Hey, Paul.

Good Fruit

I love the letters. Thanks for sharing. You definitely packed a lot of wisdom into these short notes to your friends in the churches you started. I was looking over Galatians, one of my favorite letters, and had a thought I wanted to share.

Love the List

For years, I’ve appreciated the simplicity and power of the short “fruit of the Spirit” passage in chapter 5 (thanks, Stephen Langton), verses 22-23 (thanks, Robert Stephanus). It’s a great go-to list of qualities to seek for myself and admire in others.

A Second Helping

So I had this thought. What if we took your list of nine fruit and doubled it? What would the second helping look like. I’ve had some fruit on my mind that might be complementary and add to your recipe of a “Life by the Spirit.”

The Next Nine

So here’s what I’m thinking. Silence, stillness, presence, awareness, non-judgement, gratitude, forgiveness, empathy, and compassion. These seem to me to be “in step with the Spirit.” Or maybe we could think of it in another way.

In Line With Your Nine

I didn’t try to do this in my list making exercise, but listen to this and see how your nine line up with my nine.

Love and Silence.

Joy and Stillness.

Peace and Presence.

Patience and Awareness.

Kindness and Non-Judgement.

Goodness and Gratitude.

Faithfulness and Forgiveness.

Gentleness and Empathy.

Self-Control and Compassion

I Like That Fruit

Of course, these are just my thoughts. My letter to you, Paul. Just sharing what’s on my mind and wondering what you might think. Anyway, I’d like to close by saying thank you for your words, thank you for your impact, and thank you for giving your life that was obviously bearing this fruit in the name of the One who was, is, and will be. Grace and peace.

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