More Than Bread

Send me a Text Message! Psalm 121 is one of the first of a small group (14) of psalms called the "Psalms of Ascent." They were songs for pilgrims on a journey to the holy place, the presence of God. Psalm 121 beings with a question and an answer that should direct and motivate the steps of our journey.  The question is "Where does my help come from?" And the answer is, "My...

Send me a Text Message! Psalm 119 is a love-song to God's Word. If you walk away from this episode with anything, don’t miss the deep, deep love, reverence and devotion the psalmist has for the word of God and the ways of God. Rather than looking for loopholes to escape them, he is looking for ways to dive deep into their embrace. The word, guides, instructs and revives our souls. It’s a lamp...

Send me a Text Message! If it wasn’t so stinking long, Psalm 119 would be the theme chapter of More Than Bread! Because it is a deep dive into an almost never ending feast of words about the Word. Psalm 119 is a love song to divine instruction, a heartfelt celebration of the psalmists deep devotion and unwavering commitment to the ways of God laid out in the word of God. The writer of Psalm 119 is...

Send me a Text Message! There’s so much in this psalm.  Giving thanks to God because He is good.  Taking refuge in God. The name of God and the right hand of God. But more than any of it, I just can’t get past those four words, “His love endures forever.” Whose love endures forever? God’s love endures forever and nowhere do we see that more evident, nowhere is that more clearly proclaimed that it...

Send me a Text Message! If I had to give a title to this Psalm, if I had to hold out the theme that impacts me the most it would be the Psalmist’s vision of a high and humble God. High and humble. "Let the name of be blessed, the very name of the Lord is to be praised. He is exalted above all the nations, his glory surpasses the heights of heaven." And yet he stoops down. He bows low. He...

Send me a Text Message! As we dive into Psalm 107, I want you to imagine that you are in a gathering, perhaps church, perhaps a smaller group, and you are sharing stories,. At Calvary we call them God-stories, stories of God at work in and through us and all around us. Psalm 107 is a call for God-stories. In the first two verses, you will hear these words, "Give thanks to the Lord for he is g...

Send me a Text Message! Psalm 103 is a psalm of praise and thanksgiving that celebrates the unfailing love and mercy of God. It invites us to saturate our souls in the goodness of God and pause for a few moments to remember his blessings…all the blessings he pours out on His people, His family.  As I read the Psalm, don’t miss how the Psalmist paints His picture of God, the attributes of God—His c...

Send me a Text Message! Psalm 100 calls us to a deeper understanding of worship and gratitude. It reminds us that our relationship with God goes beyond religion, beyond rituals, tradition and where we meet on Sundays. Instead at the heart of this relationship with God is an invitation to come into His presence and experience the soul-satisfying goodness of God. But in this episode we will focus on...

Send me a Text Message! Is God a god of grace or a God of justice? Or is He both? Psalm 94 is a passionate, travailing cry for justice in the face of oppression and wickedness. It resonates with the struggles so many encounter in a world filled with injustice. But perhaps even more importantly, Psalm 94 reminds us that we can turn to God; we can trust God as a source of hope and justice. I was mos...

Send me a Text Message! Psalm 90 is unique in that it's the only Psalm out of 150 that is attributed to Moses, not David, not the sons of Korah, but Moses. In some ways, I see this as a companion to Psalm 84, the focus of our last episode. They are tied by the concept of time. Remember in Psalm 84, there was this amazing assessment of time, that one day in the house of God, one day in his pre...

Send me a Text Message! If I asked you to describe your best day ever, for me, what words would come from your mouth? I could tell you about some amazing family days, amazing days with my wife. I could tell you about some top ten ministry days, times when I have seen God at work in awesome ways. But for David in Psalm 84:10, one day in God's presence is worth 1000 of our best days anywhere el...

Send me a Text Message! I wasn't going to do Psalm 78, but  when I read it, I couldn’t get away from it. Why? Because it's a charge, a challenge to care about the next generation. It’s a calling to pass our faith on to the next generation. And let's be honest, the church in America isn't  hitting the ball out of the park when it comes to that. Every generation is less connected...

Send me a Text Message! Psalm 77 is a unique psalm. What makes it interesting is the deeply profound shift in perspective and emotion as we journey through the psalm. At the beginning it’s anxiety and anguish. The psalmist cries out to God, pouring out his soul, but finding no relief, no comfort, no peace. His heart is overwhelmed. He feels forgotten, unseen and ignored by God; wrestling with doub...

Send me a Text Message! There was a time in his life where he really had lost everything that we would say was necessary for the good life. He was living in caves on the run from a King who wanted to kill him.  Lost his family.  Lost his home.    Lost his reputation.  Lost his freedom. And it was during those days that he would would sit and create this song of worship found in Psalm 63.  A Psalm...

Send me a Text Message! In Psalm 51, David wants more than forgiveness.  Way more.  I hope you do too.  The grace of God is not just a forgiving  grace.  The grace of God is a healing grace.  The grace  of God is a joy-restoring grace.  The grace of God is a renewing, sustaining, strengthening grace.  The grace of God brings an unstoppable tsunami of transformation.  And it's available for yo...

Send me a Text Message! As I look around us, as I look among us, and as I look within me, I would say that a sin-soaked heart is life's greatest problem. We would prefer to highlight other issues. At least in part because when we talk about sin, sooner or later it's going to come back to me. Because here is what I know, my sin-soaked heart is my greatest problem. My own heart is the domi...

Send me a Text Message! Psalm 51 takes us into the heart of a deeply personal prayer of confession and repentance. It’s a prayer prayed by David when he was caught in sin. David’s heart was pierced with conviction and burdened by guilt and Psalm 51 is a heartfelt response to  that sin. It’s a raw and vulnerable cry for mercy. David doesn’t justify or minimize what he did, he simply lays his soul b...

Send me a Text Message! Psalm 46 trumpets a clarion call to trust, from the very beginning. The words "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble," set the tone for the entire psalm. Even in the midst of mess, chaos and confusion, God is our steadfast and reliable refuge. BUT he’s not an impersonal refuge. He desires a personal relationship with each of us. He is a p...

Send me a Text Message! Psalm 43 is a companion to Psalm 42 with a common chorus in both. Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? You know it’s good to ask ourselves questions like that. We can’t ignore what we feel but it’s ok to ask ourselves if our feelings align with reality. Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? Are you discouraged? Is your heart sad? You’re not alone, I know th...

Send me a Text Message! Psalm 42 is a psalms that can bypass the walls of our intellect and stir up our hearts. It’s a song of desperate longing and the unsatisfied thirsts of our soul. It’s a cry for the refreshment of our hearts. It's a psalm that authentically reminds us of the good and the hard, but in the midst of it all is our souls thirsty for God.

Send me a Text Message! I’ll be honest, I’m not exactly sure why I chose Psalm 38 to be in my top 40. It’s a hard Psalm that dives into the depths of  human suffering, guilt, and a desperate cry for God’s mercy. Psalm 38 gives us a vivid portrayal of physical and emotional anguish; especially the anguish that comes from sin and the burden of guilt. Psalm 38 does not shy away from the consequences...

Send me a Text Message! There's just too much good stuff in Psalm 37 to let it go with one episode. So here we are again. But this time, we'll take some time pondering our place in the land. God wants to give us the land...but the land is for the meek. Meek? Anyone looking for a little more meekness in their life? Meek isn't weak, it's strength under control. Let's go for...

Send me a Text Message! And again, we come upon a Psalm that contains a favorite verse. Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." There are so many good things in Psalm 37, but in this episode, we're going to focus on a few practical experiments that could help us "delight in God." 

Send me a Text Message! One of my favorite verses in the Psalms is Psalm 34:8, "O taste and see that the Lord is good." I love the immediacy of that tactile description. Taste. It's not enough to watch others taste, take it in and chew on it. BUT this episode will put together two seemingly opposite actions. Taste his goodness and fear the Lord. They go together, they really do. So...

Send me a Text Message! Eugene Peterson has said that every language—including the language of prayer—is learned, and through the Psalms we learn the language of prayer. But here’s what I love about prayer steeped in the Psalms. When we read or listen to the Psalms before we pray, we let God have the first word.  Prayer should always be the second word. We come to God with our ears, before we come...