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Grace for All

Jim Stovall, Greta Smith, First United Methodist Church, Maryville, TN

"Grace for All" is a daily devotional podcast from the laity of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. Each episode presents scripture and a brief reflection, written and recorded by members of our church. These short episodes are meant to inspire you and support your journey of understanding and faith.

We believe the central message of Jesus is one of grace. Grace for all human beings.

Grace for All is a podcast ministry of First United Methodist Church, Maryville, TN

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S25 · E1040
Today · 6 min
When Hope Outlasts the Wound
Jeremiah 14:19–22 (NIV) Have you rejected Judah completely? Do you despise Zion? Why have you afflicted us so that we cannot be healed? We hoped for peace but no good has come, for a time of healing but there is only terror. We acknowledge our wickedness, LORD, and the guilt of our ancestors; we have indeed sinned against you. For the sake of your name do not despise us; do not dishonor your glorious throne. Remember your covenant with us and do not break it. Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, LORD our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this. These verses sound like today’s headlines. Drought has hollowed out the land. Everything is disrupted. The prophet cries out with a question that every generation eventually asks: God, have you rejected us? Why won't you show yourself? Jeremiah doesn't soften the complaint: we hoped for peace and no peace came, we hoped for healing and found only terror. Chapter 14 is unsettling because a few verses earlier we read that other prophets are going around promising the opposite — no sword, no famine, only lasting peace (v. 13). It sounds comforting. It is also false. Jeremiah's honesty doesn't ask anyone to pretend that everything is okay. The failure he sees is the temptation to trade honest lament for comfortable lies. That's a spiritual failure before it's ever a political one, and it shows up in every age, including ours. Yet Jeremiah doesn't stop with just the complaint. He confesses the guilt plainly — ours and our ancestors' both — and then does something remarkable: he turns from the ache to the throne. Not because the drought has broken. Not because the terror has passed. But because he still knows who holds the rain. Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? No — it is you, LORD our God. The circumstances haven't changed by the end of the passage. What's changed is where Jeremiah has planted his hope. There's an old hymn that says it almost the same way: though the wrong seem oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. That's not a denial that the wrong is strong. Plainly, it is, in Jeremiah's day and in ours. Jeremiah refuses to let the wrong have the final word. Jeremiah's hope isn't naive optimism dressed up in religious language. It's hope that has already looked straight at the drought, the failure, the false prophets, and the sin — and chosen to trust anyway. That's the kind of hope worth carrying into whatever afflicts us now — not a hope that ignores the wound, but one that has counted the cost of it and still says, our hope is in you. Prayer: Lord, we don't always know why the healing is slow in coming. Give us the honesty to name what's broken, and the faith to trust you as the one who mends it — not because the trouble has ended, but because you have not. Amen. This devotional was written 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1039
Yesterday · 5 min
The Coffee Mug
Lamentations 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. One of the last Christmas presents I received from my Mammaw before she died was a coffee mug. I should back up a bit to say that even as a teenager and young adult — at whatever point in my life I started realizing a bit about how far money goes — I marveled at Mammaw’s gift giving. A lady with nine living children, many of whom have spouses, more than a dozen grandchildren, many of whom also have spouses, and even great-grandchildren never skipped anyone over for Christmas, despite subsisting on a paltry Social Security check. I can remember Christmases in which I received socks that had clearly been part of a larger package that she divided to give to multiple people. It was quite common that she would recycle the cardboard boxes that her cereal came in so she would have boxes for all the gifts. To this day, I am astounded at her ability to express her love through giving on the most limited of budgets. So, it makes sense at my surprise one year receiving a lovely coffee mug with some sort of flavored coffee. On the mug is inscribed the statement, a paraphrase of today’s verse: “God’s promises are new every morning.” For a few years, I used that mug every Sunday morning as I got ready for church, and I thought of Mammaw every time I did. As I said, it turned out to be one of the last gifts I received from her. You can imagine my heartbreak, then, when the mug tipped over and the handle broke. We glued it, and it still worked, but it tipped again, breaking in new spots. Eventually, I decided it wasn’t a good idea to continue drinking from it, as it’s just too fragile. So now, it just rests on the counter, braced by a wall behind it. I simply couldn’t bear to part from it, as it is such an important keepsake of mine. It makes me think of a woman who loved richly despite her poverty. It reminds me of whence I come. It reminds me of being loved. It also reminds me of exactly what it says: every morning is a new day. Every day is a new opportunity. Each sunrise presents us with a new slate of blessings from God. Moreover, the mug reminds me of what it is: broken, but still doing good. When I look at that mug, I know that even though I have scars, even though I feel broken at times, God can still work through me. Even though Mammaw had little to give, God worked through her to make her family feel loved. Regardless of our flaws or imperfections, regardless of the brokenness and scars we bear, God both loves us and uses us to love others. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. God’s mercies never come to an end. Great, indeed is God’s faithfulness. Let us pray. God, we thank you for your love and we thank you for putting people in our lives who demonstrate that love to us. We know that, regardless of our circumstances, you can use us to help others. Keep us open to your call on our lives so that others will think of us and know you. We pray this 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1038
Sunday · 4 min
God Doesn’t Waste the Pit
Romans 8:28 (CEB) We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 may be one of the most comforting verses in the Bible. It may also be one of the most misused. I grew up hearing, “All things work together for good.” When something terrible happens, someone may even say, “Everything happens for a reason.” But that can make it sound as though suffering somehow produces good all by itself, or worse, that God caused the terrible thing because God had something good in mind. But it’s Bible, right? Notice how the Common English Bible puts it: “God works all things together for good.” The emphasis is not on the terrible thing, but on what God does with it. We see that throughout Scripture. Joseph’s brothers threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery. God didn’t have to cause the pit to use it. The pit was still evil, and the betrayal was still wrong. But none of what happened to Joseph could keep God from working. There’s an old saying: “God doesn’t waste pain.” I like that. It doesn’t pretend pain is good. Some things that happen to us are simply terrible, and calling them good because something good came from them doesn’t make them less terrible. But Romans 8:28 offers us something better than an explanation for our suffering. It offers us a promise about God. Whatever has happened, God is still at work. God can bring compassion out of grief, wisdom out of failure, courage out of fear, and new life out of places that looked completely dead. We don’t have to call the pit good. But we can trust that God is not finished working in it. Let’s pray. Lord, when I face things I cannot understand, help me resist easy answers. Remind me that even in the worst places, you are still at work. Take even my pain and use it for good, and help me trust you when I cannot yet see what you are doing. Amen. This devotional was written and read by Donn King. 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1037
Saturday · 3 min
Scripture Saturday (September 19, 2026)
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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1036
Friday · 4 min
Whatever Became of Wisdom?
Proverbs 2:6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. When Solomon became king, he had one big request for God: give me the wisdom to govern well. God said, “Yes,” and gave it to him generously. Here's the thing we often overlook. The Hebrew word for "wisdom" is bigger than the kind you need to run a kingdom. It covers a craftsman's skill, an artist's eye, and something closer to home — the everyday competence of living life well. Scripture even pictures Wisdom as a friend – a woman standing at her door, inviting people to the hospitality of her table. Solomon asked for administrative wisdom, and he got it in full. His judgments were sharp, and his governance was shrewd. But he never asked for the wisdom of living well, and you can see the problem it left by the end of his life: hundreds of wives and concubines, a treasury piled high, and stables full of horses collected just to have them. Scripture tells us plainly where he failed: So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not completely follow the Lord, as his father David had done. – 1 Kings 11:6 Solomon's administrative wisdom was legendary. His faithfulness to God was not. And that gap, more than any missing skill, is what left him short. I think most of us know something like this. We carry real wisdom characteristics — good judgment, discernment, a knack for our work, an eye for people. They're genuine gifts. But none of them were meant to run on their own. Without a faithful relationship with the God who is the source of all Wisdom, those gifts will only take us so far. They'll carry us for a while, and then, like Solomon's, they'll run out. Wisdom, in its fullness, was never meant to be a set of traits we collect. It's a life built on faithfulness to the God who gives it. Let us pray. "Father, grant us Your Wisdom in all of its fullness, and remind us that Your gift of Wisdom is built upon our faithful relationship with You. Amen." This devotional was written and read by Chuck Warnock. 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1035
Thursday · 4 min
The Light of the World (encore)
John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but have the light of life”. It is summertime and there is plenty of light! I enjoy my wildflower gardens that thrive in that light. I find they are a place where I can pause, reflect and enjoy God’s creation right in front of me. It has been cited that a walk in the garden can bring down your blood pressure. I know that I certainly feel better after a few moments there! The Pharisees were in the crowd as Jesus taught and it is very likely that they were having a spike in their blood pressure! It was their business to know the Scriptures and it is very likely that Psalms 27:1 may have flashed through their minds: “The LORD is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?” Or maybe the Pharisees were thinking “The unfolding of your words gives light” Psalm 119:130. Either way they surely looked around them and saw the definite influence that Jesus was having on the crowd and certainly felt the threat to their vaunted standing in society. Our challenge comes in Matthew 5:16. “ln the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Are you teaching Sunday School? Excellent! Are you helping to feed the hungry or shelter the homeless? Terrific! Looking out for your fellow brother, sister, stranger to lend a helping hand or share a gesture of kindness? Well done! As in “Well done good and faithful servant! Welcome!” Yes! To hear those words in the Kingdom of Heaven! Light references truth and eternal life. In John 12:45 Jesus cried out, “And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” The chapter ends with verse fifty: “And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.” How much clearer can the message be? Jesus’ light is radiating before us! Let us pray. Send us Jesus out into the crowd of daily life that our actions, our words, and our behaviors would glorify your name and spread your light in this contentious world. Amen This devotion was written and recorded by Sam Barto. 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1034
Wednesday · 5 min
Hurry, noise, and crowds (encore)
Luke 5:16 Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. Barbara and I were returning from a family reunion in Alabama not long ago and making our way up the interstate highway. We encountered several impatient drivers who zoomed in and out of traffic, seeking to get to their destination quickly. They put the rest of us at risk. I’m sure that was not their intention, but the result was to make us uncomfortable and vulnerable, and create a climate that raised anxiety for everyone. I thought of the counsel of Richard Foster, who in his classic guide, The Celebration of Discipline, wrote, “Our adversary majors in three things: hurry, noise, and crowds .” Think about this wisdom: the three things that stand between us and spiritual peace are hurry, noise, and crowds. There are times when we cannot avoid hurry. And times when we can not avoid noise. Nor crowds. But none of these things contribute to our peace. In fact, they are the most significant factors standing in the way of our peace. Barbara and I had this conversation with our son and daughter-in-law. She said, “This is easy for you because you are retired. It’s difficult for us because we have to go to work every day and can’t control our situation.” She was right. But the truth remains that hurry prevents peace, noise inhibits peace, and crowds restrict peace. Jesus understood that life requires a rhythm—engagement and retreat, helping and restoring. And the very thing that enables us to help adequately is the time of quiet and prayer that replenishes our spiritual resources. Our Lord withdrew for prayer and renewal. And so must we. Keep this truth near you. Our spiritual adversary majors in hurry, noise, and crowds. We must major in rest, quiet, and solitude. This is what replenishes our spirits. Prayer: Dear God, slow me down, quiet me down, and enable me to be alone with you so that I may be the one you intended for me to be. Amen. This devotion was written and read by Herb Sadler. 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1033
September 15 · 6 min
Do Not Be Dismayed
Isaiah 41:10 “So, do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” This verse is a powerful reminder that God, the Helper of Israel, and of all human kind, does not want us to live in fear. There are also a dozen times in the New Testament where Jesus encourages people not to be afraid. We should take something repeated by God that many times, as absolute truth! Yet we worry and are fearful of many things in this day and age! Chapman University, a top private University in California, in 2025 compiled their poll entitled – What Americans Fear Most. The result of that poll shows that many of us experience common fears. The Top 10 are felt by more than 50% of Americans. The following are the Top 10… Corrupt government officials People I love becoming seriously ill Economic/financial collapse Cyber terrorism People I love dying US becoming involved in another World War Pollution of drinking water Russia using Nuclear Weapons Pollution of oceans, rivers, and lakes Government tracking of personal data For the 10th consecutive year, fear of “Corrupt government officials” has topped the list, with 69% of Americans making this their #1 fear in 2025. Now, I would add AI and all sorts of unknown emerging technologies to this list of things we can’t control or sometimes can’t even understand. The world can feel too big. Who is in control, we might ask, when the news of the day bowls us over in anxiety and fear! But, my friends, GOD is in control. Yet we might ask – then where is He?! Let’s consider what Jesus said about that when he walked on the earth as a man 2000 years ago… In Matthew 28:18-20 we find these words, Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age. He is with us, but we may not be holding onto his promises. It’s so easy to get caught up in the news of the day, so we need to make time to read our Bibles, to pray in quiet space with Jesus, and to center ourselves on God’s LOVE and promises. He is with us, but we have to accept His presence, His promises and His peace. Let’s do that right now. Please pray with me… Dear loving, faithful God, please help me to remain centered in your promises. Help me to trust you and to focus on your strength, and your love, and not my own fear and helplessness. Help me to rest in your peace. In Jesus' name we pray…AMEN This devotion 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1032
September 14 · 5 min
Twelve Baskets of Hope
Romans 15:13 (NRSV) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Paul’s letter to the Roman church, he spends the first eleven chapters building one long argument: Jew and Gentile stand on identical ground before God. No distinction, he says in chapter 3 — all have sinned, all are justified freely by grace. In chapter 11, Gentile believers are branches grafted into an old olive tree, sharing its root with Israel rather than replacing it. A few years before this letter, the emperor Claudius had expelled the Jews from Rome — Jewish Christians included. The church kept meeting without them, shaped by Gentile believers who'd never kept kosher and saw no reason to start. When the ban lifted, Jewish believers came home to a congregation with its own habits already set. Paul calls one side "weak in faith" and the other "strong," and neither gets a compliment. The weak still ate only vegetables, still marked certain days as holy. The strong ate anything, treated every day alike, and chapter 14 opens by telling them not to look down on the ones they disagree with. Two groups at the same table, two consciences, each sure the other had it wrong. Paul doesn't referee that argument. He keeps pointing both sides back to Christ, who died for the believer sitting across the table. Early in chapter 15, he quotes four Old Testament passages picturing Gentiles praising God alongside Israel, one voice. That's what he's been building toward since chapter 1. Our verse for today, verse 13 of chapter 15, serves as the letter’s benediction, right before Paul shifts into travel plans and personal greetings. Everything he's argued for fourteen chapters lands here, in a prayer. The word translated "abound" in verse 13 is perisseuō (per-is-SYOO-oh), and it means to overflow or exceed a standard measure. It describes having more than enough, a surplus, or a superabundance in quantity and quality. By my count, Paul used the word over 20 times in his other letters, but the most notable use in the Bible is in John's Gospel, after Jesus feeds five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. "Gather up the fragments left over," Jesus tells the disciples (John 6:12). The same word, perisseuō, describes what remained: Twelve full baskets (v. 13). Not a crowd barely fed. A crowd fed until they were full, with room to spare. Paul’s prayer is not that the argument would end. He prays, "May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace, so that you perisseuō in hope.” More hope than it takes. More than you asked for. More than you can imagine. The whole letter's theology rests on one request: that what fills this newly rejoined, still-adjusting family would be more than the moment required. Not enough to get by. Left over. Twelve baskets of it. Prayer Father, you are the God of hope. Fill us with joy and peace in the middle of what isn't resolved, and let your Spirit make that hope abound — more than the moment requires. 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1031
September 13 · 4 min
Looking toward the hills
Psalm 121: 1-2 (New International Version) I lift up my eyes to the hills— Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, The Maker of heaven and earth. What happens when a person looks up to the hills and puts her faith in the Lord? The answer is illustrated in the life of Emma Gatewood, more famously known as Grandma Gatewood of Gallipolis, Ohio, who was the first woman to walk the Appalachian Trail in its entirety in 1955 at the age of 67. In the years following, she walked the trail two more times. Emma Gatewood’s life up to her walk was filled with adversity. Born into a family of fifteen children, she suffered an alcoholic and abusive father. She was only able to attend school through the eighth grade. At the age of 19, she married Perry Gatewood, a well-educated man who nevertheless turned into a violent alcoholic husband. She raised 11 children, worked in the fields and suffered physical abuse. Finally in 1939 she left Perry and filed for divorce, at a time when divorce was unheard of. Her case was so compelling she received alimony and custody of the three children still at home. Self-educated and a voracious reader, Emma Gatewood ran across an article on the Appalachian Trail in an old National Geographic Magazine. In 1955 she told her children she was “going for a walk.” 146 days later, she had traveled from Georgia to Maine and ended at the peak of Mount Baxter, where she signed the register and said, “I did it; I said I would do it and I’ve done it.” Because she was a unique traveler, local newspapers along the way carried stories about her. But that was not the end. She became a noted speaker and increased the popularity of hiking and building trails. In spite of the problems she encountered on the first trek. Grandma Gatewood set out a second time and discovered that her experiences had inspired others to hike and improve the trail. She hiked the Oregon Trail at the age of 76, and in 1967, she hiked the Appalachian Trail a third time. By the end of her life, she had walked over 14,000 miles and inspired many along the way. Emma Gatewood looked up to the hills and found her help in God’s natural world. She became a role model to both women and men for turning adversity into adventure. Hers is an unusual story but not unique. As with Emma, we can trust in God and in the beauty of the hills around us to summon deep resources inside our souls. Let us pray: Dear Lord, help us to remember that you are always around us, in the hills, in the valleys, and on the plains of our lives. We know that our help comes from you, the Maker of heaven and earth. Amen. This devotion was written by Laura Derr and read by Amy Large. 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1030
September 12 · 4 min
Scripture Saturday (September 12, 2026)
Welcome to the Saturday episode of the Grace for All podcast. Thank you for joining us today. Saturday is a special time when we take a few moments to review the scriptures that we have cited in the episodes this week. If you missed any of those episodes, you might want to consider listening to them today. And even if you heard them all, there may be one that you might want to listen to again. We hope that each of these scriptures and podcasts will bring you a full measure of joy, peace, and love. Now, let's listen to the scriptures that have been on our hearts this week. 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1029
September 11 · 4 min
Hope in the Ash Heap
Lamentations 3:21-23 (NRSV) But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. We sing the wonderful hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” with such warmth that it’s easy to imagine it coming from a quiet, sunny morning. It didn’t. Those words grew out of destruction and rubble. Almost the whole book of Lamentations is raw grief. In 586 BC, the Babylonians took Jerusalem, and it wasn’t just a wall or a building that came down. It was everything: home, freedom, worship, and identity. The people were dragged into exile among strangers, and underneath it all they suspected that their own unfaithfulness had helped land them there. So it’s a sad and somber book. Which is what makes verse 21 so surprising. Right in the middle of the loss and grief, the writer stops and says, “This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.” Remarkably, the writer says this even though nothing around him had changed. The walls weren’t rebuilt. The exile didn’t end. What changed was what he remembered. He remembered that God had been there with Israel when the nation faced tough times before. God hadn’t walked away this time either. Even in disaster, God’s love hadn’t run out. And here’s the part I find most encouraging: God’s mercies are new every morning. They’re not a lifetime supply handed out once, but fresh daily, sized exactly for whatever is facing you today. Like manna in the wilderness, you get today’s portion, today. And that’s all any of us need. Just enough to get us through today. Maybe you’re looking at something in your own life that feels destroyed — a relationship, a plan, a version of your life you’d counted on. The wreckage can be devastating. It can convince you there’s nothing left and you’re all alone. Hope doesn’t start when the rubble clears. It starts when you remember who God has been to you before. Let that memory hold you up right where you are. Even in the ashes, His love hasn’t quit, and His mercy is already up this morning, waiting for you. Prayer Lord, when loss or regret threatens to consume us, remind us that Your covenant love is greater than our deepest ruins. Give us the grace to receive today’s mercy for today’s situation. Amen. This devotional was written and read by Chuck Warnock 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1028
September 10 · 4 min
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (encore)
Made in His Image Psalm 139:13-14 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." More than 25 years ago, my dear friend’s son was born with a serious heart defect requiring multiple open-heart surgeries. I will never forget visiting them when he was just a toddler. At bedtime, I watched her dress him in his pajamas and tuck him in for the night. As she settled him in his bed, she took her finger and lovingly traced the long scar on his chest as she said these words, “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.” I picture that tender moment every time I hear this verse. Knowing that we are made in God’s image, I think, is not so much about us trying to identify with God as it is about the realization that God identifies with us. We have the assurance that God knows our hearts—literally and figuratively. God knows our strengths and weaknesses, our greatest hopes and deepest fears. God knows all of our thoughts and our feelings. God knows where we are broken and where we are whole. God knit us together, and God knows all of it. Beloved, God knows your scars more intimately than you do, and they are precious to Him. Today, can you picture God tracing those scars, visible and invisible, with God’s own hand and saying to you, “You are fearfully and wonderfully made?” Pray along with me: Creator God, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. When I feel overcome by the awareness of my flaws, remind me that you see beauty where I see scars. Help me believe that you lovingly knit me together and that your works are wonderful. May I bring glory to your name. Amen. This devotion was written and read by Greta Smith. 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1027
September 9 · 6 min
Thin Places
Genesis 28:12 And he dreamed: a stairway was set on the ground with its top reaching the sky, and God’s angels were going up and down on it. Some years ago, Catherine Nance described in a sermon the concept of thin spaces. According to Google, Thin spaces (often called thin places) are unique locations or moments where the boundary between the physical world and the spiritual realm feels exceptionally close. I instantly knew that what Catherine was describing was more than just conjecture but was, in fact, real. Scripture is full of instances where people experience the very real presence of God. For Jacob, it was a vision of angels ascending and descending on a stairway to heaven. For Moses, it was the burning bush. For Peter, James, and John it was the mount of transfiguration where the countenance of Jesus was transformed and they fell on their faces in awe of the moment. And for Saul, it was a blinding light that knocked him off his horse. Moments when the spiritual is so close to the physical that it is exceptionally real enough to reach out and touch. While not nearly so dramatic as these encounters, thin spaces have been for me something that I have experienced from time to time but could not adequately describe before. Most often, it comes in the form of music that is so overwhelming that I can no longer sing but simply mouth the words. “Hear him ye deaf, his praise ye dumb, your loosened tongues employ. Ye blind behold your Savior come and leap ye lame for joy.” Charles Wesley obviously knew the overwhelming joy of being in the presence of Jesus. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine Heir of salvation, purchase of God Born of his Spirit, washed in His blood This is my story, this is my song Praising my Savior all the day long This is my story, this is my song Praising my Savior all the day long Or... Angels we have heard on high Sweetly singing o'er the plains And the mountains in reply Echoing their joyous strains. Gloria In Excelsis Deo. In this moment, I am in the thin spaces along with those shepherds. Sometimes it has been in the liturgy of the sacraments of baptism and communion when it becomes almost impossible to recite those sacred words aloud. I have had moments in delivering home communion where it becomes difficult to get through the words without breaking down. And sometimes it is simply reciting the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” There is a common phrase, “If you know, you know.” I am persuaded that these experiences are more than simply an emotional response to well written and familiar phrases. There is, I believe, an unmistakable reality of being so close to the spiritual realm, that the physical simply cannot bear it. So, what is it for you? When watching a sunrise or sunset, does a sob suddenly well up in your throat that you weren’t expecting? Are you overwhelmed by purple mountains’ majesty above the fruited plains? Or is it simply a touch or a laugh from someone dear to you? I know that what I believe is real. But in these thin places I can actually reach out and touch what I believe. Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank you for the times where the spiritual and physical collide in such a way that there is no doubt. Thank you for revealing Yourself to us in ways and moments that affirm for us that You are ever present and oh, so real. Amen This devotion was written and read by Charlie Barton. 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1026
September 8 · 4 min
Joy Comes in the Morning
Psalm 30:5 (CEB) His anger lasts for only a second, but his favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay all night, but by morning, joy! Twice now I have taken part in the funeral of one of my children. Barry, our oldest son, passed away more than eight years ago. Hannah, our oldest daughter, passed away only nine months ago. Each of those losses shocked me to my core. I found myself asking, How will I ever get through this? It turns out that is a common question when we face grief. We ask it after the death of someone we love, but also after the loss of a job, a devastating diagnosis, a miscarriage, or any loss that divides life into before and after. The question is so common that grief researcher Lucy Hone used it as the title of a book about living with and through grief. Psalm 30 gives us the image of a long, dark night: “Weeping may stay all night.” When you are in the middle of that night, it can feel as though morning will never come. Grief has a way of convincing us that this is simply what life will feel like from now on. But the psalm doesn't deny the weeping. It doesn't tell us to cheer up or get over it. It simply reminds us that the night is not the whole story. “By morning, joy!” Morning doesn't erase what happened during the night. I would give anything to have my children back. That ache does not disappear because the sun comes up. And yet, somehow, the sun does come up. We laugh again without betraying the people we have lost. We notice beauty again. We discover moments of gratitude, connection, even joy. The scar remains, but life grows around it. These two truths can live together: we can carry grief and still experience joy. So when you find yourself in one of those dark nights, when it seems impossible to imagine morning, hold on to this promise: The night is real. But the night is not forever. The sun will come up again. And joy comes in the morning. Let’s pray. Father, when we find ourselves in the dark nights of grief and loss, stay close to us. When we cannot imagine that morning will ever come, help us trust that darkness will not have the last word. Hold us through the weeping, and help us recognize joy when it begins to return. Amen. This devotional was written and read by Donn King. 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1025
September 7 · 7 min
Where Do You Find Comfort?
Isaiah 55:1-3 (NLT) “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free! 2 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. 3 “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David. Where do you find comfort? Some find comfort in other people—a safe place where they know they will be loved no matter what. Children find comfort in their blankie or the soothing sensation of a pacifier. Others find comfort in food—there are some things that only a cupcake can fix! We are all looking for comfort in our lives in some form or another. Sometimes we don’t recognize it because it has become a habit, or simply because we live so comfortably. If we were to take away our phones, our social media followers, our money and possessions—or even our homes or our health—we would quickly see how much of our lives is built around comfort and how, in a split second, we can find ourselves deeply uncomfortable. The book of Isaiah is no stranger to this theme of seeking comfort. In this part of Isaiah, God’s people have experienced exile, suffering under Babylonian captivity and pleading with God for relief. In chapter 53, we learn about a Suffering Servant and how his suffering would become the means through which God’s people would receive redemption and salvation. And this promise would not be limited to Israel alone—it would extend to all nations. Then we arrive at Isaiah 55, where God speaks to people who are weary, thirsty, and longing for something more: “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free!” Notice that God does not say, “Get yourself together first.” God does not tell them to earn their way back or prove that they are worthy. God simply says, “Come.” Come if you are thirsty. Come if you are empty. Come if you cannot afford what you need. Come and receive what only God can give. This is where the comfort of God is different from the comforts we usually reach for. A cupcake can make a hard afternoon feel a little better. Our phones can distract us. Money and possessions can provide a sense of security. Even the people who love us most can sit beside us in our pain. But none of these things can satisfy the deepest hunger of the human heart. God’s comfort does not always mean that our circumstances immediately become comfortable. Sometimes God’s comfort comes as the assurance that we are not abandoned in the uncomfortable places. The people of Israel still had a journey ahead of them. They would have to leave what had become familiar, return home, and rebuild what had been broken. Yet God promised that they would not make that journey alone: “You shall go out in joy and be led back in peace.” Maybe you are in an uncomfortable place today. Something has changed. Something has been taken from you. Perhaps the things you once depended upon no longer provide the security they once did. Hear God’s invitation to you: Come. Come thirsty. Come weary. Come uncertain. Come without pretending that everything is fine. The truest comfort is not found in a life where nothing difficult ever happens. It is found in knowing that wherever life takes us, God is already there. The God who sustained Israel in exile, brought redemption through the Suffering Servant, and invited the thirsty to come and drink is still offering living water today. So, where do you find comfort? May we learn to find it not only in the temporary things that make life easier, but in the everlasting love of the One who promises to meet us, sustain us, and lead us home in peace. Let us pray. Gracious God, when we are thirsty, empty, or afraid, remind us that your invitation still stands. Help us release the comforts that cannot truly satisfy us and trust in your presence. Meet us in every uncomfortable place, sustain us for the journey, and lead us forward with joy and peace. Amen. This episode of Grace for All was written and read by Reverend Teanna Black, an associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1024
September 6 · 6 min
Refuge, Not Rescue
Psalm 46:1-2 (NRSV) God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea. Psalm 46 was likely written for a nation under siege—some scholars connect it to the night Jerusalem woke up to find an invading army gone, the threat dissolved overnight with no explanation the city had engineered for itself. The Hebrew word for refuge here is machaseh (mah-khah-SEH), a shelter, a place you flee to when there's nowhere else to go. For people behind those walls, machaseh wasn't a metaphor. It was the stone and mortar keeping them alive while the siege dragged on, day after day, with no guarantee of how it would end. It's a song written by people who knew what it was to be sheltered in the middle of danger, not just delivered from it afterward. A specific time in my life comes to mind when I read Psalm 46. It's not the first story I'd tell about my faith, but it's the one that surfaces without fail whenever I get to these verses. I spent much of the last few years before I retired overseeing a portfolio of capital projects at the university where I worked. The largest one I ever managed was an athletic and recreation center—a $28 million build. When we signed the contract to host a large summer camp of athletes in the facility, we had months of schedule cushion. But construction eats cushion. Delays, weather, small scope changes — each thing is reasonable on its own, until one day the cushion is gone, and you're up against a date you can't move. One thing stood between us and opening: the handicap spaces in the parking lot still needed striping before we could get our certificate of occupancy. The lot itself was already paved. We just needed dry pavement long enough to paint the lines. And it would not stop raining. By the Thursday before the campers arrived, we still didn't have the certificate, and there was no plan B—no other facility that could hold a camp that size. If the certificate didn't come through, we were canceling a contract in front of people counting on us. There's no other way to say it. This was trouble—the real kind, out of my hands, with a clock I couldn't stop. After a sleepless night, I got out of bed well before sunrise that Thursday, completely undone. I told God, plainly, that I was lost. My men's Bible study met that morning, and I told them everything—the lot, the rain, the deadline. They prayed with me, and I remember it being a real prayer. The rain was still coming down sideways when we finished, with more of the same forecast for the next day. I left not knowing anything had changed, but somehow at peace with the situation, wherever it might lead. The storm broke that morning. By mid-morning Thursday, the rain had cleared, and the pavement was dry enough for the crews to paint the lines. The county signed off, and we had our certificate of occupancy Friday afternoon. The athletes arrived Monday, and the camp ran without a hitch. When we got that certificate Friday, I walked into the empty arena by myself and sat in the circle at center court. I lowered my head and thanked God for his provision. I didn’t earn it, and I couldn’t have solved the problem. It's been seven years, and I still can't tell this story without something catching in my chest. I don't know why the rain broke when it did, and I'm not going to pretend I do. It's a miraculous story, and I'm humbled every time I tell it. And although I associate the whole thing with Psalm 46, it isn’t really what the Psalm is about. It isn't a psalm about rain clearing or a miraculous rescue. It's a psalm about refuge. And for me, the association isn’t Friday afternoon; it is Thursday morning. Friday was the rescue—the moment the actual trouble lifted, the thing I'd been praying for. But Thursday morning was the refuge. A group of men I love and respect all owned my trouble with me, agreed, and prayed with me. Not for resolution. Not for success. For peace. For wisdom. For God’s will. They were a refuge for me. A shelter in the storm. A machaseh. You may be carrying a Thursday of your own right now—something with no plan B, no clear Friday in sight. I can't promise you the rain will break on your timeline. But I can tell you where the refuge is. It's not waiting at the end of the story, for whenever the ending finally arrives. It's already here. The Psalm says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Machaseh doesn't wait for resolution. It asks you to put your trust in the eternal refuge before you have one. Lord, when the ground is shaking and we can't see a way through, be our refuge before we see the outcome, not only after. 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1023
September 5 · 3 min
Scripture Saturday (September 5, 2026)
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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1022
September 4 · 5 min
New Every Morning
Lamentations 3:22–23 (NIV) Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations is exactly what the name promises — five chapters of grief over a city in ruins, a people in exile, a covenant that seemed, by every outward sign, to have failed. The writer describes himself as a man who has forgotten what happiness is, whose strength and hope have perished. And then, right in the middle of that wreckage, comes this turn: because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed. This isn't comfort offered from a safe distance, after the crisis has passed. It's comfort spoken from inside the rubble, by someone who has every reason to despair and chooses instead to remember. The mercies aren't new because the trouble has ended. They're new every morning. God's faithfulness isn't about whether our circumstances have improved. It's measured by whether God is still God, morning after morning, regardless of what the night before contained. Many of us have sung the old hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," which comes directly from this passage. There’s no escape from trouble. But there is promise of a faithfulness that outlasts the trouble — summer and winter, springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses, all bearing witness to a mercy that renews itself daily rather than running out. We tend to want comfort that changes our situation. What Lamentations 3 offers is comfort that changes what we can stand on while the situation remains what it is. And that comfort is "new every morning." We measure faithfulness by consistency of outcome — did the plan work, did the prayer get answered, did the trouble go away. Scripture measures it differently: faithfulness is God showing up again, today, possibly in a way different from yesterday. That's covenant language. It's the same God who bound himself to Israel in the wilderness binding himself to us now — not because we've earned it, but because that's who he has committed to be. If you're in a season where the comfort you want hasn't come, this passage doesn't ask you to pretend otherwise. It asks you to notice that you woke up this morning still held, still experiencing the mercy that has been been renewed once again today. Your discomfort may be the same, but God offers new mercies morning by morning. Prayer: Lord, when our circumstances offer us no comfort, let us find it in you — not because our trouble has ended, but because your mercy is new again this morning, as it was yesterday, as it will be tomorrow. Great is your faithfulness. Amen. This devotional was written 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.
S25 · E1021
September 3 · 4 min
A Matter of the Heart
Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Knowing what we value and being able to act and speak accordingly is something many of us strive for. However, consistently demonstrating beliefs that we say we hold every moment of every day is a challenge for all. Sometimes, I get to the end of a day, and I am discouraged by how much is left undone, by the words I did not share. Other days I have said words or I have done something that I realize might have hurt someone. My world can get very cluttered with what ifs. My battlefield is figurative not reality, but I seek courage and strength everyday. As I search, I find that courage comes from the heart. This is true both in the sense that the courageous choose actions and words that demonstrate their heart and in the etymology of the word derived from cor which means heart. The Lord is with us, in our heart, in our world, in the air that we breath. Courage is the ability to let what is in our heart lead us to do God’s will in a broken world. Strength is the ability to do what God leads us to even when it is challenging. And humility makes room for the strength to know that we will only accomplish what God allows for us. When we fall short of what we think we should accomplish, we should not be discouraged because our Lord is with us, always. The path to peace in our heart is in following God’s will whether it is what we think should happen or not. When the “what ifs” begin to clutter my view, I pray that God will show me the way forward and give me strength to understand. Please pray with me today: Lord, help me find the strength that you share with me in my heart. Allow your love to guide me on the path of your direction. May your wisdom fill my heart and give me strength as I make each choice each day. I know you are with me always. Please help me to focus on Your will not mine, Amen. This devotion was written by Jill Pope and read by Susan Daves. 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 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/.

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