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Phil Jackson coached the Chicago Bulls basketball team during the playing days of Michael Jordan. Before turning to coaching, in the 1970s Jackson played for the New York Knicks. During his time at the Knicks, the team won the championship. He had reached the dream he had been striving for since he was a child.
A short time later, Jackson was in New York and went to celebrate with family and friends. The restaurant was crowded with famous people like Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. However, instead of joy, this is what Jackson wrote about his feelings: "[T]he intense feeling of connection with my team-mates that I had experienced in Los Angeles seemed like a distant memory. Instead of being overwhelmed with joy, I felt empty and confused. Was this it? I kept saying to myself. Is this what was supposed to bring me happiness? Clearly the answer lay somewhere else."
Jackson later understood what was missing. He writes, "What I was missing was spiritual direction."
*Reported by Brett Blair in esermons, referencing Jackson's book, Sacred Hoops.
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Have you ever sought meaning in an accomplishment or something else only to find it could not live up to what you were really looking for? What were you really looking for?
Have you had a time in life when you realized what you were looking for to give you meaning was spiritual in nature? Explain.
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*Charitable contributions would be appreciated to assist Brian in the continuance of his work of ministry. For contributions, contact Brian at barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
*Brian's book of mystical love poetry, An Ache for Union: Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major booksellers, or through the Cokesbury on-line store, at www.cokesbury.com .
*Brian K. Wilcox lives with his two beloved dogs, St. Francis and Bandit Ty, in Southwest Florida. He serves the Christ Community United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL. Brian is vowed at Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in South Georgia. He lives a contemplative life and inspires others to experience a more intimate relationship with Christ. Brian advocates for a spiritually-focused Christianity and renewal of the focus of the Church on addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons, along with empathic relating with other world religions, East and West. Brian has an independent writing, workshop, and retreat ministry, for all spiritual seekers.
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