Discouragement. Disappointment. The Dumps. Down times are an inevitable part of life. In Psalms 42 & 43, the psalmist is honest about his troubles and how he feels about them. But is that the end of the story? Discover practical steps everyone can take to deal with the valleys of life in this edition of Permission to Be Real.

When things start to go sideways in your life or in the world around you, what do you do? There are things you can do that make things worse, make things better, or do nothing at all. What will you choose? In the Psalms, there are two model prayers that give us insight on what to do and the right approach when things are going wrong.

How do you get a blessed life? The introduction to the book of Psalms lays out the keys in the first two Psalms. And you can apply the lessons of these psalms this week to make life better and you better at life.

How do we reconcile Jesus’ teaching which prescribes loving our enemies and imprecatory Psalms which call down curses on our enemies? A study of these jarring psalms can snap us out of our complacency and teach us to care about what God cares about, all while emphasizing leaving the future of those who do us wrong in his hands. See how in this episode of Permission to Be Real.

How can I have peace in a dangerous and difficult world? There are always things that threaten our sense of security. In Psalm 23, one of the most well-known and beloved psalms, we see how the Lord, as our shepherd, is the answer to our insecurity.

No one likes to be overwhelmed with opposition. We wonder if we'll make it. We wonder if God will rescue us. Questions arise as to why justice is delayed and evildoers prevail. Where do we find hope when the opposition is overwhelming? How do we respond to those who are fierce in their opposition? Reflection on the insights in the Psalm in today's message gives us helpful approaches to our neighbors when the flow of culture is against us.

The Psalms are true to feeling, and by including them in the Bible, God gives us permission to be real! One of the worst feelings we can have is when we know we've blown it. But the good news is that because of who God is we get treated better than we deserve--even when we've blown it, big time!

Does it pay to do the right thing? If you've ever wondered, you're not alone. In the ancient psalms of the Hebrew Bible (our Old Testament), is the story of a person who wondered, and almost lost his faith because of it. There, you'll find permission to be real about your doubts, and answers that will place your faith on a firm footing.

BONUS EDITION: As part of the Paradigm series at Cornerstone, Jonathan Foreman presented Jesus' entire Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew chapters 5-7. For the context and question & answer sessions that preceded and followed this presentation, see the complete video: search for The Sermon on the Mount // Paradigm Part Ten from 6/5/2022.

You are free to be real! Even at church! You would think that people who claim to follow the guy who said lying is the native language of the devil would be super-committed to honesty. But sometimes church world is the place we feel least able to be truthful about how we're feeling and what we're thinking.

The Psalms show us that God is okay with our honesty, even when it's not pretty. The new series in the Psalms will show you God has given us all "Permission to Be Real."