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

This week we had Dr. Stephen Klineberg speak to us. For 30 years Dr.Klineberg has directed "The Houston Survey." No other city has been the subject of such intense analysis. He is a dynamic speaker.

After some opening remarks, he showed a brief film documenting his work and then spoke about it.

We cannot, for copyright reasons, reproduce the soundtrack of the film or the film itself. If you would like to secure a copy for yourself or schedule a screening and presentation for your organization, you can go to this website -

http://kinderinstitute.wufoo.com/forms/see-our-film/

Dr. Klineberg was kind enough to allow us to share his presentation slides and the audio version of his talk. Both can be found on the Ordinary Life website.

It is truly worth the investment of your time to listen to what he had to say.

To download the presentation slides click here  Download St. Paul's TALK 07-22-12)

To download the audio version of the talk click here Download 20120722Mp3

===================================================

Summary of June 17, 2012

===================================================

Dear Folks -

There is no text and there are no slides to share from Tom Peery's presentation in Ordinary Life this week. The title of his talk was "So Dad, What Makes A Man? A Narrative on the Male Identity." There is, however, an audio version that you can listen to or download from the Ordinary Life website. I hope you take the time to do so. It is an interesting and helpful presentation.

Much love,

Bill Kerley

To listen to the audio of the presentation click here Download 20120617Mp3