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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 Contemplative Christian Teacher, Author, Chaplain
You are invited to join Brian at his groups on Facebook : Inspirations for Living – Love, Joy, Peace, and Sanctum of Prayer.
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Enter this sanctuary time by settling down, becoming quiet, and breathing deeply some breaths. Remind yourself you are in the Presence of Love. This place you are entering, within, is the inner Temple, where you are One with God. You may wish to use a mantra, or prayer phrase, follow the breathing in-and-out, or witness the arising and falling of all around you as the manifestation of universal-Spirit. Enjoy these moments of quietly settling and come out when you are ready.
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The most important thing about prayer is not how to pray but that you pray.
Three hermits lived on an island. They prayed simply and with intimacy. The prayer: “We are three; you are three; have mercy on us. Amen.” Sometimes, miraculous things even happened when they prayed this simple way.
The area bishop, hearing of the hermits, decided he needed to go and give them proper guidance in prayer. So, he sailed to the little island. He instructed the monks. Afterward, he started the sail home. He savored with delight his gifting them with enlightened teaching on prayer.
Suddenly, the bishop saw a large ball of light moving across the ocean surface. It got closer and closer, until he could see the light was the tree hermits running atop the water.
Once on board, they said, “We're sorry, but we have forgotten some of your teachings. Will you teach us again?” The bishop, shaking his head, replied humbly, “Forget everything I taught you. Continue to pray in your old way.”
*Story told by Leo Tolstoy. Russian novelist, b. 1828.
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Prayer need not be complicated. Prayer is simple. Richard J. Foster, in Prayer, reminds us: “Prayer is the human response to the perpetual outpouring of love by which God lays siege to every soul.”
A friend wrote a remarkable testimony to her awareness of the immense and universal Divine Love for all persons:
I feel I met God when I was about 7 and I never dreamed that he didn't love everyone and that everyone didn't have a similar experience. … I am back to that 7 year old and just know that I am loved and so is everyone. They all just don't know it yet.
Prayer is expression of an inner urge to relate to the Other, Whom we feel and know loves us, and all others. In essence, prayer – and all worship – is loving response to Love. As the writer of I John 4.19 writes, “We love the One, for the One first loved us.”
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In what ways do you sense and experience the Divine Love for you? In your own words, give a general definition of Prayer.
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©Brian Wilcox, and OneLife Ministries. 05/31/2010
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*OneLife Ministries is a ministry of Brian Kenneth Wilcox, SW Florida. Brian lives a vowed life, as an Associate of Greenbough House of Prayer. He lives with his two doggie friends, Bandit Ty and St. Francis and serves as a jail Chaplain. He is creator and administrator of the Facebook sites “Inspirations for Living – Love, Joy, Peace” and “Sanctum of Prayer.” His personal Facebook page is Brian Kenneth Wilcox.
*Brian welcomes responses to his writings at briankwilcox@yahoo.com .
*You can order his book An Ache for Union from major booksellers.
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