On Saturday, July 31 at 7 p.m., you are invited to an evening with David Taylor at Orcas Island Community Church. David will share a film interview on the Psalms that he did with Pastor Eugene Peterson, author of The Message translation of the Bible, and Bono, lead singer of U2. David will answer questions and share more about how the project came together. This project, 18 months in the making, was initially released in April of 2016.

When David was asked, “What was your purpose in pursuing the project?” this is how he responded.

“I had two objectives going in. First, I wanted to honor Eugene and Bono and ensure that they felt cared for. Bono has had an affection and admiration for Eugene over the years, and Eugene has respected U2 over the years. Before this, they’d only had a chance to meet once, in 2009. Bono has always wanted to connect with Eugene more, so I knew this was something that he would appreciate—to meet with Eugene in a relaxed, non-heightened, non-public setting.

Secondly, my hope was that as a result of watching this filmed conversation, audiences will be inspired to read and pray the Psalms themselves, to encounter God through them. And I think that’s what Eugene and Bono would want: that anybody who watches this will do likewise. Like Paul, they would say, “Just as I’ve received and encountered good news here, may others do so as well.”