A Lighthouse of Love in a Stormy World

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

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Summary of Ordinary Life for January 26, 2025

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Dear Ones -

Well, you had to be there. I speak of what happened during our time together this week in Ordinary Life. During my teaching I was using the experience of Paul on the Road to Damascus. Just as I uttered the words “he was struck blind,” the loudest crash of thunder and lightning exploded nearby, momentarily knocking the power out. The timing could not have been more perfect.

I called the teaching “A Lighthouse of Love in a Stormy World” and based it on the opening line of one of the narratives we have of Jesus. The line is “here is the good news.” What is that “good news” and what did Jesus hope to accomplish by giving it? My belief, expressed during this talk, is that by learning more about who Jesus was as a historical figure, we can learn more about what it means to live as “ordinary mystics.” The kind of teacher Jesus was can help us understand and live an alternate wisdom in our own time. We have to go beyond the way our culture shapes us to be shaped by our relationship with Sacred Mystery.

That’s a brief summary. Information about how to find the full text and video are below.

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

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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.

To view or download the announcement slides, click here.

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

In order to watch the video recording of today’s talk, please click on the YouTube video link below.


The Hinge on the Door to The Wayless Way

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

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Summary of Ordinary Life for January 19, 2025

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Dear Ones -

This week in Ordinary Life I began by elaborating on the fact that teachings about “the wayless way” are not easy, not a quick fix, and can be “upsetting.”

However, understanding the birth stories created about Jesus can open to door to a better and deeper understanding of the way.

In trying to comprehend the teachings we must keep ever before us the context in which they were originally created. Caesar was called “Lord,” “Son of God,” “Bringer of Peace,” and “Savior of the World.” To claim these titles for Jesus would be seen either as a joke or as treasonous. The only power the followers of Jesus had was ideological, or theological, power. That is to say, the power to give meaning. There are specific and concrete lessons we can learn from the “wise men” that we can use to guide us on living the “wayless way” in this time.

That’s a brief summary. Information about how to find the full text and video are below.

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

If you are interested in making a contribution to Ordinary Life, click here. There is an option to scroll to “Ordinary Life” as the option for how to designation your gift. Thank you!

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.

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

SUNDAY LECTURE | From There To Here, From Here to Eternity

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

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Summary of Ordinary Life for January 12, 2025

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Dear Ones -

Dr. Holly Hudley and I co-taught this week and the title we gave our teaching was -

From There to Here
From Here to Eternity

The teaching is about how Jesus got from his birth to his vocation and how our own personal history shapes who we are and how we walk the “wayless way.” The two main areas Jesus taught about were forgiveness and God as compassionate and loving. We show how these grew out of his early life experience and how this information might be useful to us as “wounded healers.” I encourage you to watch or listen to the time as we deviated from our text a fair amount.

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

If you are interested in making a contribution to Ordinary Life, click here. There is an option to scroll to “Ordinary Life” as the option for how to designation your gift. Thank you!

Be well and much love,

Bill Kerley

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

To view or download the presention slides, click here.

To view or download the announcement slides, click here..

In order to either download or just listen to the audio recording of today’s talk, you can click on the audio player link below.

In order to watch the video recording of today’s talk, you can click on the YouTube video link below.


SUNDAY LECTURE | The Simple Truth Is Not So Simple

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

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Summary of Ordinary Life for January 5, 2025

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Dear Ones -

I called the teaching I offered this week in Ordinary Life -

The Simple Truth Isn’t So Simple

After a brief introduction reminding us what the “mission and vision” of Ordinary Life is, we begin our journey through the Jesus narratives; a journey I’m calling “Walking the Wayless Way.”

First we have to deal with the fact that there are no sources that give us the “unvarnished truth” about Jesus because the “varnish of faith in Jesus” covers everything. Further, the contexts, both then and now, complicate our understandings and our views.

The gospel narratives, like Jesus himself, are very “political.” “Tell me how you think and act politically and I will tell you in which God you believe.” (That’s a line from a very important book of theology by Dorothee Solelle.)

How do we, in our current cultural context, learn to “think critically and live faithfully”? We are called to be Christmas Christians in a world that still descends into darkness. But, the darkness does not have the final word - unless we let it. Choosing to walk “the wayless way” is choosing to walk a way that is contrary to our culture but it is a way to spiritual freedom, light, and life

That’s a brief summary. Information about how to find the full text and video are below.

I have been informed that the audio/video is missing the first ten minutes or so.

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

If you are interested in making a contribution to Ordinary Life, click here. There is an option to scroll to “Ordinary Life” as the option for how to designation your gift. Thank you!

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.

In order to download or listen to the audio recording of today’s talk, please use the audio player below. Note: Due to technical issues at the beginning of today’s class, the first ten minutes or so of the talk did not make it onto the recording. Our apologies for the glitch.

In order to watch the video recording of today’s talk, please click on the YouTube link below.