This year, during "40 Days of Faith," one of the spiritual practices we are exploring together is called Breath Prayer.

Breath Prayer is an ancient form of prayer that connects short, memorable phrases with deep breathing. This embodied practice can help us to connect with the Spirit, to release tension and stress, and to ground ourselves in the present moment.

On the "40 Days of Faith" Prayer Bracelet, the blue bead will help us to remember that God's presence is as near as the air we breathe and will remind us to practice Breath Prayer.

Instructions on how to practice Breath Prayer are included below (and in the "40 Days of Faith" Guide).

​Also included in the Guide is a calendar with a different Breath Prayer for each day of “40 Days of Faith.” These prayers have been drawn from Bible verses, @blackliturgies (Cole Arthur Riley), and @liturgiesforparents (Kayla Craig).

You are welcome to use these Breath Prayers in whatever way resonates with you. You may want to follow our daily calendar, to skip around to the prayers that stand out to you, to use the same prayer for multiple days, or even to write your own!

Last Sunday, Pastor Alison led us through Conversation Church — a special service format we use from time to time on Sundays to help facilitate connection through guided conversation. During the service, Pastor Alison helped us begin to think about the season of "40 Days of Faith" (the River's name for Lent) and shared about the River's tradition of creating Prayer Bracelets. Each bead on the bracelet symbolizes something and serves as a reminder of a truth about God, a spiritual practice, or something we are praying for.

As part of this year's "40 Days of Faith" Guide we have included a page with reflection questions connected to each bead on the Prayer Bracelet. (You may recognize some of these questions from Conversation Church!) We hope that they will be a helpful tool as you begin to think about the sermon series theme and your personal prayer practices and requests. The guide is available on our website as a PDF and we will also have some printed copies available at the church on Sundays.