Emphasis Preaching Journal

"Breathe!" the leader shouted. And the young man, who had been in anguish as he worked through a troubling event in his life within a Christian support group, looked startled at first, then consciously took several deep breaths. With the conscious breathing came a more relaxed posture, a lowering of the voice pitch, a calmer flow of speaking, and the expression on the young man's face slowly changed from an anguished look to a smile. He was then able to speak about what had troubled him in constructive ways, with a greater degree of self-understanding.