Rachel Wilhelm has a multifaceted ministry. Besides her songwriting and recording, she is the United States Team Leader at United Adoration, and the Minister of Music + Worship Arts at Apostles Anglican Church in Knoxville, TN. where she lives with her family. Requiem, and Rachel's other releases, are available on all music platforms and at https://rachelwilhelm1.bandcamp.com/ and more info at rachelwilhelm.com.

Tremper Longman: Cry of the Soul

Synopsis: Dr. Tremper Longman III joins us today to talk about his book The Cry of the Soul: How Our Emotions Reveal Our Deepest Questions About God. We talk about how the psalms guide our journey through emotions, especially the darker ones like depression, anger, loneliness, etc. The psalms provide a necessary external voice to help us listen to our emotions, disrupting our denial, inviting us to hurt and rage, and ultimately revealing God’s heart for us.

Bio: Dr. Tremper Longman III is Distinguished Scholar of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, where he was the Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies for nineteen years before his retirement in 2017. He earned his B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University, his M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary, and his M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Yale University. Prior to joining Westmont in 1998, Longman taught for eighteen years at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He has also served as visiting professor at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, an adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, and a guest lecturer at Regent College and the Canadian Theological Seminary. Longman has contributed to and authored over thirty books and commentaries, including Cry of the Soul and a commentary on the Psalms as part of the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series.

Synopsis: Today’s show features Dr. Dave Yauk, speaking about psalm singing and community. We discuss what role psalm singing plays in being part of a community today, how to reconcile seemingly individualist, personal experience psalms with community orientation, and how psalm singing broadens our connections with the church across the world and the ages. Visit https://psalterproject.com/contribute to gain access to the full episode, including more about Dr. Yauk’s global background, why we should care about community, and three easy steps to become a more community-oriented person--NOT! In fact, some humble wisdom about the process of real growth and what that might look like for you personally, long and difficult though it may be.

Bio: Dr. Dave Yauk is first a foremost a follower of Jesus. He is husband to Katie, and father to four wonderful children (Naomi, Jesse, Levi, and Analise). Dave has been privileged to do ministry in over 17 countries, and his writing has been published in Transpositions, Logos Press, the YouVersion Bible App, and in 4 published works for adults and children. Dave owns the Garden City Project, an online collaborative P&P hub for Christian artists and innovators. He is a Professor of Theology, Spiritual Formation, and Bible at Grand Canyon, and Professor of Worship, Missiology, and Songwriting at Visible Music College. You can find other resources from Dave on Garden City’s Partnered Blog and Podcast named The Worship Ministry Catalyst.

https://www.gardencityproject.com

Synopsis: Michael LeFebvre joins us today to share how the psalms are uniquely the songs of Jesus, our Messiah and King. We talk about his journey into psalm singing, discovering that features that initially made them awkward really came to distinguish them and make them powerful. Authentic emotional connection while worshiping in faith is not only possible but part of the goal. Visit psalterproject.com/contribute to gain access to the full episode, including the mind-boggling grace of the psalms of repentance, and how the imprecatory psalms ministered to a Rwandan pastor who’d had six brothers brutally murdered on the same day.

Bio: Michael LeFebvre (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is a minister in the Reformed Presbyterian Church and a fellow with the Center for Pastor Theologians. His books include Singing the Songs of Jesus: Revisiting the Psalms and Joy that Perseveres: Exploring Ecclesiastes. He and his wife Heather have five children and live near Indianapolis, Indiana.

https://www.crownandcovenant.com/searchresults.asp?Submit=Go&Search=singing+the+songs+of+jesus

Synopsis: Our guest interview for today’s episode is Wendell Kimbrough, who provides several insights on contemporary psalm singing.  Topics covered include community vs. individual experiences with the psalms, exploring the emotions of the psalms, how the psalms invite and reveal our relationship with God, and sometimes even expose our political idols!  Visit https://psalterproject.com/contribute to access the full length episode and hear more details about Wendell’s story with journeying into psalm singing, translations vs. paraphrases, and the importance of the “uncomfortable” psalms.

Bio: Wendell Kimbrough is a songwriter and performer reimagining the Psalms for emotionally honest modern worship. His music makes space for the whole range of human experience, from lament, grief, and anger to playful, joyful celebration. With singable melodies, steeped in the sounds of folk, gospel, and soul music, Wendell's songs are sung at hundreds of churches around the world. His music has been featured in Worship Leader Magazine and World Magazine; and Under the Radar Media selected his 2016 album, Psalms We Sing Together, as an honorable mention for albums of the year. In 2020, he was invited to serve on American Songwriter Magazine's prestigious panel of lyric judges. Wendell lives with his wife and daughter in Fairhope, Alabama, where he serves as worship leader and artist-in-residence at Church of the Apostles.

Website: https://www.wendellk.com/

Synopsis: Chanting is a beautiful way to sing psalms word for word.  Unfortunately, many modern congregations can be intimidated by the unknowns involved. David Madeira, creator of the 12-point chant psalter, joins Emily Bateman in discussing why chant is a great choice and how to make it an accessible option for your congregation. Psalter Project contributors can listen to the full length interview; visit https://psalterproject.com/contribute and get in touch.

Bio: David Madeira is a composer, worship leader, and university instructor in Nashville, Tennessee. He serves as Director of Music at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church and teaches music courses at Belmont University. David holds undergraduate and master's degrees in Composition from Belmont University, and a doctorate in Worship Studies (DWS) from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Jacksonville, FL. His doctoral thesis was focused on the topic of congregational psalmody: its history, various forms, and usage in the contemporary church. His thesis culminated in the development of a new form of psalm chant for modern congregations, known as twelve-point chant. David resides just south of Nashville in Franklin, TN, with his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children.

https://www.davidmadeira.com/

Psalter Project is a resource intended to encourage and enable psalm singing. We see music as an irreplaceable means to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Col 3:16). Our goal is to write, publish, and promote fresh arrangements for these eternally relevant lyrics. Translating ancient Hebrew poetry into contemporary English lyrics is difficult, to say the least. Is it really worth it? Emily Bateman, co-founder and director of Psalter Project, gives a brief overview of seven reasons to choose to sing the psalms.