First Love Church
These podcasts are messages that were preached at First Love Church in Ocala, Florida. We hope that you are encouraged and inspired by what you hear. We are a non denominational, egalitarian church that practices a generous orthodoxy. Find out more about our local congregation online at firstlovechurch.org.
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First Love Church
Guided Prayer - Seeds of PEACE
Take a slow breath in and release. Again. One more deep, steady breath. Now pause and receive these words: "Your peace is not fragile, nor is it fleeting. Your peace is anchored in the eternal."
This meditation guides you through a sacred journey where breath and prayer intertwine, creating space for divine peace to dwell. Drawing from Jesus' words—who calmed storms with "Peace, be still" and promised "My peace I give to you"—we explore peace not as the absence of conflict but as the active presence of God dwelling within us.
Through gentle rhythmic breathing paired with the prayer "Peace of Christ fill me, Peace of Christ flow through me," you'll experience how your body becomes a vessel for tranquility. But this practice extends beyond personal serenity. As the meditation deepens, you're invited to visualize this peace expanding outward—embracing family, neighbors, the forgotten, and places of conflict. The profound truth emerges: "In Christ, we are one body, one spirit, one life in God. Your peace is their peace. Their peace is your peace."
The saints and mystics have long understood that authentic peace transforms us from mere recipients into channels of divine presence. By the end of these ten minutes, you'll carry with you not just momentary calm but an enduring invitation to live as a peacemaker—anchored in God, witness to the Spirit, and a blessing for our troubled world. Join us in this sacred breathing space where every inhale becomes a prayer and every exhale becomes a seed of peace.
This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would like to support the ongoing work of First Love Church you can donate at https://www.firstlovechurch.org/giving
In the service of LOVE,
Pastors Dennis and Heather Drake
Beloved welcome. Take a slow breath in and let it go Again. Gently inhale and release and release. One more deep, steady breath and exhale.
Speaker 1:Beloved you are held in the love of God. Beloved you are held in the love of God. Your peace is not fragile, nor is it fleeting. Your peace is anchored in the eternal, in the one who still blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. And again, when the winds raged and the seas roared, jesus stood and said peace, be still. And the storm grew quiet. Let these words of comfort flow into your heart like living water. Beloved, you are called into this same peace, not only to receive it but to become it. With your inhale, pray silently, peace of Christ fill me. And with your exhale, pray, peace of Christ flow through me. Inhale Peace of Christ fill me. Exhale Peace of Christ flow, fill me. Exhale. Peace of Christ flow through me.
Speaker 1:Continue this rhythm, breath and prayer woven together. Every breath becomes a prayer and every prayer becomes a seed of peace Beloved. To live the way of Jesus is to walk in this world as a peacemaker. The saints and mystics have taught us peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God dwelling within us. Now picture the peace of Christ as a gentle light within your chest, steady and unwavering. The words of Jesus anchoring us in divine promise. I leave the gift of peace with you, my peace, not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my own, perfect peace. Don't yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts.
Speaker 1:Instead be courageous. Peace that does not flicker with fear. Peace that does not flicker with fear. Peace that does not vanish with anger. True peace, anchored deep in the love of God. Peace beneath every storm, beneath every shadow. Let this peace expand now, filling your whole being with calm, with stillness and with love.
Speaker 1:And now beloved. Imagine this peace moving outward, beyond yourself, beyond these walls, flowing from you into your family, into your neighbors and into the whole earth, and into the whole earth. See this peace embrace the weary, the brokenhearted, the forgotten. See this peace soften the places of conflict and division. You are not separate from any person In Christ. We are one body, one spirit, one life in God. Your peace is their peace. Their peace is your peace. Gently whisper with me. Peace of Christ dwell in me. Peace of Christ dwell in all. Peace of Christ dwell in the world. As the saints often prayed in silence, as the cloud of unknowing covered them in divine love. Let this become a holy rhythm within your heart. Peace of Christ dwell in me. Peace of Christ dwell in all.
Speaker 1:Peace of Christ dwell in the world. Beloved, return now to your breath, slow, steady, calm. Feel your body supported and your spirit at rest. Hear again the blessing of our Jesus. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Carry this peace with you today, anchored in God, witness to the Spirit, a blessing for the world. Go now, beloved child of God, bearer of peace, go in stillness, go in love, go in God.
