Fruit of the Spirit: Self Control

I’ve openly shared about my struggle to lose weight and become healthy.  However, one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn in this struggle is that to make these changes and sacrifices requires self-control.   Dictionary.com defines self-control as: Control or restraint of oneself or one’s actions, feelings, etc. Self-discipline, self-reliance, willpower, levelheadedness   The Greek word egkrateia means […]

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Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness

When we hold a newborn baby, we gently cradle the infant, this perfect gift from heaven.  When a loved one is preparing to pass on, we sit beside that person’s bedside and gently hold his/her hand. But, do we use gentleness in our hearts and actions throughout the rest of our lives? Dictionary.com describes gentleness as: Kindly; amiable To tame, […]

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Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness

I have had periods in my life when I was faithful and other periods when I was stubborn, hard headed and rebellious.   When I was a rebel, my life ended up in shambles around my feet.  When I was faithful, God was faithful right back to me. So, what is faithfulness? Dictionary.com describes faithfulness as: Strict or thorough in the […]

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Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness

It’s easy to say “I’m good”, but what are we down deep when no one is looking. Those secret thoughts and actions that no one sees or knows about.   Are they good?  What would our family, friends, and acquaintances say if they knew?  Would they define these acts as good? Yet, is good an act or feeling we can explain? […]

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Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness

  Recently, I had someone thank me for my kindness.  To me, the act I performed was done without thinking and second naturally.  However, to this person it meant everything. Dictionary.com defines kindness as: The state or quality of being kind A kind act; favor Kind behavior Friendly feeling, liking   When we show kindness to others, we are providing […]

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Fruit of the Spirit: Patience

Working with Alzheimer’s patients requires a lot of patience, especially while waiting for an agitated individual seek the words to express the feelings s/he is struggling to convey.  At times it is easy to long to walk off or wish they would reach the point. On the flip side of the coin, is standing in line waiting to check out, […]

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Fruit of the Spirit: Peace

  I have several acquaintances that thrive off drama and I want to ask why.  It is difficult to me why they want to constantly be in an uproar rather than enjoy peace and serenity. Dictionary.com defines peace as: The normal, non-warring condition of a nation, group of nations; or an agreement or treaty between warring or antagonistic nations or […]

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Fruit of the Spirit: Joy

I have an acquaintance who always has a smile on her face, no matter what she is going through.  I must admit that this joy is very attractive and I wish I could exude this characteristic more wholeheartedly. This lead me to think of the song that says “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down deep in my heart.” […]

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Fruit of the Spirit: Love

Love is a word that we seem to throw around the way we might throw a pillow. I love this food… I love this sweater… I love this house… I love this car… I love, I love, I love…. As we begin our study on the fruits of the spirit, the first fruit mentioned is love. So, what does the […]

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What Fruit Do You Bear?

I have had several non-Christian friends ask the question, “Why should I go to church and make friends when the friends I have treat me better than the Christians?” That was a question that broke my heart and I had no idea ow to answer, but to tell them about my best friend, Jesus Christ. As Christians we are held […]

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Showing Kindness and Thankfulness

As a performer, who has appeared at numerous nursing home facilities, I know how important it is to hear thank you. I make every effort to write a thank you note to those that help us with various events and to take use small tokens to show my thanks. Besides, as I write the thank you note this is a […]

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Love Your Enemies

We all long to be loved and get along with everyone we coming into contact with. Mother Theresa said, “The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.” Loving those we are friends with is easy, but the hard part is loving those that are not nice to us. Even Jesus understood that He […]

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Joy in the Fruit of the Spirit

The opposite of depression is joy. We live in a world that says it should be all about “me, me, me.”  However, true joy comes from caring for others and putting them first. Joy is the second fruit of the spirit listed. True joy can only be obtained with God’s help.  This is the joy that is the deep, everlasting […]

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The Fruit of the Spirit

“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. 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.” Galatians 5:22-25 Have there been times […]

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Exuding Hospitality

Are you hospitable?

Over the weekend I spent time with my cousin. At first sight we seem like an odd pair. After all she’s the same age as my grandmother. However, we’ve been good friends for over a decade. My cousin Hazel has the gift of hospitality. She instantly makes you feel comfortable in her presence. When you enter her home you know […]

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Laughter is Good for the Soul

The other day I asked my grandmother how she slept. “On the bed,” she answered. I couldn’t help but laugh. That was not the answer I expected. She has a way of coming up with answers I would never anticipate, and it makes me laugh. It’s a reminder that laughter is good for our overall well being. I was amazed […]

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