Getting Fruitful

Several deep-seated convictions have been resurfacing in me while studying for this recent message series on the fruit of the Spirit. The first and foremost is the sheer power of grace. It's so beautiful to be reminded again and again that the power of the resurrection is lived out in all of us who would take on the name of Christ in our lives. That the strength needed for the walk of discipleship doesn't need to be conjured up within us but is already waiting to be unleashed when the Holy Spirit is operational in our lives. That God truly is writing the stories of our lives and that submission to his will is the strongest move we can ever make (Yes, I'm aware that equating surrender to strength is inherently paradoxical). I keep hearing so many stories of surrender, death and re-birth, and just simply God at work.

The second thought is closely related to the first. I'm having a really fun time imagining a community of faith where all its members continue to make a collective and conscious decision to move in the direction of grace. It feels like we're continuing in that direction. I sense more and more lately as though we stand on the precipice of an exciting chapter in our history of existence as a church. Accepting a call to be the pastor here was, for me, a lot about simply being eager to see where all this is going. It's been a wild ride already and to be honest, I feel like it's about to get even crazier. As one parishoner has said to me several different times, "Fasten your seatbelt!" Well, when God is given his rightful position in the driver's seat of the church and when all the members of a body are working together toward common goals, the possibilities become virtually limitless. I'm having fun imagining just how far that might be carried.

Finally, I keep seeing and hearing so many stories of individual, fruit-filled victories in all our lives and it's keeping me absolutely juiced for ministry. Keep it going, Bridge! Keep your eyes open, along with your hearts and minds. God is moving powerfully and through his grace we continue to take ground. In the end, it will be our fruit that will offer the final witness of our faith in this community. And as far as I can tell, it's getting sweeter by the day right now . . .