Jumping for JOY

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

(Galatians 5:22-23)

JUMP FOR JOY!

We have been learning about the fruit of the spirit—all the good things that the Holy Spirit can bring about in our lives when allow Him to direct our thoughts and actions. First, we looked at the fruit of love, and now we’re going to look a little more closely at the second fruit on the list—JOY.

Have you ever enjoyed laughing at a funny joke, or felt happy about a big win on the soccer field? Have you ever had the pleasure of eating a delicious cookie, or felt the comfort of a warm hug? We usually feel pretty happy during moments like these! But God teaches us in the Bible that we can feel joy even when times are tough, and things don’t seem to be going our way.

How can that be? The Bible teaches us that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). With God’s help, we can feel joy no matter what is going on around us! When we come to the end of our own resources, we can call out to God and trust that in His great love, He will care for us.  

We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13), so through the fruit of the spirit, joy, we have the strength to keep going; keep being friends with God by talking to Him in prayer; keep learning from Him by reading the Bible; and keep praising Him for His love and care. We are filled with joy when we allow ourselves to recognize that we are in the presence of God.

Song

Take a few minutes to enjoy this song by Rend Collective, “The Joy of the Lord is My Strength.” Once you know some of the words, go ahead and sing along!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3gLeCiMJqI

Movement Activity

Today’s a good day to JUMP FOR JOY! Spend some time outside with your jump rope on the next nice day. How many times can you jump the rope without stopping? Here’s a challenge: Learn the nine fruits of the spirit, and recite them, calling out one fruit every time the rope goes under your feet. Can you do it? Or try reciting Nehemiah 8:10 as you jump, saying one word every time the rope goes under your feet: The joy of the Lord is my strength.

Younger children can jump in and out of a hula hoop or a jump rope placed in a circle.

Coloring Page

Click here, and print out a coloring page for the fruit of the spirit, joy:

https://christianpreschoolprintables.com/wp-content/uploads/CPP/BibleColoring/Fruits/FruitBB2BW.pdf

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If you missed the earlier posts on fruit of the spirit, you can find them here:

The Fruit of the Spirit: Introduction

LOVE is My Superperpower

LOVE is My Superpower

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

(Galatians 5:22-23)

In the last post, we wrote about the fact that “the fruit of the spirit” refers to all the good behaviors that the Holy Spirit can bring about in our lives when allow Him to direct our thoughts and actions.

Now, we will focus on the first of the nine fruits listed in the Scriptures: LOVE.  

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can show love to others: not just to our friends and family members, but to people we don’t know, and even to our enemies!

Jesus instructs us in John 13:34: “Love others as I have loved you.” One of the ways we can demonstrate our love for others is to pray for them. Today’s craft gives us a chance to think about the people we want to pray for, and we can use it as a reminder to hold them up in prayer each day!

Here are instructions for the craft. Older children may be able to complete the steps independently, while younger children will need some help. You can see a sample of the finished craft at the end of the instructions.

Step 1: Fold a piece of paper in half, top to bottom. (Copy paper or construction paper work well.)

Step 2: Place your hand on top of the paper with your pinky finger along the fold. Use a pen to outline around your hand.	Thankful for my daughter Katy's participation as hand model :)
Step 3: Cut around the outline of your hand. I cut well inside the marked line so the ink didn’t show. Make sure you leave the left side of your pinky outline uncut; this is where the two sides of the paper will remain attached.	Step 4: Unfold the paper, and write the name of someone you are praying for on each of the fingers. You may include specific names of relatives, neighbors, and friends, or you may pray for more general groups of people, such as “doctors and nurses,” “sick people,” “people who are hungry,” or “people in our government.”

You may also include the verse from John 13:34 if you would like: “Love others as I have loved you,” as shown in the photo. Color and decorate any way you would like, and don’t forget to use your folded hands booklet to remind you to show LOVE for others through the act of prayer.

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We have time to pause before we speak or act. We can ask ourselves: "Are these words or actions coming from a place of LOVE, or from a place of anger, irritation, fear, or boredom?" When we shift to speaking and acting from a place of LOVE, we will find that our words and actions toward our family, our friends, and other people around us will shift also.

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If you missed the post introducing the fruit of the spirit, you can find it here:

The Fruit of the Spirit: Introduction

The Fruit of the Spirit: Introduction

For the past five months, I've been serving my church as the assistant to our Director of Family Ministry. The two most recent months have taken place under stay-at-home orders in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. 

My role used to include working in the office, making curriculum adjustments and craft preparations;  connecting with volunteers and parents as Sunday school classes began and ended each week; meeting for prayer with staff; and attending special evening events and holiday services. Now I've joined the ranks of those attending meetings via Zoom, reaching out to our parents by telephone, and preparing resources that are made available through emails and Facebook posts. Both "versions" of ministry have blessed me, and of course, I hope that our efforts have been "enough" for our families, until we can meet again face-to-face.

Each week, I've been developing a set of activities to introduce our church kids to the idea of "Fruit of the Spirit," based on this verse from Paul's letter to the church in the city of Galatia:

"The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5: 22-23) 

My time as Assistant to the Director of Family Ministry comes to an end at the end of this month, and we only will have made it through love, joy, peace, and patience. My plan is to continue to develop activities for the remaining fruits, and share them here, so that I can bring the series to completion.

The idea of the fruit of the spirit is completely in line with my personal devotional reading, which has focused on what are often referred to as "the spiritual disciplines." These practices are actually ways in which we can make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit to bring about the fruit I've been sharing with our youngest church members!  After I finish this activity series about the fruit of the spirit, I am planning to move into a series that highlights what I've been learning from my reading about the spiritual disciplines. There are no accidents; I think God has been putting this together in my life for my spiritual growth, and I am happy to share the journey with anyone who stumbles upon the record of it here.

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An Introduction to the Fruit of the Spirit

At a time when we are all facing unfamiliar restrictions on our movement and activities, it is good to be reminded of our freedom in Christ and the “fruit of the spirit,” against which there is no law!

When you hear the word “fruit,” you probably think of things like bananas, apples, and strawberries. But the word “fruit” is also frequently used to describe the results or profit of something; you might have heard the phrase, “the fruit of our labor,” referring to “the results of the work we did.”

So, reread the verse above with the word “result” in place of the word “fruit,” and you will understand that this is a list of the results of letting the Holy Spirit direct our thoughts and actions.

The phrase “fruit of the spirit” refers to nine behaviors that are the result of the work of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I think we can all agree that these behaviors can help us get through the current challenges we are facing! When we allow God’s Holy Spirit to work in our lives, He allows us to bear all of this good fruit.

Some of these fruits we enjoy from God’s Holy Spirit may be easier for us to define and understand than others. Let’s start with some crafts and activities that remind us of all nine fruits, and then we can focus on particular fruits in the coming weeks to make us more open to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.

Don’t forget that any and all of these crafts and activities can be completed while enjoying fresh (or canned) fruit, dried fruit snacks, or a fruit smoothie!

Fruit of the Spirit Bookmark:

Visit http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/wp-content/uploads/CPP/Bookmarks/FruitsBookmark.pdf for bookmarks that can be printed off in color to use in your Bibles or storybooks. For a little something “extra,” you could laminate them, punch a hole at the top, and tie on yarn or ribbon.

Fruit Basket Craft

Visit http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/wp-content/uploads/CPP/FruitSpirit/FruitBasketCraftPack.pdf for printables available in color, or in black-and-white for you to color! Print, color, cut out, glue the fruit onto the basket, and display for a colorful reminder of the work of God’s Holy Spirit inside of us!

Fruit of the Spirit Word Search

Visit http://www.dltk-bible.com/word-search/wordsearch-fruit.htm for "easy" and "hard" versions of a  word search, so you can tailor the activity to your child’s age. Print out the word search, and let the children see if they can find all the words in the Word Bank.

Fruit of the Spirit Rock Art Activity

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No printer? No problem! Here’s a fun activity that doesn’t involve paper or printers.  Spend some time outside gathering smooth rocks. Bring them inside and wash them with soapy water. Allow to dry. Then, using acrylic/craft paint and a paint brush OR markers, such as Sharpie brand, write out a fruit of the spirit on each of the rocks you have gathered. (Remember that the nine fruits are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.)

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If you want to get even more creative, add patterns around the word, or drawings of actual fruit, such as bananas, apples, pineapples, and grapes!

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Each family member can create their own set, OR create a “family rock garden” with everyone creating a painted rock or two. Gather the painted rocks where everyone can see them, perhaps around an indoor plant, or in a bowl or on a tray on the kitchen counter or dining room table.

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Next Post: The Fruit of the Spirit, LOVE

A God in Our Own Image

I wrote this piece about six months ago, after a conversation with a friend who does not believe in God.  He asks the same difficult questions we all do, like how can a good God allow babies to catch diseases, suffer, and die?  He has come to a different conclusion than I.  Some of my thoughts are captured here, and I welcome you to add your own thoughts in the Comments.

We are willing to worship and praise a God that we have made in our own image. 

Even unbelievers might be willing to believe in God, if He conformed more to the God they would create.

This God would stamp out hate, prejudice, and injustice, so that we wouldn’t have to do the hard work of doing it ourselves.  This God would swoop in to save all children from deadly diseases.  This God would protect us all from suffering, depression, anxiety, heart attacks, strokes, dementia, artery blockages, broken bones, twisted ankles, paper cuts, and mosquito bites. This God would preserve us from the physical and emotional pain that we can’t bear to face, and can’t stand to see our loved ones endure.  

And along these lines, then, this God would have to eliminate death, because no matter when or how it comes, it causes such unimaginable suffering in the people who are left behind, grieving the loss of one they have loved so deeply. 

This God would never allow a hurricane to ravage a coastline and leave scores dead and thousands homeless. Come to think of it, He would have to eliminate any rainfall that could lead to flooding, or really any level of discomfort that seems like an all-knowing and loving Creator would not permit.  But He would also need to step in when the sun burns too bright, when skin gets burned or blistered; what loving Creator would permit such a thing?

This God would prevent us from making poor decisions that would hurt other people’s feelings or cause them any level of grief. He would not permit us to make friends with people who will ultimately betray us.  All gossip and rumor would be squelched before it could pass our lips.  Our children would be comfortable replicas of all that we understand to be the best in ourselves, so that we will perceive raising them as problem-free.  And God would be able to sort out the features that each parent would like to see in their children, even when those features are at odds with each other.  We don’t have to worry:  God will take care of all that messiness!

With a God we create in our own image of who God should be, we would have no worries, no hardships, no ailments, no diseases, no accidents, no natural disasters, no betrayals, no bad decisions, no lost keys, no telemarketing calls, no injustice.  

We would not have to fight for anything, stand up for anything, come alongside anyone who is hurting, befriend anyone who is lonely, feed anyone who is hungry, open our homes to anyone needing hospitality.  

With a God made in our own image of who God should be, it’s His job to keep us happy and healthy, and we can just go along for the ride. 

With a God we create in our own image of who God should be, what, then, is our purpose in life? Why are we here?  What makes our experiences different from one another’s? What makes us grow, develop, or change over time? What enriches our experience of one another? What would we be moving toward? What would we care about? What would make us reach out to one another?

Twice, I had taken from me the thing I wanted in life more than anything else, the thing I was living for, the thing I had attached my identity and dreams to: First, I lost my marriage when we were just on the brink of settling in to the American dream of living in a big, beautiful house while starting a family.  Second, after re-marrying, I lost two babies before they were ever born, when all I wanted in life was to be a mother and raise them in the loving home that my husband and I had established for them.

Now, obviously, given the choice, I’m not going to say, “Wow, am I ever glad that my first husband cheated on me and dashed my dreams to smithereens, and, boy, was I ever lucky to have a couple of miscarriages before I gave birth to my daughters.”

I might even venture to say that I wish those things had not happened, and that I didn’t have to go through all that excruciating pain and recovery. 

But then I would have to confront the reality that if the first event had not happened, I would not have met and married my current husband, and I would be living NONE of the life I am currently living. And if the second event had not happened, I would not have the two girls who right this minute are shouting in fun while playing LEGOS in the next room.

Yes, other good and wonderful things might have/ could have/ would have happened.  But I would not be the person I am now, strengthened by what I have been through, and I would not have the life I have now, sharing it with these people in this place.

And being the kind of person who likes to celebrate and value and BE in the here and now, I might just go out on a limb and say that I can worship and praise a God who has put natural laws into place and has given people the freedom to make decisions, both good and bad. 

I can worship and praise a God who is MORE than anything I could ever imagine or create, a God I DID NOT create in the image of who I think God should be, a God who CAN let things happen as they will and STILL not have His purposes and plan for the good of His creation be thwarted. 

It’s a hard-won place to be to be able to say that, and I certainly wouldn’t have said it back in 2001 during my divorce, or during 2006 during my miscarriages, so I don’t expect anyone to be able to say it now just because I feel like I can. We all have to come to our own conclusions based on our own path and our own relationship with God along that path. 

I guess I just share this in hopes that someone who discards a belief in God or a life of faith because God just doesn’t measure up to what he or she thinks God should be, would consider this: 

Instead of focusing on who you think God should be, maybe you could start seeking out who God really is.

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"I am spiritual, but not religious..."

"Spirituality" can be a little abstract when you try your hand at defining it.

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"Religion," we get:  It's tied up in church buildings, prayers, doctrines, and creeds.  Many people (like me) engage with our religions as a reminder of our relationship with God, and as an organized, scheduled opportunity to spend time in His presence.  Our religious practices are strategies, or a kind of path, to keep up our connection with our Creator.  

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Each Sunday when I go to church, I am reminded of God's greatness, as well as His goodness.  I am in the presence of God and in fellowship with other believers.  I am reminded to spend my week loving Him and loving my neighbors.  I benefit from the generations of Christians before me who have traveled the same path that I am on, through the words of their hymns, the texts of the Bible, and the prayers and messages of the church leaders.  For me, church is a reminder, a fellowship, and an opportunity.

In An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith, author Barbara Brown Taylor's message is that religion is only one strategy or path for connecting to God, and that innumerable other strategies exist through the everyday activities, places, people, and interactions of our lives.

IF we are paying attention.

Taylor's spirituality is grounded firmly in the physical:  We experience God via the bodies He has given us.  Taylor doesn't urge us to become "more fully spiritual"; on the contrary, she urges us to become "more fully human."

We do that by paying attention to certain practices we can employ and enjoy because we have bodies.  Our bodies become our vehicle for drawing closer to God.  "In a world where faith is often construed as a way of thinking," Taylor writes, "bodily practices remind the willing that faith is a way of life." And not only that, but holiness surrounds us throughout our world, if we are willing and able to notice it.

From this point of view, Taylor formulates such bodily practices as "wearing skin," "walking on the earth," "getting lost," "encountering others," and "feeling pain," among others.  For her, spiritual treasure is found through the bodily experiences of human life on earth.  We just have to pay attention to these everyday experiences.

This book would appeal to believers who have wandered away from church, feeling that it is no longer a helpful means to grow in their relationship with God, whatever the reason.  But it appeals to me, too, because it helps me find ways to carry what I learn and experience in church on Sunday into my activities during the rest of the week.

As the Living Stones Women's Ministry uses this book for our twice-monthly discussions, I will write blog posts related to the chapters and our discussions.  I recommend this book for your personal library, but even if you choose not to read it for yourself, I invite you to read this series of blog posts to consider key points from Taylor's writing.

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For your consideration:

Have you ever heard someone say, "I'm spiritual, but not religious" (or have you said it yourself)?  What does this mean to you, and how do you feel about the thinking behind the statement? How do you define "religious? How do you define "spiritual"?

As you read Taylor's book--and/or these blog posts--try to remain open-minded and attentive to the ways we can connect with God in our lives and our bodies in this world.

Just for fun, type "I am spiritual but not religious" in your browser, then click on "images," and enjoy the quotations, graphics, and opinions on this statement!

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Discovering Altars in the World

I am writing this blog post on the brink of a new beginning:  My family and I have bought a new home and are relocating to a new community. Though only 30 minutes away, the move will take my children to a new school, and open our lives to new neighbors and friends.  This change also means that the Living Stones Women's Ministry will be moving to a new location in July.  We will also be beginning a new book study.  Please read my introduction to our new book below, along with my invitation for you to consider joining us.  You can read more about the Living Stones Women's Ministry group by visiting the "At-a-Glance" tab at the top of the blog.

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In her introduction to An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith, Barbara Brown Taylor recalls a priest who invited her to speak to the congregation of his church in Alabama. "Come tell us what is saving your life now," he suggested.  No formal teachings required. No orthodox creeds and ideologies expected. No ancient rituals to follow. Just an honest look at what gives meaning, feeling, connection, and life right now.

For Taylor, her answer now is not exactly the same as her answer during that speaking event.  But she continues to hold to the truth that the life of the spirit is inextricably linked to our physical experience in this world.  We find God here on earth, where we are, in what we are doing.

We may see God and draw closer to Him while on a pilgrimage, a mission trip, or a retreat. But these extra-ordinary experiences are not required.  We can, in fact, find God right here in even the most ordinary everyday activities.

What if we stop drawing such sharp distinctions between secular and sacred, physical and spiritual, body and soul? What if we start remembering that the whole world is the House of God? What if we don't have to choose between God and the world, but instead can experience the world as a place to encounter God?

"The treasure we seek," Taylor writes, "requires no lengthy expedition, no expensive equipment, no superior aptitude or special company. All we lack is the willingness to imagine that we already have everything we need. The only thing missing is our consent to be where we are." If we miss the "X" marking the spot of what we are looking for, she writes, it might be because we are standing right on top of it!

Taylor dedicates her book to people who are "tired of arguing about religion, tired of reading about spirituality, tired of talk-talk-talking about things that matter without doing a single thing that matters yourself." She wants to help us realize that there are altars all over this world... ordinary places where we meet up with God.  She offers us practices that require both our bodies and our souls, practices that will help us explore the idea that faith is a way of life.

"Earth is so thick with divine possibility," Taylor writes, "that it is a wonder we can walk anywhere without cracking our shins on altars."  I have found an altar in Springfield, in my family room, sitting around with an amazing group of women who seek to know and love their God better and more, who seek to support others through prayer and service.  I am now off to discover an altar in Berwyn, in a new family room, with some of the same amazing women, and hopefully new seekers, lovers, and pray-ers.

Come find an altar in the world with me!

Equipped for Doing God's Will

I am hesitant to tell people that God speaks to me. After all, the words, "The Lord told me..." are just as likely to send your audience backing out of the room as to draw them in closer to listen. But I am convinced that either I have a split personality with a very wise and authoritative "other half," or God has seen fit to communicate with me in surprisingly and blessedly clear ways.

I've been lolling around most nights over the past week, numbing my brain with Facebook, email, and real estate listings, with a little Pinterest thrown in for good measure. But the time 11 o'clock rolls around and I pull myself out from under my cat, I feel like I have made an incredible waste of yet another evening. Even though I can list the chores I've accomplished during the previous sixteen hours, I feel generally unfocused and unproductive.

Whenever I get that feeling about my days, ten times out of ten I can trace it to the fact that I haven't cracked my Bible in over a week. I still read verses and devotions with my girls, and I still pray throughout the day with them and on my own, but spending time reading the Bible--even if I don't do any kind of formal study--makes a complete difference in my entire attitude toward life.

You would think I would learn my lesson and, you know, read it religiously or something.

So last night, I opened the Bible to Hebrews 13 (because that chapter was referenced in a magazine article I had been reading, and I didn't have any other plan to go by).  I noticed right away that verses 20 and 21 sounded like a prayer, so in the margin of my Bible I restated them like this:

Lord, God of peace, equip me with everything good for doing Your will; work in me what is pleasing to you, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

After I did a little more reading, I went up for a shower, thinking how remarkable it is that a little Bible reading can make me feel so much better--like a vitamin or a shot of caffeine, if you'll forgive the poor comparison.  And that line: "Equip me with everything good for doing Your will," replayed in my mind. I stood there under the streaming water just beginning to form the prayer: "I love that verse, Lord. I pray that You would equip me..."  And just like that, across my brain flashed the thought, "I already have."

I already have equipped you with everything good for doing My will.

I feel thoroughly convinced that God cut me off mid-prayer to remind me that what I was asking Him for, He has already done. After those three God-breathed words, my own mind took over again, and I thought about how I:

• have strong convictions related to people treating each other with the kindness, decency, and justice that Jesus displayed during his earthly ministry, but I have yet to take a leadership role in effecting change when I see those values threatened, 
• have finished writing 3/4 of a book about Christian parenting based on what I've learned from experience and extensive research, but it sits in a tote bag with one section left unwritten and no plans in place for getting it to a publisher,
• have a deep and long-standing love for writing and a desire to encourage people in their faith, but I have only a tiny platform on this blog for bringing these two things together,
• have a craft room full of supplies and a head full of ideas, but I haven't brought them together to use my art for worship or to inspire others in their faith.

In each case, I see where God has equipped me with everything good for doing His will, but I haven't joined the effort with the ambition or stamina to put those gifts to use.

As I reflected on all of this, my first feelings were guilt and inadequacy--oh, how I am squandering my gifts and my advantages! How lazy I have been!

But there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus; we are set free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2). I am set free from feeling like a failure for what I cannot accomplish on my own. God didn't equip me with everything good for doing His will, and then send me off to figure out how to make it happen.

Instead, God supplies us out of His great sufficiency. As Paul reminds us, we are not competent (or sufficient) in ourselves, but our competence (or sufficiency) comes from God (2 Corinthians 3:5). His grace is sufficient for us, because our power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). It is in these moments--like the ones I was experiencing last night, when I feel weak--that I am actually strong (2 Corinthians 12:10) because I remember to turn to God and His power. Paul has so much to say about this gift to the church in Corinth. "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work...you will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion (2 Corinthians 9:8, 11). Every time I pull away from God's Word, I lose my hold on this truth for my life.

I love how God is tough and loving at the same time. He interrupts my prayer--"Lord, equip me with everything good for doing Your will"--to deliver a truth that brings me humbly back to His grace. And out of that humility, He raises me up on wings like an eagle, renewing my strength to run and not grow weary and to walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31).

Today I thank God that He has already equipped me with everything good for doing His will, and that He doesn't send me out into the world with my gifts and talents and tasks and ideas and dreams and duties alone. Instead, He sends me with a Heavenly Father, a gracious Savior, and a guiding and holy Spirit to help bring His kingdom to earth as it is in Heaven.

This is not a truth just for me, of course. The same is true for you.

Amen.