Have you ever been surprised by joy? Sometimes you find joy when you aren’t looking for it. Last weekend I attended to a Neil Diamond Tribute performance. After ending with a rousing rendition of “Sweet Caroline” replete with people in the audience standing up and singing along (who can not sing along when this song […]
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Psalm 67 begins with the phrase, “May his face shine on us,” or in other translations, “smile” on us. What does it mean to have God smile upon us? Let’s explore this through Psalm 67 – God smiles. Psalm 67 Psalm 67 – God smiles, is a simple psalm of praise and blessing. The psalmist […]
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There are many ways to praise God. Last week we looked at praising God in silence in Psalm 65 – Praise Awaits! This week we look at another way to praise God in Psalm 66 – Shout for Joy! What are the psalmist’s reasons for shouting for joy? Psalm 66 In Psalm 66 – shout […]
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In Psalm 65 – praise awaits, what is it waiting for? Why would praise wait before speaking? Is there a reason to think first? What can we learn about praise from Psalm 65? Psalm 65 Psalm 65 – praise awaits, begins with the words, “Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion.” As one commentator states, “The […]
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This week a friend of mine sent an email with the following quote by Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do that.” Nailed it! That was what I needed to hear. And if I wasn’t listening, today I stumbled on a blog post with the same quote. […]
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The musical Wicked, based on the book of the same name, explores the nature of wickedness. Who determines what is wicked? Society? Is the wicked one the one who looks different or the one who is beautiful based on society but acts unkindly? Psalm 64 – wicked, explores this question. Psalm 64 In the first […]
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In Psalm 63 – thirst, the writer speaks of his thirst. What does he thirst for? What do you thirst for? Psalm 63 Psalm 63 – thirst, begins with the writer searching for God. The superscription tells us that this psalm was written by David when he was in the desert. David thirsts for God, […]
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Today is Valentine’s Day. A day of hearts and flowers and chocolate, so much chocolate. Love is in the air. While we focus on romantic love, is God’s love ever far away? Without God’s love there would be no romantic love. But all the love we celebrate today is only a shadow of God’s love. […]
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One meaning of only is “no one or nothing more besides; solely or exclusively.” So true of our God as we learn in Psalm 62 – only. No one is better than God, our one and only. Psalm 62 Psalm 62 – only, another psalm attributed to David, starts with the writer waiting and resting […]
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The superscription for Psalm 60 – You were angry, says it is for our instruction. Why was God angry? What are we to learn about God’s anger from this psalm? Psalm 60 is both a lament and a psalm of triumph. The triumph comes after losses and lessons learned from those losses. The superscription reads: […]
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