Some songs are too dangerous for the songbook—and that's exactly why we need them. Richard Bruxvoort Colligan joins Dawn and Ruth from Rochester, MN fresh from selling his Iowa home and diving into his first book: “Dangerous Songs: The Psalms in a Gloriously Disrupted Life,” dropping April 21 with a music-focused kickoff event.
Here's what makes this conversation so compelling: Richard's not talking about the pretty, comforting Psalms you hear in worship. He's diving into the extreme songs—the ones about thriving, desolation, and unknowing. The violent ones. The frightening ones. The ones that make you go "wait, this is in the Bible?"
He shares what he learned about ego through the editing process, his writing journey, and how the Psalms aren't just ancient poetry but raw, honest expressions of what it means to be human when life gets gloriously disrupted. Plus, he's got future book ideas brewing and runs "psalmimmersion" on Instagram.
This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered why we sanitize the Bible's most honest moments, or who needs permission to bring their whole messy, complicated, disrupted life to their faith.
LINKS:
Support this podcast by becoming a patron patreon.com/u11072417
Richard's music: https://www.worldmaking.net/
Follow him @psalmimmersion on instagram
Find Dawn's coaching at bigpicturebigpurpose.com
Happy mail for ministers at consecrate.cratejoy.com
00:00 Finding Yourself in Psalms
00:26 NYC Snowstorm Survival
02:06 Taxes That Actually Help
05:20 School Closures and Meals
05:57 Microwaves and Power Problems
07:05 Space Heaters and Cold Venues
09:21 Psalm for Conference Lament
00:18 Meet Richard and New House
11:30 Cat Talk and Holy Week Jokes
12:24 Book Origin Story
13:29 Dangerous Songs Book Launch
13:53 Writing Process and Ego
14:49 Author Editor Tension
15:14 Daily Writing Routine
16:43 Book Structure Explained
18:21 Thriving Desolation Unknowing
20:19 Devotional Use Today
21:22 Launch Events Singing Psalms
22:59 Beatles Meets Psalms
23:50 Hard Psalms Canon Questions
25:39 Future Books Promotion
28:11 Personal Faith Takeaways
29:44 Ancient Text Modern Shock
31:22 Publisher Credits Wrap
32:42 Where To Find Richard
33:11 Final Thanks Call To Create
