about Ordinary life

One of the ways I spend a great deal of my time and energy is by writing and giving what I call "life talks." The direction of my professional life was set decades ago in graduate school while studying both psychology and religion. Since encountering psychiatrist Carl Jung, I have been interested in both my counseling and speaking, that is to say in my role as a spiritual teacher, in putting psychological and spiritual principles and insights together.

Ever since the events of 9/11, I have added an emphasis in my teaching on contributing to religious and spiritual literacy. It is ignorance of these matters that leads to fundamentalism. Fundamentalism in any religion anywhere is always violent and destructive in some way - either subtly or overtly. 

Ordinary Life, I believe, is an extraordinary opportunity to develop an enlightened heart and an awakened mind. The "life talks" are offered at 9:45 every Sunday morning in Fondren Hall on the second floor of the Jones Building on the campus of St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 5501 South Main, Houston, Texas 77004.

ORDINARY LIFE PRINCIPLES & ideas:

Life is inconceivably precious. 
Life is short and death is certain. 
Life contains inevitable difficulties. 
Our ethical choices mold our lives.

It is when we ignore these things that we step out of life as it is. Indeed, many people spend a lot of their time ignoring, denying or resisting the middle two truths. 

So it struck me that one of the ways we could have life is by stopping trying to get one up on life. That became my first ordinary life principle. This, and the other principles of Ordinary Life, are listed below.

Following these principles is what makes it possible for us to have life. Life to the fullest. Not life without death and difficulties. That's not life. Our goal is just to have life - ordinary life.

We suffer from wanting to be one up on life.
There is no life in negativity.
We have a moral obligation to be happy.
Our relationship to life's difficulties belongs to us.
We are what we think.
Life is wonderful.
Love is what changes the course of our world.
The fundamental purpose of life is emotional and spiritual growth.
There is only the present.
We get what we give.

WE ARE 100% RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR LIVES.

The texts of the talks, audio version and presentation slides can be found on the Ordinary Life website.  If you want to subscribe to the Ordinary Life podcasts, simply click here.  You will be redirected to the iTunes site and given a list of Talks and an opportunity to sign up. 

You can have the preview of the upcoming talk and the text of talks given automatically delivered to your e-mail. Just click on the box below.