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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 briankwilcox@yahoo.com .
Blessings, Brian Kenneth 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; see www.compassion.com .
Today's Scripture
The servant who had been given five thousand coins brought them in with the five thousand that he had earned. He said, "Sir, you gave me five thousand coins, and I have earned five thousand more."
"Wonderful!" his master replied. "You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!"
*Matthew 25.20-21(NLT)
Spiritual Teaching
During putting up things in my new room here, I came upon two cards from pastorates I have served. I have kept such gifts over the years, partly to refer to when I feel discouraged or uncertain about my calling.
A few years ago a United Methodist Church tried to have me removed from my pastoral service in The United Methodist Church, claiming I was liberal and, so, unworthy to serve. The Bishop of the Conference, to get me out of the very stressful context, sent me to serve two churches in Madison County, Florida.
I was leaving a frying pan and entering - guess what - another frying pan. I was leaving a troubled church - one that had been a "preacher killer" church for decades. I was going to North Florida to serve two churches that just had their pastor fired, after his being arrested - and many were still loyal to him.
I enjoyed the role of healer in the churches. I was not able to keep everyone together - some left. Yet, the experience of about eight months there proved to be one of my most enjoyable times of pastoral service.
The card I found the other day is from a woman named Ruth. Ruth was the official and unofficial leader of one of the churches: a small one of about fifteen persons. Ruth and I connected well, for we connected on a spiritual level. I always remember her fondly, for she was a strong leader sensitive to the Spirit. My experience had been that typically the "unofficial" leaders of churches are bullheaded and not spiritual. Ruth was a grace to me, both for her leadership and spirituality.
Here is the card message sent from Ruth to me. I will share it and make some comments applicable to us all in our serving in the Person of Christ:
FRONT COVER
GOD BLESS YOU,
Pastor
INSIDE FRONT COVER
"May you be blessed
by the Lord, the Maker
of heaven and earth."
PSALM 115.15 NIV
INSIDE BACK COVER
May you be encouraged
to know that His love,
His life, and His truth
are flowing through you
to change the lives of others.
You're Appreciated
Very Much
Then, Ruth, in her own handwriting, wrote the following message:
Thanks for answering
His call, following His
heart and modeling His love.
May the Lord Bless you
abundantly - Love, Ruth
* * *
Ruth gives content to her sense of my calling - which reflects the calling of every follower of Christ Jesus. We need the blessing of others to remind us of the worthiness and validity of our calling. Community is the context for reflecting that back to us, and during times we might question our calling or our capability to live it out.
She wishes for me, what I wish for all servants of Christ Jesus. We are part of His Body to know Love, know Life, and know Truth; but not just our Love, Life, and Truth. Rather, His Love, Life, and Truth.
I still read with glee the words of His Love, Life, and Truth flowing through me to others. Is that not what we are to allow as faithful servants of Christ: be a means of the flowing of divine Grace? Do you not feel joy when you sense the Spirit flowing through you to bless in the Name of Christ?
And what of being told I am appreciated very much? Well, I can tell you that many pastors rarely hear that. Rather, they hear the opposite. Many persons do not know the negativity many pastors endure in trying to serve in their vocation. The church can be a brutal place for spiritual leaders: more like a collective of griping, angry children than a Body of loving, kind saints.
* * *
Last, the words of Ruth speak to me of the nobility of being a faithful servant of Christ Jesus for others. Such entails three things.
1) Answering the call
This call is given us, we do not choose it. St. Paul says:
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who have the gift of leadership,
those who speak in unknown languages.
*I Corinthians 12.12-13; 27-28 (NLT)
Just as we did not choose what ethnicity we would contribute to the Body of Christ, we do not choose our life calling. We may have different ways of expressing one calling, yet, there is a mystery to our place in the Body. Wisdom places us in the Body in our particular place.
2) Following his heart
This speaks of the process of living out the calling. There are many voices calling upon us, and in contrary directions. We will never have peace in following Christ, unless we learn to listen to the Heart of Christ.
To follow Christ is to follow His heart. This is more than His voice. This is His compassion and concern for all creatures, for all creation. Therefore, the calling must be more than a matter of the head; we follow Christ in opening our heart to the world, letting our hearts wed His heart in looking out at others.
We do not see others through merely the heart of religion, spirituality, morality ...; we submit our heart to see and reach with the Heart of Jesus.
3) Modeling his love
Our greatest service is not essentially in what we give, but what we witness to and reflect outward. I came to determine the greatest gift I can give others in my preaching, teaching, and writing ... is not ideas, but love. We are not called to be religious functionaries, we are called to be Lovers.
* * *
Yes, to be true to the calling, we need to be living under the abundant blessing of God. This morning, I knelt at my chair, before leaving for work. I prayed the words of the third stanza of the great hymn "Draw Me Nearer":
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
(Chorus)
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
*Fanny Crosby, 1875.
* * *
Not only can others encourage us in fulfilling our calling - and we need that encouragement. We can encourage ourselves. One way is to pray daily, consecrating ourselves to the calling given us in the Body. Then, we can go into our day conscious of wearing spiritually that summons to serve Christ in all we do and say.
Quietly Responding
1. What do you see as your part in the Body of Christ? How are you daily living out that calling to serve? What challenges are you facing in living your calling?
2. Do you discern you have more than one spiritual gift to serve with? Explain.
3. I ask you to pray or sing the words above from "Draw Me Nearer." Let it be a prayer of consecration to service in and for Christ. Consider praying such a prayer each morning.
4. I recommend you pray a simple prayer of faith regarding your daily service, something like: "Christ, today, use me as you wish. Bring to me the opportunities I need to be a blessing to others."
Brian Kenneth Wilcox July 28, 2009
briankwilcox@yahoo.com
Facebook: Brian Kenneth Wilcox
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*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, with friends and under a vow of simplicity. Brian is an ecumenical-interspiritual leader, who chooses not to identify with any group, and renounces all titles of sacredness that some would apply to him, but seeks to be open to how Christ manifests in the diversity of Christian denominations and varied religious-spiritual traditions. He affirms that all spiritual paths lead ultimately back to Jesus Christ. 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 briankwilcox@yahoo.com . Also, Brian is on Facebook: search Brian Kenneth Wilcox.
*Contact the above email to book Brian for preaching, Spiritual Direction, retreats, workshops, animal blessing services, house blessings, or other spiritual requests. You can order his book An Ache for Union from major booksellers.
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