ChosenRebel's Blog

Original Musical Composition by Aubre Schoenleber to Accompany Poetry Project

[ The musical composition was Aubre’s Christmas gift to me in 2010. You can listen while you read. I hope it helps your own meditation on the Scripture. Click on the sound file just above the search box on the right.]

In December of 2009 or thereabouts, my son, Marty Schoenleber III (aka Marty S. Dalton), put a video up on Youtube.com. It inspired me to keep working on a project I thought of a couple of years ago. The idea is to write a poem of personal reflection for each Psalm in the Psalter. Here are some of the offerings so far. Some of the poems are preceded by a brief commentary.

Don’t think of any as high art. Think of these offerings as one poor man’s desire to draw nearer to Christ. New entries will generally appear on Sunday afternoons.

One more thing: It is always best to read the psalm or the verses being commented on first.

Poems for Psalms

Psalms Book 1

Psalm 1      Wisdom Flees from Neglect
                     Blessed is the Man   (Sons of Korah)
.                    I Am A Child of God  (Shane & Shane)
Psalm 2      Why Do the Heathen Rage?
                     Kiss the Son   (Sons of Korah)
Psalm 3      A Morning Prayer of Confession
                     Psalm 3   (Sons of Korah)
Psalm 4      Friday
                     When I Call   (Shane Heilman, Psalms Project, featuring Melissa Breems)
Psalm 5      A Declaration of Dependence
                     Give Ear to My Voice   (Maranatha Singers)
Psalm 6      Extremity.
                     Light of Life   (Sons of Korah)
                     Heal Me   (Shane Heilman, Psalms Project, feat. Deryck Box)
Psalm 7      Willing to be Forgotten
                    Vindicate Me   (Sons of Korah)
Psalm 8      Less Even Than My Enemies Thought I Was 
                    In All the Earth   (Shane Heilman, Psalms Project, featuring Emily Heilman)
Psalm 9      Seeking Mercy in the Nightwatches of Life
      “__         Make Your Grace My Clothing
                     Fighting for Me   (Shane Heilman, Psalms Project, feat. Darin Kaihoi)
Psalm 10    A Cry for Syria’s Children
.                    Vexation: When The Heart Struggles with Justice
                     Yahweh is King Forever   (Shane Heilman, Psalms Project, featuring Jon Degroot)

Psalm 11    The Mockers are Loud
.                    Yahweh Loves Justice   (Shane Heilman, Psalms Project, feat. Nick Poppens)
Psalm 12    Clinging to a Rock
                     The Words of the Lord   (Shane Heilman, Psalm Project, feat. Nick Engbers)
Psalm 13    When God Doesn’t Listen
.                    Shane and Shane, Psalm 13
   ,                 How Long    (Shane Heilman, Psalms Project, feat. Bethany John)
Psalm 14    Blunt Truth
                     Psalm 14   (Sons of Korah)   Psalm 14b
Psalm 15    In Your Tent Everything is Holy
 .                   Light of Life   (Sons of Korah)
                     Who May Abide with Your   (Shane Heilman, Psalms Project, feat. Emily Heilman)
Psalm 16     To Mourn Well: Why We Lament When We Are Not Lame
                      Your Majestic Neighbors
.                    Shane and Shane,    (Psalm 16)
.                    Psalm 16    (Sons of Korah)
.                    Keep Me Safe    (Sons of Korah)
Psalm 17     A Reflection on Psalm 17   (Before We Counter-Narrative)  NEW
.                    Apple of Your Eye   (Sons of Korah)
Psalm 18     Light Piercing Darkness
.                    Shane and Shane,  Psalm 18
.                    He Delights in Me  (Sons of Korah)
Psalm 19    Prove Your Word  
                    Psalm 19     (Sons of Korah)
.                   Psalm 19b  (Sons of Korah)
Psalm 20    What Would it Mean to Hear You?
.                   We Will Trust   (Shane Heilman, Psalms Project, feat. Aubrey Dale)

Psalm 21    That They Might Bow     
Psalm 22    My Tears are Too Many
.                    You are Holy (Joshua Aaron, Live from the Tower of David)
Psalm 23    Too Familiar
.                    Shane and Shane, Psalm 23
Psalm 24    A Psalm of David Reheard
                     A Prayer Shouting Joy
Psalm 25    Turn, O God
Psalm 26    I’ve Made My Choice
                    Judge Me  (Shane Heilman and the Psalms Project , feat. Nathan Hitchcock with Phil Keaggy on guitar)
Psalm 27     One Thing
            .        Run in the Night  (Jars of Clay)
.                    Shane and Shane, Psalm 27 (really, Psalm 23 but it fits here as well)
Psalm 28     Strength of the Weak
Psalm 29     The Voice
                     The Psalms Project Psalm 29
Psalm 30     When God Turns Mourning into Joy
.                    Mourning into Dancing (Shane Heilman, The Psalms Project, feat. Elizabeth Enalls)

Psalm 31
Psalm 32     When Sin Caught Me
Psalm 33     Really God!     
Psalm 34     Have You Been Humbled into Gladness?
.                     Shane and Shane, Psalm 34
                      Shane and Shane, with Brooklyn Tab, Psalm 34
Psalm 35     
Psalm 36     Your Heart has a Voice (that you cannot trust)   NEW
Psalm 37     “I Call These Noises Silence”   
Psalm 38     When We Deserve the Worst
Psalm 39      Tomorrow
.                     Surely Every Man is a Mere Breath   
Psalm 40     Waiting   
.                     40 (U2)
Psalm 41      If with the Poor and Rejected I Would Dwell

Book 2

Psalm 42     Strange Food for the Wounded Heart
……….  … . ..When Wounded Hearts Heal
.                     Shane and Shane, Thirsty
Psalm 42-43 Darkness Created Light
Psalm 44    Why Do You Hide Your Face?
Psalm 45    The Sons of Korah Know     (NEW)
.                    Shane and Shane, Psalm 45
Psalm 46    There are Things that are Certain
.                     Shane and Shane, Psalm 46
Psalm 47
Psalm 48
Psalm 49
Psalm 50    Insects, Mice and Moles

Psalm 51    The Soul’s Need for a Savior
.                    God Be Merciful to Me  (Jars of Clay)
.                    Shane and Shane, Psalm 51
                     A Broken and Contrite Heart    (Sons of Korah)
Psalm 52
Psalm 53
Psalm 54
Psalm 55     The “Running to God” Heart   ( I Will Trust You )
Psalm 56     How is It Possible to Write Without Pain?
Psalm 57
Psalm 58     New god’s Creating New Laws
Psalm 59
Psalm 60     When Violent Men Stalk the Earth

Psalm 61
Psalm 62     An Idol Worshiper’s Prayer
Psalm 63     Thirsty   
                     . The Movements of Worship
.                      Shane and Shane, Psalm 63   
Psalm 64
Psalm 65      When Joy Wants to Explode
Psalm 66
Psalm 67
Psalm 68
.                      Blessed Be Our God  (Psalm 68:32-35, Joshua Aaron, Live from the Tower of David)
Psalm 69      My Song for a Fearful Monday   
Psalm 70      Wanting to be Desperate        [New]

Psalm 71
Psalm 72

Book 3

Psalm 73
Psalm 74
Psalm 75     When the Name of God is Near        
Psalm 76     What Asaph Knew
Psalm 77     Teaching a Soul to Sing Again
Psalm 78
Psalm 79
Psalm 80     A Prayer of Lament When a Man Knelt on Another Man’s Neck
              s      An Evening Lament in a Time of Crisis

Psalm 81     Our Souls Leak    
Psalm 82     A Reflection on Psalm 82 : Justice and the Job Description for Leaders
Psalm 83
Psalm 84    Make Us an Ever-Singing People
Psalm 85
Psalm 86.   
Psalm 87
Psalm 88    Get Me Out of Here
Psalm 89

Book 4

Psalm 90     Taking Psalm 90 Personally

Psalm 91
….                  Christ will be My Hideaway
Psalm 92
Psalm 93     The King and a Blade of Dry Grass   
Psalm 94
Psalm 95     A Protector Worth Praising
Psalm 96      A Symphony of Praise
.                     Sons of Korah    Sing a New Song
 ….                 Vertical Worship: Psalm 96
Psalm 97     
Psalm 98      Shane and Shane, Psalm 98
Psalm 99
Psalm 100

Psalm 101
Psalm 102     Why Don’t You Make It Easy?
Psalm 103     The Extravagance of Grace
.                        You Wouldn’t Fit There Now
                         Worship Fire
………. .   ….. ..My Green and Grassy Days        
Psalm 104
Psalm 105     There is Such a Thing as Glory, (The 21st Day)
Psalm 106     Training a Nation to Remember that a Faithless Nation Needs a Good God

Book 5

Psalm 107     Teaching a Soul to Sing (When My Heart is Broken)
Psalm 108
Psalm 109
Psalm 110

Psalm 111
Psalm 112     Training the Heart to Remember (The Righteous Will Never Be Moved)
Psalm 113
Psalm 114     To Tremble at Holy Things
Psalm 115
Psalm 116    The Importance of Pain in Worship       
Psalm 117
.                     Sons of Korah    All You Peoples All You Nations
Psalm 118    Shane and Shane, Psalm 118
Psalm 119    Afflict Me Oh God
       ”              Eight Things to Pray for a New Believer
Psalm 120    Telling the Story Backwards

Psalm 121    Yishmar
.                     Jerusalem Esa Einai (Joshua Aaron, Live from the Tower of David)
Psalm 122
Psalm 123
Psalm 124
Psalm 125
Psalm 126
.                     [Song by New Again, Psalm 126]
Psalm 127    Delighting in Undeserved Gifts 
Psalm 128
Psalm 129
Psalm 130    There is a Waiting
.                      Shane and Shane, (Psalm 130)

Psalm 131
Psalm 132
Psalm 133
Psalm 134    We Became a Choir Waking Angels to Worship  
Psalm 135
Psalm 136
Psalm 137    You Will Not Forget Us   
……                Psalm 137 (Sons of Korah)
Psalm 138
Psalm 139
.                     Shane and Shane, Psalm 139
Psalm 140

Psalm 141
Psalm 142
Psalm 143
Psalm 144
Psalm 145    What Does the Lord Delight In: A Benediction
.                     Shane and Shane, Psalm 145
Psalm 146
Psalm 147
Psalm 148    Starlings Painting Whales     New
Psalm 149
Psalm 150