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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. 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, and Chaplain.
Brian encourages support of the 4-Star Christian organization Compassion, which supports children worldwide; for more see www.compassion.com .
Opening Affirmation
Go into a brief time of silence, affirming the following: feel the truth of the affirmation:
I am being healed wholly.
Opening Prayer
Today, cleanse the remains of the past from me,
that I might live freely this day.
Forgive those who have injured me,
and heal the injury.
Love those who have been unloving to me,
and grace me to love more truly.
Bless those who have cursed me,
and grant me the heart to bless every creature.
Send blessings upon anyone who hates me,
and may I always be kind to all.
I release any need to hold on to a grudge,
or to cherish any wound from the past.
I seek no refuge for my self-pity,
and I offer no excuses for my mistakes.
I give all to You,
for You are all to me.
I am free. Thank You.
I am healed, enough for today. Amen.
*Brian K. Wilcox
Sacred Scripture
15Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful.
16Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
17Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.
*Colossians 3.15-17(CEV)
Sacred Teaching
I continue our theme from yesterday. Today, I pose the question: How do we love God?
I pose this query, honoring that the word "God" - which is only a word, after all - will mean diverse things to readers. So, I hope you feel free to think of "God" as Such has touched you. I will use the word God to encompass that loving Presence that is within you and me fully, and is the animating Vitality and Mind of all things in this Universe.
This God transcends personal and impersonal, embracing each in wholeness. In this, God is, in some mysterious way, personal, with our personality a manifestation of the personality of God: God is Infinite Personality.
Seeing God is Personal, we know we relate with God, even as to each other, as persons, for we have personality. So, we can learn about relating to God by observing how we long to and enjoy relating with others. We do this in at least three ways.
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So, how do we relate to the Mystery called God, and many other names and titles, this One who is Person, or Personality, and Who wants communion with you and me, and not let God dissolve into some impersonal Force? Our desire to share with God intimately in spiritual coitus is a witness that God is not only an impersonal Force. Our aspiration for communion with, even more, union with, God arises as one with God desiring the same with us.
While the three terms below are obvious, the obvious is often important to consider more fully, more in-depth. I give credit for the headings, though I have given my own content to each, to Harry Hagen, in his "Prayer in the Old Testament" (Christian Raab, Harry Hagan, Editors. The Tradition of Catholic Prayer: The Monks of Meinrad Archabbey.
1) Words
As in human relationship, words convey thoughts and feelings. Devotion to God entails words to convey the entire spectrum of what we think and feel, as we sense we need to express this in prayer and other expressions of devotion.
Basically, words are forms of energy, or energy express-ing: this same energy principle applies to actions and presence - see below. Words express aspiration and inspiration in many energy shapes, and can be spoken or written, and sung.
Such energy shapes devotion and forms us spiritually, for we participate in the energy we express. So, habitually use words in worship that will help shape you into the be-ing you long to be for others, yourself, and God.
2) Actions
Action, too, is a form of prayer and energy. We often refer to such sacred action as ritual. A ritual, or rite, is an act sacralized by tradition, and repeated over and over. Yet, not all sacred actions are rituals, for persons and communities can be creative in forming actions for specific purposes and limited use, and any action in devotion is sacramental - and does not have to be a sanctioned or prescribed, or traditional - rite.
Yet, rituals are important. Rituals connect us to our past, the wellsprings of our be-ing, religiousness, and spirituality. Rituals honor our ancesters, and connect us to the "dead" and "living" and "yet-to-be."
3) Presence
Presence is simply that: be-ing, without acting or words. This is likely the most powerful form of worship of God and relating with others. Silence is an essential ingredient of both public and private devotion.
Now, these three expressions - words, actions, presence - go together. How we integrate them in relating with God will shift from time to time, even moment to moment. And the energy principle - given under "Words" - applies to each.
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A final word of caution. There is the popularization that we do not need religion, only spirituality. Well, how odd, for great spiritual beings of history practiced a form of organized religion. For example, Jesus Christ lived and died in the Jewish faith - there is no evidence he intended to start a new religion. Buddha likely died still a Hindu; for there is no evidence he ever renounced Hinduism or intended to form a religion or philosophy totally apart from his native faith.
See, religion is needed, for religion provides an earthy shape for our spirits to express Spirit in words, actions, and presence.
Last year, I went back to my home church. My beliefs have changed much from its beliefs. However, in higher expressions of Spirit, we can more easily connect with lower expressions of religion, sensing into the words, actions, and presences the same meanings and longings we have in us, and a Love connecting us in our different understandings. And we can do this, in God, without being judgmental, but rejoicing that others are seeking God as best they know how. Indeed, their simplicity of faith and sincerity may help correct some of the spiritual arrogance that can come as we see ourselves growing spiritually to more embracing dimensions of Grace.
So, what about religion? If you are not able to enjoy religion, and utilize it with others for good, you are likely needing a reevaluation of the spirituality you claim to have grown into. Simply put, religion, private and public, is a needed means to express our relationship with others and God.
And, finally, the claim that Christianity is not a religion, but other religions are religions, is an insubstantial claim. Christianity is an earthy faith shaped within culture to express the Holy Spirit. The essence of all true, spiritual religion is never religion, but the forms for expressing the spiritual faith is religion. This rejection of Christian faith as a non-religion in contrast to other faiths, is another subtle shift of "spiritual" arrogance, or, at least, a lack of spiritual insight.
Quietly Responding
1) Take one of the above aspects of devotion - words, actions, presence - and practice it in some new way in private devotion. Like, explore fresh ways to speak your faith, new acts to express devotion, and ways to settle yourself in quiet loving of God.
2) Take the following statement and clarify why it does or does not apply to you, in your estimation: "I find religion essential to my spiritual growth?"
3) What is one word, one act, and one practice of presence that has enriched your spiritual growth?
Blessings! In Love!
Brian Kenneth Wilcox
July 4, 2009
barukhattah@embarqmail.com
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*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.
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