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The Next Right Thing

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282: Psalm Summer: An Introduction

Jul 4, 2023

It's time for Psalm Summer and today I'll share a few words about why I hold a tension with the Psalms. I'm hearing it among my friends, at retreats I've led, from graduate students I teach, and in the spiritual direction chair -- we have a complicated relationship with God, with the Bible, with people who make up the church. Complicated doesn't have to mean bad and it doesn't have to be negative. It just means there are a lot of layers and we've lived a lot of life together. We have love stories to tell, heartbreaks to grieve, faithfulness to celebrate. The Psalms don't tell us how to live, they reveal the many ways we might respond to life. They are songs and poems written by those who are angry, heartbroken, bereft, and elated. The words in the Psalms are not a rule book but a refuge, a record, a reality of human life in all its complexity.

Today I'll share a few words about why I'm glad to bring Psalm Summer back. Listen in.

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“For the simplicity on this side of complexity, I wouldn't give you a fig. But for the simplicity on the other side of complexity, for that I would give you anything I have.” ― Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.