SUNDAY LECTURE | Finding Roses Among Thorns

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

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Summary of Ordinary Life for April 14, 2024

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Dear Ones -

I called what I offered in Ordinary Life this week -

Finding Roses Among The Thorns

It is an attempt to offer a theology of resilience and hope for this prickly time. In the talk I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the New York Times bestseller, “The False White Gospel” by Jim Wallis. One goal for the talk is that we might in these disturbing times also be disturbed by joy, hope, and possibility. The evil of Christian Fundamentalism is that it claims to know “what happened” and to have “the truth.” Jesus expressed “authentic existence” and “the courage to be.” We could have no finer goal for the living of our lives. Thich Nhat Hanh said that any time any place we live as Jesus taught, Jesus’ spirit and energy continue in the world.

In the talk I reference a magic effect that I did at the beginning of the class. You will have to view the video of the time to appreciate that.

That’s a brief summary of this week’s time in Ordinary Life.

The audio version of the talk has some differences from the text I spoke from. You can find the text of the talk, the presentation slides and the audio version of the talk using the links below.

Our podcast, “In Between,” can be accessed through the Ordinary Life web site.

If you would like to know how to make a contribution to Ordinary Life, click here for video instructions.

Be well and much love,

Bill Kerley

In order to read or download the text version of the talk, click here.

In order to view or download the presentation slides, click here.

In order to view or download the announcement slides, click here.

To listen to or download the audio recording of today’s talk, use the audio player below.

To watch the video recording of today’s talk, use the YouTube link below.

SUNDAY LECTURE | We'll See

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

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Summary of Ordinary Life for April 7, 2024

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Dear Ones -

This week in Ordinary Life I offered a reflection on patience, persistence and endurance as they relate to hope and new life. The talk was/is a serious engagement with the biblical materials about resurrection. It contains a discussion of the Jewish way of creating sacred writing called “midrash.” I also gave an overview of how we got separated from this vitally important way of viewing and understanding our scripture. The question to ask about Easter is not, “Did it happen?” But, rather, “What was there about Jesus that caused him to be incorporated into the Jewish tradition like he was?” I called the talk -

We’ll See

That’s a brief summary of this week’s time in Ordinary Life.

The audio version of the talk has some differences from the text I spoke from. You can find the text of the talk, the presentation slides and the audio version of the talk using the links below.

Our podcast, “In Between,” can be accessed through the Ordinary Life web site.

If you would like to know how to make a contribution to Ordinary Life, click here for video instructions.

Be well and much love,

Bill Kerley

In order to read or download the text of the talk, click here.

In order to view or download the presentation slides, click here.

In order to view or download the announcement slides, click here.

To listen to or download today’s talk, use the audio player below.

To watch the video recording of today’s talk, use the YouTube link below.

WEEKLY PODCAST | In Between.156

Bill and I are both reading (or listening to) The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav. I think he would qualify as someone at Marion’s “psychic” level of consciousness. Neither of us have finished it, so our talking about it is a bit premature, but there are definitely bits that resonate. One of them is the idea of contrasting a 5-senses human versus a multi-sensory human. Operating in the 5 senses, one tends to respond to the world via sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. If one opens to a multi-sensory reality, one sees or experiences “beyond the veil.” Attending to your dreams is an inroad into multi-sensory reality.

For Zukav, the soul is a concrete fact as are its many lifetimes. The question he is answering is about the evolution of the soul, not whether it exists. One thing that sticks out to me is that our soul is affected by our intention, by our mere thoughts toward a person or thing. That’s sobering.

What is your concept of soul? How do you see your own soul moving through the stages of consciousness? Do you have multi-sensory experiences? Do you think there is an ultimate end or goal? Let us know…

SUNDAY LECTURE | Going Beyond Where We Are

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

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Summary of Ordinary Life for March 24, 2024

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Dear Ones -

We carry two fears when we gather for teachings that are offered in Ordinary Life. First, that nothing will happen. Second, that something will. A Jewish mystic said, “The world is full of wonders and miracles but we take our little hand and cover our eyes and see. nothing.” To move beyond where we are in our religious/spiritual development means moving through our fears and losses.

That’s a brief summary of this week’s time in Ordinary Life.

The audio version of the talk has some differences from the text I spoke from. You can find the text of the talk, the presentation slides and the audio version of the talk using the links below.

Our podcast, “In Between,” can be accessed through the Ordinary Life web site.

If you would like to know how to make a contribution to Ordinary Life, click here for video instructions.

Be well and much love,

Bill Kerley

In order to read or download the text of the talk, click here.

In order to view or download the presentation slides, click here.

In order to view or download the announcement slides, click here.

To download or listen to the audio recording of today’s talk, use the audio player below.

To watch the video of today’s talk, use the YouTube link below.