The organizing theme for this proposal is Psalms Without Words: Renewal Through Rhythm, Text, and Tune. I propose to spend two months exploring the biblical psalms as a resource for prayer and jazz composition. As a pastor of a busy program-sized church, I have discovered that I am most healthy when there is a rhythm between my service to others and my personal discipline of jazz-making. The experience that I have gained as a professional musician and composer has begun to develop a syncopated vocabulary for prayer. But alas, there has never been enough time to make the deeper connections. Since they form the primary prayerbook of scripture, the psalms provide a focal point for my exploration. They also present an invitation to creative composition, for they are texts that lost their tunes when they were printed in the Bible. In the rhythms of rest, Benedictine community, and creative ferment, I will welcome the Spirit's inspiration as I try to coax new instrumental prayers onto the page. I look forward to an eight week break from parish life to focus on a project that promises to provide renewal for me, my family, and the wider church.