Grace for All

Happiness is like the breezes that blow through the branches and leaves of the trees in the nearby mountains, but joy is the deepest roots of the oaks and hickories. In the Appalachian mountains, the trails and paths are seldom smooth or flat, leading us up hills and over rocky patches, past waterfalls and around boulders. The presence and nearness of God is felt in every step, no matter how challenging the trail becomes. 

For all of us difficulties can arise more often than we would like. Our lives are a mix of ups and downs. Sometimes we may feel that joy has been completely swept away by loss, or by challenges with health or world events. We might wonder how long it will take for our hearts to be filled again with an abundance of joy and gratitude. But, like the presence of God, joy does surround us. The natural world blooms with it, people smile and hug with it, and music sings with it. God’s constant grace is fully present, and we are able to be uplifted in our most rocky times. We are reminded to deepen the practice of finding joy and hope in any situation, along with feeling thankful. The courage to lean into the bends in the trail comes with this deep strength and the knowing that God walks alongside us. We can expect mountaintop moments and miracles as a part of daily life. 

Praying constantly or without ceasing seems like another challenge. Life can be so filled with work, important tasks, and appointments that formulating a prayer in the midst of these things feels overwhelming. Distractions happen often. We can’t always spend time in nature or in stillness or quietness. But since prayers can be said or thought in a microsecond, like “Help!”, “Thanks”, or “Bless” during our busiest times, they can then be expanded later when time allows. Prayers can even be wordless. They can be said with our eyes open or closed, from our hearts and minds, anywhere and anytime, connecting us to God in that moment. 

With a mindset of deeply rooted joy, we can radiate it out as often as possible with friends, neighbors, strangers, and family, allowing this joy to keep expanding and growing. Happiness is also contagious. We do know that faith can move mountains, but it’s likely that joy can too. 

Loving God, we offer you our full hearts of gratitude. Help our prayers to become more constant and our joy to radiate out to everyone we meet. 

Amen.

This devotional was written by Jenny Green and read by Sally Stovall.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

I tend to be a worry wart at times. I think many moms are when it comes to your children. I remember when my husband lost his job in my last month of pregnancy and we were living in a town that wasn’t all that friendly. There we were; no jobs, no income, very few local friends and a baby on the way. After the first feelings of shock wore off, I started worrying how we would survive as a family. Sure, we had savings and a supportive family in other states but we had never had to reach out to anyone for help before. Thank goodness for our local church family who turned up at just the right time to remind us of this verse! 

Paul wrote this verse to address relationships in the early church and how to handle disagreements. Paul notes that his experiences have taught him to be content with whatever material blessings he has. This reliance on the power of Christ not only allows believers to be content, it produces peace in our relationships to other Christians. And his advice to us is to focus on our relationship with Jesus. With our focus on positive things, we can experience peace through the power of God. 

Jesus tells us Himself “ Do not worry” many times. Why is it so hard to hand our worries over to Him? Is it because we don’t like to admit that we are overwhelmed? Or is it because we want to have things fixed NOW! I’m not sure of the answer, but I can tell you, through practice of handing my worries over to Him, it has gotten easier to do. I have felt the Peace of the Lord flow over me when I hand it over to Him. And I never forget to thank Him for all the good blessings in my life. 

Heavenly Father, our world is full of chaos and uncertainty but You remain constant. Please calm our hearts because we know that You are with us. Thank you for all the good and positive things in our lives and help us to remember that “Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”. Amen 

This devotion was written by Virginia Hardwick Kerr and read by Judy Wilson.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Thank you for joining us for today's Grace for All podcast.

On Saturdays, we pause for a few moments to look back on our week and to review the scriptures that we have used in our podcast.

We encourage you, after listening to this episode, to go back and listen to the episodes you missed, or to review the ones that were particularly meaningful for you. We trust that the thoughts that we have shared with you this week have provided a full portion of the joy, peace, and love of Jesus Christ.

Now, let's hear this week's scriptures.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

A friend recently told me of her cancer diagnosis and the news that the cancer that had started in her lungs may have metastasized, spreading to other organs. Her treatment is beginning soon. As I write this sad news, I am heartbroken for her and her family. 

When she told me the news, I cried with her and prayed with her. Her heart is breaking, and she feels afraid, but thankfully not alone. She has her family, and she has Jesus. So, we prayed IN this situation. We prayed in the name of the Lord Jesus. We gave thanks to God the Father. We thanked God for bringing us together as friends. We thanked God for her dear husband and his loving care and support. We thanked God for her family and the joy of their love. We thanked God for her church, her friends, her doctors, and her great faith in Jesus. We thanked God for His LOVE, for His mercy, for His Gift of His Son, Jesus. We thanked God that he brought us together in friendship. 

We thanked God for the urge to snuggle up in His Everlasting Arms and to take time every day to find LOVE in each precious moment! 

We asked God for healing and blessings and thanked Him IN this hard time. We felt Him very near. We know he is with us, helping us in ways we can’t even imagine. We thanked  Him joyfully. 

I am joyful that my friend’s faith is strong. She is joyful in her family’s love. 

We all face hard things and need God’s comfort. God knows what suffering feels like.  Jesus told us, “In this world you will have trouble, but fear not, for I have overcome the  world.” 

Hard things come. But God is with us.

Dear God, help us to look for you, to turn to you, to hold onto you, in all things, at all times and to be joyful as we remember your great LOVE. Help us to pray continually in bad times  and good, and to always give thanks IN all circumstances. Help us to remember your great  LOVE and to feel you, Lord, as close as our breath, wrapping us in your LOVE as we walk through this weary world, facing hard times. Help us to always turn to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. AMEN! 

Today’s podcast was written and read by Bernice Howard.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

How do you begin your day? Do you first spend a few minutes intentionally praying about things or do you just pop out of bed ready to start your day? I have to admit that for many years that second way was my usual routine. I would wake up and immediately my to do list filled my mind. It felt like I was behind before I even started my day, So, I would jump out of bed rushing into my day and all the tasks that awaited me. I might or might not take a moment to pray, definitely I didn’t take time to center myself in God. I just assumed that God would be with me, I would fit in some devotions somewhere, and all was good, Then one day, at a retreat, I was asked that question, “How do you begin your day?” When it came to my turn to share I felt a little ashamed at my response. Then the presenter said, “No matter how busy you think you might be, you have time for a minute with God.” She gave us a list of some Bible verses and said, “Pick one, memorize it and use it to start your day. Say it and then pause for just a few seconds and let those words comfort you and focus you for the day to come.” 

Psalm 118:24 became my morning verse, I start most mornings with it. Yes, I still occasionally forget but usually, before I ever get out of bed, I recite this verse. It grounds me in God’s love and grace because who knows what the day might bring. And when I have had those challenging days, and we all have them, my mind goes back to this verse, I speak it again and again in my mind, It reminds me that God made this day and no matter what I need to rejoice that I am here, there are blessings to experience and so be glad. 

Recently, I was having one of those kind of days. My wife was dealing with significant health issues, our youngest daughter was going through a crisis time in her life, and the list of things I needed to attend to was long. I was feeling overwhelmed and was feeling very discouraged. Then this verse popped into my head. It caused me to stop focusing on all I was dealing with and turn to thinking about the blessings I had experienced that day. A list quickly came to mind. A sales person going the second mile in helping me, a funny text from my sister to let me know she cared, a beautiful morning to enjoy when walking to dog. There was much to remind me that God was with me and I could rejoice and be glad. 

That brief moment of renewal didn’t make all the stresses go away but it did change me, It caused me to no longer feel overwhelmed but at peace knowing that God’s help and presence was with me and those I love. 

So again, “How do you start your day?” Focus on God’s blessings and presence for just a moment and then no matter what the day brings you will be able to celebrate life and be glad you are alive! 

Loving God. Slow us down and help us to remember that each day is a gift from you. You fill this day with blessings and with joy. Even when times are tough your presence brings us peace and for that we give thanks and rejoice. Amen. 

This devotional was written by Bill Green and read by Jim Stovall.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

All human beings have difficulties in their life, times of great happiness and joy, and times of sorrow and darkness. The command in this passage is not too hard to obey when things are going well: rejoicing when we are feeling happy and optimistic; praying when meditating or worshipping; giving thanks when we have been abundantly blessed. The challenge to obey comes in the challenging times, the dark times, the times of grief and sorrow. 

After the passing of my husband of 52 years, I was struggling with grief and all its accompanying feelings – sadness, confusion, despair, uncertainty, among others. I could go to sleep, but I would wake up two or three hours later with so many questions buzzing in my brain that I would be awake until dawn. When I visited my doctor, she recommended that I talk with a social worker on the staff who was a grief specialist. When we met, she suggested many coping strategies that I already knew, but the one suggestion that surprised me was to keep a gratitude journal. I know this is regular practice for many people, but I had never written down the things for which I was grateful. I thanked God for them in my prayers, but I never committed them to paper. I was shocked by her suggestion: how could I be grateful when my husband, along with all our shared plans, was gone? 

But I was willing to try pretty much anything. As I began devoting time to this practice, along with recalling happy memories of our years together, I realized that I should and could be thankful for the adventures we had together, the beautiful family we had created and nurtured, his many acts of kindness, both for me and for others. I even felt grateful that he enjoyed good health and was able to do the things he loved until four months before his passing. 

It did not happen overnight, and many tears were shed going through this process, but the fog of anxiety and sadness that had enveloped me began to clear. It comes back from time to time and probably always will, but now I can include everyday blessings and events, as well as precious memories, in my gratitude journal. I never stopped praying, but now I can rejoice and give thanks for the life God has given me. 

Dear God, 

Thank you for the gift of life, not only this brief life on Earth but also eternal life through your great sacrifice on the cross. Help us all remember that our gifts and blessings outweigh our losses and sadness. Through our faith in you, we can rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all circumstances. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Pat Scruggs.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Back in 1883, evangelist Daniel W. Whittle wrote the hymn, "Showers of Blessing," pulling his inspiration straight from this verse in Ezekiel. He teamed up with James McGranahan, music director for evangelist D.L. Moody, and together they created a song that would resonate in churches across the country, and is still sung in worship today. 

The late 1800s were a time of rapid change—factories everywhere, growing cities, and lots of uncertainty. Sound familiar? People needed to hear that God's promises were still good even when everything seemed to be shifting. Whittle and McGranahan gave them a song that offered both comfort and timeless truth. 

Just as now, rain was very important in the ancient world. Everything depended on it. When Ezekiel talked about "showers of blessing," people immediately understood—rain was life itself, fresh hope, God's provision in its most tangible form. 

In this promise, God doesn't talk about a drizzle or an occasional sprinkle. He says showers—plural. The Hebrew word here is geshem, which means a real downpour, a soaking rain that saturates everything it touches. Multiple downpours of blessing, each one arriving exactly when it's supposed to. That tells us so much about who God is. He's not stingy with His grace, carefully rationing it out. No, He pours it out generously, giving us more than we even knew we needed. 

It is important to note that these showers come "in their season." God's timing is always perfect, even when it doesn't match what we had in mind. Sometimes we're in a spiritual dry spell, wondering where God's provision has gone. But just like farmers trust that rain will come when it's supposed to, we need to trust that God knows exactly when we're ready for what He wants to give us. 

So what does this 142-year-old hymn say to us today? Simply this: God's faithfulness doesn't change with the times. Whether dealing with the Industrial Age or scrolling through today's news, the promise is the same. God sees you. He knows what you need. And He provides abundantly, right on schedule. Living with that expectation means holding onto hope when things get hard, staying faithful even when you're not seeing results yet, and keeping your eyes open for how God shows up—through a friend's encouragement, a new opportunity, unexpected peace, or strength you didn't think you had. That waiting season isn't God forgetting about you. It's Him preparing you for what's coming. 

Whittle captured this hope beautifully in the first verse of his hymn:

Father, we thank You that even today, mercy-drops are falling around us. Even so, today we plead for more—for the showers of blessing You've promised. Help us to trust in Your perfect timing and to recognize every gift You send. Open our hearts to receive Your grace, and give us patience to wait expectantly for all You have prepared for us. Amen. 

This devotional was written and read by Cliff McCartney.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

In preparing for this time together, I decided to read several versions of this verse. The Message speaks to me right now.  

It says, “O my soul, bless God from head to toe, I’ll bless His holy name! O my soul, bless God, don’t forget a single blessing.” 

Our focus for November is on “showers of blessings”. This reading made me think of the children’s song/chant, “heads and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes”.  First of all, we are to feel blessed in everything. I always check the mirror before going out, but I definitely don’t look at anything but my head and maybe shoulders. What blessings do I overlook just as easily? And while I am looking in that mirror, what blessings am I looking for? I don’t think as much about just how blessed I am. I likely don’t consider just how fortunate I am, nor do I actively show my gratitude for the blessings I have been given. 

We live in such a beautiful place. Do we really praise God for the mountains, the sunshine, the lakes, and trees? Do we really look, really see the people we encounter as blessings? They are! Do we praise God for our friends, our churches, our jobs, our retirement, our families, or our health? We aren’t just lucky people, we are blessed.  Every day, we are showered with blessings we fail to see. 

Before you decide that I am a person who never endures hardship, please understand that I have, in fact, had disappointment, heartache, and true anxiety in my life. While there have been moments of disappointment, I have been carried by my relationship with God, my faith, the presence and support of others who lifted me in their prayers, as I found my strength in God. In the most difficult times, God was always there, blessing me with the peace that I could not find otherwise. Of course, there have been hard moments, hard days when peace and contentment felt a bit elusive, “but God”, God provides a joy and peace that is not stopped by external woes. 

Our blessings are like raindrops, falling on our heads and dripping down to our feet. We can feel them, see them, and praise God for them if we pay attention, notice them, and claim their presence and impact on our days and lives. They sparkle and glisten, trying to help us recognize them.

So, know that you are showered with blessings, even on the hard days. God has sprinkled you and your life with tremendous blessings just waiting for you to see them. 

Praise the Lord, O my soul. Do not forget all His kind deeds. I’m going to be looking for all those blessings today. I pray you will seek them too. 

Loving God, even in hard times, we see your many blessings and are thankful. Your peace surrounds us, falls on us and lifts us when we forget to focus on You and Your love. Guide us as we discover our blessings in the days to come. Help us to feel your love and peace every day. Amen. 

This devotion was written and recorded by Lisa Blackwood.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

The Psalms frequently speak to something that is obviously very near and dear to the work I do as a church musician. And that isn't the only place in scripture where music and singing is lauded. From Jubal's lyre in Genesis to the trumpets, harps, and songs of Revelation, references to making music are found throughout the Bible. 

But why is that? What is it about music that is so central to our worship and our experience as Christians? That's probably a topic that is broader and more complex than can be addressed in a five-minute podcast, but I'll share a few of my own thoughts on the subject. 

One of the most central acts of worship is that of offering – we give back to God to demonstrate our thankfulness for the abundance with which we have been blessed. I believe that singing in worship is a way to give back one of the most basic gifts God has given us: our voices. In offering them back to our Creator, we complete the circle of thanksgiving that our worship seeks to achieve. God doesn't demand that we are all polished, trained singers. We are not expected to all be members of the choir (as much as I would be happy to welcome more of you!). No, we are supposed to offer our voices and make a joyful noise as a demonstration of gratitude, because God gave us those voices to begin with. 

By joining our voices with others in the congregation, we symbolize the effects of corporate offerings – we are more powerful and more capable together than any of us could be alone. We can be part of the beauty of creation in a way we couldn't be by ourselves. Some of us DO have better voices than others. But some of us have more financial resources or building know-how, or compassion to offer those in need. All of that is okay, but just because we may have less than others to offer, we're not off the hook – we are still supposed to offer what we have. I think of the widow in the temple who offered two copper coins. She had so little, but Jesus said she had given so much more than others. 

We also have a choice about how we use our voices. We can choose to make them instruments of spewing hatred and vitriol and separation from others or we can use them to come together and literally be in harmony with one another. The same is true of all our resources and abilities. 

Finally, sometimes, the songs we sing are familiar and easy. Sometimes, they are less familiar and challenging. Each is worthwhile and represents our daily experiences in our lives of faith. We can't shy away from the difficult and challenging, as that is where we are able to achieve the most growth. On the other hand, there IS value in the familiar. It connects us to our past, it lets us open ourselves wider for worship, and it often allows us to sing with a louder collective voice. And, like with anything, the more we learn about and practice music, the better we will be at it, making those songs less difficult and challenging. 

My prayer today is this: God, thank you for music and its incredible power to bring us together. Thank you for the ways that, in our singing together, we learn about our Christian journey. Let us never shy from a challenge nor be timid in our worship of you. In Christ's name, amen. 

This devotion was written and read by Dwight Dockery.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

You are listening to Grace for All, a daily devotional podcast produced by the people of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. 

This is Scripture Saturday, a time when we pause and reflect on the scriptures we have read throughout the week. If you missed any of our devotionals on these passages, you can find them on our website at 1stChurch.org or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Now, we invite you to listen and receive Grace. Welcome and thank you for joining us.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.