“I want to help create places and situations, and just the mindset, that our faith is part of everyday life, not just something we do on Sunday mornings,” says Lisa Weaver, director of children’s ministries at Bethany United Methodist Church.
John Wesley promoted three basic rules for holy living: Do no harm. Do good. Attend upon the ordinances of God (which is often restated as “Stay in love with God”). Wesley’s rules can guide United Methodists of all ages as we find ways to put our faith into action each day.
“Sometimes it seems overwhelming as to what we can do to fix what is happening in the world. [Wesley’s rules] make it so simple,” says the Rev. Julie Wilson, pastor of Bethany UMC. She encourages, “You can do these three things, and they’re easy things to do. It’s empowering for people to realize they do have agency of what’s happening in the world around them. It’s not hopeless.”
Weaver adds, “It’s really important both for ourselves and for children to remember that it’s not all so heavy and so weighty that we are paralyzed. It’s okay to smile and have some humor.”
Three rules for all generations
During a sermon series on Wesley’s three rules, Wilson and Weaver collaborated to help children better understand how the rules can guide their words, lifestyle and relationships. The idea grew into a picture book: Three for Me!
Even though the book was written and illustrated for children, it serves to remind everyone of how Wesley’s rules can shepherd us as we seek to make the world a better place.
Three for Me! Is a perfect addition to any family’s book collection, as well as church libraries, Sunday school classrooms and nurseries. Order it from The Book Deal, a store located next door to Bethany UMC in Madison, Wisconsin. Wilson and Weaver wanted to “do good” by partnering with a local bookseller for distribution.
They also partnered with a local illustrator, Hannah Sandvold, who brought different color palettes and drawing styles to each main character and aspect of the book to help readers connect with the information visually.
Three for Me! was funded in part by the University of Wisconsin Foundation and the General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church.
No matter who sits down to read with kids they care about, the book intentionally fosters intergenerational connections. Wilson says, “We thought this was a way to help bridge that gap. You can teach them as you are learning, too.”
Throughout the book, adults will enjoy spotting details young readers might not, such as an appearance from Charles Wesley. There are so many all-age applications that Wilson and Weaver plan to use the book for an adult discipleship study.
Weaver asks, “Do these ideas still work now? Three hundred years is a long time ago. This is an invitation to consider your own self and what is going on and what you think.”
Each page sparks conversation
Readers are encouraged to consider how they can take steps to live out Wesley’s rules, from speaking kindly to using a reusable shopping bag. Adults can pause frequently to ask children “wondering questions,” such as, “I wonder how we can do good things in our house or neighborhood?”
“You don’t necessarily have all of the answers all of the time,” Weaver shares. “You might think about it and when you read the book again something new will come up. That is part of what we wanted to convey: We are not static people. We are always growing and thinking and expanding.”
The book points to reading the Bible as a way to stay in love with God, which could lead to another learning opportunity. Weaver says, “Micah 6:8 is really foundational and has very obvious parallels to the three simple rules. Find a Bible, find those verses, read and try to connect it back again.”
As the book progresses, readers see that each main character, all of them different ages, is on a unique journey. Weaver explains, “[The characters] are coming into and absorbing Wesley’s ideas before they take them into their own.”
The book ends with some detailed historical facts about John Wesley and discussion questions that encourage a time of self-reflection and curiosity.
Perhaps children will want to learn more about John Wesley and adults and kids can research his life and work together. Perhaps the three rules can become ongoing points of discussion as caretakers and children ask each other at the dinner table, “How did you live out the three rules today?”
Laura Buchanan works for UMC.org at United Methodist Communications. Contact her by email.
This story was published on September 26, 2025.
