I wonder sometimes if a Lead Pastor’s main role is to be the C.R.O.

The “Chief REMINDING Officer”.

For most of us in the Church, we aren’t being told NEW information, but we need weekly reminders of who God is, of who we are and WHOSE we are.

Much of the Psalms act as a reminder of the acts of God, the faithfulness of God, and the goodness of God.

We don’t “forget” God in the way the term is typically used… in the way we forget our passwords or the name of our cousin’s new boyfriend… but perhaps the biggest struggle for all Christians is “forgetting God” in such a way that sidelines Him in our life; going to every other comfort or resource before we remember to turn to Him.

If for no other reason, these are important Psalms because Scripture records at least 200 versions of the same call to “Remember God”

There’s an old-timey word I (Jonathan) like a lot… “comeuppance”. It is literally derived from the idea of “coming up” in front of a Court or Judge and getting “what’s coming to you”. It’s why I’m a sucker for things like the Reacher TV series and books. Every week, some bully is getting punched in the nose. It’s very satisfying.

That’s not necessarily something I’m proud of. More on that later.

In numerous places in the Psalms, you’ll read some pretty graphic details of prayer requests that God might “smash the teeth”, “dash them against the rocks”, “blot out their memory”, or that “hot coals would rain on” their enemies. In other words, a lot more severe than a bloody nose.

How do we reconcile this with the “turn the other cheek” message of Jesus?

Some may ask why these verses are even in the Bible at all. It could all use a bit of unpacking, but it may end up raising an unexpected question.

Am I actually angry ENOUGH?

If we did a sermon for every Psalm, we’d wrap up in time for Fall… 2029!

But there are certain Psalms that we’ll cover briefly this Sunday (8, 29, 33, 65 & 104) that fall into some similar themes and exhortations. We might call these the Songs of the Creator.

I know there’s a portion of folks at NAC who most “connect” to God through worship music; others through intellectual pursuits like Bible Study; others through action and service (among many other pathways), but I know for certain there is a great number of you who sense God most keenly through His creation.

Then once it gets deep into your heart that the creator and sustainer of the universe has actually taken a personal interest and concern for just YOU… His child… well, that’s a spiritual game-changer.

The 42nd Psalm is a beloved one. It is often remembered for lines like: “As the deer panteth for the water so too my soul longeth after You, God”

Others may know it for this timeless question (and wise answer): Why so downcast, O my soul… Put your hope in God”

A modern translation, though, makes a challenging and intriguing statement of the Psalmist “emptying the pockets of my life”. What does that mean, particularly for us today? What’s the connection to water and lament and sort of “preaching to yourself”?

After last week’s great dramatic approach to the narratives of Jesus, we’re in for another treat with a more immersive, character-driven dive into this essential Psalm.

What does it look like to live under a shelter you can’t see — yet somehow can feel — when fear is loud, and danger feels close?

Psalm 91 has actually, for thousands of years, been the “go-to” scripture for spiritual battle and deliverance.

How do we recognize spiritual attack versus ordinary trouble? Could refuge be less about avoiding risk and more about where we run when the storm hits?

Come curious, bring your doubts, and see which questions (and hopefully some answers) this psalm opens for you.

It’s a dichotomy as old as humanity itself. We’ve been wrestling with this since Job. God is Good (“all the time”), and yet bad things… ugly things do happen in this world. They happen to faithful Christ followers.

It’s a theme that comes up again and again in the Psalms, and it’s always addressed in an unvarnished, healthy, authentic way.

For many, this supposed contradiction ends up being the cause of their abandoned faith. Let it not be so of us as we wrestle with a deeper understanding of serving the God of the good, bad and ugly.

How are we going to talk about the Psalms all summer without talking about its primary emphasis: Praise!

And not just a reverent, intellectually focused, “polite” praise, but according to Psalm 150 (among others), a rip-roaring, “bring the noise”, boisterous kind of praise. The kind where King David unembarrassingly says: “Oh, you think THIS worship is undignified? You ain’t seen nothing yet”

Don’t worry. No one is going to convert you to a chandelier-swinging holy roller, but there may be some blind spots we all have regarding this key instruction from that Lord, that EVERYTHING with breath was made to PRAISE HIM!

This Sunday’s “Soul Music” is truly music for the soul.

Yes, the Bible says we are CHILDREN of God in the household of faith. It is even accurate to say we are SERVANTS of God - we’ve been bought through the very blood of Christ. Of course, we are DISCIPLES of God, following in the model of Jesus Himself. We’re called heirs, workers, ambassadors, priests, temples, and even soldiers, among others.

The one thing I am called that shocks me the most (and blesses me beyond my comprehension) is being called a FRIEND of God. Can you even get your head around that extraordinary privilege?

Psalm 25 is one of the places where we are invited to be called “Friend of God”.

What do you do with your terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad days, the ones where you're not just hurting, but honestly frustrated with God? In this message from the Soul Music series, we look at Psalm 88, the Bible's rawest, darkest prayer, and discover that lament, praying with brutal honesty about our pain, is not only allowed; it's one of the most common types of prayer in Scripture.

It's Baptism Sunday, and today we pause to reflect on what baptism actually means, and why it matters. Like communion, baptism is more than a ritual or a tradition. It's a living, tangible picture of a deeper spiritual reality: an old life left behind, and a new one begun in Christ. If you've ever wondered why Christians make such a big deal out of getting dunked in water in front of a crowd, this one's for you.