Dear Folks -
This past week the talk I gave began a series on the second
principle of Ordinary Life - There is no life in negativity.
Paradoxically, it is in our very efforts to avoid the negative that
we miss authentic life and living. It is not that there is no
negativity in life. Quite the contrary. I give two examples of how
untruths are spread in the effort to avoid the negative and then
state some of the principles - desire, humility, honesty, work - that
are required to participate in "abundant life and living."
Much love,
Bill Kerley
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Read moreDear Folks -
The folks who post the text and the audio to the Ordinary Life website are still trying to catch up in their postings. Their hope is that this will take place this week.
This week I gave a talk I called "Finding Freedom." I based much of my remarks on a tale from the Sufi tradition about a man who had been unjustly imprisoned finding a way to freedom. The story is a great metaphor for the spiritual and psychological work we have to do to find answers to the questions: Who am I and what am I to do? I also talk about a technique of psychotherapy I learned from some Buddhist teachers. As we continue to explore the deeper meanings of the principles of "ordinary life," we must be ever-vigilant about three things: honesty about Jesus and the Bible, what it means to live contemplatively, and issues of peace and justice.
As is often the case, I think the spoken version is better than the text. Nonetheless what follows is the full text that I used for the talk.
Much love,
Bill Kerley
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Read moreDear Folks -
What do we turn to when things fall apart? That is the question I deal with in the talk I gave in Ordinary Life this week. Our culture encourages us to turn to success and winning as a way to defend ourselves from the inevitable difficulties of being human. I quote some statistics on what people make and then deal in depth with the personality type our culture encourages us to have. There is nothing wrong with being successful and reaching goals so long as we do not lose our integrity and the truth in the process. The talk begins and ends with a powerful prayer I got from Richard Rohr. As is often the case, I think the spoken version is better than the text. Nonetheless what follows is the full text that I used for the talk.
Much love,
Bill Kerley
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Read moreDear Folks -
As I mentioned this past week my brother, who lives in Tennessee,
is gravely ill. I am on my way to spend time with him.
I have asked one of the most popular speakers we have ever had to
return to the Ordinary Life Gather to speak with you this week.
Michael Butera, a former Roman Catholic priest and currently a
practicing psychotherapist, will talk with you about -
Prior Unity
He gave me this sentence to describe what he plans to say: "A new
kind of consciousness is required based on the working assumption of
prior unity and on the understanding of the indivisibility of the
single world in which everyone is living."
Mike's spiritual journey and story is fascinating. His insights
and understandings reflect the kind of non-dualistic thinking we have
been talking about. I hope you will do yourself a favor and come to
hear him.
Thank you for your understanding, prayers and support.
Much love,
Bill Kerley
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