“I’ve been spending some time with the…first volume of The Psalms: A Sanctuary for the Soul__, an interpretive guidebook by the relational theologian Marty Folsom. Folsom doesn’t just analyze the psalter; he works to get inside its emotions…He centers the discussion around God’s unfailing love, a love that enables God to wait patiently as we struggle to apprehend, acknowledge, and accept it.” Ron Hogan, Friends Journal newsletter__

“I have been reading a lot of psalms lately and find they really help me process my grief. Motivated by Marty Folsom’s book The Psalms: Sanctuary for the Soul in which he walks through each psalm one at a time, I like to read through a psalm in several different versions, slowly, sometimes aloud and allow the cadences of the rhythm, slightly different in each version to settle into my soul. Then I read through the section on the appropriate psalm in [Folsom’s] book.” Christine Sine, author of Walking in Wonder on Substack

“In this remarkable book, you will find the Psalms rendered fresh, vibrant, and newly transparent to the living God…" —Jeremy Begbie, Thomas A. Langford Distinguished Research Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School

The first in an exciting new series on the Psalms and their transformative power in living a life full of emotions, dialogue, and reflection.

The Psalms, a collection of 150 ancient Hebrew poems, songs, and prayers, provide one of the richest accounts of humanity's relationship to God. They are dear to the hearts of many generations, particularly when people are navigating life's challenges and seeking joyful restoration.

In the first of a five-part series, Marty Folsom, a leading relational theologian, invites the reader to contemplate each psalm, to hear its heartbeat, to discern its relational themes, to listen deeply into its intentions, and to reflect on the voices that speak when the psalms are unleashed. The reader will find a sanctuary to soak in the Psalms and allow their authentic selves to dwell with the God of grace and mercy.

Ultimately, this is a spiritual guide that lets you know you are not alone. It takes ancient wisdom and crafts melodies and pathways that lead us to intimacy with our Companion Creator as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is an invitation to the art of bringing the Psalms to life.