Reflections
Fruit Happens
by Doug Mitts And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. (Matthew 13:23, NAS95) I love the metaphors of Scripture. They possess a simplicity that…
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On the Rocks
by Karen Huber I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well.…
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Which Fruit?
by Fred Swartz “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:8, ESV) I keep coming back to this scripture now that I’ve been in full-time ministry for a few years. What kind of fruit in my life glorifies the Father? I suppose there…
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Living His Word
by Doug Mitts Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” (John 14:23, NAS95) Obedience can sound or feel offensive. Interestingly, when it comes to God, I can think His…
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Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Obedience
by Fred Swartz “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey…
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Trust Deeper
by Karen Kurth Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. (Psalm 143:10, NIV) My sending church in the States has us fill out an agonizing yearly review. Part of that review is to set a goal for the next year. I confess…
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Staying Connected to the Source
by Gabe Bernal “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” (John 15:1, ESV) “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch can not bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (John 15:4, ESV) Some of the most amazing…
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Love Equation
by Fred Swartz “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” (1 John 4:15, ESV) Love is one of those words that can become cliche to me. It shouldn’t, but it does. Of course I understand that loving others is important, so teach me something new…
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Relentless Joy and a Love Supreme
by Leslie Hall “Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.” (John 15:4, NIV) These words from Pete Grieg have stuck with me throughout this season of lockdown, disruption, and loss…
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God’s-Kind-of-Love
by Doug Mitts I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17:26, NAS95) You could say that I operate at a very slow speed. Or maybe my interior held too much chaos…
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