{"podcast":{"title":"Grace for All","slug":"grace-for-all-6595211","podcast_index_feed_id":6595211,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/graceforall/","website_url":"https://1stchurch.org","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/2428ce1f-9c22-4f5a-acd7-88e0a40ad9bf/Grace-for-All-3000.jpg","author":"Jim Stovall, Greta Smith, First United Methodist Church, Maryville, TN","episode_count":300,"summary":"\"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","last_synced_at":"2026-07-17T16:20:38.196226+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/grace-for-all-6595211"},"episode":{"title":"The Trees Were Paying Attention","slug":"the-trees-were-paying-attention","published_at":"2026-06-05T07:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/grace-for-all-6595211/the-trees-were-paying-attention","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/grace-for-all-6595211","url":"https://graceforall.captivate.fm/episode/the-trees-were-paying-attention","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/cbfdad54-7f67-4b84-a69d-84d7017b3e43.mp3","summary":"Psalm 98:7-8 (The Message) \"Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause, with everything living on earth joining in. Let ocean breakers call out, 'Encore!' as they join the rivers in a standing ovation for God.\" I play the guitar. Actually, it is more accurate to say I play at the guitar. I know enough chords to be dangerous, I can fake my way through a few fingerpicking patterns, and I've made peace with the fact that my F chord is more of an aspiration than an achievement. And bar chords? Forget about it. I love music. Playing guitar gives me somewhere to put my mind that isn't anywhere else. It's a challenge I actually enjoy. And that’s enough. Any proficiency I pick up along the way is gravy on the biscuit. One Saturday morning, I took my guitar out to the screened porch. I'd been practicing chord changes for weeks, and I thought a few minutes of that might be good. I was concentrating on my fingers when I noticed it had started to rain. Not a storm, just a soft, steady rain moving through the trees in the yard. I kept playing. And then I noticed something. My backyard is mostly trees. As the rain fell, it made a particular sound as it hit the layers of branches and leaves. As the rain intensified, the sound got louder. It sounded like applause. I stopped playing, and I listened. Then I laughed out loud. The trees were applauding. Now I know the difference between rain and applause. No confusion there. But I stood up anyway. I thought that it might be the only time I'd ever get applause for playing the guitar. I played a C-F-G chord progression. It's the set of chords that underlies half the songs ever written, the musical equivalent of a handshake. And I took a bow. \"Thank you,\" I said. \"Thank you very much.\" The trees kept applauding. The psalmist noticed t…","meta_description":"Psalm 98:7-8 (The Message) \"Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause, with everything living on earth joining in. Let ocean breakers call out, 'E…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":257,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/grace-for-all-6595211/episodes/the-trees-were-paying-attention/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/grace-for-all-6595211/the-trees-were-paying-attention.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}