Psaturday Psalm Psummary - Psalms 6-11
Welcome to the Psecond Psaturday Psalm Psummary. This week has found the Psalms in a friend at the gym, ice & water next to a path, in a design left by someone, in stunning art in Spain shared by my son, in the TV show Severance, and in a fork in the road. A few of the Psalms seemed to echo one another and you’ll see that in a few of the writings I have shared from this past week. So, here are Psalms 6-11. Also, there are some other photos of the week that follow the Psalm Psummaries.
Psalm 6 - Peaks and Valleys
This is one of those Psalms that is just heartbreaking to take in and is yet so honest and real. It is the Psalm of one who is devastated by something - an illness, an injury, life circumstances, betrayals, grief, something. It has one of those places in the Psalms that is a lament asking God, “how long?” It feels like it starts in a valley...
Psalm 7 - Refuge and Rise
There are two major “R” words in Psalm 7 - Refuge in the first verse and Rise in verse 6. I have been wrestling (Restling?) with this Psalm the last few days becuase I was trying to lean to one or the other. But this morning, I realized that it isn’t one or the other but it is both and it was the “both” of this moment that spoke it to me.
Psalm 8 - Unsayable, Stillness, Wonder, Awe, Art
Back in the day the college ministry I was a part of would often use a really up-tempo song based on Psalm 8. It started out, “O Lord, o Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.” We’d repeat that a few times and then move to a few other lines pulled from other parts of the Bible and eventually return to the opening line based on the first verse…
Psalm 9.5 - Severance
So, a friend got my wife and I hooked on the AppleTV show, Severance. If you want to watch it, the less you know about it the better. But one thing I will say is that, true to the name, it is about people living separate lives. We have been binging the show (hopefully tonight watching the last 2 episodes of season 1) and so it is very much on my mind. I…
Psalm 10 - Kind and Soft Eyes
In my mind, I had initially crafted an entire reflection on how Psalm 10 (at least Fischer’s translation of it) could be heard to be speaking about social media. I think this now-ignored reflection was largely influenced by the chapter of Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention - and How to Think Deeply Again
Psalm 11 - Both/And
There are magical sights all around us. I follow a photographer on social media who seems to get to travel to the most amazing places all the time and he shared a video of a waterfall with the bluest water while on a trip to Antarctica. But this photo was on my walk last night with Scout.
Psalm 12 will be posted tomorrow morning.
Substack Live Conversation with MaryAnn McKibben Dana on Monday
Monday afternoon at 2pm ET, I’ll be doing a Substack live conversation with MaryAnn McKibben Dana around the shifting nature of community that was inspired by Trevor Noah’s conversation with Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone. It should show up as live if you log into substack at that time. Even if you aren’t going to be able to watch the video, listen to the podcast conversation. Needed listening, imho.
What I’m Reading
As always, I have a few books going on at the same time.
I just finished Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerrer. Oh my goodness, what a rich and challenging and beautiful read.
I’m also reading Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention--and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari. It is wonderfully creative about the ways to engage the problem of focus in our lives right now. It doesn’t just say, “It is _____’s fault” but instead showing the complicatedness of the issue and steps we can take as individuals and community to address it.
Ordinary BenchMarks (my book) is also on my reading list. I have been profoundly moved by how these reflections of photos from a year ago are still speaking.
I also just started Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s book How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith. I’m grateful for being an ebook reader because it is completely sold out everywhere.
Other Photos
I’m not only photographing for the Psalms but also just opening myself to the meaning and wonder that is around us. Here are a few of my favorites from the last week or so.
And Scout too!
Grace, Peace, Love, and Joy,
Ed