
transformation and how it is full of practical applications.

For example, and I know some of you heard him do this, he gave us brilliant
insights into the differences between beer and Jesus, about why beer is better for
you than Jesus.

Ten reasons beer is better for you than Jesus:
No one will kill you for not drinking Beer.
Beer doesn't tell you how to have sex.
Beer has never caused a major war.
They don't force Beer on minors who can't think for themselves.
When you have a Beer, you don't knock on people's doors trying to give it
away.
Nobody's ever been burned at the stake, hanged, or tortured over his brand of
Beer.
You don't have to wait 2000+ years for a second Beer.
There are laws saying Beer labels can't lie to you.
You can prove you have a Beer.
If you've devoted your life to Beer, there are groups to help you stop.

Of course, to say that beer is better than Jesus is really dualistic thinking. We
want to move to that level of living that can contain both.

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Dear Folks -

On this past Sunday we had a record attendance in Ordinary Life -
over 250 persons. Plus, I heard, after our speaker's presentation,
the longest standing applause I have ever heard in such a gathering.
The presentation was outstanding. If you were there you know what I
mean.

The Rev. Bill Taylor shared his experience of being "forced out"
of his church - First United Methodist Church, Conroe, Texas. He was
open, honest and funny. Also, he demonstrated his own willingness to
change (or be changed) while walking his own spiritual path.

I asked him if I could have a copy of the text he used and you can
read it below. However, to hear the spontaneous remarks with which he
peppered his talk and to experience the question and answer period
that followed, you'll have to go to the Ordinary Life web site and
download or listen to the audio there.

How privileged we were to have him. I hope to have him back in the
future.

Much love,

Bill Kerley

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