I cannot remember a time when music was not part of my life. Growing up in a small, country Methodist Church, I learned hymns from the old Cokesbury hymnal at a very young age. I started taking piano lessons at age 10 and by age 12 I was playing those hymns for Wednesday night services. And now, as an adult, the words of those hymns come to mind frequently in different situations I am facing.

Throughout my life, music has carried me through many difficult times. When my father died unexpectedly, I, along with my whole family was devastated. My siblings asked me to choose the music for his funeral. Remembering the hymns he had loved and deciding which ones to include in the service was comforting to me. A long-time close friend sang “How Great Thou Art,” his favorite. As he sang, I thought about my father’s faith and how he lived a life that exemplified it.

He was a humble man who loved God and others; his whole life was one of praise and thanksgiving.

Several years later, I was facing another difficult time. My mother’s health was in decline, and she was in denial. My siblings and I were constantly on alert for the next phone call telling us she had fallen or developed bronchitis or pneumonia because she preferred not to seek medical attention.

It was a very stressful time, to say the least. My respite was Wednesday night choir practice. For those two hours, I was able to lose myself in the lyrics and melodies and leave refreshed and renewed in faith, ready to deal with whatever the next day would bring. During our closing prayer time, I always lifted my mother to God, giving thanks for the years of love and care she had given our family, and asking for guidance in providing for her needs. Those years never got easier, but music and giving thanks to God enabled me to persevere and remain positive.

Through good times and bad, praising God through music and glorifying him with thanksgiving provides a path that gives life meaning. He knows we aren’t all great singers or musicians, but He deserves our praise and thanks however we can express it.

God, thank you for the gift of music and its transformative power in our lives. All good and great things come from you, and we praise you. Amen.

This devotional was written by Pat Scruggs and read by Joey 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

Blaise Pascal lived in the 1600’s and wrote, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” These words are so appropriate for today! Except, we do sit still in rooms, not in quiet, but with a device speaking to us. We are constantly bombarded with noise, news, and sound.

God is not very likely to yell at us from a cloud, as he did Peter! He is more likely to come as he did to Elijah on that mountain, not in a windstorm, earthquake, or fire, but in a “still, small voice.” Without sitting in the quiet, how can we hear God’s still, small voice? How can we “listen to Him”?

Jesus modeled this way of listening for us. He withdrew alone from the crowds and noise, to pray. He listened and heard when God spoke in that still, small whisper. We must emulate Jesus! We need to withdraw, to be alone, to pray silently and to listen for that “still small whisper.” We need this daily. But we won’t make it happen without disciplining ourselves as Jesus did. Make a vow to withdraw, unplug, turn off electronics and find time to tune in to God. Just listen! He might be whispering right now…

This devotional 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/.

Mentioned in this episode:

This month on Grace for All, we are replaying some of our most listened to episodes. If you are enjoying these devotions and would like to have them in written form, our first six months of content is now available in print. You can find it by searching Grace for All, a book of daily devotions, by Jim Stovall on Amazon. As always, thank you for joining us, and we pray that you will be blessed.

Many people use the refrigerator door for more than keeping cold stuff in. They put messages there. And lists. And reminders. And pictures! And, sometimes, inspirational words.

On our refrigerator door there are pictures of our grandkids. And a small cross. For a few years now we have had a list. Not a grocery or to-do list, but a list of words. These words—there are 30 of them—came from a sermon given by our pastor at the time. She told us of research that revealed that some words are slowly disappearing from usage. They have been in decline for the past 50 years. All of these words had been common in the first half of the 20th Century and well into the second half, but they are now in significant decline in regular conversations and discourse. They all, these 30 words, are virtues or values. Here are some of them: patience, kindness, sincerity, generosity, humility, faith, love, perseverance, courtesy, modesty, gratitude.

The concern, of course, is not primarily with the lessening of the use of the words themselves, but with the corresponding lessening of the presence of the virtues. The less we champion these qualities the less they are part of the world we live in.

Did you notice that this list corresponds closely with the list Paul gives us in Galatians of the qualities of one who has God’s Spirit within him or her. We who belong to Jesus Christ are to demonstrate these virtues, making our lives and our world better. Let’s reclaim these words by living them. And in the process, make our society a kinder, gentler place.

Dear God, Post on the door of our hearts your to-do list for us. Amen.

This devotional 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/.

Mentioned in this episode:

This month on Grace for All, we are replaying some of our most listened to episodes. If you are enjoying these devotions and would like to have them in written form, our first six months of content is now available in print. You can find it by searching Grace for All, a book of daily devotions, by Jim Stovall on Amazon. As always, thank you for joining us, and we pray that you will be blessed.