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

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Summary of Ordinary Life for November 20, 2022

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Dear Ones -

What a privilege it was to get to hear Dr. Bill Martin speak this week in Ordinary Life. If you want to know more about him and his publications, click here. I didn’t mention all of these things in introducing him as I didn’t want to take away any time from what he had to say. There is no printed text of his talk but it is available in audio and video form using the links below.

Bill talked about the rise of “Christian Nationalism” in this country and in Texas in particular. He spoke, among other matters, about how well organized they are in their intent in making this country a “Christian nation.” He has a broad and competent grasp of what is going on and an interesting and humorous way of presenting his research. He is also a long time friend of mine and I’m grateful he was able to be with us.

Here is an update on our personal situation. We moved into our new home, a high-rise in the Museum District, this past Tuesday. Thanks again to the Steering Committee for clearing a space for this move to be done. Moving is difficult and exhausting. We have had tons of wonderful support to make this transition as easy as possible. I am blessed and grateful. Day by day things are coming together.

This is the week of Thanksgiving. As you have likely heard me say before, having a gratitude journal is one of the best spiritual practices there is. I am grateful for so much. To be. To be here. To be doing what I am doing. For you. For the opportunity to offer teachings in Ordinary Life. For so much. I hope you and yours have a safe, restful, and renewing time this Thanksgiving Day and weekend. This e-mail is scheduled to go out on Tuesday mornings. If you happen to read this in time, there is a midweek communion service at St. Paul’s this Wednesday at noon. I’ll be doing the homily. If you are free, please come.

Coming up:

On November 27 Holly Hudley will teach. Her focus will be on gratitude as a spiritual practice.

Brian Powers will teach on December 4th. Brian is a recent graduate of The Living School, an educational endeavor committed to continue the legacy of Richard Rohr.

On December 11 Stephen Klienberg will teach. Stephen has headed up the Houston Survey for decades and this will likely be his last talk in Houston as he is moving to the Washington D.C. area soon. (Be aware that is is subject to change.)

I will resume teaching on December 18 and am eager to do so.

The next two Sundays are Christmas and New Year’s Day and we will not meet on those two Sundays.

Then, when we return after the first of the year, Jan Phillips will be with us. We will have a time from Saturday morning until the afternoon, including lunch. And she will return on January 7 to teach the class. For those of you who live outside the Houston area, there will be an opportunity to register to attend this event via live-stream. Stay tuned for more details.

You can prepare for Jan Phillips time with us January 7th and 8th by reading her autobiography, “Still On Fire.” You can also watch a YouTube video that will let you have an experience of her energy and wisdom. Click here to be taken there.

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 view the presentation slides, click here.

In order to view or download the announcement slides, click here.

In order to either download or listen to the audio recording of Dr. Martin’s presentation, you can use the player link below.

If you would like to watch the video recording of the November 20 talk, you can use the YouTube player link below.