Family and Fruits of the Spirit

Ron and I certainly got our fill of family time this weekend with his brother and his wife, their two kids, his mom and his grandmother all visiting from out of town to celebrate his birthday and to see Ellie.  My parents, sister and husband and their son also spent time with us on Saturday for Ron's birthday, followed by a visit to the Henry Doorly Zoo for their "Spooktacular" evening.  It was wonderful to get to spend time with everyone, and to celebrate with Ron. 
But I would be lying if I didn't say it was also a little stressful - for example, corralling a three and one year old, six-and four-month old to get to the zoo on time was slightly hectic, and I would imagine even more difficult than herding cats. (We were only an hour late from what I had planned!)   Our home looked like a tornado had blown through at the end of the evening, and kids were a little cranky returning home as we had clearly been out WAY past bedtimes.  And in the midst of some of the stress and anxiety, I confess that sometimes my mind is clouded from just the pure joy of being with and spending time with our loved ones. I think that I'm likely not alone in feeling this way, but as I reflect on this, God continues to draw me back to the book of Galatians and the verses about the Fruits of the Spirit.  Frankly, that little voice inside my head has been reminding me of these verses since shortly after Ellie was born, and I feel the Spirit calling me to work on these things: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
When I am able to focus on these fruits of the spirit, suddenly, the anxiety and stress start to fade away, and I am left with a much better attitude and less worry about things that frankly, in the grand scheme of things, don't really matter as much.  In the end, we had a wonderful time at the zoo, our children still got to bed and got a full night's rest, and after getting Ellie to bed that evening, I came downstairs to find everything picked up and back and order, thanks to my wonderful brother and sister-in-law.
In this new chapter of our life, it's easy to start worrying and stressing about the little things. But I'll enjoy our "new normal" much more if I focus on what God is calling me to do - being loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, gentle, kind, good, faithful, and self controlled.
What has God been calling you to work on lately?


From left: Ron's brother Ray, mother Shirley, nephew Porter, sister-in-law Amanda, their daughter Natalie, me and Ellie, Grandma Porter and Ron.



Keeping us accountable...

One of the golden rules of blogging is to update and post frequently, and with two weeks off of LIFEGroup, that's no excuse to not keep our conversations going about our daily study of the Word.  So, since there's no daily scripture to look at from our current study guide, over these next two weeks, I'd like to check in with you all on your own personal study time. 
Hopefully, you've continued to look to the Word daily, even if for just a few minutes.  If you haven't, I would encourage you to do so...even if it's just a short proverb a day. 
So this post will be short and sweet - just comment back on something you've read this week that you've found interesting or profound.
I'll start. I've just finished reading the book of Esther. What I found interesting was just how brave Esther was with the king.  She brought some pretty bold requests to him, and requests that could save her people, the Jews.  Requests that could also get herself killed.  I found myself wondering, if I were in that situation, would I have the guts to do what she did? 

LIFEGroup meeting CANCELLED - Oct. 16

Just a note that we will not be holding LIFEGroup this Sunday, Oct. 16.  Next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 30th.  Until then, Ellie says have a great weekend!

 

Week 2 - Day 5 - Encouragement

According to Paul's words in Romans 1:11-12, what did he undersstand about encouragement and faith?

So, first off, let us just apologize for our slacking these past few days.  We missed days 3 and 4, so I hope that you all were able to look at the questions on your own and discuss with each other. 

Now, on to the question for today.  In Romans 1:11-12, Paul writes, "I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— ¹² that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith."

Clearly, Paul's relationships with his fellow believers are very important.  Through these relationships, he states that they can encourage each other by their own faith. So, take this blog for example.  And the days that we posted vs. the days that we didn't post.  On the days that we posted a question, we encouraged you all to comment back.  And there have been some great comments!  But guess what happened on the days we didn't post?  Obviously, there were no comments.  Mostly because there was no mechanism to comment on, but hopefully, you were able to discuss the questions on your own.  But perhaps you didn't.  And why?  Maybe because you didn't have that little extra encouragement from the blog (or us, or each other) to do so.

From a broader perspective, I think about the impact that our LIFEGroup has had on me over the years.  For sure, I have received a ton of encouragement through everyone's faith in the group.  I have seen how someone's faith has taken them through a rough spot, or guided their decision making, and it infuences me.  As a result, my faith has grown.  Community with other believers is so important, and can make a huge difference in how one's faith can grow.

How have you been encouraged by someone else's faith?

Week 2 - Day 2

Look at 1 Corintians 15:33.  How have you seen the truth of this principle confirmed--in your own life, or in the life of someone you know?

Hmmm...I have a hunch that this week's preparation for next Sunday's study has to do with the people you hang with.  Just a hunch.  At any rate, this verse basically says, "bad company corrupts good character."  Can I think of a time where this verse applied to me? Of course!  I think we all make mistakes in life and may befriend the "cool kid" in school, even if he/she may not be the best influence; or date the "bad boy" in college.  (Luckily, I ended up with one of the good ones :-) 

So rather than lament about some of my not-so-great-choices over the years, I think I'll talk about something that I know Ron can get behind: Hollywood.  I'm sure you've all heard him at one point or another talk about the craziness of Hollywood, and how movie stars and celebrities are all just a wee bit off their rocker with no regard for marriage, Jesus, or any of those other 'good old fashioned' morals that you and I have.  I mean, just look at the news, and everyday it's filled with headlines of "So-and-so cheats on so-and-so" or "Celebrity fill-in-the-blank has checked into rehab for the five millionth time."  It really is nuts.  But, I can't imagine that all of these celebrities or stars were BORN this crazy, right?  Some of them had to start out normal, right?

So, what causes the decline?  It's gotta be bad company, right?  It's the influence of Hollywood over time.  And I'm sure it's a vicious cycle - it pulls you in and doesn't let you go.  And once you're in, your attitude changes, your character changes, and you become the corruptor.  Now, I'll add a disclaimer and say that I'm sure not everyone in Hollywood is crazy. There are probably a few normal ones here and there that we don't hear about in the news. But from my observation, Hollywood is full of bad company.  And it's sad to me.  I see young starlets who may truly have a God-given gift for acting or singing, but they throw it away because of their poor choices.  And they have no parental support that can help guide them in the right direction.  It really breaks my heart.

But luckily, there are guys like Erwin McManus, who are strong Christians that immerse themselves in this industry.  Ron and I had the privelege of hearing this guy speak at the Global Leadership Summit this year.  Guys like him are making a difference.  Replacing bad company with good company.  Can you think of anyone else in our pop culture today that is going against the grain and standing strong for their beliefs?  That is not allowing the influence of Hollywood or the media to change their character?

Week 2 - Day 1

Read Proverbs 13:20. What does it mean to you to "walk with the wise"? And what does it mean to be a "companion of fools"? What is the stated outcome for each of these relationships?

Though we're just looking at one verse today, there's a wealth of advice and information in this short passage.  "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."  I can't help but think about the book I just finished, Bringing Up Girls by James Dobson.  As Ron and I prepare and seek information on raising our little girl, this book basically highlights the influence - good or bad - that society, parents, friends and others will have on our baby girl as she grows up.  One of the things since reading this book that I continuously pray for her is that as she grows older, she will make friends with other girls that will help, not hinder, her in walking the straight path that God would want her to walk.

Think back to the relationships you had in school - friends that perhaps influenced you to make poor decisions, and friends that influenced you to do the right things.  The friends we choose to have throughout our lives is extremely important.  Being surrounded by "the wise" could make all of the difference. 

The latter half of the verse, "a companion of fools suffers harm" also carries a lot of weight.  Notice the end - 'suffers harm.' It doesn't say, a companion of fools becomes foolish, or a companion of fools suffers consequences (although these two things may very well be the case), it says he or she suffers harm.  That's pretty serious stuff!  

So while I continue to pray for Ellie that she will "walk with the wise", we should continue to pray this for ourselves, too. 

So here are some questions to throw back at you: how do you discern who is wise vs. a fool?  Does this mean that we shouldn't befriend 'fools'? Afterall, we ourselves could be the influence that they need.

Week 1 Day 1 - Sermon on the Mount

What particular actions or deeds does Jesus call for in these chapters? (Matthew 5-7, The Sermon on the Mount)

What a loaded question!  In preparing this entry and getting ready to answer the study question, I researched this sermon and found it is commonly divided in to the following sections:

• The Beatitudes (5:1-16)
• New Laws (5:17-48)
• Lord's Prayer (6:1-18)
• Money (6:19-34)
• Warnings (7)

I thought having this nice list would help answer what appears to be a very difficult question.  I looked at the Beatitudes and see that it calls us to be merciful and gentle.  The "new" laws which say to reconcile with your brother, not divorce, or commit adultery.  In the section with the Lords Prayer there is a lot of time spent warning against outward showy displays of righteousness.  We should have a proper attitude regarding our money, and finally, we should be cautious about judging others.  Done and done! My list was complete and I answered the question.  But wait, isn't there something more here than a list of commands?

Jesus covers several topics in depth through 3 chapters and creating a list of actions and deeds from that almost feels daunting.  As I looked at the actions and deeds again I felt a common theme was emerging and I took the liberty of simplifying my list.  What do scholars know anyway right?

• Our attitude
• Our treatment of others

Our attitude is covered with great detail and is characterized by displays of reverent humility and ardent faithfulness.  When I read 6:1-18 humility came to mind over and over again.  It is clear our actions are on trial and this includes our spiritual actions.  However, actions characterized by humility could never be confused for praying with words that fill time but not our soul or looking down trodden because of fasting.  It would be hard to classify a humble person as unmerciful, boastful, or lacking compassion.  Humble people don't flash their money about when giving to kingdom building causes.

Rolled right into our attitude is our treatment of other people.  The sermon on the mount contains the golden rule and this is no surprise since Jesus says loving your neighbor is the second most important commandment.  If we act in humility out of our faithfulness to God, because he first loved us, we will better be able to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  We will not be angry with our brothers and sisters, we will not judge those around us ignoring our own iniquities, nor will we be deceived by wolves in sheep clothing. 

As  I sit here reflecting on this post, I feel like I have taken something deep and rich and reduced it to something my earthly mind can comprehend, and this is not the impression I want to give.  This sermon is deep and in answering the study question I felt these two themes kept emerging.

So what do you think?  What deeds and actions are we called to?  Is this over simplified or did I miss the mark completely?