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During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to explore a beautiful oasis called En Gedi, which was the geographical inspiration behind some of the most beloved Psalms that were written by David. Effectively making this spot, that slingshot-wielding hero’s Yoko Ono! En Gedi - which means “Spring of the Young Goat” - is one of only two freshwater springs along the western shore of the Dead Sea, so it’s vital for Israel’s agricultural industry. God allotted this fertile region to the tribe of Judah when the Israelites finally got to the Promised Land after the Exodus and four decades of wandering in the wilderness. But En Gedi really rises to prominence in Old Testament narrative in First Samuel when it becomes one of the main places of refuge for David when he had to flee the jealous madness of King Saul, who was intent on taking him out. Consequently, En Gedi became a safe place for David to pen some really lovely tunes praising God for His provision and protection. John Calvin described the Psalms as “an anatomy of all parts of the soul” because that ancient hymnal in the middle of our Bibles records both the rapture and the rupture of God’s people. And I love the breadth of the Psalms because I think it behooves us to be reminded regularly that we don’t have to curate our emotions on God’s behalf but can instead bring everything to our Creator Redeemer – including the excruciatingly painful, hard, humiliating, and completely unfiltered stuff of life – and trust that it all matters to Him because we matter to Him. Today’s podcast is going to give us a safe place to peel off our emotional Spanx and exhale, so please grab a cup of decaf coffee and your Bible - unless you’re picking banana peels out of your composter, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us.

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Beginnings and endings with Holly Ringland, Elizabeth Strout and Jane Harper