Concussion inspires albums about the Psalms
If Mike Janzen hadn’t been thirsty one night seven years ago, it’s possible he wouldn’t have recorded his three most recent albums. In 2021, the Toronto singer-songwriter released the first two volumes of The Psalms Project—19 songs he composed while recovering from a debilitating concussion. Janzen got up in the middle of the night in…
Zooming with God through the Psalms
Several British Columbia pastors cooperated this summer by preaching sermons on the Psalms and sharing them with each other’s congregations on Zoom. At a Mennonite Church B.C. pastors gathering last winter, a conversation arose about the difficulty of getting dynamic speakers to preach when pastors take summer holidays. Several mentioned that it would be good…
Practising prayer with the Psalms
My kids are old enough to start playing ball, and weekly practices and physically distanced games are a regular part of the Barkman routine. In high school, I was a catcher, and Christina played third base, so we want our kids to grow into confident athletes. That means they are learning to practice. Continuous repetitions…
Watch: Three songs to bring you solace
Efforts to produce online worship resources have resulted in three new videos featuring music written and performed by musicians from Mennonite Church Canada. “PSALM 46” by JESSICA & MOSES FALCO Jessica and Moses Falco from Sterling Mennonite Fellowship (Winnipeg) filmed their original song, “Psalm 46,” on March 19 when they were at Douglas Mennonite Church, recording…
Psalms of lament in times of violence
What do we do with Psalm 137? While “Sing us one of your songs of Zion” (verse 3) rings in Christian minds as a sign of deep grief, the accompanying “Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!” (verse 9) strikes most as exceedingly difficult. Don E. Saliers,…
Creating collective psalms of praise
Recently at my church here in central Winnipeg, we have been navigating a sermon series on the Psalms. My small group, some ten or so very diverse people at various stages in their adult-esque lives, have also been journeying through various types of psalms by engaging in a plethora of approaches and activities. This last…
