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

Mother Teresa The Simple Path
The fruit of silence is PRAYER.
The fruit of prayer is FAITH.
The fruit of faith is LOVE.
The fruit of love is SERVICE.
The fruit of service is PEACE.

Our world will seek these attributes like they are a prize to be earned and won.

I want to be more loving, so I work at loving others or serving others.
I want to be more peaceful, so I mediate and strive to simplify my life style.
We don’t get these attributes as prizes but rather as a result of our relationship with the “perfect” human being – Jesus Christ. They are the by-product of our relationship with Jesus.

We seek Jesus,
we seek to know Him
we seek to follow Him more nearly
we seek to see Him more clearly
we seek to love Him more dearly . . . day by day (Ignatius)

We seek first the kingdom of God,
We seek first Jesus Christ and . . . all these things shall be added

I am inspired by others

"A true fellowship is a group of believers who by simply being together spur each other on to greater transformation." E.Stanley Jones.

I know that I have killed this quote hundreds of times, but the truth of this paraphrased explanation of fellowship rings so true in my life. I am inspired by those I rub shoulders with.

I am inspired by my friend, who is committed to having difficult conversations this year. She is no longer going to quietly/secretly disagree, but when appropriate she will lovingly share her perception/beliefs/views. I have had some hard conversations with individuals, because I was inspired by this friend.

I am inspired by another friend, who is purusing her dream. She made a vision poster of who she wants to become and where she wants to be professionally. Her courage, her vision, her hardwork and inspires me to pursue some creative outlets that I have set aside.

I am inspired by another friend, who is consistently puts family as the first priority in his life. Even though life is full of work, school, ministry, etc., his family is priority. I am a better wife and mom, just because I rub shoulders with this guy.

I am inspired by another friend, who is choses to see the best in everyone, because he recognizes the "image of God" in each person he encounters and celebrates that uniqueness. I am a better Jesus follower, just because I am in the presence of this person.

Today, I thank God for these friends and the other many other friends that touch and inspire me to grow closer to God.

Walking - again

The last couple of days the dog and I have walked out to the pond. It felt great to be outside, walking through 12 inches of snow. The sun was out but it was bitter cold. The dog just loved it. Jake would bury his nose in the snow, come up and shake his head. Overhead I saw the red-tail hawk, screeching as it soared over the fields to its nest in the tall pines.

So thankful that I can walk and get outside. Valentines Day of 2010 was the last time I walked at MacCready reserve. Maybe next week, I will adventure out again.