Dear Folks -

The phrase "to give the shirt of your back" has come to mean the ultimate gesture of generosity. It didn't start out that way. It's origin - from one of the morality teachings of Jesus - was a creative form of non-violent opposition to an oppressive system.

There are forces at work within us and within our culture that work to cause divisiveness rather than inclusiveness. In the Ordinary Life talk I gave this Sunday I speak about the need for forceful, creative and non-violent ways to work for compassion and justice. We showed a video featuring Dr. Jim Bankston taking such an approach to a current issue. I took a phrase from his talk and used it as the title of my presentation.

Much love,

Bill Kerley

Click here to Download text 20090510.pdf

There is a problem with the audio file.  We are having our professional tech volunteer look at the file to see if it is salvagable.

Dear Folks -

In order to hear spiritual truths accurately we need to be able to hear them with what is called "the non-dual mind." In this Ordinary Life talk I describe the developmental stages from dualistic thinking to non-dual thinking. I call the transition from one way of believing and behaving to another "growing up." Sadly, our world is filled with people who don't grow up. They simply grow old and rigid.

Much love,
Bill Kerley

Click here to Download text 20090503.pdf

Click here to Download audio 20090503.mp3

Dear Folks -

I called the Ordinary Life Talk I gave this week "Living in a Bubble." It was my way of expressing gratitude to St. Paul's for providing a place for the Ordinary Life Gathering to meet. We can come to think that all churches are like St. Paul's and this isn't so. We live in a bubble at St. Paul's. It is a wonderful bubble but a bubble nonetheless. It is odd but true that honest Jesus scholarship is not welcome in many churches and this is a violation of the very morality teachings of Jesus we are seeking to explore. In this talk I give a couple of examples of narrow-minded rigidity still at work in our time.

Much love,

Bill Kerley

Click horo to Download text 20090426.pdf

Click here to Download audio 20090426.mp3

Dear Folks -

If you have an opportunity to see a movie called "As It Is In Heaven," 
do so. It is one of the best movies I've ever seen. It is about how 
people affect one another in such a way to experience open hearts. 
Currently in the Houston area it is playing at the Angelika Theater 
downtown.

This week I took a break in the current series in Ordinary Life to 
talk about what it means to have and fulfill the "moral obligation to 
be happy." What is happiness and how do we experience it? Near the end 
of the talk I offer what I think is the absolute and guaranteed secret 
to happiness.

Much love,

Bill Kerley

Click here to Download text 20090419.pdf

Click here to Download audio 20090419.mp3