Singer-songwriter and hospital chaplain Rick Lee James discusses his song "Keep Watch, Dear Lord," inspired by Compline Prayer as a tribute to caregivers. He also shares his work running @MrRogersSay on Twitter, a Mr. Rogers tribute podcast, and his own podcast "Voices in My Head."
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Thank you, Monsignor. Our next guest wrote a beautiful new song to honor doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals who have been called to care for the suffering, the dying, and the grieving. Singer-songwriter Rick Lee James is joining us, but first, here is "Keep Watch, Dear Lord." Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work or watch or weep this day.
Their healing hands bring solace near to grieving ones whose lives have been Let your compassion give them strength to lift the heavy load. With willing minds and open hearts, they welcome every soul.
That is "Keep Watch, Dear Lord," just a little bit of it. You have to go listen to the whole song. Rick Lee James joining us now from Springfield, Ohio. Rick, welcome.
Thank you very much. Nice to be here with you, Colleen.
I think what is just as beautiful as that song is the inspiration, how you were inspired to write it, you know, as this tribute to doctors and nurses and other medical professionals. Tell us a little bit about that.
Well, I have been working as a hospital chaplain for the better part of— better part of 2 years, I guess, now. It was a surprise to me that God had called me into this work after mostly doing music for the better part of 20 years in music ministry. And while I was during on-call hours, I guess would probably be where this song was birthed, I just started thinking about the Compline Prayer, which is a prayer that's often prayed at the end of the day, completion. And those words start that prayer, "Keep watch, dear Lord, o those who work or watch or weep this night." And I just was thinking about all of the amazing work that I saw medical professionals doing, that I saw my fellow chaplains doing, that people don't really know all that goes on when people are caregivers to other people. And so I just sat down and started writing something based on that prayer. And I was just so grateful and kind of overwhelmed by the work that I saw day after day. And that really is where the song was birthed out of. It was inspired from that Compline Prayer and became a song. A song that was not only about praying through the night, but then praying in the day, and then praying through life. So yeah, I just am so grateful for how it turned out, and so grateful for so many wonderful people that have been listening to it and sharing it.
Oh, that's so nice, because it is a song, but I feel like when you're listening to it, it is this peaceful prayer that you are saying with your music. Let their hands soothe the suffering and bring the weary rest. And at the end, now I know it is for medical professionals, but at the end I felt like, you're including all of us in this prayer when you say, you know, through life. Is that, you know, keep watch with those who work or watch or weep in life. You know, I felt like, okay, that's for all of us.
Yeah, definitely. And I did want it to have kind of a universal feel, especially for those of us who are looking for Jesus in the people in front of us. You know, when we talk about a ministry of presence, which it was wonderful to hear about already on your show this morning. One of your guests said, ministry of presence. And that's so much of what we do when we are with people, and we are trying to see the Jesus behind the eyes of every person that we meet. And hopefully also in that last verse, finding ways to give a voice and to listen to voices that are not often listened to. And so, yeah, thank you for your kind words. I really appreciate you sharing about that because I do want it to be a song that everyone can connect to for sure.
And as you just saw, you just talked about a little bit, you know, there is another song obviously also inspired by this relatively new work that you're doing as a chaplain, "As I Walk These Halls," and you talk about seeing the face of God in sick and suffering. This song too, also inspired by what you're doing, right?
Yes, that actually was the first song that I wrote about working as a chaplain, and the whole song is about about what it's like to walk through the doors and do the work of a chaplain. And I didn't know how else to describe it to people on a level that maybe I could share my heart and what it feels like to be a hospital chaplain and to walk through the doorways and to pray that some word that is heard would be God's as we go through those doors. And I don't necessarily mean my words or the chaplain's words. Sometimes it's the words we hear coming from others to us that we also hear in our heart. So as I walk these halls, I've had several gracious chaplain friends that have told me that's sort of their anthem when they come to work each day. And also, again, I've had nurses and other staff members that have listened to it in hospitals where I've worked that have said, "Oh, that sounds like what I do too, and I'm not even a chaplain." So I'm grateful for the way that the songs have been connecting with people.
Yeah, and you never know through every door who you're going to meet, and it's just that beautiful reminder. One of the lyrics is, Every soul we meet today is a soul that Christ adores. And yeah, we need to remember that every day, right?
Amen, for sure.
So let's talk, so obviously writing music, and you are also, you're also an author, you're a podcaster, you're a speaker, you're pretty busy, I don't know, and a chaplain. You're doing it all a lot. But I wanna talk about your Twitter account for Mr. Rogers. Twitter @MrRogersSay, and your connection to Mr. Rogers.
Yeah, I, you know what, it's been amazing to see the way that that has grown, and I have actually, there's many more people that follow that account than any other thing that I do, and Fred Rogers was just a person that I found to be very inspiring. I had read his book by Amy Hollingsworth, The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers, a few years ago, and was just struck at the discipline that he had as a person that he didn't get to be that kind of person by accident. He really cultivated a life of following Christ in such a way that he became, as by all accounts, even more Mr. Rogers off the screen than he was on. Yeah. So I started the Twitter account a few years ago, really just to put up quotes from Fred Rogers, and it just grew and grew and grew. And there's something about the kindness of the man, and again, this ministry of presence that he had in so many people's lives. So usually just once a day I will share a quote from Fred Rogers online that I find inspiring, and apparently it connects with a lot of other people as well. And the way music connects with that too, I even recently recorded an instrumental version of "Won't You Be My Neighbor," his theme song from that show. So there's just all kinds of different connections throughout with the music and Fred Rogers and chaplaincy and all the things There's a lot of things involved.
Yeah, it's so great. And, you know, thanks for keeping Mr. Rogers, those beautiful, the things he said we need to hear every day and get us through the day. So you also have a Mr. Rogers Tribute Podcast, which I would like people to go check out. Your own podcast is Voices in My Head. And like I said, you are— so Rick, where would someone go just to find out more about your music and everything you're doing?
Probably the easiest place in one location would just be my website, rickleejames.com. And yep, there's a picture of it right there. And you can find links on that page pretty much to everything that I'm doing. So, RickLeeJames.com.
Thank you so much for joining us today. I know you're very busy, so thanks.
