Safe and Secure

ORDINARY LIFE - Thoughts and Ideas to Help You Live a Happier Life

 

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Summary of February 10, 2013

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Dear Folks -

One of the things all humans share is the desire to be safe and secure. Paradoxically, many of the ways we go about trying to be safe and secure end up not leading to safety and security at all. Religions have frequently been used in ways that are dangerous and damaging.

In this talk I talk about an understanding of God that is dying for many in our time as well as what I consider to be a misunderstanding of Christianity. In an effort to communicate non-dual mind, I introduce a new metaphor. It is of a knife that is at the same time the sharpest dull knife and the dullest sharp knife.

The audio version of this talk is different, especially near the end than the printed version. The full text from which I spoke is below. The audio version and the presentation slides are on the Ordinary Life website.

Much love,

Bill Kerley

To download the complete text of the talk click here Download 2:10:13 - Complete text

To download the presentation slides click here  Download 2:10:13 - Safe and Secure

To download the audio of the talk click here Download 20130210 - Mp3

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The Wisdom of No Escape

Dear Folks -

Those of you with connections to St. Paul's are likely already aware that our Senior Minister, Dr. Jim Bankston, has announced his retirement. It will be effective at the end of June. Dr. Bankston has been instrumental in the creation of and support for Ordinary Life - among many other wonderful contributions. I will arrange for him to come and speak to us before he leaves St. Paul's.

This week's "life talk" focused on the important of developing awareness and skill in learning to be in the various worlds in which we live without either gaining or losing our identity from or in them. I called it

"The Wisdom of No Escape."

The full text from which I spoke can be found below as well as a link to the the presentation slides.

Much love,

Bill Kerley

 

To download the complete text click here  Download Text of 2:3:13

To download the presentation slides click here  Download 2:3:13 - The Wisdom of No Escape

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Signs of Hope in Violent Times

Dear Folks -

Randy Butler, founder and executive director of The Institute for Sustainable Peace spoke to Ordinary Life this week. The title of his presentation was -

"Signs of Hope in Violent Times"

There is no text of his talk but you can hear it or download it by clicking on the link below. In case you are not aware of it, you can also subscribe to the Ordinary Life podcast and have the talks automatically delivered to you. Go to the website to find out how.

Randy's talk was most compelling. He told stories of reconciliation and forgiveness between peoples who had been enemies for years and years. He ended his talk with his personal "witness" about how "peacemaking" has worked in his own life.

If you ever experience discouragement about the state of affairs in our nation or world, I encourage you to listen to what Randy has to say.

After his presentation Moritza Day, one of our class members, pointed out to me that Randy will be leading workshops sponsored by the Houston-Galveston Institute. The seminars are titled 

Collaborating for the Common Good

You can find out more information and, if interested, register for these events by going to 

http://www.sustainablepeace.org/index.php/events/e/collaborating-for-the-common-good/2013-02-02/ 

The dates are Saturdays, February 2 and 16.

If you were unable to attend Ordinary Life this week, do yourself a favor and listen to his presentation.

Also, take the time to explore the Institute's website -

http://www.sustainablepeace.org/index.php/home/c/home/ 

Much love,

Bill Kerley

To listen to the talk, click here Download 20130127 - Mp3

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Finding Balance in an Unstable World

Dear Folks -

I began the talk I offered in Ordinary Life this week by playing the introduction to the film Fiddler on the Roof. Because of copyright restrictions the audio of the film is not on the audio file of the talk. You can see it by going to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRdfX7ut8gw

That evening I was able to watch the entire movie. It is LONG and, I thought, good. It is very much about how a community of Jewish people in Russia, prior to the Revolution, try to hang on to their lives and lifestyle through the use of tradition and humor. I recommend the film to you.

Tradition does play a vital role in our lives, especially in our religious and spiritual work. Also, of value and matters that often trump tradition are the roles of reason and experience. If we are to find balance in life, we must be open to seeing and thinking clearly.

That is what this "life talk" is about. The cartoons, optical illusions and logic problem can be found by viewing the presentation slides.

The full text I spoke from is below.

Much love,

Bill Kerley

To download the complete text of the talk, click here  Download 1:20:13 - Complete text

To download the presentation slides, click here  Download 1:20:13 - Being Balanced

To download the audio of the talk, click here Download 01202013 - Mp3

 

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