WEEKLY PODCAST | In Between.125

April 6, 2023 Bill Kerley

What does it mean to make God over again?

This is the question that drove our conversation today. So here are a couple of clues:

Clint Smith lives in Maryland. {Read his Poem “All at Once” for a while. It will turn you over and then over again.}
God gets a boob job. But also some different names…or maybe no name at all.
Do you have a cosmic sense of God?
The best part of me loves the best part of you.
There’s a Milky Way in your eye.

I hope you can be remade as you remake God. I hope you know you are sacred.

SUNDAY LECTURE | Living a Defiant Hope

April 3, 2023 Bill Kerley

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

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Summary of Ordinary Life for April 2, 2023

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Dear Ones -

Joyful and abundant thanks for and to Holly Hudley for teaching solo this past week in Ordinary Life. We had planned to teach together. However, last Tuesday I began to feel puny and on Wednesday woke to be very ill. I took a Covid test and, yup, I tested positive. So did Sherry. Thanks also for the “miracle drug” Paxlovid. Within three or four days we began to be symptom free, except for what one person rightly labeled “Covid mud.” Indeed, getting our energy level back has been like slogging through mud. But, we are all well now and feeling better every day.

Holly continued on the path we had begun to develop together and gave a wonderful and rich presentation called -

Living a Defiant Hope

She gave some wonderful and realistic examples of hope in a time and about some issues that seem hopeless. At the beginning of Holy Week, a time of such a mixture of sorrow and joy, it was most fitting. If you missed it, I encourage you to read, listen to or watch it. By the way, I am also profoundly grateful for the technology that allowed me to participate in the gathering via live-stream.

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

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 download or read the print version of the talk, click here.

In order to download or listen to today’s talk, use the player below.

WEEKLY PODCAST | In Between.124

March 29, 2023 Bill Kerley

Things are bleak.

It’s no coincidence that in the liturgical calendar, we are in the seasonal shift between death and life, between light and dark.

I learned from someone who appreciates astrology that Pluto just moved from Capricorn—an earthy, goaty sign—into Aquarius—an airy, ethereal sign—for the next 20 years. I don’t know much about astrology, but I find it interesting. Astrologists say that in moving into Aquarius, this is a time of metamorphosis and leaning toward the world of ideas and connectedness. I think we are the ones that make it so. The world sorely needs us to choose defiant hope.

There are many wise voices to call upon in times such as these (Bill Kerley among them), but others include Thich Nhat Hanh, Joanna Macy, Clint Smith, and all the mystics, really. They know what the world is about and what they are up against, but they choose meaning and hope anyway. Will we? Against all odds choose hope amidst hopelessness? Life after death?

Thanks for listening.

SUNDAY LECTURE | A House of Many Mansions

March 26, 2023 Bill Kerley

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

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Summary of Ordinary Life for March 26, 2023

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Dear Ones -

This week at the beginning of Ordinary Life Luke Olshefski, one of St. Paul’s members, who is working on his Eagle Scout Service project, presented to the class his work on St. Paul’s community garden. I asked him to send me information so I could post it here. Here is what he sent:

“Thank you for allowing me to speak to the Ordinary Life class about my Eagle Scout Service project. My service project will refurbish the church's community garden providing a newly restored garden that will be maintenance free for years to come and an aesthetically pleasing space to plant and harvest vegetables for the benefit of the community.

“I am seeking donations for materials to complete the project which I started this weekend by removing weeds, grass, and debris and installing a weed barrier. The next step is to install silver mist gravel, large stepping stones, and landscape edging to complete the project. I plan to finish the project by Easter Sunday. I am currently half way to my goal of raising $2,900, and am very appreciative for the generous contributions made by class members.

“Donations can be made to the Troop 1226 Eagle Scout Donation PayPal account. Click here (Please note my name, Luke Olshefski if you donate to the PayPal link); or the Troop’s zelle account stetroop1226@gmail.com. Our troop treasure's name, Jenna Arnold, will be noted in the zelle confirmation.”

I began a new theme in Ordinary Life this week. I’m calling it -

Love Letters to Modern Mystics

In summary I described the journey ahead as one where we have an evolving awareness and understanding of “God” in one hand and an evolving awareness and understanding of Self in the other as we walk a path illuminated by the life and teaching of Jesus. I called the talk -

A House of Many Mansions

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

You can find the text of the talk, the presentation slides and the audio version of the talk using the links below.

You can read the text below. You can view the presentation slides and listen to the audio version of the talk by going to the Ordinary Life website.

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.