Summer in the Psalms
engage the Psalms to experience God
Psalm 145
July 28, 2019 • Pastor Jack Schull
We have a phrase we use: 'sing the praises' - referring to when we talk up or share about something or someone that means a lot to us. Psalm 145 is chalked full of insights, understandings and instruction all about praise for God. King David is talking up God, practicing his praise to the Lord and pushing us to follow his pattern - to make praise a normal and natural part of our lives. It's helping us learn how to PAUSE to PRAISE and to grow our relationship with God.
Psalm 103
July 14, 2019 • Pastor Jack Schull
This Psalm is David writing himself a 'spiritual sticky note' - if you will. A reminder of all He's been given in having life with God. David is challenging himself and US – don’t let your hearts become ungrateful or drift from living with a thankful heart! Grow your gratitude by never losing sight of God's benefits. More gratitude will not come from more acquisitions, but from more awareness of God's presence with you and God's goodness to you. His blessings and benefits!
Psalm 51
June 30, 2019 • Pastor Jack Schull
Psalm 51 is one of the several Penitential (confessional) psalms. It calls to us to be a people who seek to keep short accounts with God and others. To live an open and authentic life. We live in a world that pushes us toward concealment, the secrets, the cover-http://ups...but it's confession that brings true freedom. We want to be a people who practice confession and turn away from the tendency to want to cover-up. We looked at 3 key take-aways as it comes to living out a confession rhythm in life.
Psalm 139
June 16, 2019 • Matthew Warnstedt
This is one of the most beloved Psalms as it speaks to our value to God. God knows us, he is with us and for us, what then is our response to that greatness? This Psalm closes with one of the great simple prayers in all the Bible (verses 23-24) - we invite you to come back to this prayer often to allow God to keep your heart aligned with him.
Psalm 73
June 9, 2019 • Pastor Jack Schull
Perspective dramatically impacts how we see and engage with reality. This psalm highlights the short sightedness of a human perspective -vs- a heavenly perspective. The psalmist (Asaph) in Psalm 73 goes on a challenging journey of wrestling with God. Is pursuing God worth it? The first half he's wrestling with bitterness and envy. In the second half, he gains a clarity and freedom from his angst. What is it that changes everything for Asaph? The same thing that will transform our perspective: worship. The mysteries of life only make sense in the presence of the Majesty. It's in Jesus and his presence, with our focus on him, where we see things most clearly. This psalm is a great one to lean into as we navigate the tough tensions of life.
Psalm 1
June 2, 2019 • Pastor Jack Schull
As we launch into our Summer in the Psalms series, we dive into the first Psalm in the book of Psalms. This is a Wisdom Psalm – one chalked full of imagery that paints a picture of the person who seeks out God, His Word and pursues godliness in contrast to the one who disregards God and seeks to live by the ways of the world. The psalmist is pointing out: there is no greater wisdom than ordering our lives according to the Word of God. We see the "principle of the path" - the right path will take you where you want to go; the wrong path will take you anywhere but where you really want to go.