The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We can’t produce these things by trying really hard. They are the fruits of living in the Spirit. Then, what are the elements of living in the Spirit? They are: (1) the foundation of the gospel; (2) the power of the Holy Spirit; (3) the process of the spiritual practices; and (4) the context of community.

This Sunday’s message continued our focus on the spiritual disciplines as the process of growth. The spiritual disciplines are any practice that helps us center our lives on God and puts us in the place where God can take a hold of us. These disciplines lead us to a place of intimacy and transformation. Last Sunday, Kevin taught about the inner spiritual disciplines—practicing God’s presence, prayer, Bible study, and lectio divina. This Sunday, Shirley taught about outer disciplines—creating a life of rhythm and rest so that we can create time and space to be with God. Some examples of the outer disciplines are simplicity, solitude, submission, and service. The outer disciplines change our lifestyles to accommodate an inner change.