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Welcome to OneLife Ministries. This site is designed to lead you prayerfully into a heart experience of Divine Presence, Who is Love. I hope persons of varied wisdom paths will find inspiration here.
Blessings,
Brian Kenneth Wilcox
MDiv, MFT, PhD
Interspiritual Teacher, Author
You are invited to join Brian at his fellowship group on Facebook. The group is called OneLife Ministries – A Contemplative Interspiritual Fellowship.
SAGELY WORDS
The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
*Henry David Thoreau
Life: It is about the gift, not the package it comes in.
*Dennis P. Costea, Jr.
SPIRITUAL TEACHING
Jesus was walking along a road alone. He met a sad, frowning man. Jesus asked, “What's wrong?” The sad man lifted his old, tattered sack. He said, “Everything I have in this world is in this old sack.”
Jesus said, “I can help you with your sadness, if you close your eyes for just a few seconds.” The man did. Jesus grabbed the bag and ran down the road.
Seeing Jesus run away with his bag, and all he had in the world, the man began weeping. He was more sad than before.
After a while, the sad man began walking sadly down the road. Around a corner the man saw his bag in the middle of the road. He quickly ran and picked it up, having a big smile on his face. Jesus looked from the bushes. Jesus thought, “Now, that's one way to make someone happy.”
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If we base our joy on what we do not have or do have, on our sense of ownership in this world, we will never have consistent, true joy. Our joy is found in contentment with what we have. Our contentment arises from en-joying closeness with the Spirit of Life.
Contentment relates to relationships. Some single persons are desperate to find the love of their life. They long for a romantic soul mate. Does a person have to have that kind of relationship to be content and joyful? No.
Other persons long for their dream job. Does a person have to have that dream job to be content and joyful? No.
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Things never guarantee joy. Persons cannot either. Joy comes from within us, contentment is an inward posture, not an outward, circumstantial state.
A Jeremy Taylor wrote, “To preserve a man alive in the midst of so many chances and hostilities, is as great a miracle as to create him.” Aliveness is possible, if we retain intimate connection with the Source of Life, and while cherishing this world, find our greatest pleasure in loving the Wonderful Presence, the Being of Love.
SPIRITUAL EXERCISE
1.Does advertising encourage or not contentment and gratefulness? Explain. If you find it does not, consider limiting your exposure to advertising. Consider, also, reminding yourself when hearing an advertisement of the misleading nature of it, if you find it misleading?
2.Reflect and list on paper or make a mental note of anything you have been saddened by not having. Now ask, “Do I really need that?” And, “Is wanting that hindering me from being content and grateful for what I do have?”
3.Make a list, on paper or mentally, of ten things you have that makes life a gift to be content with and grateful for? Give thanks for each.
4.How do you see your relationship with “God” as helpful to you to enjoy your life as a sacred gift? How does it nurture an attitude of contentment and joy?
© OneLife Ministries. Feb 19, 2010.
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*All quotes are from www.quotegarden.com .
*OneLife Ministries is a ministry of Brian Kenneth Wilcox, SW Florida. Brian lives a vowed life and with his two dogs, Bandit Ty and St. Francis.
*Brian welcomes responses to his writings at briankwilcox@yahoo.com . Also, Brian is on Facebook: search Brian Kenneth Wilcox.
*You can order his book An Ache for Union from major booksellers.
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