In our October Bible study Sal Huckel referred to the fruit of the Spirit as a bunch of grapes. Another way to look at the fruit of the Spirit is like a mandarin or orange. Both fruits have an outer skin. It is only as you delve underneath the skin that you can see, or discern, the different segments of the fruit. To really enjoy the orange or mandarin you need to eat all of it. So, today we look at the fruit of “gentleness”.
Read the Pastor Peter Klemm’s full Bible Study …
Chasing Rainbows
In 1996 the Britpop band “Shed Seven” sang a song I loved, called “Chasing Rainbows”. I remembered that song a while ago, when noticing rainbows and looking for them in “rainbow weather” became something that we derived great encouragement from as a family in a time of trials. Before I go any further, I want to explore what the rainbow means to us when we see it. Then we will then explore how it can enrich our study of faithfulness as a fruit of the Spirit.
Read the full Bible study…
We lead such busy lives – slowing down and appreciating God’s faithfulness and our own response is a challenge we may not even have on our list. We may be more likely to take our list to the Lord in prayer – running short on praise, admiration, or deep connection with our faithful God. Today we will slow down, focus on him and his faithfulness and cultivate the fruit in our own lives.
Gracious Triune God, you were there at the beginning of creation. You brought everything into being simply by a spoken Word. Be with us this day as we again study your powerful and living Word. Allow your Word to create, nurture, and sustain the faith that you first gave to us in our baptism. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Good and goodness are two words that are popular in everyday language. Many of us have a preconceived idea of what they mean. As a parent of pre-teens, I hope and pray that my children are good in public and at home. I also hope that I am a good husband and a good father.
We often hear that people hope to go to heaven because they have been a “good” person in this life; yet if they do not have a “personal” relationship with Jesus this may not be so.
Read Pastor Peter Klemm’s Bible Study on Goodness here …
Random Acts of Kindness The “Random Acts of Kindness” movement started in 1982 by an activist, Anne Berkley from the San Francisco Area. She wrote an article about this in response to an article on senseless violence. The movement took off and gained momentum with a National Random Acts of Kindness Day falling on February 17 each year. “A random act of kindness is a non-premeditated, inconsistent action designed to offer kindness towards the outside …
The Art of Waiting! (Patience) I always thought I was a patient person, until I was told I have to wait. I can be patient enough when I am not in a hurry, but when I am in a hurry or want things to get done and in my time frame, maybe I am not so good at waiting. Maybe I have fooled myself into thinking I am patient, when really, I am not. When …
“Blue mind” is a growing area of scientific research looking at what happens to our minds and bodies when we are in, or near, water. I immediately connected with “peace like a river”. Most of us can probably relate to finding psychological benefits to being near water. I find being near the beach is a wonderful sensory and calming experience, and I can relate to the research. Perhaps we don’t need research to tell us these things. Our Creator God knows it – because he made it all.
Let’s look at some different images from Scripture that begin to give us a glimpse and a beginning of the understanding of the peace of God.
Joy: Identifying and living with the fruit of the Spirit Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. We will begin by looking at the background to the well-known Fruit of the Spirit passage. We teach songs to Sunday school children, we can maybe list off the fruit – but let’s go back to the “root” of this scripture and use the analogy to really explore what it means to have the joy of the Lord …
The Fruit of Love Last month we started looking at the Fruit of the Spirit. This month’s study focuses on the Fruit of Love. Love is mentioned 551 times in the Bible. If any of us listen to the radio, we may have heard the song What’s love got to do with it? It was a song that was released in 1984 by Tina Turner. It is a pop song that talks about love and …
Before we begin: What is your favourite fruit to eat and why do you like it so much? Please discuss with group. Many people like fruit trees and the produce that comes from them. If we are prone to eating fruit, we find that, in moderation, it is good for us. However, if we have too much or too little fruit, we may find that we have some health issues that we need to deal …
“In just about every area of our life – finishing strong, and finishing well, are important goals.” Read Sal Huckel’s bible study on this theme…