|
Welcome to OneLife Ministries. This site is designed to lead you prayerfully into a heart experience of Divine Presence, Who is Love. While it focuses on Christian teaching, I pray persons of varied faiths will find inspiration here. Indeed, "God" can be whatever image helps us trust in the Sacred, by whatever means Grace touches us each. Please share this ministry with others, and I hope you return soon. There is a new offering daily. And to be placed on the daily OneLife email list, to request notifications of new writings or submit prayer requests, write to barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
Blessings,
Rev Dr Brian K Wilcox, MDiv, MFT, PhD
Interspiritual Pastor-Teacher, Author, Workshop Leader, Spiritual Counselor, Chaplain
Brian encourages support of the 4-Star Christian organization Compassion, which supports children worldwide; for more see www.compassion.com .
Opening Meditation
Go into a brief time of silence, affirming the following: feel the truth of the affirmation:
I find it easy to love others, and others find that I am easy to love, too.
Sacred Scripture
For now there are faith,
hope, and love.
But of these three,
the greatest is love.
*I Corinthians 13.13 (CEV)
Sacred Teaching
Love is the beauty of the soul.
*St. Augustine
Richard Foster tells of a time before writing his first book Celebration of Discipline. He talked about the book for an entire year, constantly. His wife, Carolynn, grew weary of his talking on and on about the book. Foster admits it was "a grand obsession."
Then, he attended a large conference where a featured speaker, a well-known author, shared offhandedly how destructive his writing career had been to his marriage. The comment was a casual one, but Foster could think of nothing else the entire week. Echoing in his ears, he says, was the question, "Are you willing to relinquish this book in favor of Carolynn and the boys?"
Foster knew God was posing this question, but he was frustrated and angry. He wondered, "Why would God put a book idea in my heart and then tell me not to write it? And besides, here I've come all this way and spent all this money and I can't concentrate on a single thing the speakers are saying. What a waste!" However, the question continued to press upon him.
Foster's flight returned him home on a late Sunday evening. His wife picked him up at the airport. On the way home, the two talked about the children, a leaky faucet, and bills due. Carolynn was not aware of her husband's internal struggle.
However, once in the house, Foster held his wife in his arms and said firmly, "Honey, I want you to know that you are more important to me than this book project. I won't write it if it will ever damage our relationship."
On the following Tuesday morning, Foster met a person from Harper & Row who later became his editor. The book has been selling for over 25 years and the book did not come between the author and his wife.
* * *
A log afire, I
aflame with You, now,
Burning, begraced,
through and through,
the veil of ignorance
that hides the heart,
is made to know
in the darkness of faith, true faith;
still burning
a plea comes forth
for a union lost -
"Only You! Only You!";
to become All
in me Transformed, forever,
a Life, oneed, received, a Grace found,
though I lost, in forgetting all lesser loves
and self, too, to be given
this bliss of following, with no separation,
and consumed in Your blazing Embrace,
to sink into a slight warmth
and stilled, true,
alone with You, at rest, with
all lesser loves, thankfully,
reduced to nothing, to free,
that Love may love,
in me, for You, My only Love
*Brian K. Wilcox, 10-11-03
Quietly Responding
Think of a time when you put aside something you thought a priority to give time to love someone close to you. What did that feel like for you?
Blessings! In Love!
Rev Dr Brian K Wilcox
June 30, 2009
barukhattah@embarqmail.com
* * *
*OneLife Ministries is a ministry of Brian K. Wilcox, of SW Florida. Brian lives a vowed life and with his two dogs, Bandit Ty and St. Francis. Brian is an ecumenical-interspiritual leader, open to how Christ manifests in the diversity of Christian denominations and varied religious-spiritual traditions. He is Senior Chaplain for the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, Punta Gorda, FL.
*Brian welcomes responses to his writings or submission of prayer requests at barukhattah@embarqmail.com . Also, Brian is on Facebook: search Brian Kenneth Wilcox.
*Contact the above email to book Brian for Spiritual Direction, retreats, or workshops. You can order his book An Ache for Union at major book dealers.
|
