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LENTEN DEVOTIONALS

As part of our Lenten journey together as a church to Easter, we will be posting Lenten reflections and practices from a variety of sources.

To read a devotional, please click a link below.

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Welcome to Musings! As participants in the conversations on this blog, we covenant together that we will maintain a spirit of good will, of openness to each other, and of mutual respect in our discussions; that we will listen to each other and endeavor to understand each other, especially those whose views differ from ours; and that we will remember that we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

Why Musings?

  • The Musings Page will be a place to consider thought-provoking, evocative, sometimes polemical but not overtly political, writings, quotes, ideas, and poetry on the Christian life in all its facets: spiritual, religious, ethical, and practical.

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Musings

December 8, 2011

posted on December 8, 2011 by Musings

Second Thursday in Advent – Our Souls Breathe!


God, the one and only—-
I’ll wait as long as he says.
Everything I need comes from him,
so why not?
 He’s solid rock under my feet,
 breathing room for my soul,

Psalm 62: 1-2  translated by Eugene Peterson in The Message

Some years ago, three members of our family tried to climb Pike’s Peak with out acclimating.   They started out just fine, but somewhere above the tree line, every step became a struggle!   Their lips were beginning to turn blue, and their thinking was foggy!

Have you ever been “short of breath”?  Mundane chores become overwhelming. You have the feeling that you just can’t get a good, satisfying breath. Tight muscles or pneumonia can inhibit your ability to get oxygen for your body.  You don’t have enough “breathing room”, and all is not well!

Like the body, the soul has requirements.  The soul needs to know that God is present.  When we know that God is with us, we can play, laugh, take risks, and enjoy the gift of life.  But there are times when we feel frightened and alone.  When we don’t feel his presence, we struggle for courage; we can’t even pray. We become rigid with the rules, and allow no breathing room.  It’s as if the soul can’t get what it needs!

But God gives us his presence. We only have to accept it as a gift.

At Advent we wait!  We believe that God is with us! Our souls breathe!

God is to the soul as oxygen is to the body!

Prayer: God, during Advent this year, help us to remember that Jesus promised to be with us…. Always!

Today’s reflection was written by Pam Neff, a member of First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport.

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