Editor’s Note:  Sherie Wylie Markova is one of MSIA’s 2025 Ministers of the Year.  Asked to write about her ministry, Sherie shares this:

From a young age, I’ve known my calling: to be a divine instrument—one with God, in service to myself, others, and the Divine. I’ve often felt pulled toward something greater – curious about the inner and outer reality and how to harmonize what is mine to do. I was very sensitive as a child and I spent countless hours in silent conversation with God, my invisible best friend. That connection shaped the way I move through life—playful, graceful, calm, creative, and constantly attuning to whatever experiences allow me to be in the company of my best friend.

My heart became alive in the presence of my grandfather. He was a quiet, introspective, tall, handsome and a very loving man, who spoke to me as if I fully understood him—even before I could utter a word. By the time I was ten months old, my grandfather and I were deep in conversation/communion because of the joyful and loving presence he inspired in me. In our conversations, he would say something to me and I would respond in pure gibberish. He would then act as if I had given him the most delightful news and our divine communion continued. His unconditional loving mirrored back to me my experience of being one with God.

When he passed into the spirit around age seven—just as my “veil” dropped—I began to feel the weight of being on planet earth without my North Star. His physical absence deepened my spiritual connection. Yet his loving essence stayed present within me like a fire waiting to be kindled. People would tell me constantly, “Your grandfather loved you so much,” and I could feel that truth in my bones. He taught me that the most powerful sound in the world is love.

My grandfather was my first spiritual teacher. In his presence, I felt safe, seen, loved and joyfully alive. I could be anything. He planted a seed of loving that became my compass. Through him I encountered God before I knew God existed. That loving presence my grandfather William shared still touches me.

When I moved into Prana several years ago, my connection with John-Roger was very much like my connection with my grandfather and God. John-Roger was mostly out of the body when I showed up and I had very little physical time with him. Yet, his support was unyielding, invisible and everywhere. It did not matter that I had a short time with him physically. What mattered is that I knew him spiritually. My time at Prana deepened my relationship with John-Roger, with my grandfather – with God.

As I steadied my gate on my spiritual path, I stopped seeing the Divine and my physical world reality as a separate experience. I began noticing God everywhere I looked. I started hearing God as I slowed down to listen to what others shared. The love of my grandfather spilled over into the love I experience nowadays. My grandfather and John-Roger share their love with me through people, awarenesses, silence, miracles in perfect timing, etc. When I asked for John-Roger’s support I experienced my inner environment expand into my outer reality and my request was answered over and over again. I noticed God speaking and listening through all people and situations.

My ministry is often one of silence and deep communion with God. I enjoy laughing too. My spiritual connection inspires who I am and where I am called to be. When I sacrifice my limited points of view and open up to God’s perspective, I experience what is possible – beyond my wildest imagination. My shift in perspective from self-consciousness to God consciousness is the heartbeat of my ministry. Choosing to say “yes”= to love, divine presence, playfulness, joy, fun and the most rambunctious laughter affords me the freedom to be in God’s awesome creation more of the time.

At the Conference of The Inner Master, the interplay between the invisible and the tangible experience is still reverberating inside. Conference is often a labor of love and an occasion for celebration. I begin planning and conversations with spirit at least a year or so ahead of time. I do my best to listen and track what I hear. I write down any awarenesses that surface. I trust that whatever shows up to share is a gift. I am lucky to have my leadership circle to check out what I hear in my silence. The journey from formless to form has often been my delight and pleasure. It’s a trust walk that allows me to be in deep communion with God. This year was dynamic, creative and deeply satisfying. What I experienced inside flowed gracefully into the physical world and I am still in the afterglow.

Sometimes I dream of being in a vast clear blue ocean, surrounded by sea creatures of many different sizes and colors. At first, I feel scared, small and uncertain. Then I realize I am not alone. I am an instrument in a vast cosmic orchestra. As I surrender, relax, and remember I am part of something greater—that God was thinking exactly of me when I was born – I experience my oneness with God.

My blessing is knowing that I am one with God, leading with love, and following where my heart is called to go. I say yes to the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness and its invitation to grow beyond what I imagined possible. There’s a line in a song that plays in my head like a mantra: “I’ve got sunshine in my pocket, I am just right here in my zone.”

God wrapped every part of me—beautiful, forgotten, and sweet—into a whole universe, so I can be of good service to the heartbeat of loving. I practice spiritual kintsugi: embracing my cracks, honoring imperfection, and becoming more resilient with every opportunity I am given. Like gold in the fractures, my flaws become part of the gift of being human and spiritually directed. That is my service—being love made visible.