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Program: Barbara Allen, Executive Director of Mainstreet Ministries, will give a talk on poverty and the programs they have to combat it.
Contact Phone: 832-524-3306
Topic: Overcoming Racism | Presenter: Dr. Holly Hudley
Hosted by Brian and Helen Powers
3783 Tangley
Houston, 77005
Room J204 in the Jones Building :
Note: Meeting is one hour later than usual so everyone can attend the Lenten Recital in the Sanctuary at 12:15.
Speaker: National Association of Mental Health
Where: Gail and Joe Adams Home
Phone: 713-529-2592
Special Guest : Anise Parker, former Mayor of Houston
Topic: Being a Woman in Public Office
Presenting Original Acoustic Music Since 1970
Discussion about the Year 2024 Calendar/Events Planning
Bring a photo and a story to share about a beloved veteran as well as a beverage or snack to share.
Discussion Topic : Gratitude
Dr. Holly Hudley
This week, Ordinary Life brings to you a guest speaker that many of you already know from past presentations, Dr. Holly Hudley. Holly has presented with Bill on many occasions and especially supported Bill through the pandemic when there was no audience for Ordinary Life.
Holly has titled her presentation to Ordinary Life,
"Faith Development and Mysticism
Where the Two Seas Meet"
Holly describes her presentation in the following manner:
Today’s class is inspired, in part, by the tagline for Ordinary Life which reads, “Wisdom teachings for ordinary mystics in ordinary life.” I began to think about what it means to be an ordinary mystic, and while any of us could claim that path, to genuinely live it requires something of us.
1) To love people more than doctrine
2) To stay curious and humble
3) To trust that there is an underlying unity keeping this whole thing together.
As we progress in our spiritual journey, most scholars agree that mysticism is the ultimate destination. It is “The Place Where the Two Seas Meet.” The title of today’s talk is borrowed from a story from the Qur’an in which Moses goes seeking wisdom.
Outside of the political violence and division currently braiding the Abrahamic traditions, there is actually a common thread that connects them, and it is that thread I want to tug on in hopes that we can lean toward love rather than hate and heal rather than harm.
As you all know, Holly is a recent PhD in Philosophy and Religion and I am amazed how Holly managed to do this while raising three children. It takes a great deal of dedication and hard work.
Holly says of herself, "My PhD is in a subject I very likely learned to love by attending this class (Ordinary Life) for a quarter of a century. I'm a native Houstonian, and was raised attending St. Paul’s Church, but found my true spiritual home with my mentor, Dr. Bill Kerley. I am a mother of three teenage boys, a huge baseball fan, an educator, and possibly more than anything, a life-long learner."
I hope you can make it this Sunday, in person or by livestream. Blessings.
Folks, this is a special edition of Ordinary Life, where you, the Ordinary Life members, have the opportunity to let Bill and the steering committee know what you want for Ordinary Life in the future.
Debbie Moffett
The class will be guided by Debbie Moffett, a strategic planning consultant who was engaged to help chart the future of Ordinary Life. Debbie has many years of experience in helping organizations plan for the future, including for profits, nonprofits, and religious organizations.
Debbie will first review the results of the planning committee meeting and will answer any questions that you may have.
The second part of the presentation will be an interactive survey that all Ordinary Life members can participate in using their cell phones. It’s easy and we’ll all get to see the results in real time.
Finally, we’ll talk about some of the ways that you can support Ordinary Life moving toward the future. And of course, we’ll do our best to answer all your questions and concerns.
I hope to see you there. Wayne Herbert
To access the survey, click here. You can either use your phone’s camera on the QR code that will be displayed or you can enter the URL into the browser on your phone, tablet, or PC. There will also be QR codes available in the meeting.
Don’t forget that the Cornerstone Society has prepared free breakfast tacos and fresh fruit, beginning at 9:30 AM. Come early to get breakfast before sitting down.
The Cornerstone Society, a giving arm of the St. Paul’s Methodist Foundation of Houston has provided funding this year for two worthwhile charities, “SEARCH” and “The Landing”. Ordinary Life has asked representatives of these charities to speak to our class about the services they provide.
Johanna Wolfe
Johanna Wolfe, Executive Director for the St. Paul’s Foundation will introduce our speakers, will tell you something about the functions and activities of the St. Paul’s Foundation, and will answer any questions that you may have.
Cara Parker serves as Executive Director of The Landing and will provide insight on the impact of human trafficking on Houston and our community.
An estimated 25 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking. Texas ranks in the top three states in the U.S. with the highest number of reported cases - over 300,000. The Landing has a faith-based approach to help survivors find safety, empowerment, and freedom. Their resources include a drop-in center, a youth advocacy program, and outreach to increase victim identification and engage them with services.
Phoenix Johnson, Community Partnerships Manager for SEARCH, will discuss the accomplishments of The Way Home initiative, and programs provided by SEARCH.
SEARCH is a major contributor to Houston’s efforts to address homelessness through its role as a leader and key partner in The Way Home – a community wide effort of service providers and agencies with a goal of ending homelessness. Working together, Houston has decreased homelessness by 64% in the last 10 years – making our city a model for the rest of the country.
SEARCH continues to play a role in convening providers and offering services to eliminate homelessness. Among those services are House of Tiny Treasures, a nationally accredited preschool program that provides developmentally focused early childhood education for children who have experienced homelessness.
Click here for an agenda of the Cornerstone Society’s Oct 15 activities.
Please bring a beverage/snack of your choice to share.
Suzanne Stabile, considered the Godmother of the Enneagram, is a highly sought after speaker and teacher, known for her engaging laugh, personal vulnerability and creative approach to Enneagram instruction.
As an internationally recognized Enneagram Master, Suzanne has conducted over 500 Enneagram workshops over the past 25 years. She has spoken to College audiences that include Baylor and Drury Universities, Hendrix College, Perkins School of Theology (SMU) and Brite Divinity School (TCU), Formation Gathering 2017 (Harvard Divinity School), Pepperdine Bible Lectures 2017, Seminary of the Southwest, Austin, hundreds of churches across America including First Baptist, Austin, Highland Park United Methodist, Dallas, First Congregational Church, L.A., Otter Creek Church, Nashville, and teaches in the Baylor Health Care System, in Dallas, in both the Cancer and Transplant Hospitals.
The Big Rich by Bryan Burrough
Hosted by Jan Fox
1757 Sunset Blvd
Houston, TX 77005
713-725-3499
Link to map: Jan's Home
Bring something to share: Favorite recipes, nibbles, desserts, or what have you. And don’t forget your favorite libations.
Practice Happiness: One must practice to be good at anything.
This week, Ordinary Life features a guest speaker, Rev. Dr. Jim Bankston, Pastor Emeritus at St. Paul’s UMC, and a man who was instrumental in bringing Dr. Bill Kerley and Ordinary Life to St. Paul’s.
Rev. Bankston has titled his presentation to Ordinary Life,
“Theological Foundations from Genesis
The Nature of God and the Nature of Humanity”
Rev. Bankston will explore the messages and meaning found in the first 11 chapters of Genesis as they relate to our own human condition. Jim’s outline of his presentation takes the following form.
Gen. 1-2 - Basic Relationships
Gen. 3-11 - Hebrew Understandings of God and Humanity
Gen. 3 - Adam and Eve
Gen. 4 - Cain and Able
Gen. 6-9 - The Flood
Gen. 11 - Babel
There is a common theme throughout Genesis which Rev. Bankston calls, “The Pattern”:
- Boundaries
- Transgressions
- Consequences
- Grace
Rev. Bankston served as the Senior Pastor for St. Paul’s UMC for 18 years before retiring in 2013, and has been a pastor for more than 50 years in every sort of church, from rural, small town settings, to suburban churches, to urban churches like St. Paul’s.
For decades, Jim has been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, and immigration reform, and has advocated on behalf of the homeless population. He is Southwestern University’s “2023 Medal of Honor” recipient for his tireless work supporting equity for all people, and advocating tolerance, respect, and graciousness.
Jim graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from Southwestern University. He later earned his master’s degree in theology from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and his doctoral degree in ministry from Saint Paul School of Theology. He served as a minister in several churches in Texas before joining St. Paul’s in 1995 and has been a delegate to seven United Methodist Church Jurisdictional Conferences, two General Conferences, and two World Methodist Conferences.
Jim is a respected leader in the interfaith community in Houston. He is a current member and past co-chair of the Anti-Defamation League’s Coalition for Mutual Respect, a group of community and spiritual leaders representing the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu faiths, among others. He has also served on the boards of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston and the Institute for Interfaith Dialogue. In 2021, Bankston received the Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston Spirit of Respect Award.
Jim is a powerful and engaging speaker, with a lifetime of insights and knowledge. Please join us this Sunday, 9:45 AM.
This week, Ordinary Life features a guest speaker, Dr. William F. Monroe, recently retired dean of the University of Houston Honors College
Dr. Monroe has titled his presentation to Ordinary Life, “Stories and the Shaping of Character.”
From our earliest childhood, stories have shaped us as individuals. Elie Wiesel, writer, political activist, and Holocaust survivor wrote, “People become the stories they hear and the stories they tell,” and if this is true, we all do well to reflect on those stories that mean the most to us, those stories that we return to, and those that come to us along the way, surprising and changing us.
Dr. Monroe undertook a "human subjects" research project to understand what stories were most important to successful people, including Dr. Denton Cooley, famed heart surgeon, and Price Daniel, Sr., a legend in the history of Texas government.
Bill’s findings and stories illustrate how myth, plot, parable, and narrative shape our own perceptions and motivations. Come prepared to share which stories were (and are) most important to you… and why.
Biography:
Bill Monroe recently retired from the University of Houston where he was a professor of English and Nancy O'Connor Abendshein Professor, and Dean of the Honors College. He earned a B.A. with Highest Honors, Special Honors in English, at the University of Texas and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
After completing an M.A. he worked as managing editor of The Liberty Vindicator, a newspaper in East Texas, taught at the Kashmere, Sharpstown, and Waltrip campuses of Houston Community College, and returned to graduate school for a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago.
In addition to teaching in "The Human Situation," a course that features classics from antiquity and modernity, for over 35 years Dr. Monroe has taught honors seminars on narrative, rhetoric, and literature. He has given public talks, published editorials and essays in newspapers, magazines, and journals, led book clubs, and facilitated master classes for secondary teachers of English.
He is the director of the new Inprint Educators Institute (IEI), which will launch June 21. IEI will focus on stories and storytelling as professional, developmental, social, and personal resources for both educators and students.
Dr. Monroe is the founding director of Medicine and Society, a program for those who wish to explore issues of health and health care through academic courses, research, fieldwork, internships, conferences, and keynote lectures. He is also the founding president of the University of Houston Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and serves as president of the Phi Beta Kappa Alumni Association of Greater Houston.
He has led learning abroad travel to Israel and Palestine, Greece, Rome, Turkey, England, Scotland, Ireland, Egypt, Jordan, and Northern and Eastern Europe. In 2004 Dr. Monroe was honored with the University of Houston Teaching Excellence Award and was twice nominated by the University for the state-wide Minnie Stevens Piper Professor award. He is presently working on a manuscript entitled The Vocation of Affliction: Flannery O'Connor and the Myth of Mastery.
John Howard is a long time member of Ordinary Life and has been active in many charitable causes including Justice For Our Neighbors.
John recently volunteered to work in Palestine for 10 weeks with an organization called “Sabeel”, which is Arabic for “People of the Way” (https://sabeel.org/).
Sabeel is an ecumenical grassroots liberation theology movement among Palestinian Christians. Inspired by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, it stands for the oppressed, works for justice, and engages in peace-building.
In John’s own words, “I wanted to get a deep feel of the sense of the people, their mood, and styles of resistance to the occupation of thousands of soldiers controlling their fate, movements, and daily lives.”
John continues, “I’ll touch with examples of the identities of the peoples involved including Jews, Christians, and Palestinians. The definitions of Antisemitism, Apartheid, and Occupation will be discussed, along with our shared values with Israel. I promise that you will be surprised and disturbed.
“My goal was to do human rights research, particularly about discrimination against Christians. The experience of “Collective Punishment” was so pervasive that it became the major focus of my learnings. I’ll end with what you can do!”
Join us for John’s presentation on May 28.
Don’t forget to check Bill’s preview email on Friday, May 26 for additional information. Click here to sign up for Bill’s weekly preview and summary emails. Unsubscribe at any time.
Topic to be announced on Friday, May 19 by email and on Facebook and Twitter. Click here to sign up for Bill’s weekly preview and summary emails. Unsubscribe at any time.
