What is PSALMS to God?

PSALMS to God stands for Praising, Seeking, Appreciating, Loving, Magnifying and Surrendering to God. These actions represent the 6 pillars that make up this blog. Although every single post may not mention God specifically, each post is effected by my belief, as I believe God should be the center of all things in my life.

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.Colossians 3:17 KJV

Poetry (Praising)

In Biblical times, people writes psalms, which are songs and poems, to praise God. I love poetry and I love God. You'll find that some of the poems on the site are about God and faith specifically, but other poems are about nature and feelings. God created all things, and He intended for us to enjoy His creations. When I write about nature or happiness, the poem might not be praising God, but I am because I appreciate that He gave us these things to enjoy. Even when I write about sorrow, fear, or anger, I appreciate that God gives us free will and that I write these as prayers to help me overcome some of the not so pleasant moments in life.

Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.Psalms 75:1 KJV

Bible Study (Seeking)

Some people keep a prayer journal, I keep a Bible journal—its full of notes and quotes from the Bible, thoughts I have while reading, questions, and historical or scientific agreements and disagreements. In March of 2015 I decided to go back through the Bible doing an in depth study on each section I read. Eventually I decided to share my journal of notes as I partake in this journey so that others can comment and/or benefit from the efforts as well. Many of the posts detail summaries and point out interesting facts or misconceptions about the chapters I've read (I'll update as I go), while some concern the history and origins of things related to Christianity.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.Hosea 4:6 KJV

Food & Health (Appreciating)

Taking care of yourself is important for so many reasons! God took time and created these bodies just for us, we are told that they are temples, meant to glorify Him. That means we should put our best effort in taking care of them! I used to be one of those people who never thought twice about what I ate or drink, so I know how it is to be on both sides of this fence! That's why I think it's important to talk about. Some of the posts in this section are about eating according to God's Word, others are about my journey to being vegetarian (and flirtation with veganism), and I'll throw in some recipes and tips about healthy eating.

¹⁹What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? ²⁰For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.1 Corinthians 6:19-20 KJV

Culture (Loving)

God is love. We honor His love not only by loving Him, but by loving those around us. Despite being of one body in Christ, we are quite diverse. Unfortunately, the world often uses our differences to pit us against each other. I have a passion for talking about cultural issues, because I think the more we education ourselves about other perspectives, we come closer to realizing that we're all human, and eliminate biases the world has indoctrinated in us. Jesus said that he who does not love is neighbor, does not love God (1 John 4:20). Love is an action, not just a feeling! Taking the time to understand the history, culture, and perspective of a person is a big step in actively loving the person.

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.Galatians 3:26-29 KJV

Podcast (Magnifying)

I hope to start a podcast soon. I know some people would rather listen than read, and I also feel like it's easier to connect when you can hear someone. If you're interested in the podcast be sure to fill out the podcast survey and let me know what you want to hear!

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.1 John 1:3-4 KJV

Christian Walk (Surrendering)

When I was in college, I asked my pastor how I could have people know that I was a Christian without being obnoxious. Certain things should never have to be said, your actions should speak for themselves. As I kicked off my Bible study and started to become closer to God, I started picking up the fruits of the Spirit. Unfortunately I'm not to the point that I display them all the time, and I often still have a ton of questions! Ultimately, our goal as believers should be to surrender to the will of God. I think this requires faith, but sometimes I think it requires education. The Christian Walk portion of the blog focuses on the history of Christianity, covering denominations, doctrinal differences, traditions, etc. There are also testimonies of how God has affected my life and discussions about current events or topics.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.Galatians 5:22-23 KJV