By Brother Guy Ames This psalm of David comes from the time he was running from King Saul, during the time he sought advice and refuge for himself, his family, and his men. Saul, obsessed with finding and killing David, reached a near crescendo as he had the priest, Ahimelech, his family, all his priestly […]
By Brother Brian Shimer What has captured your delight? The energy of your heart? The focus of your life? What do you talk about wherever you go? Therein might be a clue. This was the subject captivating the author of the first Psalm. But, the author of Psalm 1 does not begin with […]
Words of Encouragement: The Lord Is My Shepherd By Brother Guy Ames Have you ever visited a shepherd? Have you ever seen sheep sheared? Have you ever watched a sheep dog work a flock of sheep? Have you heard the bleating cries of lambs during lambing season? Sheep, Shepherds & wool have been part of […]
By Brother Rob Bewley I have a clear childhood memory of my mom, Janet Grace Bewley, quoting the first two lines of Psalm 121: “I will lift my eyes to the hills–where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” Over fifty years later these words […]
By Sister Georganne Leonard Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. When Drew, our oldest, was in 2nd grade, he had the opportunity to participate in a speech event sponsored by ACSI (Assoc. of Christian Schools). The children were to present memorized Bible verses and comment upon them. Drew needed a challenge to go deeper […]
By Brother Gary Pope-Sears I thoroughly enjoy Psalm 148. I recall being struck by this psalm in the winter of 1978 after a huge blizzard struck our seminary in Dayton, Ohio. Classes were cancelled, but those who resided on campus had a chapel service in the basement of one of our residence halls. The psalm […]
By Cheryl Jacobs This has been my favorite Psalm for several years. I first looked more closely at it because of a song that really spoke to me. More on that below. I see this psalm in five sections, and if I were to give the sections names, they would be Known, Seen, Planned, Claimed, and […]
Encouraging Word: A Psalm of Perspective & Wisdom, Psalm 90 By: Brother Guy Ames I was a young preacher when I received a small book to assist with funerals. Looking through many of the scriptures included, I eventually latched onto several that I used frequently such as, John 14 “in my house are many mansions…” […]
By Brother John Breon One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 27. From the opening, “The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” to the declaration, “One thing I ask from the LORD” and the commitment, “Your face, LORD, I will seek,” to the request, “Teach me your way, LORD,” to the […]
By Brother Gary Wheeler This summer, the theme for our United Christian Ashrams International Ministry Encouragement Email is “My Favorite Psalm,” or as I irreverently pronounced when I was a teenager, “Pa-salms.” (I probably should have been disciplined more back then!) I immediately thought about those psalms which have received modern musical adaptations, including Psalm […]
