Psalms for the Spirit

About Psalms for the Spirit

This podcast looks at the connections between spirituality and resilience through the lens of the Biblical Psalms. It explores how the Psalms help people through difficult times – times of personal and collective trauma – through conversations about personal story, field research, and theological reflection from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. Listeners might include clergy, seminarians, spiritual directors, hymnwriters, church musicians, mental health practitioners, anyone interested in the intersection between spirituality and lived experience. psalmsforthespirit.substack.com (https://psalmsforthespirit.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Kiran Young Wimberly

Category

music · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

31 Jan 2021

Latest episode

12 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

106 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   12 Jun 2026

   The Healing Power of Honest Storytelling: Psalms in Post-Conflict Northern Ireland

   Watch this episode on YouTube here. Paid Subscribers can view the video directly in Substack. In this episode of Psalms for the Spirit, we are joined by Karen Campbell for a rich conversation about lament, healing, and the enduring relevance of the Psalms ~ particularly in the context of post-conflict Northern Ireland. Karen is a musician, a Presbyterian pastor, and a peacebuilder currently serving with the Irish Council of Churches. Having lived and ministered in Northern Ireland, Kenya, and the United States, she brings a rich understanding of how faith, music, and storytelling can help communities move through pain toward reconciliation and hope. The conversation centers around Considering Lament, a powerful project developed in response to the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Over several years, Karen and her collaborators gathered with communities across the country to explore the Psalms of lament alongside personal stories of grief, silence, violence, and healing. Together, they created new psalm settings, liturgies, and musical resources that give people permission to bring their pain honestly before God. Throughout the episode, we reflect on the difficult beauty of the lament Psalms, the role of worship in healing trauma, and the ways music can create safe spaces for truth-telling and reconciliation. Karen also shares deeply moving stories from the project, including reflections on silence, justice, forgiveness, and what she describes as “the sound of reconciliation.” “The opposite of lament is not praise ~ it’s dishonesty,” says Karen Campbell. This episode is an invitation to rediscover the honesty of the Psalms and to remember that God welcomes not only praise, but also grief, anger, confusion, and longing for healing. Rev. Karen Campbell is the General Secretary of the Irish Council of Churches, from County Armagh, ordained within the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and ministered in County Antrim and Grand Rapids. Karen is also a musician, songwriter, and peacebuilder. Learn more about Rev. Karen Campbell here:https://substack.com/@illuminatebykcampbell (https://substack.com/@illuminatebykcampbell) The Presbyterian Church in Ireland: https://presbyterianireland.org/worship/considering-lament (https://presbyterianireland.org/worship/considering-lament) Watch the video of the Considering Lament event: Featured Celtic Psalms Songs: Psalm 30: You Have Turned My Sorrow (https://www.celticpsalms.com/portfolio/you-have-turned-my-sorrow-psalm-30/) Psalm 82: Omagh (https://presbyterianireland.org/worship/considering-lament) Psalms for the Spirit is a listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit psalmsforthespirit.substack.com/subscribe (https://psalmsforthespirit.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

2. 

   15 May 2026

   Anatomy of the Soul: John Calvin, Collective Suffering, and the Spiritual Practice of the Psalms

   Watch this episode on YouTube here. Paid Subscribers can view the video directly in Substack. In this episode of Psalms for the Spirit, Kiran Young Wimberly sits down with renowned theologian, author, and longtime Union Theological Seminary president, Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, for a profound conversation about trauma, healing, and the enduring power of the Psalms. Drawing from her influential book Trauma and Grace: Theology in a Ruptured World, Serene reflects on John Calvin’s beautiful description of the Psalms as “an anatomy of all parts of the soul.” Together, Kiran and Serene explore how the Psalms give voice to grief, rage, fear, hope, and healing — and how prayer, lament, singing, and communal worship can help people process trauma and rediscover courage, agency, and grace. The conversation touches on collective suffering in today’s world, the role of faith communities in healing, and the deep comfort of knowing that God can hold even our most painful cries. One especially moving reflection from Serene reminds us: “God is there holding you, listening to you, hearing your tears and your cries, your woes, not afraid of them, tough enough to hold them.” This episode is an invitation to bring every part of yourself before God — even the broken and wounded parts — and to discover how the Psalms continue to guide us toward hope, resilience, and healing. Rev. Dr. Serene Jones is a highly respected scholar and public intellectual, and the 16th President of the historic Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. The first woman to head the 190-year-old institution, Jones occupies the Johnston Family Chair for Religion and Democracy. She is a Past President of the American Academy of Religion, which annually hosts the world’s largest gathering of scholars of religion. Jones came to Union after seventeen years at Yale University, where she was the Titus Street Professor of Theology at the Divinity School, and Chair of the University’s Program in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. She is the author of several books including Trauma and Grace and, most recently, her memoir Call It Grace: Finding Meaning in a Fractured World. Jones, a popular public speaker, is sought by media to comment on major issues impacting society because of her deep grounding in theology, politics, women’s studies, economics, race studies, history, and ethics. Learn more about Rev. Dr. Serene Jones here: BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:djxudgtenayfvh2bepg4s2kyUnion Theological Seminary:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unionseminary/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unionseminary/Threads: https://www.threads.com/@unionseminaryBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/unionseminary.bsky.socialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/union-theological-seminary/ Featured Celtic Psalms Songs: Psalm 30: You Have Turned My Sorrow (https://www.celticpsalms.com/portfolio/you-have-turned-my-sorrow-psalm-30/) Psalm 137: By The Waters (https://www.celticpsalms.com/portfolio/by-the-waters-psalm-137/) Psalms for the Spirit is a listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit psalmsforthespirit.substack.com/subscribe (https://psalmsforthespirit.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

3. 

   17 Apr 2026

   Better than Normal: Orientation, Disorientation, Reorientation and the Psalms

   Watch this episode on YouTube here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG5yeBbFqLo). Paid Subscribers can view the video directly in Substack. In this episode of Psalms for the Spirit, we are joined by MaryAnn McKibben Dana ~ pastor, writer, and author of the new book Better Than Normal: Virtues for an Off-Script Life. Get MaryAnn’s new book here (https://amzn.to/4dQdMC1) MaryAnn shares the heart behind her latest book, inspired by her journey as a parent navigating neurodiversity, and her growing awareness of how narrow definitions of “normal” can limit both individuals and communities. Together, we explore how the Psalms ~ through themes of orientation, disorientation, and reorientation ~ offer a powerful framework for making sense of life when it no longer feels predictable or clear. This conversation invites listeners to move from certainty to curiosity, from comfort to courage, and from striving to presence. It is an honest reflection on faith, vulnerability, and the beauty of a more inclusive and compassionate way of being. “Having gone through the disorienting experience and realizing how we might put it is that God was with us or helped guide us and never abandoned us, even when we felt like we were abandoned… if I can make it through that, I can make it through anything. And it's God's leading that will ultimately help us in this new chapter.” Whether you feel grounded, lost, or somewhere in between, this episode offers a reminder that you are not alone ~ and that even in disorientation, there is a way through. Rev. MaryAnn McKibben Dana is a writer, pastor, speaker, and ministry coach living in the Virginia suburbs of Washington DC. She is author of four books, most recently Better Than Normal: Virtues for an Off-Script Life. She writes a weekly newsletter for thousands of subscribers called The Blue Room, and her writing has also appeared in multiple outlets including TIME.com and The Washington Post. She was featured on PBS’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly for her work on Sabbath and was recognized by the Presbyterian Writers Guild with the 2015-2016 David Steele Distinguished Writer Award. MaryAnn currently serves as associate pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Herndon, Virginia. She is a graduate of Rice University in Houston, Texas and received her M.Div. from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. She is a mother of three young adults, an aspiring gardener, and an occasional ultramarathoner. Click here (https://maryannmckibbendana.substack.com/) to learn more about Rev. MaryAnn. Featured Celtic Psalms Songs: Psalm 30: You Have Turned My Sorrow (https://www.celticpsalms.com/portfolio/you-have-turned-my-sorrow-psalm-30/) Psalm 116: I Love the Lord (https://www.celticpsalms.com/portfolio/i-love-the-lord-psalm-116/) Psalms for the Spirit is a listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit psalmsforthespirit.substack.com/subscribe (https://psalmsforthespirit.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.4 / 5

8 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Contact Psalms for the Spirit

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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