Keith Clemenger

Phoenix, AZ, USA
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Distant Places, Desperate Times (Psalm 120)
Keith Clemenger
Distress is a significant part of our experience. As God's people we are often surrounded by hostile enemies, base falsehoods, and injustice. At the outset of these Psalms of Ascent, the pilgrim feels the force of this distressing context and pleads with the Lord for help. With honesty about life’s struggles and a persistent choice to hope in God, these songs of pilgrimage to Jerusalem trace our own journey to the heavenly city.
book Psalms 120 book Revelation 4 language English music_note Singer/Songwriter music_note Hymn lightbulb Home lightbulb Desperation lightbulb Trouble lightbulb Distress lightbulb Peace lightbulb Calling lightbulb Faith lightbulb Life lightbulb Justice lightbulb Warfare category Personal category Contemporary
article note 8 days ago
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God Will Watch Over You (Psalm 121)
Keith Clemenger
Pilgrimage involves confronting the unknown. We realize that we are not in control of outcomes. On his journey, walking through remote wilderness, the pilgrim considers where to look for help. In this psalm he recounts many ways that God is his helper and Guardian, even in times of doubt or pain. God’s sovereign power in creation and his steadfast love for his people are our sure hope of safety.
book Psalms 121 book Isaiah 40:27-31 book Romans 8:31-39 lightbulb Journey lightbulb Life lightbulb Sorrow lightbulb Joy lightbulb Help lightbulb Sadness lightbulb Fear lightbulb Dread lightbulb Covenant lightbulb Protection lightbulb Assurance language English lightbulb Refuge category Reflectional music_note Singer/Songwriter music_note Hymn category Contemporary category Personal
article note 8 days ago
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Reaching Jerusalem (Psalm 122)
Keith Clemenger
The pilgrims were bound for Jerusalem: a place for thanks to God, and to gather as God's people to worship Him. It was a festive homecoming! And yet, centuries later when Jesus looked over Jerusalem, he wept because so many of God's people had missed the life they were created for. As God's people today, we too are strangers longing for a better country. Our hope of arrival in God’s heavenly city is to follow Jesus and trust him completely.
book Psalms 122 book Hebrews 11:10 book Isaiah 9:6-7 book Psalms 33:8 book Isaiah 53:3 book Psalms 57:2 book Matthew 11:29 language English lightbulb Peace lightbulb Jesus lightbulb Jerusalem lightbulb Home lightbulb Trust lightbulb Worship lightbulb Longing lightbulb Justice lightbulb Love lightbulb Hope music_note Singer/Songwriter music_note Hymn category Contemporary category Invitational category Celebrational
article note 8 days ago
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We Look To You (Psalm 123)
Keith Clemenger
We are God’s servants in a world that scorns our trust in God. In some other psalms God’s people begin with their own search for solutions, but here from the very beginning the poet looks up to God, the king of heaven. The psalm is a lament, with no immediate resolution in sight. Instead, in the midst of need, it describes a servant’s humble, attentive, persistent stance: looking to God for mercy.
book Psalms 123 language English lightbulb Mercy lightbulb Journey lightbulb Sorrow lightbulb Shame lightbulb Heaven lightbulb Provision lightbulb Trust lightbulb Scorn lightbulb Lament
article note 8 days ago
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Blessings From Zion (Psalm 128)
Keith Clemenger
In the Psalms, Zion is not merely a name for Jerusalem, but a poetic reference to the place where God dwells, and where his blessing is available to his people. While the blessing is all from God, we do not receive it passively, but reach out for it actively in trust and obedience. Joy and peace begin in the fear of God, following Jesus in all our endeavors. As we trust God to provide, he will restore us in his time: individually, in our families, and in his kingdom to come.
book Psalms 128 book Matthew 11:28-30 book Revelation 19:6-9 book Revelation 21:9-11 language English lightbulb Blessing lightbulb Zion lightbulb Trust lightbulb Providence lightbulb Restoration lightbulb King lightbulb Love lightbulb Joy lightbulb Feast lightbulb Home
article note 8 days ago
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Surrounded and Secure (Psalm 125)
Keith Clemenger
In the previous two psalms, God’s people have experienced God’s defense and rescue in the midst of a dangerous journey. Now, viewing the mountains surrounding Jerusalem that provide an extraordinary defense for the city, they see a picture of God’s enduring protection. Confident in God’s love, surrounded by his protection in the midst of evil, we can choose to trust and follow him.
book Psalms 125 book 1 Thessalonians 5:5 language English lightbulb Love lightbulb Trust lightbulb Security lightbulb Confidence lightbulb Goodness lightbulb Help lightbulb Peace lightbulb Rock lightbulb Zion lightbulb Protection lightbulb Hope
article note 8 days ago
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Unless God Builds Our Home (Psalm 127)
Keith Clemenger
Our lives are full of the labors of home-building: building houses, defending communities, raising children. And yet in all this we are prone to “anxious toil”, an acute awareness that even our best efforts are not sufficient to secure good outcomes. Unless God builds our home, we labor in vain. As Jesus put it: God who cares for each sparrow and lily will surely also guard and help us. In Him we find our deepest assurance of God’s compassionate care for his people.
book Psalms 127 book Luke 12:22-34 book Isaiah 42:16 language English lightbulb Home lightbulb Trust lightbulb Fear lightbulb Love lightbulb Shelter lightbulb Worry lightbulb Dwelling lightbulb Courage lightbulb Blessing lightbulb Children lightbulb Anxiety lightbulb God's Love lightbulb Family
article note 8 days ago
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God Is For Us (Psalm 124)
Keith Clemenger
God’s people were surrounded by enemies and in desperate need. Now, after many intervening dangers, they realize with joy that God has been on their side: defending, sustaining, and releasing them from death. God’s care and love is ultimately revealed to us in Jesus, who offered his own life in sacrifice to save us, and who in resurrection power showed himself sovereign over death, “the last enemy to be destroyed”.
book Psalms 124 book Romans 8:31-39 lightbulb Help lightbulb Blood lightbulb Anger lightbulb Security lightbulb Trouble lightbulb Helplessness lightbulb Alive lightbulb Sustainer language English lightbulb Deliverance lightbulb Freedom music_note Hymn music_note Singer/Songwriter category Congregational category Declarational
article note 8 days ago
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Hoping in the Lord (Psalm 126)
Keith Clemenger
This psalm divides in two halves, each about God restoring the fortunes of his people. The first recalls a great surprise in their past that even the surrounding nations noticed. The second looks to the future during a time of hard work and weeping, asking God to restore their fortunes again. Central to the psalm is the hopeful refrain: “the Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.” Whether laughing or weeping, in recalling God’s goodness, we can hope in the Lord.
book Psalms 126 language English lightbulb Love lightbulb Hope lightbulb Rejoice lightbulb Restoration lightbulb Doubt lightbulb Joy lightbulb Harvest lightbulb Nations lightbulb Provision lightbulb God's Love
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Bio

In my youth I trained in classical piano, and as a scientist. Then I lived in China for over 30 years, working as an administrator and as a consultant. Now in retirement, I serve at Ascension Church of Phoenix as an elder and as part of the music worship team. Married to Joyce, with two adult children.

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Latest releases

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God Is For Us (Psalm 124)

Keith Clemenger

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Unless God Builds Our Home (Psalm 127)

Keith Clemenger

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Hoping in the Lord (Psalm 126)

Keith Clemenger