A Place to Breathe

We need moments of silence, of space, of reflection, both routinely and in response to tragedy.

If we are not intentional about claiming this space for ourselves, the noise of the world can overwhelm us.

I offer to you these thoughts, these prayers, these resources that I’ve found.

May the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe work through each of us in these days to bring healing, hope and peace to our lives and our world.

Peace Which the World Cannot Give

“O Lord,
you love justice
and you establish peace on earth.
We bring before you
the disunity of today’s world;
the absurd violence, and the many wars,
which are breaking the courage
of the peoples of the world;
human greed and injustice,
which breed hatred and strife.
Send your spirit
and renew the face of the earth;
teach us to be compassionate
towards the whole human family;
strengthen the will of all those
who fight for justice and for peace,
and give us that peace
which the world cannot give.
Amen”

The night before 49 people were slaughtered in Orlando, another young woman was shot to death in the same city. Christina Grimmie, a talented singer who competed on season 6 of the TV show “The Voice,” was killed Friday night at a “meet and greet” after her concert.

I was not familiar with Christina’s music before her death, but this video from four years ago really touched me when I saw it over the weekend.

If you would like to learn more about her or her music, here is Christina Grimmie’s website.

I also am reminded of a song that our youth choir performed a couple of weeks ago, “I Believe” by Mark A. Miller. The words were found scratched on the walls of a cellar in Cologne, Germany, by a Jew hiding from Nazi persecution:

I believe in the sun even when it’s not shining. I believe in love even when I don’t feel it. I believe in God even when God is silent.

This choir is not from my church, but their rendition is powerful.

What else have you found in recent days that’s given you space to reflect and breathe? Share your ideas in the comments here, or join my free “Faith and Sweat” Facebook group, a place to explore what it means to show up to life, and to watch what happens when we do.

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Thank you for visiting.