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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 hope 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 please 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 .
Opening Prayer
Jesus, sometimes I find myself afraid of the freedom you offer me. There are other voices inside my head, and some of them from the church, that call me to hold back from letting go and trusting the way of reckless love. I honor you as my Savior and Friend, the One who shows me both the way of freedom, its potential cost, and its blessedness. I know I need the freedom that only Grace can work in and through me. And persons around me need to be helped and encouraged by my living that spiritual freedom. Help me to live free, and show other persons the One who can set them free, too. Amen.
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Today's Scripture
22-23Philip went and told Andrew. Andrew and Philip together told Jesus. Jesus answered, "Time's up. The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
24-25"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal."
*John 12.22-25 (MSG)
Spiritual Teaching
St. Augustine differentiated between two aspects of freedom, both vital to understanding spiritual liberty. First, is liberum arbitrium, or freedom of choice. Second, libertas, or freedom. The first pertains to a capacity for spiritual freedom and the second to actual spiritual liberty.
This liberty grows in this life, through three stages, and the third is “under Grace.” One does the Divine will gladly, wanting to do it and doing it – so desire and act are unified. There is constant growth in this freedom. St. Augustine taught that Grace makes it not difficult to do what we should do. (Mary T. Clark. “Introduction.” St. Augustine of Hippo. Augustine of Hippo. The Classics of Western Spirituality)
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