Peace On Earth

November 28, 2010 Bill Kerley

Dear Folks -

This week in Ordinary Life I began a series I intend to carry out through the first of the year. I will be focusing on the birth stories of Jesus as found in the Christian tradition and seeking to see what those stories might mean for us in the here and now.

This week's talk introduces the series. The birth stories we have are very different from each other and were originally intended to be heard not only as personal stories but also - and perhaps primarily - as political stories. We are very unaccustomed to hearing these stories this way. The primary point of this talk is that whereas our primary interest is in having "peace of mind," God's primary interest is in having "peace on earth."

Much love,

Bill Kerley

Click here to Download text 20101128.pdf

Click here to Download Presentation Slides 11:24:10 - Peace on Earth.pdf

Unfortunately, the audio from this week is not available.

The Trouble With Grace

November 21, 2010 Bill Kerley

Dear Folks -

The "life talk" I gave this week is about grace - the most important and central concept of spiritual and religious work. Certainly this is true for the Jewish-Christian traditions.

Our culture, working as it does on a system of reward and punishment, easily misunderstands grace. We are used to thinking of injustices (usually those we think done to us), justice (usually those people we think deserving of punishment) and just rewards. It is only when we step outside of this system can we begin to understand the notion of grace.

This is a summary of the talk I gave in Ordinary Life this week. The full text that I used is below. The overheads and cartoons I used, along with the ability to download an audio file of the talk, can be found below as well.

Much love,

Bill Kerley

Click here to Download text 20101121.pdf

Click here to Download Presentation Slides 11:21:10 - The Trouble with Grace.pdf

Click here to Download audio 20101121.mp3

Safe and Secure

November 14, 2010 Bill Kerley

Dear Folks -

If we are lucky, we will get to grow old, get sick and die. Between now and then how are we to spend our time?

Our purpose in life is to grow emotionally and psychologically. Our work is to pay attention to what inhibits that growth and what contributes to it. We must be careful that we do not allow the various distractions that come at us from our culture to distract us from meeting the needs of the self. These needs are play, rest, security, variety and love.

Much love,

Bill Kerley

Click here to Download text 20101114.pdf

Click here to Download Presentation Slides 11:14:10_-_Safe_and_Secure.pdf

Unfortunately, the audio file is not available for this week.

Heresy and Death

November 7, 2010 Bill Kerley

Dear Folks -

The question this life talk addresses is how is it possible given that we are so small and the world and its difficulties are so large that we can make any kind of difference? In our effort to avoid having to give up control or experience any kind of death, we tend to defend ourselves with certainty and certitude. This always leads to stepping away from the truth of "what is" or heresy. Death and heresy always go hand in hand.

This is what I elaborate on in the talk I gave this week in Ordinary Life. I deviated from the text somewhat. You can find the audio version on the website. The text that I used to speak from is below.