OneLife Institute

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Notes from the Director: The Year in Review

Founded and consecrated in Autumn of 2004, OneLife Institute has now completed its first full year of operation. In this article I reflect on our highlights from the year just past and share some plans for 2006 and beyond.

Central to the mission of OneLife Institute is education. 2005 saw the offer of our popular class "Howard Thurman: The Growing Edge" and the introduction of day-long "Spirit, Sound & Silence" retreats. At the invitation of my friend and colleague, Rev. Deborah Johnson, I served as part of the teaching team for her metaphysical Bible class at Inner Light Ministries, presenting on "Jesus as Revolutionary." I was honored to speak at the Oakland Children's Hospital in March in observance of National Social Worker's Month, and to fill in throughout the year as guest preacher at several area congregations.

THE GIFT OF SERVICE

In 2005 OneLife said goodbye to co-founding board member, Mona Williams. Mona has since completed her Practitioner training at the East Bay Church of Religious Science and continues to work on her own nonprofit organization, A Place of Love Resource Center (APoL). We are thankful for all she brought to OneLife. In May we were delighted to welcome Shirley Strong as the newest member of our board of directors. She joins continuing members Valerie Brown and Rev. Terry Williams. (Look for board member profiles in a future edition of the newsletter!)

This year we inaugurated the OneLife Resource Council - a group of individuals committed to sharing their professional expertise in support of our mission and vision. We are grateful for the ongoing contributions of time and talent shared by Francisca Pabros, Robert Williams, Mujahid Abdullah, and Rai Jordan Toole.

We were also blessed by the sacred service lovingly offered by volunteers staffing our classes and retreats. ALL are deeply appreciated. Special thanks to Destiny and Cristwell Muhammad for providing live soundscape and musical inspiration, to the Rev. James Noel for teaching Qi Gong at our August retreat, and to massage therapists Niki Sellers and Semaj Ransom for nurturing retreat participants with healing touch.

2006 AND BEYOND

Looking ahead to 2006, I will be a visiting professor at Memphis Theological Seminary, teaching an intensive course on Howard Thurman during their January term. I have also been invited to teach Thurman at Loyola Marymount University in July. And in Spring 2007, I will be offering a full-semester course on "Mysticism & Social Change" at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley.

In 2006 we will hold quarterly visioning sessions, continue our quarterly "Spirit, Sound & Silence" retreats (next one coming up January 28th - see Classes & Events page for details), and hopefully offer some additional classes and workshops TBA. We will keep you informed via this newsletter and periodic updates, or you can always consult the OneLife webpage for the latest news.

We have a few other ideas up our collective sleeve, including a multi-media gallery event featuring the work of visual and spoken word artists on the theme of spirituality and social transformation. We are looking for underwriters to help make this event possible and welcome your resources, ideas, and assistance.

SHARING OUR BLESSINGS

At OneLife Institute we are committed to sharing our blessings, not only through the services we provide, but through donating a portion of our income to other nonprofit organizations whose work we believe in. Our recent tithes have mostly gone to those doing grassroots relief work in the wake of devastating natural disasters: Sarvodaya (providing tsunami relief in Sri Lanka); the People's Hurricaine Relief Fund (Katrina - administered by the Vanguard Foundation); and Mercy Corps.

We hope you will join us as we embrace all of lifekind tenderly in prayer. May 2006 be a year of healing, transformation, and peace.

With blessings to you, and love,

Liza

 
Quarterly Visionings

Visioning is a type of guided meditation with the purpose of opening to God's plan, the highest possibility for a particular focus of concern. Through visioning we create a space of deep listening and receptivity, available to catch the divine idea or intention seeking to be expressed.

We recently held our first OneLife visioning session, facilitated by Rai Jordan Toole. The following is Rai's report of our gathering:

It is an honor for me to be part of the unfolding vision of OneLife Institute. As a spiritual counselor and facilitator, I have witnessed countless individuals, groups and organizations actualize God’s purpose for their lives and their life’s work through this sacred process.

On November 12th, a group of fifteen people came together to “tune in” and align with God’s plan for OneLife Institute. We began with a period of silent meditation and prayer followed by a welcoming from Rev. Liza. I then led the group in a dialogue on the power of visioning. I shared that in visioning, we are not trying to visualize or create what this organization is to be, but to open up to the divine idea that already exists in God.

From this introduction, I led the group through the visioning process followed by time to capture what was experienced in words and pictures. As we shared the visions – insights, images, colors, words, feelings – we began to notice similarities in what was received by those present. Even though I have experienced this many, many times in working with others, it continues to amaze me to see the beauty, wisdom and power of the divine tapestry that comes forth through this process.

The collective wisdom and love that was shared that afternoon brought me to tears as I saw the tangible expression of the OneLife vision inspiring and empowering those present not only in their support of this ministry, but in their expansion of their personal life’s work. This is what I love most about visioning – the awareness that it is all about personal transformation.

With visioning, I've come to expect the unexpected. In working with others as well as in my own life, I’ve watched closed doors open. I’ve experienced resources show up at the right and perfect time. And I've watched people who were frozen by fear become pillars of faith from witnessing God’s plan unfold in their lives. There is great power in a group coming together on one accord.

Both Rev. Liza and I have had the opportunity to talk with people who attended the Nov. 12th gathering and they have shared what a blessing it was to them. Many felt that it renewed their commitment to their own life’s purpose, and they described an expanded sense of how the work they've been given to do fits into the larger framework of OneLife Institute.

Our charge as we go forward is to trust the process. We must balance our doing with the willingness to allow the magnificence of this ministry to unfold in its own time. God’s vision for OneLife Institute already exists. It has always existed, awaiting our willingness to accept the assignment to grow, expand and bring it forth into manifestation.

If you are interested in experiencing the sacred gift of meditation and visioning in your own life, please join us for the next Spirit, Sound & Silence retreat on Saturday, January 26, 2006. See the Retreats page for details.

For Such a Time as This...

By Liza J. Rankow 

In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Esther tells the story of a young Jewish woman who became the Queen consort to the King of the Persian Empire. When the Jews were threatened with annihilation, she made the difficult decision to risk everything – her position, her safety, even her life – to challenge injustice, and in so doing became a savior for her people. Now that's truly the "Reader's Digest" version of the story! There's a wonderful line in Esther 4:14 where her kinsman Mordecai is trying to convince Esther to do-the-right-thing, and he says to her: "Who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this..."

The Hebrew word that gets translated into English as "have come" is "naga." It has several meanings, including not only to reach, to arrive, or to obtain, but it also can refer to "God's touch enabling someone to serve." Isn't that beautiful? The idea of being touched by the enabling hand of God in order that we may serve a divine purpose...

Times of crisis call us urgently to our soul's intent, that reason for which we have taken incarnation at this transformative moment in the world’s history. As we witness an alarming escalation in so-called natural disasters – hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, mudslides, tsunamis… And as we see the increase in UNNATURAL disasters, such as war, torture, genocide, extremes of wealth and poverty, rampant addictions, environmental destruction, malignant neglect, and the like… We may wrestle with how to respond to the pressing magnitude of “such a time as this.”

I encourage you, in this season of the year’s turning, to reflect in your prayer time and in your meditations on what it is that you are uniquely called to be and to do. Some of us may already be living into that... Some of us may know, but perhaps be hesitating out of fear or wanting to hold on to whatever small security and comforts we have... Some of us may feel like we're not prepared, like we're not ready or not enough... Maybe you've heard the saying: "God doesn't call the equipped, God equips those who are called!" Our job is simply to say “yes” – to make ourselves available to the enabling touch of the Divine.

Nothing is wasted in God. Every experience we’ve had – every trial and every testimony, those things we’re ashamed of and those things we may take pride in – all of it is part of our preparation and can be consecrated to higher purpose. Like Esther, we can choose to make ourselves available…risking everything. Trembling perhaps, but faithful to the call, enabled to serve through the hand of God upon us…at such a time as this.

 
End of the Year Giving

In this season of giving, we hope you will remember OneLife Institute in your end of the year charitable contributions. Your gifts provide much needed support as we develop a sound organizational infrastructure and continue to “grow” OneLife Institute.

Your generosity allows us to offer services of spiritual ministry and education to all seekers, regardless of their financial status. Presently, these services include counseling and prayer support, ceremonies for life passages (including bereavement care), spirit-centered consulting and facilitation, and classes and workshops that are informative, inspirational and practically applicable. Our aim is not to present a particular dogma or doctrinal creed, but rather to provide tools and resources that support and empower a diversity of individuals according to their own particular needs.

OneLife Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Gifts may be mailed to us at 6114 LaSalle Ave. #759, Oakland, CA 94611, or made securely online using the link provided. We offer our humble and heartfelt thanks for ALL your support -- time, talent, tithes, and prayers. May the blessings that you share return to you magnified and multiplied.

All Newsletter articles (c) 2005 Rankow/OneLife Institute unless otherwise noted.