Goodness: the 6th of the lineup of Fruits of the Spirit. I like good. Good food, good friends, good times, and a good cold drink of lemonade on a hot summer day. Western culture, perhaps, tends to look at good just as it is defined: something that is to be desired. It pleases us and …
It was one of those days. My husband said something that set me off, and I teetered on the edge of insanity—as many moms do—trying to balance too much. Kids, home, ministry… the stress of holding it all together felt like a constant struggle. His words tipped me over the edge, sending me into a …
“Mommy is breakfast ready yet?” “Mommy are we there yet?” “Mommy when is it going to be time to….” Patience. A word we hear from the time we’re old enough to understand it, until our dying day. We learn about it in cute songs like “Have Patience.” We memorize the fruit of the spirit passage …
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As we journey through this spring season, noticing the newness and growth brought by God in our surroundings, I reflect on the Spirit’s fruit—faithfulness from Galatians 5:22-23. Paul’s use of the term “fruit” here illustrates what naturally flows from our lives when the Spirit is at work. Like a tree produces an apple packed with …
The Fruit of the Spirit is love. One short word that has so much meaning. Everyone wants it, but do they really have this God given love in their life? Gal 5:22 tells us that love is produced in us by the Holy Spirit, not ourselves, but Him! Choose to Love like God This word …
I don’t remember when I first heard the song, Self Control. “Self-control is just controlling myself. It’s listening to my heart and doing what is smart. Self-control is the very best way to go, So I think that I’ll control myself.” That was a popular song from the Music Machine back in the 70s. The …
There was a time in my life when I felt like an absolute failure. I was juggling too many responsibilities—work, family, ministry, and commitments I had taken on out of obligation rather than calling. I told myself that if I just worked harder, I could handle it all. But instead of thriving, I was crumbling …
The Holy Spirit worked in my life like a beautiful harmony in a musical composition. I had grown up in the church, going regularly even before I had memories. I attended Sunday school classes, and memorized a lot of Scripture. One day in 1980, at a new church in Oregon, my Sunday school teacher asked our …
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When I was a kid, they called them testimonies. Often, they were someone who had gone through a significant dip in the road, got full of mud, and Jesus cleaned them up. I grew up in a Christian home. There were no big dips and not a lot of mud because of the Christian culture …
The footprints of Katie’s life began on a cold blustery night because well, I made my debut upon the planet in Oregon and it was always cold and blustery. When I was nine years old those footprints were traced to Taiwan. I believe God works in the hearts of our children despite all we …
