Crook and Psalter
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01/05/2026
How are you listening to sermons?
This Sunday, thousands of Christians in Toronto will sit in church pews. Some will leave spiritually fed. Others will leave with mental sermon critiques ready for the parking lot conversation.
Here's a question most of us never think about: What if the way we listen to sermons is just as important as the quality of the sermon itself?
After teaching the parable of the sower, Jesus gave His disciples a warning about listening that we rarely take seriously today.
In my latest post, I explore why listening to sermons is a spiritual discipline we've largely forgotten. Drawing from the wisdom of Jay Adams and Christopher Ash, I unpack:
-Why the way we listen is "a life or death business"
-How consumerism has infected our approach to preaching
-What the Reformers and a 19th-century Irish revival can teach us about receiving God's Word
Because here's the thing: God has promised to speak to His people through preaching. The question is—are we positioned to actually hear Him?
Read the full post:
https://open.substack.com/pub/crookandpsalter/p/be-careful-how-you-listen-to-sermons?r=3123mn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
10/02/2025
"You have not yet considered how great the weight of sin is." - Anselm of Canterbury.
Do we struggle with the doctrine of hell because we fundamentally misunderstand who God is? Some reflections here:
https://crookandpsalter.substack.com/p/the-problem-isnt-hell-its-our-understanding?r=3123mn
09/13/2025
JI Packer on the Sabbath.
09/06/2025
A quote from John Owen in preparation for the Lord's Day tomorrow.
08/30/2025
A quote from Justin Martyr in preparation for the Lord's Day tomorrow.
🎵 Psalm 121 continues. Scripture + music that works for our family.
Stream it: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube
Find links here: https://linktr.ee/crookandpsalter
08/23/2025
A word from John Calvin in preparation for the Lord's Day tomorrow.
08/22/2025
Friday's "Bits and Tags" lineup: Comedy gold from Kellen Erskine, a theological debate on divorce & remarriage, and Carl Jung on why we need our struggles. Oh, and can you really launch a 7-figure business in a weekend? 🤔
The link to our Substack is: https://crookandpsalter.substack.com/
🎵 Psalm 121 set to music in common meter. Working on creating songs in genres we love with lyrics we can internalize as a family - getting as much Scripture as we can into our hearts. You can find us on Spotify, Apple Music and Youtube. Links are in our bio.
Here are the lyrics:
I lift my eyes up to the hills—
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, who made
the heav’ns and earth—it comes!
He won’t allow your foot to slip;
His watch o’er you He keeps.
For He who watches Israel—
He slumbers not nor sleeps.
The Lord’s your keeper; He keeps watch—
He’s shade at your right hand.
The sun won’t harm you in the day,
Nor moon at night—you’ll stand!
The Lord will keep you from all harm;
Your life He watches o’er.
The Lord guards as you come and go
both now and evermore.
08/21/2025
Psalm 121 paints a vivid picture of God’s faithful care:
🔹 He is your Keeper (v.5)
🔹 He is Shade at your right hand (v.5)
🔹 He protects in every season—by day and by night (v.6)
🔹 He guards your whole life, forever (v.8)
Calvin: “God not only begins but continues His care over us.”
Spurgeon: “Nearer than the shade on your right hand is the Lord your defender.”
This is our assurance: we are never outside His keeping.
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