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  Psalm 78:1-8 Listen to today's devotional Psalm 78 envisions an experience that churches can use to model intergenerational practices. The psalm underscores the importance of remembering God's past acts of salvation and deliverance. Included in that remembrance is the often unfaithful response of the people. Most notable in this psalm is the insistence that this recounting be shared among all generations. The older generations have heard of God's deeds from their ancestors. Now, they shall not "hide" these experiences from their children but share them. This sharing will spread to the "next generation." As a result, they will "set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments." Faith and discipleship take root in a community's shared experiences. Psalm 78 doesn't imagine an accidental gathering of the generations. Instead, it sees a deliberate effort to form young people in the knowledge and trust of Go...

  Hosea 6:1-6 Listen to today's devotional Fixed-hour prayer is thought to be the oldest form of Christian devotion. Early believers paused several times a day to pray and reflect, and turn their attention to God. While it is an ancient practice that was probably adopted from our Jewish roots, there are still modern ways to do this. Now, some might wonder why we'd stop and pray or read scripture so much. But I'd ask why you stop and eat and drink throughout the day. The answer is the same. We do it to live. In my church, we often talk of revival. It's something I've prayed for and continue to trust that God will bring to our local church and community. I don't fully know what revival will look like. I have dreams and hopes, but, whatever it is, I trust it will unfold in God's timing and in God's way. Revival is always God's business. But we still have a part to play in revival. Our work is to return. To turn to God not just once, not just when things...

  Galatians 5:22-25 Listen to today's devotional Film executives chose King Vidor to direct the iconic tornado scene in  The Wizard of Oz . By then, King had already directed. But it wasn't his technical skill or expertise that stood out the most. It was something more personal. People knew King survived the 1900 hurricane that devastated Galveston. He talked about it a lot. Why wouldn't he? It's still our nation's deadliest natural disaster. King, then, didn't just know about storms. He had been in one. He knew the terror, the wind and the aftermath. That experience gave him a unique perspective that only he could provide for the scene. When the apostle Paul talks about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, he isn't offering a list of personality goals. He's highlighting what happens when we allow the Spirit to shape our lives. When people ask me how they can know if they're following Jesus, Galatians 5 is a text I point them to. Are love, joy, pe...

  1 Samuel 2:18-21 "Focus on the children." That's something an older colleague ingrained in my mind. It was his advice on how to nurture and grow a congregation. Of course, he was repeating something important within our Wesleyan heritage. John Wesley emphasized the church's need to prioritize ministry with children. If we don't, he said, "the present revival will be  res unius aetatis ; it will last only the age of a man." Wesley instructed his Methodist preachers to hold a 5-point plan for this ministry. If a preacher didn't feel called to this ministry, it didn't matter. A preacher might say, "I have no gift for this." Wesley's response was, "Gift or no gift, you are to do it; else you are not called to be a Methodist Preacher." So, childhood education, spiritual and otherwise, was a high priority for early Methodists. And just so you don't think this is about quaint, cutesy lessons or programs, consider something ...