The tradition of Daily Texts began in 1722 when Nicolaus Ludwig Count von Zinzendorf provided shelter for religious refugees arriving from Bohemia and Moravia. This community of believers shared morning and evening devotions, consciously placing their lives under the Lord’s watch.

On May 3, 1728, Zinzendorf gave his congregation a watchword to help shape the conversation in the homes. The Moravian Church has continued this practice of having a daily watchword. Now they pick two Bible verses for each day – one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament.

Mount Carmel adopted The Daily Texts in the 1990’s. We started publishing our own booklet that contained the two Bible verses, as picked each year by the Moravian Church, and we added a daily prayer, some hymns, and some other devotional material.

We use The Daily Texts at Mount Carmel as a devotional tool. We listen to God’s Word for each day. We encourage our people to use The Daily Texts throughout the year.

The Daily Texts is now published by Ground Up Grace, an organization founded by Johan and Sonja Hinderlie, who worked many years at Mount Carmel. The Hinderlie’s also have a daily podcast, where they discuss the texts for the day. Here is a link to the Ground Up Grace website.