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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 .
Prayer
Dear Lord, regardless of how much I have learned about prayer, and how much I have prayed, I still need to say, "Lord, teach me to pray." Amen.
Scripture
We are certain that God will hear our prayers when we ask for what pleases him.
*I John 5.14 (CEV)
Quote
Intercessory prayer for others is a fundamental form of action. It is one of the many privileged ways of acting that results from our being "in Christ," "in God." Out of that contemplatively realized unity grows our mysterious capacity to participate in the circulation of grace through the great cosmic Body of Christ.
*Tilden Edwards. Living in the Presence.
Spiritual Teaching
I like Tilden Edward's reference to sharing in the circulation of Grace. Certainly, since we each are part of the one family of God, we are honored to give and receive Love by the practice of prayer, as well as in many other ways.
One form of prayer is intercession. Usually, by intercession we mean prayer for others. For this writing, what applies to intercession does, likewise, to petitionary prayer - our prayer for our selves.
Some persons are gifted in intercessory prayer. Others of us are not. I am not. Yet, we are all called to engage in intercessory prayer as an act of Grace for others.
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There are differing ways to do intercessory prayer. I am offering a way I call Meditative Intercessory Prayer. The outline for the prayer was inspired by Tilden Edwards; I have created an adapted version from Edward's methodology.
So, today, our writing is a little different than usual. This writing is less informational, and more directly experiential. I request you read the directions below for doing Meditative Intercessory Prayer. Then, now or later today or tonight, engage in the prayer practice for at least five to ten minutes, or more.
1. Go into Silence, close the eyes, and breathe into and from the area just above your navel.
2. After you are relaxed, ask the Divine Spirit to open you to be sensitive to His, or Her, Presence.
3. Let people or situations arise spontaneously to your awareness - in some form see this person, these persons, or this situation.
4. With a word - like Help - or words like - O Lord, help - or with other words, pray for the Divine Presence to aid this need or person, or persons, that has arisen to you. Another way is to see the person, persons, or situation clothed in Light - a sign of Christ's Presence. This Light can be joined with the worded intercession or without it.
5. After praying like this for some time, remain in an open, receptive presence to the Presence of God. This quiet being-with Spirit is your unspoken prayer of readiness for the Spirit to pray through you beyond your conscious intercessions.
6. When ready to come out of the prayer time, pray the Lord's Prayer silently or softly out loud; pray through it slowly.
7. When coming out of the Prayer, come out with confidence that God has heard your prayer.
Responding
1. Prayerfully reflect on the following words of Tilden Edwards about intercessory prayer. What do the words say to you about the nature of the prayer? Does this agree with what you have already learned about intercessory prayer, or not? If it agrees, does it add anything you had not been taught?
We do not prayerfully intercede as an autonomous act of little ego. We intercede as vessels of the Spirit's intercession, reaching through us for the care and transformation of creation.
2. Does your action and the Spirit's action seem to be the same in your Meditative Intercessory Prayer, or different? Who is praying? Explain.
3. Did you do the exercise? If so, share your experience of the prayer. Do you think you would like this form of intercession to be part of your regular prayer practice?
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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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