Get Fruity!

When you think about it, these are like Jesus' character traits. Why wouldn't anyone want to be more like Him? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you develop these in your own character and life.

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The choice ought to be clear

Even if you don't believe that Jesus really is God, it seems to me that Paul still makes a pretty compelling argument for choosing good over evil. If you merely look at these two lists as a comparison of hedonism/anarchy on the flesh side and altruism/civility- I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would deliberately choose the fruit of the flesh. Don't you see how those things will ultimately end up being self-destructive, not to mention hurtful to others and damaging to all you relationships?

The Flesh sexual immorality impurity self-indulgence idolatry witchcraft hate arguing jealousy anger selfishness disagreements division envy drunkenness orgies

The Spirit love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness     gentleness discretion self-control

Of course, what a shame if this was just a matter of choosing the "Good side of the force instead of the dark-side."

God gave us His son, Jesus not only to set an example for us (demonstrate the character traits of the spirit-fruit), but as a sacrifice to atone for all of our fruit of the flesh. So that we could actually be capable of having a loving relationship with God the Father.

Once He had defeated death and the Devil, He sent us His Holy Spirit, who makes it possible for us to be more like Jesus- to have His same character traits. Why would we want this? You're kidding, right? Why WOULDN'T we?

I believe that God wants to make us more like Jesus so that we can have healthier, genuinely loving relationships with others. In part, that will pretty much just plainly make life work better, but when you think about it, it is all about love- which ultimately is what Jesus wants for us and coincidentally it will make us more approachable and appealing to others, thereby giving us opportunities to share Jesus with them.

Galatians 5: 13-26; Life by the Spirit
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. ¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
 ¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Lay down your weapons

I've been thinking again about the so called "culture wars." Abortion, gay rights, evolution, prayer in public schools, the "war-on-Christmas," public monuments and displays of faith... It just seems to me that so much of it is not really about rescuing a lost world as it is about desperately trying to exert control over a society that seems out of control. Jesus already won the victory, all we have to do is stand- not attack and demolish.

I end up in an awkward position because some conservative Christians think that I'm a traitor fighting against them, when really I think of my self as a conscientious-objector and a non-combatant. If there's a battle, isn't it one for hearts and minds, even souls- not for authority or control or power or vindication? Isn't the goal to bring souls into the family of God and under his grace and forgiveness- not to kick people out, not to engage in some kind of religious ethnic-cleansing?   

^"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world." ~2 Corinthians 10:3-4. 

Today's weapons are words, laws, court cases, sound bites, arguments and debates, movements and organizations. But the weapons that I believe Jesus wants us to use are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. The tactic I believe He wants us to use are to heal the sick, feed the hungry, defend the widows, orphans and aliens, to visit those in prison, to turn the cheek, go the extra mile, give the shirt of our backs, to love our enemies and to pray for those that persecute us. Positive not negative, faith and love, not fear and anger, freedom not tyranny, progress not regression. You  might say that God's strategy is to fight smarter, not harder.

So brothers and sisters who are confounded by my political and social stances, please know that it's not that I'm fighting against you or failing to stand with you on issues that you are so passionate about- it's that I don't understand why you're so zealous about fighting when the outcome has already been decided. It was won on the cross. My God and His truth doesn't need feeble me to defend Him. Not by might, not by power, but by His Spirit reigns the Lord.

'Weapons' by Jars Of Clay
From their new album, The Long Fall Back To Earth

Halleluiah, we can finally hear
It's a miracle we feel anything at all
The things we planted on the worst days of the year
Grow to fingers that rip at the joy
And set our backs against the wall

LAY YOUR WEAPONS DOWN
LAY YOUR WEAPONS DOWN
THERE ARE NO ENEMIES IN FRONT OF YOU

Halleluiah, we can finally see
How the bitterness was bruising on our skin
We didn't notice that grace had run so thin
'Till we're falling apart
And the cracks in our hearts let the truth sink in

LAY YOUR WEAPONS DOWN
LAY YOUR WEAPONS DOWN
THERE ARE NO ENEMIES IN FRONT OF YOU (repeat)

Halleluiah, we can finally hear
It's a miracle we feel anything at all

So lay your weapons down
There are no enemies in front of you
There are no enemies in front of you

LAY YOUR WEAPONS DOWN
LAY YOUR WEAPONS DOWN
LAY YOUR WEAPONS, THERE ARE NO ENEMIES IN FRONT OF YOU (repeat)

God tells us to...

"Be Joyful always;"
-1 Thessalonians 5:16

VBS 09 Day 3- God 's Word grows in you and in me

eu·reka:
interjection

1. I have found (it): believed to have been uttered by Archimedes when he discovered a way to determine the purity of gold by applying the principle of specific gravity
2. I've got it; yes; that's it: used to express triumphant achievement, success, or discovery

We've been shouting "Eureka!" as part of our program whenever the leader (Bethany) announces the key idea for each night. I explained to the 5/6 graders how in African American churches there is often a call-and-response interaction between the preacher and the congregation. When he wan't to know that they understand what he is teaching, he asks them to shout "Amen." Amen, is a Hebrew word which means "may it be so, so it is, let it be so, or, this is true." (Lutherans read "this is most certainly true" a lot in the chatechism.)

Both Eureka and Amen might be great ways to say "I GET it!" when you understand what's being talked about. That fit with the night's lesson because it was about whether you "get it" or not.

The Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:1-15) is the one parable that Jesus told which He went so far as to spell out and explain to His diciples peice by peice, which is ironic because the whole point of the story is that a lot of people miss the point.

Steven Corbert is actually a fairly liberal comedian, but he's become famous by satirizing ultra conservative pundits who take themselves too seriously. Ironically, there are tons of far right-wing Republicans and Libertarians who think he's for real. They love him and believe much of what he says... they don't seem to realize that he's making fun of them.

Similarly, British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has had two movies (Borat and Bruno) in which he pretends to be hopelessly clueless stereotypes of characters making a serious as a heart attack doccumentary. He's then able to record ordinary people responding to his characters either with ridicule and intolerance, or by revealing themselves to be just as clueless as his characters are. Some people just don't get it.

In the parable of the sower, Jesus is warning us that sometimes we just don't get it. And sure enough, the original 12 disciples didn't get it so He had to spell it out for them.

The seed is God's Word.

Some of us are trampled down paths (verse 5). We've been walked on and worked over, so no sooner do we hear God's Word than the devil snaches it away and it's as if we never heard it.

Some of us are shallow, rocky dirt (verse 6) (more like the deserts of Phoenix where I grew up than the deep, dark, nutrient rich top soil here in Iowa). We get all excited and seem enthusiastic about this great new thing; "Jesus" or "Faith" or "Christianity" and it sprouts up fast- how exciting, the latest Christian book, some newtrend or self-improvement fad, a TV evangelist, or a great Christian rock band or concert--- woo hoo, aint this great? But, once life get's tough (and it always does) then we abandon the faith, we feel like Jesus must've been just another religion, and it comes to nothing.

Some of us are a wild weed patch, full of buffalo burrs or thisles or maybe, lush banks of kudzu or why not- gorgeous rose bushes--- whichever way you dice it, the seed comes and it make grow, but it's choked by what's already growing in us. We may believe and even try to be like Jesus, but life gets in the way. There are just too many things we don't want to give up. Maybe they're actual things (material posessions) maybe they're bad habits, selfish attitudes, patterns of behavior, sins- maybe they're people, toxic relationships, bad influences- somehow or other, the worries and/or pleasures of this world just don't allow our faith to get the sunlight or nutrients it needs to grow.

Ah, but some of us, are decent worm poop. Soft, turned over, cleared off, composted, damp and ready to recieve the seed. And if we do, God can get a great yield out of His seed. 100 times, Jesus says.

And so what? What yield? Sunflower seeds? Corn kernels? Soybeans? Apple trees? Wheat?

Fruit, Spiritual Fruit. John 15:1-3 says that Jesus is the vine, we are the branches and God the Father is the gardener. Remember yesterday he turned us from water to wine, maybe we're wine grapes. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us the kind of fruit we are to produce, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. THAT is some good fruit.

It almost makes you wonder if in Genesis 1:28, when God told us to "be fruitful and multiply," He wasn't really talking about having babies, at least He wasn't JUST talking about having babies.

It certainly seems to me that having the Holy Spirit produce this kind of fruit in us would lead to doing a lot of good works and following good paths that God prepared for us in advance (Ephesians 2:10).

But, you have to have ears to hear. Amen? You can't just half listen or treat God's Word like it's just more background noise. That's the difference between just hearing and actually listening and paying attention. The only way to be good soil, is to till up the trampled path, to pick out the rocks and pull out the weeds. The only way to produce good fruit is to commit to seting aside time to spend with God, reading His Bible, praying to him, worshiping and listening. If we refuse the seed, how can we expect to produce any fruit? He who has ears, let him hear. Amen?

In light of that important lesson- would you please consider making time to get into God's Word? Plan on coming to HS Bible Study this fall. Our theme's going to be "you, like living stones, are being built into God's house" 1 Peter 2:5

We'll use Room 101 off the Church Lobby instead of the kitchen in the basement. Let's really try to get into Gods Word in a major way before you all go to New Orleans for the National Youth Gathering next summer.

And since it's still a month and a half away, why don't you start praying that all the kids in our congregation will start coming to HS Bible Study on Sundays this Fall too. Nobody wants to be alone. Jesus tells us, where two or more are gathered in His name He is there with them (Matthew 18:20)!

Sanctification; Huck

Wikipedia says: In slang, "I'm your huckleberry" is a way of saying that one is just the right person for a given job which was used by the character Doc Holliday in the movie Tombstone.

I think that's a pretty cool metaphor for sanctification- being set aside for our created purpose. Come to think of it, I think that sanctification should've been on Paul's list of fruit of the Spirit. Love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control and letting God use you as He originally intended- against such there is no law. But far be it from me to try to add or detract from the Apostle's words.

Wikipedia also says this: The tiny size of the berries led to their frequent use as a way of referring to something small, often in an affectionate way. The phrase "a huckleberry over my persimmon" was used to mean "a bit beyond my abilities".

I'm a tiny berry, St. Paul is a big 'ol watermelon, maybe my pastor is a persimmon (bigger than huckleberries but smaller than a melon, about the size of a kumquat).

But isn't that just like all of us? We think we're way too small and inconsequential to do anything important for God, yet He choses the feeble and frail for His mightiest purposes.

John Piper's famous prayer sums it up: "Lord, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am!"

We are weak, but He is strong. It's never about what I can do, but always about what He can do through me.

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Want to get sanctified? Just say to God, "I'm Your Huckleberry."

Several Spiritual and Scriptural Satori*

Satori: a flash of sudden awareness, or individual Enlightenment.

I've recently had several Satori concerning Scriptures. Call them epiphanies or revelations if you'd prefer a Judeo-Christian jargon rather than a Hindu/Buddhist one. Point is, I feel like God has opened my eyes to layers of possible meaning in a few things that had never occurred to me before. Let me share some of them:

• "Give us this day our daily bread..." like most people, I've always taken for granted that this portion of the Lord's prayer refers to God's provision for my material needs. But Jesus calls Himself the "bread of life." Surely we should be praying for the true manna from Heaven, which is fellowship with Him and spiritual nutrition from His Word.

• "Whatever is good, whatever is right, whatever is praiseworthy,...(Philippians 4:8)" For years I've assumed this meant to think positive, to try to focus on what you have, not on what you don't have, thereby fostering an attitude of gratitude. But it can mean SO much more than that. If we "fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2)" then we're REALLY thinking about "whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable." Duh. Why didn't THAT one ever dawn on me before?!

• "Be fruitful and multiply... (Genesis 9:7)" Wouldn't most people just assume that God's telling Noah and his family to get busy repopulating the earth? But what if He's not talking about sex or having babies? What if He's speaking spiritually? What if to be fruitful, means to produce the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)? To "multiply" is to augment, to spread or propagate.- to increase. I don't think you have to have kids to spread love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Which brings me to my next point-

• The fruit of the Spirit is not just something to HAVE, it is something to SHARE. People have said for eons that "love isn't love unless you give it away," but I think that its also true that the more of all the fruit which you offer, the more you have. Kind of like the 5 loaves and 2 fish (Luke 9) miraculously feeding the 5,000. (and sharing Jesus is the same way, after all, He is the bread of life). If you're kind to others, guess what? They're likely to be kind to you. Showing patience? Same deal. Faithfulness, treating people gently? Guess what?

• This last one also has to do with the same Gal 5:22 spiritual fruit- but it will sound pretty "out-of-the box..." A couple of weeks ago my wife and I attended a Christian marriage retreat in Kansas City, during the segment on intimacy, the speaker suggested an idea that most of us probably wouldn't ordinarily consider- (probably because even though we say that God created sex and wants us to enjoy it within marriage, we still tend to think of it as carnal or "naughty," not something to include God in.) The speaker suggested that men touch their wives while focusing on the fruit of the Spirit. Before you clench up and freak out, just consider a massage or caress in which your partner touched you gently, kindly, lovingly, patiently, with faithfulness, joyfully, and... difficult for us guys, with self-control (so that a back rub doesn't have to become more than a back rub, if you catch my drift). Amazing concept, huh? God-touch. Pretty sexy for being so holy, don't you think?

• I haven't started reading 'Love & Respect' yet, but I have been reading a really good book lately. At my brother-in-law's funeral a dear cousin urged me to read 'The Shack' by William Paul Young. I never got around to it until last weekend when another cousin offered to loan her copy to my wife &/or me.
  
  It's really good. One of the parts that struck me today really seemed to encapsulate a lot of that they were teaching us at the "Weekend to Remember" marriage retreat.
  
  It's about the curse in Genesis 3:16-17, how woman's "desire will be for your husband" and how man will have "painful toil" all the days of his life because the ground will be cursed. If I understood the book jacket for 'Love & Respect,' this really says a lot about each of our genders' needs.
  
  In chapter 10 of 'The Shack,' Jesus to the main character, Mack, "Women, in general, will find it difficult to turn from a man and stop demanding that he meets their needs, provides security, and protects their identity, and return to me. Men, in general, find it very hard to turn from the works of their hands, their own quests for power and security and significance, and turn to me."
  
  Young has Jesus go on to explain to Mack that we all need to repent and turn back toward Him and follow the model for relationships that God gives us- in his words, "Submission is not about authority and it is not obedience; it is all about relationships of love and respect."

You reap what you sow

Sow for yourselves righteousness;
reap steadfast love;
break up your fallow ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

You have plowed wickedness,
you have reaped injustice,
you have eaten the fruit of lies.

~Hosea 10:12-13

In Matthew 12 and Luke 6 Jesus talks about how we can tell a tree by it's fruit.

Matt 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8 all include Jesus' famous parable of the Sower. He explained to his disciples that the seed is God's Word and that people are the different types of soil on which it lands. Some are hard trampled, calloused by life rocky and shallow. People like that may react to religion quickly and enthusiastically, but they don't let it take root and their faith doesn't last long in the heat of the sun.

Some think that God's alright, maybe they want some religion because they think it will make them good or because they figure they're already good people and good people are religious, so they last a little longer. But, Jesus compares them to weedy soil, the cares and concerns of this temporal, physical, material world grow up and choke any vines that came grew out of the seed. Too busy, to concerned with self, to into things.

Finally He says that "the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. (Matt 13:23)" In Luke 8:15 He calls them "those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

When I read Hosea 10:12-13, it makes me want to ask God to "break up my fallow ground." I want to be receptive soil because I want my life to produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith and self-control. And I don't just want to catch a little bit of seed in a haphazard way once in a while (say once a week in church). I want water and sun and fertilizer and (painful as it may be sometimes) weeding and pest control. You too?

Well guess what? You can just sit there like a dirt clod on the road, or you can read the Bible for yourself, attend a Bible Study (hint hint HS kids at St. John's), read devotions or other books by Christian authors, and spend time every day with God in prayer or meditation. You can seek out fellow believers and encourage one another just like team mates spur on and work out with their fellow athletes. You can expose yourself to the seed and to the Gardener Himself.

You reap what you sow. If you want to have the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:21-23) for yourself, you need to work hard at offering to and sharing with others those same fruit- even if you don't think they deserve it- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. I think that THAT'S what Jesus meant when He gave us the "Golden Rule" or treating others the way we'd like to be treated (Luke 6:31).

I don't believe in the Hindu concept of reincarnation, and I do not subscribe to the philosophy (be it Hindu, Jain, Sikh or Buddhist) that you alone are entirely and solely responsible for your fate- that bad things only happen to you if you're bad and only good things happen to you if you're good. On the contrary, I believe that "the rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:45)."

But I do think that there is a little something to the concept of "karma-phala," the fruit of your actions. The Midwestern common sense idium we have for it here in Iowa is "What goes around, comes around."

Power of Positive Thinking guru and Congregational Minister Norman Vincent Peale used to say that good won't flow to you unless it flows FROM you. THAT's what I think Jesus intended by "Do unto others." That fits His great commandment of "love one another," and His charge that we even "love your enemies."

You want to have the Fruit of the Spirit?
#1 Spend more time with God, after all they're His character traits and the more time you spend with anyone, the more you start acting like them.
#2 Sow what you want to reap. Show patience and kindness to others and try to bring a little joy or peace to their lives and guess what? Fruit Salad! Fruit Casserole! Fruit Parfait!



You know what else everybody likes? Parfaits. Have you ever met a person, you say, "Hey, let's get some parfait," they say, "I don't like no parfait"? Parfaits are delicious. Parfaits may probably be the most delicious thing on the whole damn planet!

This is a fun website

This website http://www.wordle.net, really is a lot of fun. You enter text and it generates these creative "word balloons." Check it out.

I ran across this at http://www.allaboutgod.com/fruit-of-the-spirit.htm and thought it was cool, I wanted to post it here. Wouldn't everyone want these? I say, start praying and ask God to produce these in you & yours.

Fruit of the Spirit - The Nine Biblical Attributes
Using the King James Version of Galatians 5:22-23, these attributes are: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. The fruit of the Spirit is a physical manifestation of a Christian's transformed life. In order to mature as believers, we should study and understand the attributes of the ninefold fruit:

Love - "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16). Through Jesus Christ, our greatest goal is to do all things in love. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

Joy - "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).

Peace - "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

Longsuffering (patience) -- We are "strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (Colossians 1:11). "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).

Gentleness (kindness) -- We should live "in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left" (2 Corinthians 6:6-7).

Goodness - "Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power" (2 Thessalonians 1:11). "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth" (Ephesians 5:9).

Faith (faithfulness) - "O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth" (Isaiah 25:1). "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Ephesians 3:16-17).

Meekness - "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1). "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).

Temperance (self-control) - "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love" (2 Peter 1:5-7).

Praying for fruit

Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version)

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

So this morning I was having my regular TAWG (Time Alone With God) and I was praying for some people I'm concerned for and it occurs to me... (perhaps God planted this thought, that's what my charismatic, evangelical, and pentecostal brothers and sisters would say and I tend to agree with them) anyway it occurred to me that what these people needed was what the Holy Spirit nurtures in people, they needed the fruit of the spirit.

So think about it some, meditate on it if you want to, pray about it, ask and consider using Gal 5:22-23 to pray. In the case of the people I had on my mind, they're in a relationship that tends to be full of tension. So, without using names and hopefully not revealing too much about the kind of relationship they have, allow me to pray for them again right here at this computer keyboard, so that you can see an example of how this kind of a prayer might work-

Dear Lord,

Please grant and increase love between these two- genuine selfless, sacrificial, generous love so that they will each seek the well being of the other rather than seeking how they can use the other.

Father God, grant them each joy. Joy in you, joy in living, and right now, especially joy in each other, so that they would each be glad to be with the other and find rest and renewal from each other's very presence.

Lord grant them both peace, there just seems to be so much pain and frustration and competing interests and sometimes defensiveness and hostility. Replace all of that with calm and security and rest and even harmony.

Help them to be patient with each other

Help them be kind to one another, rather than wanting to "win" battles or score points or gain leverage.

Help them want to be good to each other

Help them to remain faithful and loyal to each other, faithful to You and Your will and Word, and faithful to who You created each of them to be.

Help them to be with each other, they've both been through so much, they're each so fragile and wounded, help each of them to treat each other as they themselves need to be treated.

and grant each of them self-control, so that each can protect the other from themselves, so that they don't pull up the kitchen sink so to speak, that they have the reason, wisdom and presence of mind to keep from lashing out, but instead to keep their cool.

In Jesus' most precious Name, Amen.

Of course, you can modify it to apply to whatever individual or whichever pairs or groups as will work for whomever you're praying for. If/when I get a chance, I'd like to write some more about this this or next week. Till then, be fruitful!

Me ka pule,
Ted

"Fruitcakes in the kitchen (fruitcakes in the kitchen)
Fruitcakes on the street (fruitcakes on the street)
Struttin naked through the crosswalk
In the middle of the week
Half-baked cookies in the oven (cookies in the oven)
Half-baked people on the bus (people on the bus)
Theres a little bit of fruitcake left in everyone of us

...Stay in touch with my insanity really is the only way
Its a jungle out there kiddies
Have a very fruitful day." ~Jimmy Buffett

Cherokee Wisdom

This sounds a lot like the fruit of the Spirit and fruit of the sinful human nature found in Galatians 5:21-23. I don't remember where I found this, but I think it's pretty profound:

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 wolves inside us all: One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Strange Fruit and Sour Grapes

When I take a look at Galatians 5:19-26, God convicts me.

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

I may not be immoral or impure (although at least one person has all but accused me of debauchery by implying that I must be teaching school children “liberal” values, when in fact all I teach them about lines and shapes and colors). I may not be a drunk or attend orgies, but I suppose that what I draw and write contributes to discord, factions, and dissent. I don't engage in witchcraft (I don’t even read the horoscopes), but I do get in such a rage about what I perceive as other people’s idolatry, that it may just be becoming a form of idolatry for me. And I suppose that to dream about someday becoming a professional political cartoonist or writer is a vain, selfish-ambition.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Lately I've been dealing with irritation, depression, frustration, sarcasm, crabbiness, loneliness, and apparently a vitriol writing style. So I know that I'm not bearing good fruit. So maybe when I look at 1 John, this whole election is an antichrist for me. I've always dreamed of becoming a political cartoonist and/or columnist, I swore that's what God made me to be. But it seems like it's worse than being an alcoholic or a philanderer.

“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”

So, I guess, while being a Christian may or may not preclude voting for democrats- at least for me, maybe God doesn’t want me to be a political columnist or cartoonist. Heaven forbid I should offend anyone!

I never meant to hurt anyone, just make them think. I hope you know that I don’t just “spread lies” or make smears. I actually research my columns and genuinely feel that what I write is as honest and helpful as I can make it. I realize that sometimes I may be wrong and there will always be people who disagree with me with good reason.

If you’re worried about what you consider inexperience, or if you’re so uncomfortable with Obama’s positions on given issues, so be it. I completely respect you decision not to vote for him. And I hope that we can agree to disagree and continue to be friends and respect each other and seek the myriad of things on which we agree.

But it feels like again and again, that people don’t just disagree with me, but consider me morally inferior or spiritually anathema- somehow subhuman. I feel hurt, lonely and resentful that fellow Christians would think that I should be silenced because my political opinions don’t align with theirs. I’m feeling a lot of anguish over giving up writing and cartooning. And it boggles my mind that smart, well meaning people don’t see some of the same things that I see and aren’t just as outraged by them.

As a result, I am plagued with doubt, about our democratic system, about the body of Christ, and about my place in both of them. So here I am wresting with these issues in public, airing my dirty laundry on the web for all to see. If you have no pity for me at all, please at least pray for me. I’m lost, without purpose or value.

Fruitcakes; Philippians 1:9-21

You know why English people are sometimes called "Limeys?" Pirates know. It's because British sailors could suffer from scurvy when spent too much time sailing the seven seas, mates. "Scurvy" is a pirate term for ricketts, a vitamin deficiency. When all you drink id grog (watered down rum) and all you eat is jerky and salt tack, you begin to get weak. So, the British Navy, sought a solution. In the days before canned goods and refrigerators, they couldn't offer their sailors a balanced diet, but they could store shiploads of limes in their holds. Lemons and limes are an excellent source of vitamin C- the natural enemy of scurvy.

One reason I wanted to study Philippians is because so many teens have so much stress or fight depression. Philippians is the "cheerleader" book of the Bible. Paul exhorts and encourages us to hang tough and hang onto the Joy that God can give, even in the hardest times. If you have good nutrition, and enough vitamins, your body can fight off infection. If you have Spiritual fruit in your life you can make it through the tough times.

How's your fruit supply?
In Philippians 1:9-11 Paul prays for that "your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight," Why? Why does he want us to learn and grow?
"so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God." Those are good reasons.
What are the "fruit of righteousness that comes from Jesus?" Check out Galatians 5:22-23

• love
• joy
• peace
• patience
• kindness
• goodness
• faithfulness
• gentleness and
  
• self-control

When you think about it, aren't just about each and every one of those things that we'd all like to have? Aren't almost all of them the opposites of discouragement, stress, anxiety, depression, negativity, anger, frustration, sadness, and loneliness?
Yep. Exactly my point.

So how do you get these fruit? Well, lets see... how about if your love were to "abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight?" Learning and Living, living and learning. The way to stock up on the Fruit of the Spirit, is living God's Word, and reading and learning about God's Word- just like you're doing right now.
Three ways to gather fruit for life's voyage:

1. Read the Bible
2. Pray and straight out ask for it- "God, please give me the fruit of the Spirit." and
3. Give the fruit away, use it up. The more you use, the more you'll have! Try it, it's amazing.
   

If you practice love, people will love you for it. If you're joyful, people will want to be with you and it feeds on itself, upbeat, positive people make others upbeat and positive.
If you sow peace, you'll reap peace. If you're patient, others will be patient with you. If you're kind to others, you defuse their anger and guess what- "what goes around comes around."
Goodness?? Why should I be good all the time? Ever hear that "Virtue is it's own reward?" In the song "Santa Claus is coming to town," the lyrics don't say, be good so you can get lots of toys, they say "be good for goodness sake." And believe me, you have no idea how much hurt you save yourself and others when you have self-control.

So how's your fruit supply?

Dear Jesus,
Draw me closer to You
and deeper into Your Word.
Make my love abound more and more.
Help me grow in knowledge of You, Your will for me and Your Word
Help me grow in understanding, don't just let me have all the right answers, but help me to live out what You teach me.
Grant me greater love, more joy
total peace and endless patience,
remind me to be kind, help me want to be good not to get anything out of it, but just for the sake of being good,
show me how to be gentle and grant me self-control.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Now, don't be such a scurvy dog, ye land luver! Argh!

Praise and criticism

" If my life is fruitless,
it doesn't matter who praises me.
And if my life is fruitful,
it does not matter who criticizes me."
~John Bunyan (1628-1888)

Bonnie Johnny even looks like a pirate, don't he? He wrote The Pilgrim's Progress, not bad for a limey! He was a Baptist who loathed Quakers (can't we all just get along?). But you have to appreciate his sentiment here. Consider the Fruit of the Spirit so as ya don't come down with the scurvey or ricketts mates. And be good trees would ye?

Fruit Of The Spirit

Fruit Of The Spirit: "The most famous passage about the 'fruit of the Spirit' is in Galatians 5:22, where Paul gives us a list of fruit. The list is meant as a contrast to the list of the deeds of the flesh' found in 5:19-20. The fruit list is clearly not intended as an exhaustive description of the fruit, but was given to highlight the fruit that Paul wants the Galatian church to keep in mind. He lists the following fruit:

love;
joy;
peace;
patience;
kindness;
goodness;
faithfulness;
gentleness;
self-control.

When Paul follows the list of the fruit of the Spirit by saying that 'against such things there is no law', he was talking about the fact that the societal authorities find it pretty hard to object to behavior that shows these characteristics. Even a staunch enemy of the church will likely find these qualities appealing. They are known to be positive characteristics by the general public, in most eras, in most lands."