Lake Travis United Methodist Church

For our family, summer means eating lots of fresh vegetables and fresh fruit! It’s funny how good that makes us feel. Isn’t it interesting how food can make you feel different ways? And then, that God relates our lives to fruit?! I just love how God weaves everything in our lives together.

This past week, our family found ourselves talking about what fruit our spirit produces…what fruit do people see from us and receive from us? What fruit are we sharing with those around us?

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

On Sunday, at the second service, Scott shared with the men and fathers beautiful words from the Spirit. With his blessing, I’ve included those words here for you to ponder on, to ask God about, and to sit into with the Spirit within you.

“You are extraordinary,

And strong,

And capable,

And needed.

Your strength and capacity are uniquely important in this world.

Your willingness to live sacrificial lives on behalf of your families,

To work hard and often quietly,

Is an extraordinarily important, central gift to this world.

You are not a sum of your mistakes,

Nor of your fathers,

Nor of his.

You have the capacity of the King!

You are a co-heir with Christ!

You are now and will always be deeply loved,

Completely forgiven,

Wildly reconciled,

And free!

Our work is to know it

And when we try to give ourself excuses to not rise to our true identity as free, noble, hopeful, strong, courageous, capable, kind, humble men,

When we don’t do that,

We are only self limiting,

Or worse, allowing the world around us that we often find ourselves entangled with

To win.

That is unacceptable.

It is unacceptable as men, as fathers, and it is biblically unacceptable,

Because the Father actually says – 

This is your calling!

This is your life!

I have made you this way

And I will empower you to do so!

When we rise with that “everybody has a place” fight in us;

When we rise with love and forgiveness;

When we rise with strength and clarity and biblical hope,

The world rises with us.

You are free, and so am I.

Let’s live like it.”

May God bless your time with Him this week. May you look upon the face of Jesus and see Him in all His glory. May the Holy Spirit move in you in ways you’ve never felt before. Amen…So be it 😊

@Lake Travis United Methodist Church 2022