breathing room for my soul

Wednesday, March 02, 2016

Again and Forever - Lent 2016

Living Bread ~ Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35

During this season of reflections and renewal, join me in exploring the Bread of Life. When we encounter Jesus Christ, this Living Bread feeds, satisfies, and transforms us. Come on this journey and remember this True Bread “is broken for you”. ~ Donna Oswalt

“I am the living bread that came down our of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I give for the life of the world is My flesh.” John 6:51 NASB

Jesus repeats the promise of God’s divine purpose. Life forever with God comes by believing in the living bread from heaven; life forever comes through Jesus. In this verse Jesus gives a glimpse of His crucifixion, the bread also which I give for the life of the world is My flesh. Greater than the wilderness manna, Jesus becomes living bread, not temporary, not finite, but everlasting and infinite. The wilderness manna meets daily physical needs with God’s promise of faithfulness, while Living Bread completes all spiritual needs with God’s promise of everlasting life.

Jesus, willingly obedient to the Father, will soon be condemned to crucifixion by false witnesses too afraid to complete the task. Jesus, betrayed and beaten by people and politics, will be nailed to a cross by soldiers assigned to the task. Jesus, mocked and cursed and denied, will die for generations of people undeserving such love. Jesus, Son of God, the living bread, is broken to bring everlasting life to a weak and weary world.

God, Obedience can be hard for me. Hiding in the crowd I say, “Lord, always give us this bread,” but I’m not sure I really want this if it means standing up to false teachings and talking against the majority. My heart weeps at my weakness in contrast to Your willingness. Forgive me. – dho

Focus Point: Jesus, Son of God, the living bread, is broken to bring everlasting life to a weak and weary world.

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Tuesday, March 01, 2016

Jesus Answers - Lent 2016

Living Bread ~ Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35

Jesus said, “Don’t bicker among yourselves over Me. You’re not in charge here. The Father who sent Me is in charge. John 6:43 The Message

Grumbling and mumbling about what Jesus tells them gets a rebuke. Much like a parent responds to bickering children, Jesus says to stop arguing, as the decision about what is true or not true belongs to God and not them. Jesus tries to explain His obedience to the Father’s plan. When God sends daily manna from heaven in the wilderness, the people complained, and now, again they complain about the way God is sending everlasting bread.

Sadly, the crowd then and the crowd now often draw the same conclusions. Sometimes God’s provision does not look like we think it should, or does not come when we want it to come. Frequently we argue that it just is not enough. We plead our case, bring our need, cry in desperation, and beg through valleys, “God give me what I want!” In obedience to the Father, Jesus identifies himself as redemptive manna, as the Bread of Life. How often do we reject God’s provision because it fails to meet expectation?

“Lord, always give us this bread.” I pray this but sometimes I don’t mean it! Sometimes I really mean, “Give me what I want!” My prayers come full of needs and desires and come empty of praise and gratitude. Open my eyes to Your daily Holy Provision. – dho

Focus Point: How often do we reject God’s provision because it fails to meet expectation?

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Monday, February 29, 2016

Crowd's Unbelief - Lent 2016

Living Bread ~ Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35

The people began to murmur in disagreement… We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven?’ John 6:41-42 NLT

Unbelief denies even the possibility of Jesus’ divinity. Hostility towards Jesus grows even more during His last months on earth. How could this man, a carpenter from Nazareth, be the Son of God, how could he come down from heaven? Strong rejection of Jesus’ revelation spreads through this crowd. What makes believing so difficult?

Some 2,000 years later, the crowd still struggles to believe in the authenticity of Jesus’ identity. The Good News remains the same today ~ Believe in Jesus and have everlasting life! Some want proof, others want more miracles. Many simply ignore the message and create their own truths. Hostility towards Jesus grows as the days until His return shorten. Christians do not know when Jesus will come back to earth or exactly how that will look, but we do believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Living Manna from heaven for a hungry world.

Lord, there are crowds wandering, murmuring unbelief, and its people suffer great injustices. Without everlasting hope, the possibilities are few and the disappointments are many. Starving spiritually and unaware, anger and rage take control. “Lord, always give us this bread.” Help me feed this hungry world. – dho

Focus Point: Christians do not know when Jesus will come back to earth or exactly how that will look, but we do believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Living Manna from heaven for a hungry world.

For more information about this ministry visit ~

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Sunday, February 28, 2016

3rd Sunday of Lent - Mystery of God's Infinite Love

Living Bread ~ Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35

When we understand the mystery that we are loved not for what we do but because of who God says we are, we are free to love others in a similar way. Henri Nouwen

God showed how much He loved us by sending His only son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 1 John 4:9-10 NLT

While revelations of God’s character and redemption find expression in the Holy Scriptures, humanity struggles to find words that completely define or describe the glory of God. As one begins to recognize the splendor of God, the soul discovers the mark of God’s love permanently etched, the image of the Creator forged inside, a remnant of God’s life-giving breath. The heart overflows with emotion; the mind strives to comprehend. The mystery of God’s infinite love exceeds explanation. - dho

You Are Loved ~ Laura Story (click here for video)

God of the Heavens, You find me here, right now. My hunger for more and my dissatisfaction with less struggles to ignore Your everlasting, never ending, all-consuming love! “Lord, always give us this bread.”; You complete me! – dho

Focus Point: “Everlasting, never ending, all-consuming, You are love!” ~ Laura Story

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Saturday, February 27, 2016

Bread of Life - Lent 2016

Living Bread ~ Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35

Yeshua told them, “I am the bread of life…” John 6:33-40

Every year at Passover the Jewish people remember God’s protection as they recall putting the blood of an unblemished lamb over their doorways for the angel of death to pass. Religious rituals of removing all leaven from their homes and eating only unleavened bread during this time reminds them of God’s promise and God’s plan for His people. God provides.

God’s redemption of Israel from Egypt and hope of a Promised Land finds the people full of weariness and fear, struggling with disobedience and consequence. Historical retelling of daily manna from heaven for the forty years in the wilderness reveals a God of faithfulness. Centuries later, Jesus enters this world and becomes God’s living manna from heaven, God’s promise of redemption for all, for you and for me. Jesus, Bread of life, broken for you; broken for me. God provides.

Bread of life, I need a God of promise and hope, faithful and true. “Lord, always give us this bread”. – dho

Focus Point: God provides.

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Friday, February 26, 2016

Soul Food - Lent 2016

Living Bread ~ Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 6:38 NASB

Reinforcing His relationship to the Father, Jesus explains His purpose fulfills God’s plan and does not include a personal agenda. While God’s sovereignty never changes, Jesus reveals a unity with the Father. Together, the plan of salvation unfolds before the people. Living Manna from heaven brings redemption to a lost people. God’s soul food!

God provides the food, but humanity still gets to choose. God’s sovereignty allows us to come to Christ by faith, each individual by personally believing. Verse 40 explains God’s plan: believe in Jesus, the Son of God, and have eternal life. Grace comes through faith in Jesus. Perfect Love demonstrates obedience to the Father’s plan. God chooses each of us. How will you reply?

Lord, I struggle to lay down my agenda, my plan, my dreams. Sometimes, I want life to evolve on my terms, my timetable, my truth. You call me by name and invite me to call You Father, to rest in Your purpose. You ask me to believe! Teach me how to pray “Lord, always give us this bread” so that I find Living Manna. - dho

Focus Point: Perfect Love demonstrates obedience to the Father’s plan.

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A New Beginning

"This is my [new] life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details . . . God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.

And so here I am . . . writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along."
Ephesians 3:7-10, The Message

Pages

Wednesday, March 02, 2016

Again and Forever - Lent 2016

Tuesday, March 01, 2016

Jesus Answers - Lent 2016

Monday, February 29, 2016

Crowd's Unbelief - Lent 2016

Sunday, February 28, 2016

3rd Sunday of Lent - Mystery of God's Infinite Love

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Bread of Life - Lent 2016

Friday, February 26, 2016

Soul Food - Lent 2016