Devotional
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Psalms for People under Pressure
Jonathan Aitken, Psalms for People under Pressure, London: Continuum (2004). This book is difficult to classify. In part this is because of the fame of the author. It is part commentary, part introduction to praying the psalms and part biographical. Many readers, i.e. those who know something of Jonathan Aitken’s ‘fall from grace’, will read… Continue reading
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Psalmtweets 31-40
This is the 4th post of my latest round of Psalmtweets. Psalm 31: The Psalms show that suffering and illness are part of the life of faith. But trust, hope & faith are the greater part. Psalm 32: The Psalms teach us about The Way. Yahweh’s instruction is more than just knowledge. Psalm 33: The… Continue reading
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Psalmtweets: psalms 1-10
I have been composing a daily tweet on a psalm for over two years now. These tweets are in canonical order and I am now on journey number 6. I have made #psalmtweets a spiritual discipline as part of my daily devotions. In the current journey of tweets I am attempting to let the Psalms… Continue reading
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Review of ‘Reflections on the Psalms’
Reflections on the Psalms, Adams, Cocksworth, Collicutt, et al., London: Church House Publishing, 2015 This small book is a devotional companion to the Psalms. It has a page per psalm, with some of the longer psalms being broken into more convenient ‘chunks’, e.g. psalm 18 has three pages, each of which is an individual page-long… Continue reading
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Praying with Scripture: Some thoughts
The Strange New World of the Bible Praying with the Bible is about having a confidence in the Bible, a confidence that it is Scripture. It is about owning Paul’s words to Timothy: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may… Continue reading
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The Psalms of Ascents: Latest Psalmtweets
These Psalmtweets try and capture something of the essence of the 15 Psalms of Ascents (120-134). The purpose of these tweets is to draw attention to the actual psalms, not to circumvent them. Psalm 120: I sojourn in a strange land. Living, breathing, but not at home. I journey to a new place. Yahweh, you… Continue reading
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A Psalm for the 9th Anniversary of New Life Baptist Church
Today is the 9th anniversary of the constitution of the church where I am a member. The following psalm is a Midrash of parts of the Psalms of Ascent which have had a special significance to us over the past few weeks and months. The psalm was used to close our celebration service this morning.… Continue reading
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On Singing New Songs
Anyone who spends time reading the Psalms will notice the common refrain to sing a new song to the Lord. There are six occurrences of this exhortation in six individual psalms. In all but one case (psalm 144) it either opens the psalm or is a central part of the psalm’s opening. All six occurrences… Continue reading
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Exposing the Psalms
Exposing the Psalms: unmasking their beauty, art, and power for a new generation, Milton Keynes: Authentic Media (2014). There are a lot of books available on the biblical Psalms. So do we need another? Is a book that aims to expose them, claiming too much? I am pleased to say that this book fulfils a… Continue reading
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My Favourite Psalms of Ascent Tweets
Pause: The Songs of Ascents (psalms 120-134) are pilgrimage songs. Why not make your own 15 day ‘pilgrimage’ with them? Psalm 120: The Life of Faith is often opposed by lying lips. It is the way of peace in the midst of hostility. Psalm 121: Yahweh is with us on our pilgrimage. Look to him… Continue reading
About Me
This blog’s central aim is to explore all aspects of how the Psalter (the biblical psalms) functions as Scripture today.
To this end it will also include book reviews on the Book of Psalms and related topics.
Some posts will reflect more broadly on biblical interpretation or hermeneutics.
If you like what you see here and want to arrange for me to give a lecture, run a teaching event or a short retreat based around The Psalms then contact me so we can discuss how this might work.
PsalterMark 