While preparing for a sermon on Psalm 42 recently, I stumbled across an odd text-critical issue. Most commentators point out the presence of a repeated refrain/chorus in verses 5 and 11, which also appears in Psalm 43:5. In several English translations, these are rendered identically, e.g. ESV: “5 Why are you cast down, O my […]
Category Archives: Psalms
So no one told you life was gonna be this way
What does the Friends theme song sound like in a minor key? That’s what Youtuber Chase Holfelder tried to find out when he covered The Rembrandts’s 90’s classic, “I’ll Be There For You”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=14&v=UmdkGH3Plgo https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=14&v=UmdkGH3Plgo It’s telling how a few musical tweaks can shift a song’s mood entirely. After all, your job’s a joke; you’re […]
Kiss the son? Thoughts on preaching Psalm 2:12
When preparing to preach Psalm 2 recently, I stumbled across a dilemma while translating the Hebrew text. As the psalmist winds down from verses 10-12, there’s a couple of exhortations to the raging kings of the earth. “Be wise; be warned” (v10). “Serve the Lord with fear; rejoice with trembling” (v11). Then in verse 12, […]
Declare your faith for those who are faithless
Earlier today I was listening to a sermon on Psalm 150 this afternoon. About halfway through, Daniel Montgomery made a good point regarding what we’re to do in our gathered worship: And here’s the deal – what you notice in the “what” of praise [referring to who Psalm 150 is directed to], is that it’s […]
Three kinds of songs to sing together in 2014
Bob Kauflin shares three categories to help you work out what to sing in your local churches this year. 1. Choose songs people can sing. In the church (and even at a conference), we shouldn’t assume people have the same songs on their iTunes. Or that everyone even uses iTunes. That’s due both to our […]