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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:
Peace. Peace. Peace.
Opening Prayer
I trust you, and where I do not trust you, give me the trust to trust you. In Love, Amen.
Sacred Scriptures
57 So the people were upset with Jesus. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his hometown and in his own home." 58 So he did not do many miracles there because they had no faith.
*St. Matthew 13.57-58 (NCV)
Sacred Teaching
An excellent reading on miracles is in Caroline Myss, Entering the Castle, her work on St. Teresa of Avila's The Interior Castle.
Miracles are instantaneous change - prayers answered at the speed of light. They could happen all the time if people were comfortable with having their prayers answered that fast. Mostly, people prefer to receive their answers in keeping with earthly time. The rules of life change for someone who is the recipient of a miracle - make no mistake about that.
Nonetheless, miracles do not result from faith or endless prayers alone but from unconditional trust in God's will. Miracles indicate that you are involved in an intimate relationship with God, that you accept the unconditional terms of the miracle. You are never again allowed to make lesser choices of consciousness.
As you enter your prayers, do so in a spirit of humility. If you are going about your prayers only "when you have time," then consider that against the size of your request.
And Myss rightly reminds us: "God is not Santa Claus. Healing is not about good behavior and being rewarded." Our role, she says, is to "say thank you and accept how the answer unfolds" in our life.
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Miracles can happen, always, for God works according to, in the words of Deepak Chopra, "The Law of Pure Potentiality" (The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success). Divine Being is never exhausted, never more or less. There always is infinite supply of potency in and from God.
For me, this means inherent in Spirit is the energy for any manifestation into the material dimension. This occurs most readily when the manifestation is aligned with the Nature of the Potency.
This is part of what St. Paul means in the following, in I Thessalonians 5.18: "Quench not the Spirit" (KJV). This is rendered, also: "Don't suppress the Spirit" (MSG); "Do not stifle the Spirit" (NJB); "Do not put out the Spirit's fire" (NIV).
Spirit, indeed, can be called All-Potentiality. Many more instantaneous "miracles," I agree with Myss, would occur, if we did not suppress the Spirit.
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I will give a miracle example. This week I prayed during morning meditation that Spirit would manifest to me in a way assuring me all is well - I had gotten up feeling lost and afraid.
After meditation, I went to the bank. I was served at the counter by a lady whom I did not know. I told her that would be my last check from the church, for I was leaving the United Methodist pastorate, and I would be living on a very small wage, from my quarter-time job.
She asked me, as she continued working with her head down, and after asking me what I would do, "Do you want to know the truth?" I was kind of stunned, and said, "Yes." She did not respond, and she did not look up at me.
After completing my deposit, she asked again, this time looking me in the eyes, "Do you want to know the truth?" I said, with confidence, "Yes." She said, then persons will be showing up at your door asking you to serve them in ministry.
I smiled with glee. I knew my prayer was answered. Spirit had manifested through this total stranger. I affirmed to her how much I needed those words, and I left in joy.
Interestingly, the fingerprints of God on my day did not end at that point. There were a number of other instances where I got unusual signs that answered the morning prayer.
Ironically, today, someone appeared at my door for ministry. I anticipate there will be more.
Quietly Responding
1) Begin each day opening your arms upward and affirming to Spirit that you are awake and trustful as to how She will manifest Her presence in your life that day, in a miraculous way.
2) If you are going through a difficult time and feel you need an affirmation that God is taking care of you, feel free to request a clear manifestation of the Spirit's presence.
Blessings! In Love! And Peace to All!
Brian Kenneth Wilcox
July 9, 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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