Psalms Class with Ray Ortlund
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Benjamin Kreps:
Welcome to the Mark Prater podcast. As you can see, this is not your typical Zoom call podcast. Mark, we're together!
Mark Prater:
We're together.
Benjamin Kreps:
Finally Heckle and Jekyll. So, we are here, not at the Pastors College. What's the name of this church? Crestview Baptist, which is a satellite for the Pastors College. Jeff, calm down! Because this week, Jeff Purswell, in the back there (you can't see him) invited Ray Ortlund Jr. to come in and to teach a week on interpreting and preaching the Psalms. And we just finished at 3:00 p.m. It has been an excellent, edifying week. And so, we just wanted to get some feedback and give you guys watching or reading a taste of what this week has been like. So, Mark, what are we doing here? Who are these guys?
Mark Prater:
I wanted a few of the PC students and an experienced pastor just to tell our pastors a little bit of how they've benefited from this week that ends tomorrow. Ray Ortlund has served us so well. So this is Nick Kidwell, who is a PC student from my church, Covenant Fellowship Church, just to share a little bit about what you've learned this week.
Nick Kidwell:
Yeah. Thanks. It's been a great week. If I think for me coming into the week, the Psalms have always been something that's been challenging for me to connect with. I don't know why. I just think the artistic nature, the illustrative nature of the Psalms, sometimes I just can't connect with it super well. And if you've never heard Ray Ortlund speak, he's just so illustrative in his speech. He tells through story and through images and it's just so effective. So I think for me, it was seeing (1) that it helped me benefit more from the Psalms and see illustration and illustrative language is just so helpful to connect with and then (2) how to preach that effectively. And so just the way he took the Psalms, which are already in themselves illustrative and used these other elements of speech, just to draw that out. It was really impactful. Very helpful.
Benjamin Kreps:
Totally agree. And I’m sure it's going to help you big time as you prepare to establish a preaching ministry when you plant a church next year. Serving us well.
Mark Prater:
Yeah. One of the benefits that the PC gives to our pastors every year, is that Jeff schedules a guest lecture. We've had Doug Moo and D.A. Carson and Michael Reeves. And this year, as you just heard, Ray Ortlund. And so, we have our pastors who have been pastoring and preaching for some time who come to these classes. One of them is Jeff Ehrhardt, who is the senior pastor of Christ Community Church in Covington, Louisiana. You can tell Jeff's experience just by the questions and the comments he's made this week. But, Jeff, what have you benefited from the week?
Jeff Ehrhardt
This has been a very confidence building a week for me. We want in our church to be able to have a steady diet of the Psalms because of the real-life nature of the Psalms. And the honesty and the realism that the Psalms provide, we just want it within the diet and the life of our church. But I've always felt least equipped to go after the Psalms. I have enough trouble with English poetry and then Hebrew poetry. I always felt like, “Am I even on target with this?” Ray has been a Godsend. When I saw the email go out for this class, I may have been one of the first ones to sign up because I said, “This is going to really help me.” But I think what he did was inspire me to be able to approach the Psalms with confidence because of their realism, because of how it's on the ground, life with God, in every moment. So, I have been so blessed to be able to go back now, more equipped, still inadequate as always. But just depending on the Spirit to lead and guide as we pursue still that steady diet of the Psalms.
Benjamin Kreps:
That is excellent. So there's 40 pastors here this week, which Jeff's one of, and of course you and I, Mark, as well. And man, this is serving me in the same way when I think about preaching this Psalms in my church.
Mark Prater:
Yeah. Amen. And I want you to hear from Jake, Jake is from Cornerstone Church in Knoxville and after PC, he's headed back to do an internship, or residence actually, in Knoxville. So, Jake, how have you benefited from the week?
Jake Cronin:
Yeah, I think more than just the teaching that Ray has given us, it's just his love for the Word of God that I've been affected by. He has a childlike excitement for the Psalms and for all of Scripture that has just been so evident as he's leaning over the pulpit and just smiling and teaching God's Word to us. And, so, I think I've just been affected by his love for Scripture. It's made me want to dig deeper into the Psalms and to love Scripture like that as well.
Benjamin Kreps:
Amen. Mark, thoughts before we conclude this episode.
Mark Prater:
Just one other thought. Just to pick up on what Jake said. I think Ray Ortlund is a gift to the evangelical world, certainly the reformed evangelical world. There's just a uniqueness, as Jake just pointed out, in the way that he interacts with Scripture and teaches Scripture to us, and this week, the Psalms. It's just been such a profitable week. And to our guys, get to these guest lecture weeks from the PC in the future. You'll really benefit. And it'll be worth your time.
Benjamin Kreps:
Yeah. I mean, we've not only been edified and educated, but bonds of friendship and fellowship have been strengthened and even formed. So thank you guys for all participating in this special episode of the Mark Prater podcast and we'll see everyone else real soon. Bye for now.