fresh fruit::

i think it is so timely and wonderful that we are beginning our study on the fruit of the Spirit. in my personal life, i have been immersing myself in the world of healthy living-- stocking up on crisp veggies and local fruits. there is nothing better than fresh nutrients for our bodies, and our souls.

when summer felt led to embark on this study, i was thrilled-- because its a topic i misunderstood for a long time. when i was growing up, i was constantly hearing about the "fruits of the spirit". i sang songs about them in sunday school. i listened to pastors and teachers expound on them for weeks on end. i saw videos that highlighted them. and i memorized scripture verses to remember them. one day, while talking to my dad, he brought up the fact that i always referred to the spirit's manifestations as the "fruits" (plural) of the spirit. he gently guided me to the scripture passage to show me that the bible states "the fruit (singular) of the spirit is...". he went on to teach me that, while they are individually named, they are a package deal. as a spirit-filled christian, you can't love and not have peace. you can't have patience but not joy. you can't have kindness but no self-control. we cannot pick which characteristics we want to adopt. our daily walk should be a strive to embody the entire "FRUIT" of the spirit.

will we always be perfect? of course not. but we need to make it our goal to grow all the fruit of the spirit in our lives. as we embark on this weeks study-- keep in mind that as we take on new chapters, and learn about each individual aspect of the spirit's fruit, we're not moving on past the characteristics we already know-- we're simply adding on to the fabulous blue-print God has given us.

happy blossoming!

start of something new.

the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

galatians 5.22-23

good morning! today we embark on a new study. i couldn't be more happy about the topic. the fruit of the Spirit! the work of our Lord, springing up in our lives. evidence of His glory, shining through us. in our study book, elizabeth george says these fruits have been described as 'those gracious habits which the Holy Spirit produces in the Christian.' how exciting. He is at work in us!

i am praying for tremendous growth as i read a woman's walk with God. i know that He can work wonders in my heart and life through the words i will read. i pray that i will be like clay in His hands, with eyes open to my sinfulness, but full of His grace, and a heart ready for molding and shaping into His likeness. i pray that my daily life will look different at the end of this. i pray for better relationships with the people i see every day, a more gentle and quiet spirit, and a closer walk with my Savior.

this week's reading assignment is the first chapter, entitled preparing for greater growth. and if you do not have your book yet, sure, you can still participate! i would encourage everyone, book or no, to read galatians chapter 5. and if you're up for it, you can join me in choosing a verse to memorize for the week. i'm going to pick from the verses that elizabeth mentions in our study book, but you can branch out as much as you'd like. for this week, i'll be committing galatians 5.16-18 to memory. come back next week for review of the reading assignment, notes, and favorite things from the chapter. off we go! .. summer