Dear Folks -
I began this week's talk in Ordinary Life with a quote I got from Emerson - "There is a crack in everything God has made." How we relate to this "crack" in us, others and the various worlds in which we live is crucial to our emotional and spiritual health. We must do so from a non-dualistic stance and with the conviction that life (the universe) is essentially for us. All of this is elaborated on and the talk ends with one of my favorite stories from Rachel Naomi Remen - because concepts don't lead us to transformation - about a young man who lost his leg to cancer and who, after a good while, became a source of light and hope for others.
Much love,
Bill Kerley
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Read moreDear Folks -
We are having a rare opportunity this week. First, Jordon
Stewart, the daughter of one of our members, has spent time teaching
in Rwanda. In working with the program Orphans of Rwanda, she was
challenged to explore her own faith. She is going to talk about the
experiences she had during this time. With her will be Michael
Brotchner who is the executive director of the Orphans of Rwanda
program. She has provided me with two websites you might want to
explore before we gather this week -
www.orphansofrwanda.org
is about the organization and
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/10/14-years-later/index.html?
scp=3-b&sq=Jean+Baptiste&st=nyt
is an amazing story about forgiveness.
Then, for a few minutes at the end of their time, we will have an
opportunity to meet and hear from Peter Storey. Peter will be
preaching at the 11:05 service at St. Paul's. He is a native of South
Africa and served as chaplain to Nelson Mandela and other political
prisoners on Robben Island. He was a national leader in the church
struggle against apartheid. You can read more about him at
http://www.divinity.duke.edu/portal_memberdata/pstorey
This week provides us with a rich opportunity to learn and
expand our horizons with people who have had personal experiences in
areas we are concerned about.
Much love,
Bill Kerley
Unfortunately there is not a recording of this presentation.
www.orphansofrwanda.org
Read moreDear Folks -
I begin this week's talk in Ordinary Life by trying to clarify any misunderstandings that might arise about my "retirement." You'll have to read the text to learn more.
Then I talk about how one meaning of "there is no life in negativity" is that there is no life in dishonesty- whether we speak and spread it or hear it. Some dishonesty is intentional and some the result of ignorance - that is, to ignore things. The issue I focus on in this talk is how we miss the meaning of the teaching of Jesus because of the "shield of sanctity" that has been put around the Bible. Some examples of how this shield functions and how it got put in place are given. We see things not so much the way they are but the way we are.
Much love,
Bill Kerley
Download 20080518.pdf
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Read moreDear Folks -
Several of you have asked me questions or made comments about
something I said recently about the need for our spiritual work to be
made up of both psychology and religion. These two areas need each
other. Either one of them taken by itself doesn't lead to wisdom.
I'll undertake to expand on each of these and their relationship when
we gather this week. I'll also point out some of the limitations of
focusing on just one of these by itself. I'm calling what I want to
say simply -
Psychology and Religion
Much love,
Bill Kerley
Download 20080511.pdf
Unfortunately there is no recording of this presentation.
Read more