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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.
Affirmation
God is Love; I am Love.
Thought
Many people believe that they understand about love. They believe that anyone can understand the fundamentals of loving. Yet, when we look around at the brokenness of our world, it seems clear that we do not know how to implement love. This inability strongly suggests that we might not know what love really is. This state of affairs is perfectly reasonable, if you think about it. Most things that are fundamental to our existence take a while to understand. … From the evidence around us, we must conclude that we do not know much about love.
*Ken Kaisch. Finding God. “Learning to Love.” 274-275.
Spiritual Teaching
With all the talk about love, all the hymns about it, all the theology and philosophy about it, all the popular writings on it, all the poems about love, and all the popular music about it, are we really, as Ken Kaisch writes, inept at knowing about and practicing love? I could say “yes,” I could say “no.”
Even in my own life, if I look at much of the true love I have given, often at personal cost for the good of another, I could say, “I am good at loving.” Yet, if I look at other choices and facets of my life, I could say, “No, I know little about love.” Both are true. Now, magnify that to the world scene. So, yes, Kaisch is right, and, no, he overstates his point. We evidence the very little we know about love, but, then, we can demonstrate the heights of love which is truly Divine and Selfless.
Today, I offer a practice writing – a mediation practice. Ken Kaisch calls this exercise “Receiving God's Love.” I adapt his instructions.
Why do this exercise? Love is not just a mental thing. We need to feel it. We are mind, body, spirit. We need spiritual love to fill mind and body. This exercise is to open to the feeling, the sensation, the intensity of love. We may be surprised at the power of Love. We may be surprised at how good Love feels. We may be surprised at how we both long for and resists Love.
RECEIVING GOD'S LOVE
1.Position your body comfortably, spine erect, on a chair or cushions.
2.Ground yourself in your physical sensations. Close your eyes and slowly become aware of the sensations of your physical body. Feel the sensations as they flow through you. … in your head … neck and shoulders … elbows … wrists and the palms … knees … ankles … soles of feet.
3.Now move your attention to the region just below your navel, the heart region, or the center between the eyes and about one-half inch upward.
4.Acknowledge and feel God's holy Presence. You may do this by visualizing or feeling an aspect of God with which you are most comfortable, or both : the Mother, the Father, the Christ, the Holy Spirit - or any aspect personal, or otherwise, that you choose. Sit for a time in this Presence and feel the energy that radiates from this holy One.
5.Become aware of the Love flowing from the Godhead. … flowing around you. Feel its power, its texture, its light and warmth.
6.Let this Love flow inside you. Welcome however the Love becomes present. Rest here for a time.
7.When ready, let yourself come back to full, everyday consciousness – but slowly. Let the feeling return to each part of your body, before you get up.
Responding
1.What was the above experience of the practice “Receiving God's Love” like for you? Would you like to practice this Practice more? If so, how do you see it might help you learn more about Love?
2.Think of one way you can learn more about Love.
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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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