As is usually the case when counseling, seldom would the people do it, but those who did were greatly encouraged. After years of suggesting this project for many, I determined that now was the time to lead the entire church in an experimental project.

I went through and pulled out every “I will” for them and published them in the attachment-which I distributed on a Sunday. I asked the entire church for one week to begin their devotions by reading out loud each “I will statement.” If they had devotions with their spouse, they were to alternate expressing the statements (all 7 pages, takes about 8 minutes).

Also every corporate meeting that we had that week-elders, women’s, men’s, mid-week, home fellowship, etc.-was to begin in the same way. The following Sunday morning we practiced one page as a congregation-what a wonderful blessing! (I alternated men and women through it.) I really believed that God was going to do a work in us individually and corporately that week as we strengthened our hearts and minds through these expressions of faith.

The result was overwhelming…I began to get email after email and phone call after phone call, as people began to experience renewed faith for the things they were going through.

The following Sunday morning, I gave opportunity for many to express how God had met them through this practice.

It’s been about a year since we tried this experiment. Just last week, two additional notes came in from congregants who were facing difficulties who once again applied the practice and found great strength as they were reminded of God’s faithfulness and the power of choosing to trust Him as did these ancient writers.

I hope these will be a blessing to you!

I’ll be praying that many will be encouraged by finding the “I Wills” on your website. And I would love to hear “the stories” as you have opportunity to share.

Click here to download The Psalms “I Will” Statements.

Add a comment to share your thoughts on The Psalms of Comfort, the “I Wills” or any of the PDF ministry tools or articles you find on this site.

Wonderful insights into the Psalms and a view of a delightful father/son relationship as Chuck Smith Jr. interviews his father, Pastor Chuck Smith, founder and Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and a catalyst for the Calvary Chapel network of churches.

To Every Generation: Chuck Smith on the Psalms
Interview by Chuck Smith Jr.

Fondly I remember the lazy months of summer when the tradition in our home was to begin each day with “family devotions.” Dad read a portion of Scripture, gave a brief explanation (perhaps asking questions to see if we were paying attention), and then we would kneel and pray, each of us taking our turn, from the youngest to the oldest.

The only break in this routine occurred on vacation when Dad directed a summer camp in Williams, Arizona. Then we shared morning devotions with the entire camp and Dad would invariably choose a psalm for our meditation. There is something about the Psalms that perfectly complements the beauty, grandeur and life-essence that we experience in nature. In fact, our sense of God’s nearness and our impulse to wor- ship Him seem to be triggered by the natural world in exactly the same way they are triggered by the Psalms. Mom and Dad frequently quoted from passages in the Psalms. Dad seemed to enjoy their earthy word pictures, brutal honesty and declarations of God’s glory revealed in creation. Mom was drawn to the intimate expressions of God’s love and nearness, as well as the rich wisdom of the Psalms.

I recently spent an enjoyable hour with my dad discussing his love for the Psalms and his use of them in worship and teaching. What follows is the essence of our conversation. I have to confess, I did not do a good job of “interviewing” Dad. Because his thoughts were so stimulating, I had trouble keeping my own mouth shut. My hope in sharing our dialogue is that you will discover the Psalms are the heart and soul of a good and healthy Christian life.

CSJ: The other verses provide a context for God’s mercy.
CSS: Right, exactly.

CSJ: What are the Psalms?
CSS: The Psalms are described many times as the Hebrew Hymnal. I find it interesting that Jesus sang a hymn with His disciples the night they ate the Passover Supper. I can picture Jesus singing psalms with the disciples.

CSJ: What do you think the value of the Psalms is to Christian faith?
CSS: I think that they give to us a wonderful expression of praise that is not limited to a nationality, but is universal. Even though David wrote psalms in which he wishes God’s judgment upon his enemies (and even though we might feel that way too), those sentiments don’t really fit with turning the other cheek at all, which is the moral grounding we get in the New Testament. Of course, many psalms are messianic and prophetic. I think people fail to see the prophetic aspect of David’s songs. He was a king, but he was also definitely a prophet. Near the end of his life, David ascribed his writings to the Holy Spirit—a claim that was confirmed both by Jesus and by Peter, who on different occasions said that the Spirit spoke “by the mouth of David.”

CSJ: In some of the Psalms we can see how the Psalmist works his way to praise, but not all of them. There are psalms of lament that do not have a happy ending. Other psalms speak of acts of violence against Israel’s enemies, and others make reference to death as a state in which there is no breath or praise. What would you recommend when we come to those difficult passages in the Psalms?

CSS: I think this answer may be problematic because it may sound unorthodox given the fact that Scripture is given “by inspiration of God.” But the difficult passages in the Psalms sound like our personal feelings for vengeance on those that have persecuted us or have hurt us. There are statements, in the book of Job for example, where someone will express a view of death in which everything is silent or one longs for the grave where all of life’s pain and pressures will be over. But when God comes on the scene, the first thing he does is rebuke them for speaking “without knowledge.” Then God questioned Job and his friends, whether they had been beyond the gates of death. In other words, He scolded them for talking like they knew everything about what happens after death. So, I think the response of God tends to negate words. He scolded them for talking like they knew everything about the validity of the earlier statements in the book of Job concerning what takes place after death. In the same way, we may wonder in the Psalms if perhaps David doesn’t lapse into his personal feelings or his own conception of things.

CSJ: Expressing the views of his culture and time. . .

CSS: Yes.

CSJ: I wonder if our own hymnals express the most perfect theology.

CSS: Well, actually, they don’t.

CSJ: What would you suggest for getting the most out of the Psalms?

CSS: Well, I think meditation is the best way to approach and absorb the Psalms. The more I meditate, the more I get out of each psalm. The idea of “ruminating” on a psalm, mentally chewing it, comes, of course, from the first psalm that speaks of “meditating on the Law of the Lord day and night.” They really do lend themselves tremendously to meditation.

CSJ: I totally agree with you. When you approach the technical analysis of a psalm. . .

CSS: You lose it.

CSJ: Yes. The technical analysis often leaves me dry, but the word pictures and figures of speech can provide a month’s worth of meditation. Do you have a favorite psalm?

CSS: You know, that is like asking the question, “Do you have a favorite color?” Well, if you’re asking about someone’s eyes, my answer is blue, not red . . .

CSJ: Mom’s eyes are blue.

CSS: Yes. So a favorite color is relative to the object. My preference is for a blue sky and green grass. Therefore, given my different needs or different seasons of my life or experiences I go through, there is a favorite psalm. In reference to Jesus, Psalm 22 may be my favorite; in thinking of my relationship with the Lord it would be Psalm 23; and wanting to meditate upon the mercies of the Lord it would be Psalm 136; and then Psalm 139 in thinking of how my life is totally surrounded by God. So, there are favorites for different issues and needs that I have.

CSJ: Well, I know that you love Psalm 73.

CSS: Yes, for gaining the eternal perspective, putting everything in its proper place. And then of course Psalm 37 is good for resting and committing your way to God.

CSJ: There are great psalms for confession of sin.

CSS: Oh yes. Psalms 32 and 51 for the joy of forgiveness of sins.

CSJ: If you were feeling heartbroken or sad, and you wanted to read a psalm for consolation, which one comes to mind?

CSS: Probably Psalm 42 and 43, “Why art thou cast down, Oh my soul, why art thou disquieted within me?” Then the psalm gives you the answer to a cast down soul, “Hope thou in God.” So, it’s when you lose God’s perspective or leave Him out of your situation, that is the cause of your sadness.

CSJ: Do you see the Psalms as being therapeutic in that sense?

CSS: Yes, very definitely I think they are healing.

CSJ: If I’m not mistaken, I think you generally choose a psalm for the Scripture reading on Sunday morning. Why is that, rather than a gospel passage?

CSS: Well, I think that probably it speaks more generally to the total issues of life and I usually try to pick a psalm that matches the thought of the message. Since life in its totality is pretty much expressed in the Psalms, you can find a psalm that usually is very appropriate for the message—because we talk about life. Often times I will include the psalm of the Scripture reading as an illustration or in affirming the particular truth that I am dealing with in the sermon’s text.

CSJ: What would your advice be to young ministers regarding their own relationship to the Psalms?

CSS: Just meditate through them.

CSJ: Are there any other reflections on the Psalms you would like to make?

CSS: The Psalms are capable of ministering to every emotion that we might experience—despair, sadness or, on the other end of the spectrum, extreme joy. The Psalms enable me to express those sentiments. I rarely feel adequate expressing the depth of the feeling in my spirit, that is, my feelings are far greater than my ability to express. But through the Psalms, David provides me with a vocabulary to address the gratitude, love, and appreciation of my heart. Interestingly, this week we are going through Psalms 11-15 in our Bible study and I’m going to concentrate on Psalm 13, which is one of those typical psalms that begins in the depth of despair. Four times the Psalmist asks, “How long?” How long before God answers, how long before God responds? It is a short psalm, but when you get to the last verse, the Psalmist is saying, “I will sing unto the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me.” What a radical change! My sermon title will be, “Ashes to Beauty.” How did the change occur? Verse 5 says, “I’ve trusted in Thy mercy and thus my heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation. “What is the cure for our despair? God’s mercy. When we trust in Him, then we will end up rejoicing.

The song helps to redirect our minds and hearts from our despair to the all-sufficiency of God. That’s what the Psalms do for us: they point us away from our problems to the all-sufficiency of God.

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
What attracted you to ministry to the sick?

SCOTT
Oh, I wouldn’t call it an attraction, but it was kind of a calling. I read Bob Buford’s book Halftime and when I made a list of all the things that I had experienced that were significant, an internship jumped out I had working as a chaplain in a hospital when I was in seminary 30 years ago. I felt that I wanted to help people, and I figured I didn’t have the brain power to be a medical doctor and that trip kind of called me to go back and become a chaplain.

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
So, just briefly in the 30 years that you were not involved in hospital ministry, what did you do?

SCOTT
The reason for even going to seminary and being involved in ministry was I felt called to Young Life, but I was not good at raising my own funds. I learned how to make money, but I didn’t know how to ask for it. And, so our family had been in the service station business and petroleum business, and I got involved in that and spent my time in the business.

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
You spent 30 years getting to where you could afford to do what your passion was?

SCOTT
Right. I also learned in that 30 years that I was called to the ministry there in the work place. We had a number of employees die in that period of time. One committed suicide that I was very close to, and I found that there was nobody ministering to the work place. And, so when I got into the hospital chaplaincy, I learned real quickly that I’m not made out to be in bureaucracy. I’ve always been an entrepreneur, not a big organization person, so I was directed by a mentor to look at becoming a chaplain to people in business.

And, that’s been my calling.

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
Is that mainly one on one?

SCOTT
Yeah, mainly one on one or groups I’ve organized. I’ve ended up with a number of widowers. And, people ask me–particularly with some that I have weekly meetings with– “Why do you do it?” My answer is that if I was in that situation I wish somebody would take time to do it for me and I could find nobody else who was doing it. The typical professional organized chaplaincy program is to go out and win souls in big organizations. Women are drawn to the church, but these men are sitting at home watching television mourning their retirement. There are a lot of men like that; there are a lot of people like that.

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
What, formal training have you gone through and how long did it take?

SCOTT
Back 30 years ago, I spent four years in seminary and then I later spent two years in Clinical Pastoral Education training. They call it four units, six months is one unit, and I then worked at three different hospitals in Southern California for six months each

SHOW UP

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
What did they tell you in terms of when you go to visit a patient to always do?

SCOTT
What I learned in the formal education and by doing it, the most important thing is to show up. There is a lot of anxiety walking into a hospital room. It’s very intimate; somebody’s lying in their bed. Also, you’re probably going to find many cases when you’re a chaplain that you’re kind of labeled “he grim reaper” ’cause when somebody sees your title chaplain they figure somebody died. I have had a number of cases where it was hard for me to explain to them, “No you’re okay. I’m just here to help communicate between you and the doctor.”

Show up and then listen and shut up. People when they get anxious start talking; you go into a hospital room to visit somebody and you start talking and that person really wants somebody to listen to them. You want to be a tool for our Lord. You want to get your ego out of the way and that’s a big, big part of the problem. I had one classmate who was planning on winning souls on their death bed. And, our supervisor asked, “You have to do it?” And she said, “Absolutely.” She was trained in her church that she had to close the deal. She felt during her whole Christian life that was her calling. He said, “You mean you can’t let the Lord work through you?” It was a class of only five of us. You could hear a pin drop. But, she never got it. It takes a lot more work to just listen to God and the patient and not have an agenda.

PREPARE

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
Can you tell us a little more about the training?

SCOTT
The training is doing a lot of verbatim case studies and then presenting it to your classmates and your supervisor and seeing how many times you interrupt a person or you’re stepping in the way–and you really want to get out of the way. The other issue is you’re dealing with all faiths and people of no faith. And, you never know it when you first go into the room. I feel the Lord is calling us to be there with the person.

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
Is it emotionally difficult?

SCOTT
People ask all the time, doesn’t it get depressing? Yes, it’s hard, my biggest problem is dealing with children with bad situations, but it’s very meaningful because a lot of people kind of run away from it. I think–to come back to showing up–being completely present with the person and letting the Lord work through you, letting them communicate is the important thing. Then with my type of ministry there is usually follow-up. A lot of times in the hospital setting, there’s very little follow up. Due to the HIPPA laws and so forth, they leave the hospital, they’re done. What I have done the last few years is meet them on a more consistent basis over a period of time and you never know where it’s going to go. (Laugh)

LEARNING THE ART OF LISTENING, SENSITIVITY & TIMING

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
Okay, what are the things you never want to do?

SCOTT
You know there are some little rules that you learn when you go into a hospital room you never want to wake the patient because they there to be healed. But, when you go to someone’s home you usually want to wake them up. In a hospital room you’re probably only five minutes with them depending on the severity of their condition. At home you probably spend twenty minutes or in a rehab situation. The thing that you really want to do is get on their level and hear what’s going on in their life. You don’t want to try to direct the situation.

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
Can you give us an example?

SCOTT
An example would be you go in, somebody just lost a leg and you say, “Oh, don’t worry about it; they make real good prosthetics now days.” You know, you don’t want to tell somebody how they should feel or be. You don’t want to give people advice unless they ask for it, and it’s very tempting to do. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the old black and white movie where two steam railroad engines are going and……they just run into each other and the steam goes up. When you’ve lived as long as some of us have, you see accidents are going to happen. You want to say, “Stop, stop.” So, you give them advice Don’t do it. You do it with your children…and your parents. But if they don’t ask for it, and you give them advice it’s just going to backfire.

WHY THE PSALMS OF COMFORT MINISTER HEALING

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
Do you believe a soothing reading of The Psalms with music has some potential in a hospital setting?

SCOTT
Absolutely, when you think there’s 24 hours in a day, and I’m thinking of specific case right now. In fact, I’m going to visit him right after I leave here. He had a hip replacement, roughly 70 years old, mentally he’s sharp. His wife died a year ago. He has five kids, one lives locally; she feels all the pressure. She has two young kids of herself. She’s a teacher, so she tries to visit him in this rehab center.

So, he’s laying there he has about 30 minutes to an hour of physical therapy once a day. He lies in bed, and he has daytime television to watch. A lot of people in the hospital setting don’t read that much. It depends on how well they can see. They’re tired, they’re medicated, and they are just laying there getting bored.

Sometimes you like to see them bored because then that motivates them to get out. I don’t how many millions of people as we’re speaking who are lying around in hospital and rehab centers all over the country. Particularly now with all the Baby Boomers, so I see a huge demand for meaningful material, and I would certainly say The Psalms are meaningful material.
EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
What, what do you think about Pastor Chuck Smith’s voice versus somebody else’s?

SCOTT
I think it’s very soothing. I think it’s very good. The rehab center where I’m going, I even talked to some of the staff and asked, “Do you really have to have the bells go off so loud? This poor fellow is sitting there or laying there and the bells are going off every 30 seconds, 24 hours a day: announcements, a bell going off, a voice saying ‘room so and so needs something’ and then the trays going by. So you do need…tranquility. A sound, sound can transform the space. There’s a huge need.

What I’ve heard of Chuck’s voice, it’s also forceful. I think maybe that’s one reason for his success over the years is his preaching style. He pronounces his words and you understand it. And, and I, I’m kind of thinking out loud right now I didn’t realize how important that is, but when somebody’s talking and you don’t understand them, it’s frustrating. And, if someone is listening, and you want what they’re listening to be forceful enough to cut through the noise, and yet tranquil enough to bring peace. Because even though you’re laying there and you’re bored you’re also probably in pain or something and you need something strong enough to get your attention. It can’t just be weak. It has to be direct, I think strong and direct.

(Click here to download the PDF)

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
How did you get involved in chaplaincy?

CHUCK
I have learned to wear “many hats” in serving others. As a soldier (U.S. Army), and currently as a husband, father, grandfather, musician, mentor, pastor, teacher, poet, songwriter, and a friend. Growing up, I never dreamed I would be a minister or servant of any kind and I never imagined being a hospital chaplain. It wasn’t until I began volunteering as an emergency response chaplain, along with 29 other local clergy (I was “on-call” the last Friday of each month), that I saw the vacuum that existed in our local hospital of an everyday presence of spiritual care and a ministry of visitation. After twelve years of volunteering, my wife (a nurse practitioner) suggested that I look into the requirements (if any), of becoming a professional chaplain in a hospital or other institutional setting. Having completed two Masters (Theology & Ethics and Pastoral Studies), I qualified to enter a local Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program, and I had some reservations as to whether it would be a “fit” for me. My first assignment, that first unit of CPE, was in mental health. Desperately seeking a breakthrough in reaching multiple-diagnosis homeless clients, I began to see a soothing and focusing connection between the arts and a variety of patient behaviors. Rather than “lean” on what I knew best (music), I introduced them to a variety of artistic projects and encounters. Talk about a picky audience, and the expediential opportunities for things to go terribly wrong with paint and other mediums of expression…nevertheless…it worked! There were significant breakthroughs. That unit was the first of four in my course of study. The last three were lived out in the hospital where I had volunteered for so long, and it is where I have now worked as a Professional Chaplain for the last seven years.

REMEMBER GOD IS ALREADY THERE WHEN YOU ARRIVE.

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
What was your greatest revelation about visiting those who are hospitalized or recovering at home or in a hospice?

CHUCK
I remember my first day on the job, ascending in the elevator to the med/surg floor to begin visiting patients. All the way up (that one floor seemed to take forever), I was repeating in my head, “I can’t do this…I can’t do this.” Just as the doors were about to open, I heard a pleasant voice say, “You’re right!” I was taken back, and then I heard “You can’t do this, but I can…I’m already in the room working waiting for you…I’m waiting for you to find me there…that’s your job…to see where I am already working.” At that point the elevator doors opened and “the game was afoot.” Now, I enter each and every room the same way…looking for God…depending on Him to be already at work. It makes what I do as a Chaplain both intriguing and fulfilling.

EVERYONE HAS A STORY

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
What do you find is essential to know when dealing with people who are in the hospital or recovering at home? What is the difference?

CHUCK
I’ve found that it’s essential to know that most everyone, wherever they are recovering, adjusting, coping or dying, has a story. That story needs to be told. These stories may not be told completely by the patient him/herself, but their story is pregnant with a hidden potential for a variety of healings to take place. Not all pain and suffering among patients is physical, sometimes there are things relational, emotional, psychological, spiritual etc. that need to surface. If allowed the time and opportunity for their “story” to unfold, there are often reconciling and redeeming elements that emerge. While not all of us get to choose where we recover, or where we die, it is interesting to me how those stories can still manifest no matter where we are. They are in us, in those we embrace and those we grate against in life. They are ambulatory, portable, and are often a key to recovery or a healing balm for those who have carried bitterness, regret or guilt too close to the edge of silence, to the end of their human existence.

NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
What should you never do when visiting?

CHUCK
The first gross lesson that I learned in visiting: Never “assume” anything. Be quick to listen and slow to speak. The patient was dying in the ICU and unable to communicate. The nursing staff had alerted me that his sister was flying in from out of state and would be at the hospital any moment. I moved to the lobby to watch for her and escort her back to have a few final moments with her brother. Within minutes, she entered the lobby dressed like a million dollar executive with an entourage of men that looked like her board of directors, or like watchful bodyguards. I welcomed her soberly and thanked her for coming so quickly and from such a great distance to see her brother. She seemed anxious with a “let’s get on with it” attitude. As we turned toward the ICU, I paused and said softly, “You must really love your brother.” She turned from her stride, made eye contact with me and gritting her teeth said: “I hate that !!#&*%!#’s an idiot; he’s destroyed his own life…etc., etc.” Yup, I had “assumed” that her getting there promptly was a sure sign of her love for him and of a special sibling bond between them. I’ve learned to listen more and to loose myself from owning my first impressions and from jumping to conclusions. Things are not always as they appear, nor as we imagine or hope them to be.

ALWAYS USE THE PATIENT’S NAME & OFFER PRAYER

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
What should you always do when visiting?

CHUCK
I’m sure many chaplains, and others who do visitation, will differ on their answers to this question greatly. A few ideas I’ve gleaned over the years are:

1.) Always use the patients name when speaking to them and especially when praying for them.

2.) if you are comfortable with praying for others, always offer prayer during a visit, even if it’s not accepted or is requested to be done off premises or via placement on a prayer list. In our hospital we offer a fill-in-the-blank type prayer card that can be placed in the chapel prayer vase. We collect them daily and prayer groups throughout the area pray for them. Patients and families, who may not want prayer right that minute, often welcome the chance to jot down their prayer requests on a card later on and manage to get them to the chapel.

3.) While I don’t always have the opportunity to pray with every patient or family, I have found that what I would call “conversational” prayer is the most effective tool of ministry in my seven years of hospital visitation experience. I realize that providing a “presence,” or empathic listening or other disciplines of visitation may be the highest on other chaplains’ lists, but I have found conversational prayer most valued in my little black bag of resources. To humbly invoke the presence of God to hear and to heal, followed by unhurried prayer that is rooted in faith, scripture, and the lifting up to God of each persons name and their relationship to the patient, the laying before God of the personally expressed needs of the patient and/or family and the admission that while we don’t understand all that is unfolding…

“We are asking you, Oh God, to please listen, to come near, to use and grant wisdom to the medical team, to be at work in this room, at this time, and on behalf of all who are asking at this moment for your ongoing help.”

Conversational prayer might incorporate memorized and traditional prayers, but it is predominately spontaneous, inclusive, specific yet undemanding for we are coming to God in prayer, not to impose our will upon Him, but to seek His will and to ask for help in time of need. I believe God delights in such prayer, patients and families awaken to the reality of God “in the room” and the results…well, I have stories that would spill far beyond these pages.

READ THE ROOM. BE A GOOD OBSERVER

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
What things should you be especially sensitive to and aware of?

CHUCK
Chaplains learn to “read” the room as well as the patient. Being a good “observer” is a great way to initially learn about a patient and their story.

The room:
• Is there a chair where you or another visitor can sit near to the patient and make eye contact and be heard well?
• Are there cards, photos, flowers, reading materials (what kind)?
• Is the TV on (what programming seems important to them, if any)?
• Is there another patient in the room (that might influence what the patient says or does not say)?

The patient:
• Is this a “good” time for a visit (patients wrestle with a myriad of interruptions, reactions to their meds, being generally sleepy–my favorite part of being a patient myself…naps)?
• Has a meal just arrived?
• Are family or others present?
• Would the patient prefer to visit w/ you alone?
• Has there been a recent loss in the patient’s life (spouse, relative, pet)?

The assignment:
• Are you really there (by divine appointment), for the family as a whole or a particular person other than the patient?

This, the latter that I mention, is the case more times than you might imagine. Sometimes I’m ministering to a staff member, security guard, or the patient in bed “B” much more than I am to the patient whose name is on my list. Be aware of your surroundings and of those, within earshot, who are nevertheless gleaning from the well that never runs dry.

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
What do you think of The Psalms Project as a tool for ministry? Would you use it and if so, how?

CHUCK
For the most part, The Psalms of Comfort has a calming sense of both yearning and hope (as does The Odes Project). I would use selected songs as ministry tools with certain patients in mind and as music to color the atmosphere of particular meetings or projects, i.e. our Bereavement Support Groups and the Spiritual Care Services presentation I do for all of our new employees. I hope this project goes to DVD and gets married to calming, nature/creation footage, I would seek to have it available to patients as part of our in-room service of videos available. There are several such series available to hospitals for their in-house broadcast channels, but with a huge price tag attached. None that I know of are clearly Christian. They are very beautiful, soothing and effectual, but lack the hopefulness, celebration and “conversational/relational” approach that The Psalms and Odes Projects bring.

EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
What is your most meaningful experience as a chaplain or in visiting the sick?

CHUCK
It’s so hard to narrow this one down. Each visit, encounter, crisis or death is a unique story in and of itself. A visit that stays with me is one in the ICU just last year. I, along with the patient’s wife, had come to the point of committing her husband to the comforting and professional care of a local Hospice organization. Their faith had been tested and I realized I had a personal longing that lingered in this long ordeal. His wife had told me that she and her husband had escaped from great tyranny in Iran decades earlier. She said he had a “story” that I should hear…and she prayed for months that he would awaken from his coma and be able to tell me his story.

I entered Mory’s ICU room for what I imagined was the last time. I stood at the foot of his bed, his wife sat in a chair beside us, and I started to pray… Unlike any visit I have ever experienced, before or since, I was overwhelmed with a kind of wave of both faith and heavy-heartedness at the same time. I hesitated and spoke to the patient instead (this is so unlike me): “Mory, I want you to get up and tell me your story.” I broke into tears, excused myself and stepped out of the room. So unprofessional I thought. So crazy of me to speak out my personal wants at a time like this. His wife seemed to understand and we exchanged parting glances through the glass door.

Three days later (and three nights), I was in the ICU visiting another patient. I was sure that Mory was at home on Hospice. Finishing up in room 511, an ICU nurse approached me and said, “Have you seen Mory today?” I said, “No”, and began to express my sense of loss and my concern for his wife when suddenly the nurse swung open the glass door to the next room (the one Mory used to be in), and said, “Well then, say good morning, I think he’ll want to meet you.”

There was Mory, his bed propped up almost vertical, his eyes wide open, a few tubes remaining, but a smile that I shall always remember as we were introduced for the first time. His wife had told him about me that morning and she entered the room just then, right behind me, as I savored his beautiful Iranian smile. She told me how he just, “Woke up!” and how they had cancelled the Hospice care and of course this story ends with Mory walking out of the ICU and yes…telling me his amazing story, and the two of us repeating, again and again, the new one that had just been written.

While not everyone “wakes up” like Mory did, those who do get well and go home, are a part of the visitation that takes place in hospitals all across the country. Chaplaincy deals with individuals who are gravely ill, those in rehab and recovery, those having a “simple” procedure, and those who are dying. Crossing paths with them all is a privilege and an opportunity to bring comfort, solace, compassion, hope and reconciliation. While I never dreamed of becoming a Chaplain, I have found that dreams unexpected can not only come true, but can actually be a “fit.

Serving Through Music & The Word
The Psalms Project Guide to Ministry
To Those Who Are Sick or in Need of Comfort

Knowing when to speak and be silent, how to look death in the face and still hold on to your faith in the Lord of life, knowing how to be a reflection of Christ and not serve your own personal agenda are just a few of the challenges facing Chuck Butler and Scott McOwen.

They both serve as chaplains and both see the Psalms of Comfort as a meaningful and needed ministry tool for those in hospital, hospice, or recovering at home from illness (or those who are processing grief or personal loss). Below are a few principles to guide you in your ministry of compassion and comfort.

1. Remember God is already there when you arrive, what you can’t do, He can.
2. Get your ego out of the way.
3. Everyone has a story to tell: listen for it (It may be the patient or someone else in the room).
4. Be quick to listen and slow to speak.
5. Be sensitive as to whether the patient is open to a visitor.
6. If a patient wants to talk about something serious, don’t steer them away from it.
7. Don’t try to direct things.
8. Don’t give advice.
9. Don’t tell a patient how they should feel or be.
10. Bring resources that are healing, calming, and easy for the patient to utilize. It may be difficult to read, depending on the circumstances, so CDs and DVDs are helpful.
11. Read the room. Be a good observer.
12. Never assume anything. You may not read the cues correctly.
13. Never wake a patient up in the hospital, they’re there to heal.
14. If they’re recovering at home, usually wake them, but exercise sensitivity always. They may not have many opportunities to interact and visit.
15. Always use the patient’s name.
16. Always offer prayer.
17. Learn the art of conversational prayer (See Chuck Butler’s interview).

To read or download Scott and Chuck’s full interviews, click Chuck Butler or Scott McOwen. They are both rewarding reads: Chuck’s story of his most meaningful experience as a Chaplain is deeply moving and Scott’s view of retired and recovering businessmen is enlightening.

The Psalms’ “I Will(s)”: A Powerful Ministry Tool

Norlyn Kent of Horizon Christian Fellowship South Bay has encouraged us with his response to the Psalms of Comfort.  And he has also offered us a wonderful ministry tool that will help you and those you may be listening to or caring for.

Norlyn shared the following:

“I have, over the years often suggested to those I’ve counseled through difficult times, to search the Psalms and look up every circumstance where the psalmist declared, “I will” ________.  It was in those times of fear, uncertainty, discouragement, and despair that David and others reached down into their deepest being to try to grasp the “threads” of their faith and pull it up to gain strength to overcome.  Read more…

Click here to download The Psalms “I Will” Statements.

Click here to share your thoughts on The Psalms of Comfort, the “I Wills” or any of the PDF ministry tools or articles you find on this site.

The Psalms of Comfort, Wisdom & Praise are perfect preludes to prayer and/or prayer meetings

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