RMCNews with Shayne Vincent – Casper, Wyoming … After a five-year journey of praying, studying, and asking God to bless his work, Shayne Vincent, Casper district pastor, has completed and released his new book, The Red Letter Psalms. It is a rich experience of God speaking directly to the reader for the entirety of the Psalms.

Vincent recalls how the concept came to him. “While contemplating the Psalms, the idea came to me like a whisper in my ear, ‘Flip the Psalm.’ It was an intriguing concept, born, perhaps, of a longing to hear God’s voice. So, I tried it: ‘The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want,’ became, ‘I, the Lord, am your Shepherd; you shall want for nothing.’  I was struck with the beauty of the shift in perspective.”

As Vincent began his journey writing the book, it was evident that God was leading in this project.

“It became a devotional journey for me. The more I researched, the more it became obvious that the whisper I heard was, indeed, the Spirit. The reversed point of view worked for the entire 150 chapters without any real complexity. Certainly, there were a few sticky passages. David was, after all, a man of war as much as of poetry. What truly convinced me was the beauty of God’s love exploding from psalm after psalm, revealing how intimately God cares for humanity.”

An excerpt of Vincent’s book shows God’s perspective on Psalm 23.

“I, the Lord, am your shepherd; you shall want for nothing. I give you rest in green pastures and lead you beside still waters; I restore your soul. I lead you in paths of lovingkindness; for I keep My word. Even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you have nothing to fear, for I am with you. My shepherd’s rod and staff are there to comfort you. I will prepare a banquet for you in the presence of your adversaries. I will anoint your head with oil until your cup overflows. Surely My goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life; and you will live in My house, forever.”

The project has given Vincent an avenue to meet and become acquainted with the Christian community in Casper. “This past July, I was gratified to receive a call from a local pastor whom I have come to love as a brother in Christ. He opened a new book and coffee shop in his church and invited me to share my book at a signing event with two other local authors. I was blessed to meet many local believers and leaders and [received] some news coverage. It even led to a local women’s Bible group using the book for their study.”

Vincent desires that individuals who read the book will be shown that God is love. “So far, I have been encouraged by people sharing how God is moving them as they read, rather than about my book. In reinterpreting the perspective of the Psalms, it has always been my hope that the beauty of God would become clearer, that we might all come to see that God is, indeed, love.”

The Red Letter Psalms is available on Amazon https://amzn.to/3lRWTvM. To read more on the July book signing, please visit the Oil City News https://bit.ly/37tRu5H.  To follow Shayne Vincent’s blog, visit BaringMySoul.com.

–RMCNews with Shayne Mason Vincent, pastor Casper / Wheatland district; photo supplied