Both Sun and Shield: of fathers and Our Father

I came across this thought while re-reading an old journal this week. It struck me as appropriate in honor of Father’s Day, and in observance of the imminent official start of summer, to look at our Heavenly Father as described by the sons of Korah:

The Lord God is both sun and shield. He will give grace and glory.”  Psalm 84:11

“Was the psalmist being clever?” I wondered.  Is this a contradiction? Or a paradox?  How can God be both my light and shade? Both tanning bed and sunscreen?  Both sun roof and umbrella?

Digging Deeper for Lent, Week 4: Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs

While music is not everyone’s preferred tool for spiritual growth and renewal, nor even for worship, it has its place in centering one’s thoughts on God, and can also be a teaching tool, both for doctrine and Scripture memory.

Since the apostle Paul instructs the early believers to sing “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” (see Ephesians 5:19 NIV), today I will offer my own recommendations for a bit of each of these three, from a variety of recording artists.