About the Book
Book: The Bible Companion Book 6 Psalms: Journey Through Scripture One Day at a Time
Author: Karen Westbrook Moderow
Genre: Bible Study
Can you tell God how you feel? The Bible Companion Book 6 helps you approach God with both honesty and respect. A simple one-chapter-a-day format lets you engage with Scriptures without the pressure of schedules, homework, or heavy reading loads. Short daily readings and thought-provoking questions connect your story to God’s Word. For personal and group study.
In the Books of Wisdom (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs), God speaks to us in poetry—the language of the heart. In Psalms we mourn, celebrate, and worship with people who run to God in the best and worst seasons of life. Their experiences give us hope. If you feel alone, if you are hurting, if you need grace, join the psalmists who find forgiveness and strength in God’s presence.
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About the Author
KAREN WESTBROOK MODEROW is a Bible teacher and author who brings a storyteller’s perspective to Scripture. She holds master’s degrees in theology and creative writing and loves introducing others to Jesus through the stories told in God’s Word.
More from Karen
I once attended a small church that had several young rowdy boys. I wondered if there was a way to settle them down by doing something fun after church that also had spiritual significance. I decided to bribe them. If they memorized the verse I gave them from the Psalms, I would give them a treat. It seemed a good idea at the time.
The first week we talked about how God is the one who cares for us and meets our needs. I taught them Psalm 81:10: “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” I pulled out a stick of gum and told them if they could quote this verse with the reference the following Sunday after church, I would give them the gum. The idea was to continue this until they had a few verses under their belt. There was a lot of jumping up and down and hand clapping though I wondered how many would follow through.
The next Sunday after church, four little boys ran up to me. “I know the verse,” one little guy said. He recited it as his compadres listened, then opened his mouth wide and waited for me to unwrap the gum and put it in his mouth. (With this group, you didn’t dare give it to them. You just hoped they wouldn’t stick it under a church pew before their parents got them outside.) One after another they came, chirping out the verse. I soon realized some hadn’t memorized it. Because the verse was short, they were just repeating what the first boy said. Oh well. It counted. I fed them like little birds though the moment felt sacred, somehow, as if I were serving communion.
The next week, they learned Psalm 34:8: “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” That week, I gave them mints. But when I started perusing the Psalms for other appropriate verses, I realized I’d worked myself into a corner. The Bible has a lot of verses about food but not many are in Psalms. It was slim pickings. I considered:
Psalm 119:103 “”How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” I couldn’t very well squirt honey into their mouths, and I didn’t think the parents or the pastor would appreciate having four active little boys running around the sanctuary with sticky piece of honeycomb in their hands.
Psalm 141:4 wasn’t going to work either. This verse is about the wicked. It says, “And do not let me eat of their delicacies.” In this context, any treat I brought would be a temptation. Not a good idea.
Psalm 23 looked like my best hope: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” In the end, I decided against it too. What was I going to do, bring a whole meal? And set up all the onlookers as “enemies?” Also not good.
So three weeks into my ill-conceived Scripture memorization plan, the best I could come up with was Psalm 145:15 “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.”
The proper time, sadly, no longer included my after-church Bible memory program. I tried to let the boys down gently. (From this I learned to set an end-time for such initiatives. Better yet, have a plan before starting them!) Still, whenever I come across the verses they learned, I think about those boys. I see their little upturned faces, eyes closed, mouths open, waiting expectantly and wonder if they remember too. Do they remember that God is our provider? That He is good? That He delights in meeting their needs? If so, my little failed experiment was worth it.
MY THOUGHTS
The Bible Companion Book 6 Psalms: Journey Through Scripture One Day at a Time is written by Karen Westbrook Moderow. This book could not have come at a more perfect time. I recently went through a season of waiting, and God had guided me to Psalms. It was then I was selected to read and review this book. I have never read through Psalms, just skipped around. I can honestly say that I learned so much. God really showed me things,
This book is well organized. It's easy to follow. Each page starts off with a selected verse. Then the author unpacks the text. I really liked being able to go at my own pace. Sometimes, I need to unpack it a bit to ensure that I am getting the full meaning.
This author has several Bible Companion books, while this is the first that I have read, I will definitely be checking out the rest of her work. Thank you to the author, publisher and Celebrate Lit for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, December 5
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 6
Simple Harvest Reads, December 7 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, December 8
Artistic Nobody, December 9 (Author Interview)
Because I Said So, December 9
Girls in White Dresses, December 10
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academ, December 11
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, December 12
Guild Master, December 13 (Author Interview)
Cover Lover Book Review, December 14
Fiction Book Lover, December 15 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, December 15
For Him and My Family, December 16
Lots of Helpers, December 17
Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, December 18 (Author Interview)
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Karen is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/3e373/the-bible-companion-book-6-psalms-celebration-tour-giveaway
“What is God like?
Ladonna Shanks was born and raised in Oregon’s lush Willamette Valley. During her several decades of life, she has been an entrepreneur, a small business owner, and, most recently, a writer. Her first book, Tidbits and Pearls, A Book of Essays on Living Everyday Life with God was published in 2019. Ladonna’s family, including five grandgirls, and her commitment to God serve as her priorities.