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Christ in the Psalms is a yearly reflection on how the people of God pray, engage emotion, and offer all elements of life to the God who dwells with His people. As we learn and reflect, we wondrously find unmistakable glimpses of Christ throughout the process.
This summer will take us from Psalm 11 through Psalm 20.
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.
The older I get, the more stunned I am by the completely undeserved gift of God calling me His child. That’s who I am… as my best friend’s bride, our three children’s mama and teacher, and friends’ and neighbors’ eager listener. I seek to behold His glory daily, so that He might transform me from one degree of glory to another. I am kept, as this Psalmist prays, by Him.
I tell my children, “There is only one perfect Artist… we simply get to copy what He has already made.” What a privilege it is to read His Word, observe His world, and then create! In Psalm 17, the writer’s plea is for God to listen to his cries, to protect him, and to act on his behalf to deliver him from his enemies. What stood out to me was verse 8, in the middle of His yearning for God’s protection: Keep me as the apple of Your eye… The Hebrew word for the phrase “as the apple” is pronounced ‘îšôn, which means pupil – the darkest, most vulnerable and protected part of the eye. I used oil pastels on the back of the transparent window to capture a rough sketch of the whole eye. The pupil, however, is the main part of this piece. It lies behind the glass – protected. I used a deep blue, for the pupil is like a window into waters of the soul that flow deep within. I hope this encourages us to pray, knowing that God knows and protects us more than we could ever fathom.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Christ in the Psalms is a yearly reflection on how the people of God pray, engage emotion, and offer all elements of life to the God who dwells with His people. As we learn and reflect, we wondrously find unmistakable glimpses of Christ throughout the process.
This summer will take us from Psalm 11 through Psalm 20.
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.
It’s a privilege, yet again, to be able to create an art piece for CITP, Psalm 16. Because art is subjective, my desire in all the art I create is to tell a story by evoking emotions and feelings, or causing one to stop and think; to ask themselves what they get from it, if anything. Jesus spoke in parables or metaphors, similar to what I could be saying through this piece.
For this piece specifically, each item represents something that I felt was significant in expressing what the themes of this Psalm are. My style is clean, minimal and often simple. David knows God is his/our cup of life (v5). He also says God will show him/us the path of life which leads to God (v11). While here on earth we’re meant to grow in Him, rooting ourselves in Him and His Holy Word.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Christ in the Psalms is a yearly reflection on how the people of God pray, engage emotion, and offer all elements of life to the God who dwells with His people. As we learn and reflect, we wondrously find unmistakable glimpses of Christ throughout the process.
This summer will take us from Psalm 11 through Psalm 20.
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.
Kate Turner is a brand designer and illustrator at STONE Strategy and Design in Golden, Colorado. Beyond her creative work, she finds joy in snowboarding, history podcasts, figure skating, and serving on Sundays as “Miss Kate” with Park Kids.
When I first read Psalm 15, I kept returning to David’s question: “Lord, who can dwell in your tent? Who can live on your holy mountain?” This question became the foundation for this piece. In both Scripture and my artwork, the tent and mountain symbolize the meeting place of heaven and earth, where God opens His sacred presence through Jesus Christ. Scripture often depicts mountains as places where people encounter God. Even Eden was a garden oasis atop a mountain, where God and man lived together. As the story unfolds, humanity is separated from its home, and Psalm 15 poses a sobering question: Is there anyone who can truly dwell on God’s holy mountain again? Abraham, Moses, Elijah, David, and others ascend mountains to meet God, but none can remain there. The greatest leaders, prophets, kings, and intercessors fall short. Their lives foreshadow the one who would truly fulfill the righteous life described in this Psalm: Jesus. He endured temptation on a mountain, remained faithful through every test, and ultimately gave up his life. Just as the morning dawned on the third day, the beams of light over the mountains represent the hope that humanity will dwell with God again. Similarly, the tent at the center of my piece reminds us that God desires intimacy, not grand architecture. In 2 Samuel 7, He tells David of His willingness to dwell in a humble tent that traveled with His wandering people rather than in a permanent palace. The tent’s front pole is meant to be a carved branch from the tree on the hill, symbolizing Jesus opening access to the “Holy of Holies” through His death on the cross. From this Tree of Life flows a bubbling stream, echoing themes from Genesis and Revelation. As the water pours over the cliff, it becomes a symbol of God’s mercies and life flowing from mountain heights into our world.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Christ in the Psalms is a yearly reflection on how the people of God pray, engage emotion, and offer all elements of life to the God who dwells with His people. As we learn and reflect, we wondrously find unmistakable glimpses of Christ throughout the process.
This summer will take us from Psalm 11 through Psalm 20.
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.
My name is Kim. My husband, Peter, and I have been at Park for 11 years. I’m a mom to the two coolest people I know, a therapist, and an amateur art maker. Art allows me to let go of perfectionism and enjoy the process.
My kids’ Bible (CSB) has this psalm titled “portrait of a sinner.” As I was meditating on this passage, I couldn’t get the idea of this as a self-portrait of sorts out of my head. I think it’s too easy to read this psalm and want to minimize its truth. I’m no fool! I’m not like the person described here…except too often I am. This psalm has encouraged me to confront the foolishness in my life and heart—the ways I proclaim “of course there’s a God” with my words but don’t live like I believe that to be true. With that idea in mind, I intentionally played with proportions to highlight the foolishness and absurdity of where our lives are often oriented when the glory of God is so tangibly on display around us. My hope is that this Psalm would encourage us to examine our own foolishness and return to the God of grace who promises to be our refuge.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Christ in the Psalms is a yearly reflection on how the people of God pray, engage emotion, and offer all elements of life to the God who dwells with His people. As we learn and reflect, we wondrously find unmistakable glimpses of Christ throughout the process.
This summer will take us from Psalm 11 through Psalm 20.
Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.
I’m a semi-retired visual artist but have also dabbled in songwriting since I was a teen. My dad was a pastor most of my childhood which was spent in Abilene, Texas. We visited Colorado on a vacation in 1969, and I fell in love with the Rocky Mountains. I escaped Texas when I was 45!
I loved my parents (who have passed), but they were extremely rigid in their expectations of me and my four siblings when we were young. Because of this, I have struggled my whole life to think of God as a loving Father. My husband—the best man I’ve ever known—was the worship pastor at a church in Estes Park. He passed away in our fifth year there. “To Believe” was written/begun there and finished recently when I received the invitation from Seth to participate in the art and writing for this summer’s Psalms series. I’m still working to understand and embrace the impact of God being my father, but He has brought me to a point in my walk with Him where I firmly believe in His love, affection, and grace for me.