March 2023 – Welcome

Fruit of the Spirit – Week 8: Faithfulness

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Chapter eleven in Hebrews is known as the “Faithful Hall of Fame”. In this chapter, the author of Hebrews list many of the heroes of the Old Testament explaining that it was by faith that ordinary men and women followed and trusted God. The heroes trusted God through impossible and what sometimes seemed like illogical directions. Many obeyed and trusted in a promise that they did not see fulfilled on this side of heaven.

Through their faith, we get to learn and come to understand what it means to walk by faith in a way that can be radical to the world we live in today. Though many times they walked imperfectly, God used ordinary people like Noah, Abraham, Joseph, and Moses to carry out His promise of redemption for His children.

Fruit of the Spirit – Week 7: Goodness

Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

The very character of God is good. Goodness is who He is and everything He creates is good (Genesis 1:31). We are direct images of our Creator, a direct reflection of who He is and His character (Genesis 1:27). This week I want to focus on all the goodness of God. It is a fruit of His Spirit that manifests within us so the more we understand this goodness, the deeper we come to realize how we are to reflect His image to those around us.

ATTENTION ALL LOCAL TO MONTGOMERY, AL!

Join me for an in person Bible study!!!

A video based Bible study downtown Montgomery! Designed to be done on your lunch break, come meet with other women in the downtown Montgomery area to learn about the Life and Love of Jesus. This study is prefect for those curious about faith, new to faith, or those who have walked with Jesus for years.

“Jesus didn’t come just to die for us. He came to live with us.”

This study will:
~ Enrich your understanding of Jesus in His historical & cultural contexts
~ Allow the truth about Jesus to confront your doubt
~ Get equipped to share the gospel of Jesus

March 29th will be an introduction week followed by 8 sessions of the study. So, bring your lunch and come join us!

When: Each Wednesday 11:30-12:30 starting March 29th – May 24th

Where: 1st floor Conference Room at the Colonial Building 1 Commerce St Montgomery, AL 36104

You can order your study guide anywhere Christian books are sold.

Fruit of the Spirit – Week 6: Kindness

Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you

“Be a good listener, a kind friend, and make good choices.” These are our three rules for our young boys and the prayer I pray with them each morning before school. Kindness is something we teach children as one of the most basic rules. As part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches his followers, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). We also know this as the Golden Rule, and Jesus explains that by following this simple command, most laws will be obeyed.

So simple, yet not a natural characteristic for many of us. Universally, kindness is seen as a good and noble trait. It is not specific to the Christian culture but can be found in most religions and cultures around the world. When we look at the world around us, there is so much pain and grief that could be avoided by simply being kind.

Fruit of the Spirit – Week 5: Patience

Isaiah 55:8-9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

“Never pray for patience.” Have you ever been told this or even thought this yourself? I have! In fact, this is probably the hardest characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit for me. We live in a fast paced, on demand, skip the intro, skip the ads, binge it all now world so when God asks us or forces us to slow down and wait, it can be grueling.

The NIV version of Galatians, where the fruit of the Spirit is listed, the word given is forbearance. I looked up the true definition to see how/if it differed from patience. Dictionary.com defines forbearance as “to hold oneself back from, especially with effort” and in many other sources, the word “patience” is used in the definition of forbearance.

What came to my mind as I understood the definition was patiently waiting on God’s timing. I’m a planner, a girl that takes action, and makes things happen, so obviously waiting is really hard for me. It can be so easy to pray for something and seek God’s will, but not actually have true patience or forbearance to surrender to God’s timing.