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“Gales of stress threaten to bend us to the ground” (from Psalm 119:137-44 in “We Love Your Invitations”). We sure do need support to come back to balance! The Psalms, Listening Practices, and conversations are a consistent way to regulate our minds. 

Engage with this Listening Practice today by letting us know what stands out to you. 

The stress of life, the gale force winds of uncertainty, threaten. And we need safe spaces to become. To become at peace with who we are. To become still. To start the process of moving again. To be loved – by God, and by ourselves.

More spiritual formation practices

Click these links to access audio recordings of Psalm 119 Part A, Part B, Part C, Part D, Part E, Part F.

If you were captivated by the language of this paraphrase, you can get your own copy of “We Love Your Invitations: A Psalm 119 Paraphrase” from your local Amazon extension (see the list on our Link page). When you love it, you can order copies for all your friends and have them delivered straight to their homes. Easiest presents ever!

If you enjoyed this recording, you might also enjoy the Listening Practices that we recorded for Psalm 69 (Part 1 or Part 2), Psalm 11, or Psalm 92.

Do you prefer video? Watch the video recording of this Listening Practice on our Living Faith at Home YouTube channel.

Please like and subscribe to our YouTube channel if you YouTube is your preferred format.

Grace and peace to you,

Jennifer & Reade

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“We are treasure hunters who find a cave of gold in your instructions,” is one of the lines from Psalm 119:161-168.

What treasure are you seeking? And have you opened up your treasure map? You are invited to the pathway of relationship with God who is kind and generous. Around every curve on this pathway find caves of gold in the invitations of the Divine.

Reading from “We Love Your Invitations,” we, Jennifer and Reade Holtslander, explore what we notice. Carrying those ideas into conversation with God and one another, we pray together, and model a form of prayer called a Listening Practice (or Lectio Divina). 

Listen along with us to join the practice.

A prayer form to use in Spiritual Direction

Listening Practices, and other prayer forms, can be part of your session with a Spiritual Director. 

If you have been looking for an online Spiritual Director, connect with Jennifer today for your complementary 15 minute exploration session. Spiritual Direction needs to be a good fit for the Directee (you!) and the Director (Jennifer)! An exploration conversation helps us to sort that out.

Were you captivated by the language of this paraphrase? If so, you can get your own copy of “We Love Your Invitations: A Psalm 119 Paraphrase” from your local Amazon extension (see the links here). When you love it, order copies for all your friends and have their books delivered straight to their homes.

But wait! There’s more!

Click these links to access audio recordings of Psalm 119 Part A, Part B, Part C, Part D, and Part E.

If you enjoyed this recording, you might also enjoy the Listening Practices that we recorded for Psalm 19, Psalm 114, or Psalm 84.

We love ongoing conversations about what you are noticing (or wish you were noticing) in your relationship with God. Head on over to the Contacts page and send us an email!

Do you prefer video? Watch the video recording of this Listening Practice on our Living Faith at Home YouTube channel.

Please like and subscribe to our YouTube channel if you YouTube is your preferred format.

Grace and peace to you,

Jennifer & Reade

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Are you exhausted? Frustrated? Do you want something different? Psalm 119:81-88 invites us into a conversation about our frustration.

As people of faith in a topsy-turvy world, these are the honest feelings that can bubble up within us. When we acknowledge the way things are for us in this moment, we can find the comfort we need. When we reach out for the support of the Divine and companions on the spiritual journey, we can survive hard times.

Modelling a Lectio Divina Prayer Practice

This short episode of “Living Faith at Home” models a prayer practice of listening to scripture and talking with a companion about what the Life-giving Spirit says to us. Grab your note file and listen along with us to nurture your spiritual life. Reading from Psalm 119:81-88 in Jennifer’s paraphrase – “We Love Your Invitations: A Psalm 119 Paraphrase” – we can find our own selves in the story of God’s invitations to us.

You can get your copy of “We Love Your Invitations: A Psalm 119 Paraphrase” from your local Amazon extension (see the links here). Buy a copy for yourself and one for a friend! And as you prepare for holiday seasons upcoming, this combination of photographs and encouraging words might just be what you are looking for!

Other Listening Practices you might enjoy

The audio recordings of Psalm 119 Part A, Part B, Part C, and Part D are just a click away.

If you are feeling empty and exhausted, a Psalm of Lament is a good companion. Listen along to our podcasts of Psalm 126, Psalm 90, or Psalm 91.

Let us know the questions that are emerging for you through our Contact page. We love to be in conversation with you.

Grace and peace to you,

Jennifer & Reade

P.S. Do you prefer video? Watch the video recording of this Listening Practice on our Living Faith at Home YouTube channel.

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“Dragged down and dusted,” starts Part D of Psalm 119:25-32. Have you ever felt discouraged? This section of the longest Psalm paints a picture of emotions of discouragement and dismay. We can acknowledge our emotions.

And we can accept the invitations that God offers us today through this Psalm. Maybe you are invited to stop walking the pathway toward destruction. Perhaps, the Spirit invites you to keep on telling your stories because God hears you and invites you into a new life.

What catches your attention as you listen along with us? How does the Spirit invite you to be, to do, or to become even in the midst of your emotions? Share your response with us in the comments or by private message.

Support in challenging times

This particular version of Psalm 119:25-32 is a paraphrase created by Jennifer Holtslander and paired with photographs by Reade, Jennifer, and Angeline. Just this week we heard back from a reader who said, “I just wanted to say, ‘Thank you.’ I love your book. I’ve been sick. Feeling sorry for myself. Couldn’t get out. I have your book on my table. I reached for your book and I was in letter D and E. it was like you wrote these sections just for me. Much needed encouragement at just the right time.”

You can get your copy of “We Love Your Invitations: A Psalm 119 Paraphrase” from your local Amazon extension (see the list here). With beautiful photographs and thought-provoking prayer-poems, it also makes a great gift.

The audio recordings of Psalm 119 Part A, Part B, and Part C are easy to access!

There are many Psalms that explore creating patterns of acknowledging our emotions, being in direct conversation with God, joining in spiritual conversation with a companion, and listening for God’s love for us. Listen to our podcasts of Psalm 6, Psalm 42, and Psalm 43.

Let us know the questions that are emerging for you through our Contact page. We love to be in conversation with you.

Grace and peace to you,

Jennifer & Reade

More ways to practice your listening

If you liked Part D, you might also like Part C from Psalm 119:17-24.

Some other Psalms that explore building a trusting relationship with God are Psalm 23, Psalm 37, and Psalm 90.

Let us know what is moving and shifting in your relationship with God by sending us a note through our Contact page. We love to hear from you.

Do you prefer video? Watch the video recording of this Listening Practice on our Living Faith at Home YouTube channel.

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Part C of “We Love Your Invitations” is based on Psalm 119:17-24. The highway of our lives is busy. The cry of our hearts is for time and a blanket of comfort for our griefs. This section of Psalm 119 offers us a relationship with God and with a community as the medicine for our deep heart hunger.

First, listen to Psalm 119:17-24 with lines starting with the letter C. What stories from your life arise? Then, listen again! What does God want to say to you? What invitation to do, be, or become emerges?

Carry all of this into your journaling and into your conversation with your Spiritual Director. What starts as crumbs – a listening practice, a short conversation, a tiny prayer – turns into a sumptuous feast. Over time these practices will become a blessing for you.

Do you have your copy of “We Love Your Invitations” yet? It’s a book full of prayer poems paraphrased from Psalm 119 written by Jennifer Holtslander and illuminated with photographs by Reade Holtslander. Wherever you are in the world, you can order it through your local Amazon website. “We Love Your Invitations” also makes a great gift!

The audio recordings of Part A and Part B from Psalm 119 read from “We Love Your Invitations” are easy to access!

There are many Psalms that explore creating patterns of healthy spirituality and wisdom. Listen to our podcasts from Psalm 104, Psalm 49, and Psalm 51.

Let us know what is moving and shifting in your relationship with God by sending us a note through our Contact page. We love to hear from you.

More ways to practice your listening

If you liked Part C, you might also like Part B from Psalm 119:9-16.

Some other Psalms that explore building a trusting relationship with God are Psalm 23, Psalm 37, and Psalm 90.

Let us know what is moving and shifting in your relationship with God by sending us a note through our Contact page. We love to hear from you.

Do you prefer video? Watch the video recording of this Listening Practice on our Living Faith at Home YouTube channel.

Please like and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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Listen along with us to Part B of Psalm 119:9-16, as paraphrased by Jennifer in her book “We Love Your Invitations.” Psalm 119 is an acrostic Psalm and reminds us of the joy of Alphabet Books for early learners. Acrostics jog our memories. Acrostics help us to hold God’s word in our hearts as we move through our daily experiences.

As we listen, we pay attention to what stands out to us! Then we speak out loud what we notice in a safe space. This practice of listening develops our ability to hear God speak to us. It also develops our ability to speak in conversation with one another. In hearing and speaking, relationships deepens. As our relationships deepen, our faith in God’s love can grow.

Do you have your copy of “We Love Your Invitations” yet? It’s a book full of prayer poems paraphrased from Psalm 119 written by Jennifer Holtslander and illuminated with photographs by Reade Holtslander. The Psalm 119:9-16 section in the book is paired with a photo of winter trees covered in hoar frost. Wherever you are in the world, you can order it through your local Amazon website. “We Love Your Invitations” also makes a great gift!

More ways to practice your listening

If you liked Part B, you might also like Part A from Psalm 119:1-8.

Some other Psalms that explore building a trusting relationship with God are Psalm 23, Psalm 37, and Psalm 90.

Let us know what is moving and shifting in your relationship with God by sending us a note through our Contact page. We love to hear from you.

Do you prefer video? Watch the video recording of this Listening Practice on our Living Faith at Home YouTube channel.

Please like and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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Psalm 119:1-8 is the beginning of an alphabet Psalm that celebrates God’s love for us and God’s invitations to be in a life of relationship. Using the paraphrase from our book, “We Love Your Invitations,” we model a process of listening to God and join in a simple Listening Practice.

Through conversation, relationship, and reflection, we note the threads of what is most meaningful to us today. What stands out to you in Psalm 119:1-8? How does the Divine invite you to do, be, or become through this process today?

“We Love Your Invitations” with prayer poems paraphrased from Psalm 119 by Jennifer Holtslander and photographs by Reade Holtslander is available through your local Amazon extension. Be in the process of Lectio Divina and Visio Divina with us and let us know what you notice!

More ways to practice your listening

Does the acrostic format of this prayer poem catch your imagination?

The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, so each of the acrostic writings have 22 verses/sections. Check out the other Psalms that were written in Hebrew in the acrostic format: Psalm 25; Psalm 34; Psalm 37; Psalm 111; Psalm 112. Maybe you’d like to take up the challenge of writing your own prayer poem with an acrostic format? If you do, share it with us! We’d love to hear, see, or read what the Spirit stirs in you.

Do you prefer video? Watch the video recording of this Listening Practice on our Living Faith at Home YouTube channel.

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As we listen to Psalm 118:15-29, we strengthen our ability to hear God’s voice. The final half of Psalm 118 repeats the phrase, “God’s love continues forever.” We need that reassurance. As we keep on exploring the words that stand out to us, we enter a conversation with one another and with God.

Psalm 118:15-29 is the final section of the Psalms of Hallel. It is the Psalm that we learn the words, “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad today.” We grow our gratefulness and gladness because God’s love continues despite our circumstances. Gratitude and rejoicing are our choice! We say thank you and sing praise because we are invited into relationship because of God’s love, not because of our goodness.

Like the psalmist, we have experienced suffering. And, if you are reading or listening to this today, you too have suffered and lived.

I wonder what YOU hear as an invitation today? What does God speak to you through these words and through the conversation? What is it that you’re noticing? What’s the call? What could you do today that would be just one little thing that would grow your connection, your relationship, your listening to God?

Thank you for listening to Psalms with us!

More ways to practice your listening

Psalm 113 to Psalm 118 are part of the Psalms of Hallel. For more information about the Psalms of Hallel, check out our blog post on these Six Powerful Psalms of Praise.

Explore other Psalms with similar themes by listening to other Listening Practices.

• Are you touched by the section of Psalm 118:15-29 that asks God to give us success? Listen to the Psalm 90 Listening Practice.
• Are you drawn toward the hope of God accompanying you in your suffering? Listen to Psalm 37:1-9.

If you liked this Listening Practice you might like our podcast of the first half of this Psalm, Psalm 118:1-14.

Do you prefer video? Watch the video recording of this Listening Practice on our Living Faith at Home YouTube channel.

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How will listening to Psalm 118:1-14 impact your relationship with God?

We could make up a six point list about what listening to this Psalm will draw to your attention. Or we could try to assure you of something that we can’t actually promise in the short term.

Instead we invite you to listen to Psalm 118:1-14 for yourself. It matters most that you are in the conversation rather than that we tell you what to hear and to notice.

So what do you notice? What stories from your life are stirred up in the conversation? What would you like to do as a result of being in conversation with God and a trusted companion?

Because in the long run, being in conversation with the Psalms and with a skilled Spiritual Companion will impact your ability to hear God speak to you. Being in the dialogue will develop your trust in your ability to listen to what matters most. Keeping on listening, seeking, and debriefing will develop your trust in God. And a relationship of trust with a good God will lead towards the good news of God’s love impacting your everyday life.

If you liked this Listening Practice you might like our podcast of Psalm 117.

If you prefer video, you can find the video recording of this Listening Practice here.

We’d love for you to like and subscribe to our channel here.

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Listen with us to Psalm 117! It is the shortest Psalm and it is still chock-a-block full of the opportunity to hear God’s words to us.

As you listen to Psalm 117, what words or phrases do you notice yourself drawn to? Is there an invitation to some action that stands out to you?

By listening to words from scripture and to one another in dialogue, we can become steady in our ability to hear God speak to us. You might hear assurance of God’s love for you despite the circumstances of life. Or you might be called toward speaking gratefulness for something that you are experiencing. Perhaps what stands out to you is that this Psalm is addressed to everyone, not just a select few!

Whatever you notice, as you carry it into conversation with God and with a companion, you are doing the work of prayer. Prayer is listening to God and speaking with God.

If you liked this Listening Practice you might like our podcast of Psalm 116. Psalm 113 to Psalm 118 are part of the Psalms of Hallel. or more information about the Psalms of Hallel, check out our blog post on these Six Powerful Psalms of Praise.

If you prefer video, you can find the video recording of this Listening Practice here.

We’d love for you to like and subscribe to our channel here.

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When we listen to Psalm 116, we are assured that God listens to our cry for help.

This Psalm begins with, “I love the Lord because God listens to my cry for help.” As we work our way through this prayer-poem, we hear the inner thoughts of the writer. From a place of deep honesty, the Psalmist admits their honest thoughts and feelings. Having admitted the state of their mind, they can then allow the Divine to offer statements of truth. Those statements of truth are medicine for a mind and nervous system that are going wild.

Our bodies, minds, and hearts really do try their best in the situations that we are in. And sometimes those situations are not safe. Perhaps we have done the best we could in really challenging situations. Perhaps we did less than our best. In any case, we can be assured that God listens to our cries for help and loves us, so that we can love God in return.

What stands out to you in this reading today? How are you invited to move your relationship with God into your action today?

We’d love to hear from you in the comments. Or if that feels too public, send us a private message!

More ways to extend your Listening Practice

If you liked this Listening Practice you might like our podcast of Psalm 115. Psalm 113 to Psalm 118 are part of the Psalms of Hallel. or more information about the Psalms of Hallel, check out our blog post on these Six Powerful Psalms of Praise.

Finally, if you prefer video, watch the video recording of this Listening Practice on our Living Faith at Home YouTube channel. We’d love for you to like and subscribe to our channel.

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Psalm 115 begins with “The glory belongs to you, God, because of your love and loyalty.” All the rest of the way through, Psalm 115 calls us to attend to God’s love and loyalty at work in our lives. God’s blessing, God’s help, and God’s protection are the bedrock of our relationship of trust and faith. As we listen together to this Psalm and to one another in dialogue, we can discern what distractions to let go of and what affirmations to hold tightly.

Finish this phrase in the comments, “Because of God’s great love and loyalty, I will…”

What do you notice as you listen along today? How does the Spirit invite you to be active in your faith and in your relationship?

If you liked this Listening Practice you might like our podcast of Psalm 114. Psalm 113, 114, and 115 are part of a collection of Psalms called the Psalms of Hallel. For more information about the Psalms of Hallel, check out our blog post on these Six Powerful Psalms of Praise.

If you prefer video, you can find the video recording of this Listening Practice on our Living Faith at Home YouTube channel.

We’d love for you to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

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The poetic imagery of Psalm 114 makes mountains, rivers, and hills skip and dance. While the playful imagery of baby goats and lambs makes for delightful watching, it also sets up a lively picture of action and movement. A situation that seemed as immovable as a mountain, shifted and changed in a single night for the Hebrew people as they left slavery and began the process of becoming freed people with a land of their own.

Psalm 114 is part of a small collection of Psalms called the Psalms of Hallel. For more information about the Psalms of Hallel, check out our blog post on these Six Powerful Psalms of Praise.

Are there situations in your life that feel like being between a rock and a hard place? With our ears to the lips of the Divine, we wait for their instructions about what to do next. God is active in the real world and walks with us each step of the way!

What do you notice as you listen to this Psalm? What are you noticing that God is turning from rock to water on your behalf?

If you liked this Listening Practice you might like our podcast of the previous podcast, Psalm 113.

If you prefer video, you can find the video recording of this Listening Practice on our Living Faith at Home YouTube channel. We’d love for you to like and subscribe to our channel.

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Psalm 113 is the first Psalm of Hallel. This series of psalms is teaches us to interact with God with etiquette and intimacy. It is an invitation to praise God and to praise God’s name.

The psalms of Hallel (Psalm 113 to 118) are often recited as part of important Hebrew celebrations. They retell classic stories of divine intervention. And it seems likely that Jesus joined his followers in singing these Psalms on the night that we name “Maundy Thursday.” Even as the storms of violence swirled around Jesus, he sang with his community.

“No one is like the Lord our God, who rules from heaven, who bends down to look at the skies and the earth. The Lord lifts the poor from the dirt and takes the helpless from the ashes.”

Psalm 118:5-7

For more information about the Psalms of Hallel, check out our blog post on these Six Powerful Psalms of Praise.

As you listen and respond to God (the Lord, Yahweh, the Divine) today, what captures your attention? What would you like to say in return?

If you prefer video, you can find the video recording of this Listening Practice on our Living Faith at Home YouTube channel. We’d love for you to like and subscribe to our Youtube channel.

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Psalm 112 sings the praises of a kind and generous God. A God who provides, blesses, and gives steadiness in the midst of relationship. God loves us and reaches out with mercy and generosity to bless us. God speaks to us with kindness and helps us as we choose the actions of confident and beloved people. If we practice listening for God and being in conversation with one another, then we discover that the habits of a good person are woven into our lives.

What does God speak to you as you engage in conversation with God and with trusted companions through this psalm? What actions are you invited to weave into your experience? Actions that can cultivate the habits of relationship with a community of faith and with God?

Do you prefer video? Watch the video recording of this Listening Practice on our Living Faith at Home YouTube channel.

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Psalm 111 tells us that each day we can listen for the voice of God to speak to us, to comfort us, to lead us, and to invite us into a “next step”.

The process of practicing listening today gives each person the opportunity to hear God speak love, and to offer a next step forward.

Contact us today if you are looking for a Spiritual Director to journey with you as you listen for what God might be saying to you!

Do you prefer video? Watch the video recording of this Listening Practice on our Living Faith at Home YouTube channel.

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None of us are monarchs or likely to be monarchs, yet we can listen and note where God speaks to us in these words from Psalm 110. Psalm 110 is about God appointing a King.

Perhaps the imagery of the freshness of a new baby catches your attention. Or maybe it is the idea of God speaking to you and naming you with those who speak words of encouragement to strengthen the work of God in the people of God?

As you listen today, take note of what stands out to you and share it with us either in the comments or by private message. We would love to hear from you.

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Psalm 109 is a prayer poem of Lament about our enemy’s Lament. As we finish reading the last half of Psalm 109 and talk together with one another and God about what we are noticing, we invite you to enter the conversation with us.

On the journey of life, challenging relationships can eat up so much of our attention and energy. We assume we know what our nemesis is thinking. We ache with the pain of uncertainty. And sometimes we even ache with the insults hurled in the heat of arguments.

What does God speak to you in the midst of the pain? How are you invited to be? What are you invited to do? As we listen and talk together about scripture, we can have clear next steps of invitation that help us to strengthen our relationship with God. Over time this calms our overactive nervous systems, and calls our fearful, shy parts to be in the conversation too.

We would love to hear from you as you explore your relationship of reciprocity with the Divine.

God bless you!

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Listening to Psalm 109:1-15 gives us an example of how to pray when we are afraid others hate us. There are many situations where we feel pain and experience suffering. Sometimes we lament because of the way that our relationships are with other people. Sometimes we even feel like others are praying against us. 

In our lament, we can carry our feelings into dialogue with God. We can keep asking God to speak to us. We can know for certain that God knows the true story of what is going on even though our perspective is limited. Even when we don’t know what to pray, we can know how to pray when we are afraid others hate us.

Thanks for listening along to Scripture with us and for entering into the conversation. Comment below with the word, phrase, or ideas that stand out to you. And share this video with a companion who you would like to join you in the conversation.

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Join us in listening to Psalm 108 as we practice listening to God and to one another. Addressed directly to the Divine, Psalm 108 is a great example of expressing this moment’s experiences in prayer, while listening for the longer arc of our story at the same time. 

Do you have spaces in your life that need rescue?
Do you have songs of praise to sing? 

Would you join us in conversation to bring energy and clarity to your experience of praying Psalm 108 today?