Dear Folks -

Bill's quadruple bypass surgery went very well. He has been recovering
in ICU and will be able to return home tomorrow to continue recovering!
Bill thanks you all for your prayers and support.

This Sunday in Bill's absence, we will hear about the Enneagram from our
own Judy Wilbratte from Enneagram Training and Consulting. Judy
Wilbratte is a certified trainer with Dr. David Daniels, Helen Palmer,
and Ginger Lapid-Bogda. She has over 20 years experience working in
Information Technology management, and has been studying and teaching
the Enneagram for over 14 years. She was invited to be a Senior Member
in the Enneagram in Business Network in 2009.

Judy will present briefly and provide a DVD for us to view and handout
to ponder after class. The Enneagram material to be presented is
suitable for those that are experienced or beginners or somewhere
in-between and the DVD is different from the one used in her workshops.
Judy will be returning to teach class on the 30th for part 2 of the Enneagram.
This Sunday will provide some background before going more in depth on the 30th.

We are so grateful to our guest speakers, especially Judy, who stepped
up on very short notice to keep our class routine while Bill is healing.

Be Well,

Susanna Hooper

Click here to Download audio 20100516.mp3

Dear Folks -

Two years ago Sherry and I were fortunate to tour Turkey for two weeks.
We went with Dick and Diane Schenke. They are members of St. Paul's and
both sing regularly in the choir. Diane has also served St. Paul's as
chair of the Church Council. We were accompanied on this trip with the
Schenkes' two adult children - Jonathan and Joanna. My faith in
America's future was incredibly strengthened by being in the presence of
these two young people.

Joanna spent last summer in Damascus, Syria. She was there to take
Arabic language courses. (She speaks six languages. Impressive, huh?)

Joanna spent a lot of time exploring Damascus and the surrounding area.
I asked her when she returned if she would come sometime and tell the
story of her experience to Ordinary Life. She has agreed to do so this
week.

Her presentation has lots and lots of photos and focuses largely on the
religious make-up of Syria, with special attention to its Christian
population.

Joanna says, "I visited many biblical, significant sites around Damascus
and will give a photo re-telling of Paul's conversion. My presentation
will close with some tips and tricks for visiting majority-Muslim
countries (how to dress, visit a mosque, etc.) I'll also leave plenty of
time for Q & A."

Joanna has been a member of St. Paul's since 1991. She is currently a
graduate student at UT Austin, pursuing a dual degree in Middle Eastern
Studies and Public Policy. She hopes to pursue a career in diplomacy
after graduating in May 2011. She is off to Tunis this summer for an
internship with the State Department.

As I said, this is a most remarkable young woman. I look forward to
introducing you to her in Ordinary Life this week.

Much love,

Bill Kerley

(Unfortunately, the audio is not available for this speaker.  And I am quite ticked about that too.)

Click here to Download 20100321JSsunday school talk Presentation.pdf

Dear Folks -

This week when we gather for Ordinary Life we are going to talk about
religious literacy and plans for the future. There is in the works
plans for a massive renovation of the Jones Building - which, of
course, is where Ordinary Life gathers each week. Dr. Jim Bankston,
senior minister of St. Paul's, has asked if he could come and tell us
about these plans and answer what questions we might. This renovation
will affect us.

http://stpaulsimagine.com

Also, I'm going to try to rectify the "technical malfunction" I had
last week in showing you a movie.

Further, I want to tell you about one of the young people who has
grown up in St. Paul's. She is an amazing person and will be sharing
part of her story with us the following Sunday the 21st.

I am glad and graced to be part of all of this and hope you feel that
way too. I look forward to being with you this week when Ordinary Life
gathers.

Much love,

Bill Kerley

(There will be no text for this week.)

Click here to Download Presentation Photos and Movie :) 3:14:10 - Jim Bankston

Click here to Download audio 20100314.mp3

Dear Folks -

During our January 31st Ordinary Life Class we heard Dr. Bill Kerley
say, "God is accessed through love, not words."

Surely this simple statement is an excellent summary of the life and
message of Jesus of Nazareth. Yet love is often expressed with words.
Jesus used words to convey his love for his disciples and others by
telling them so. Even his only commandment to us to "love one another"
is preserved and activated with words.

The lectionary Bible references used during our church services
January 31st were all concerned with telling, speaking and saying.
(Jeremiah 1:4-10; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3; Luke 4:21-30)

One of my maternal grandmother's favorite sayings as she sought to
wipe away the tears and comfort a child who felt maligned by one of
their peers, was "sticks and stones may break your bones, but WORDS
can never hurt you."

Life experience has shown, however, the opposite is often true. Sticks
and stones may indeed break your bones, but it's words that REALLY
hurt you.

On February 28th, I'm looking forward to talking about words,
especially words that are the source of many of our social and
spiritual conditions.

See you on the 28th,

Dr. Robert I. (Bob) Pinney

(Typically, there is no text available for Sundays when we enjoy guest speakers.)

Click here to Download audio 20100228.mp3