The Missing Fruits (Enthusiasm)

The Missing Fruits (Enthusiasm)

When I was a kid growing up in the Catholic church I learned all these obscure teachings that caused me, at the age of 16, to prefer the simplicity of Quakerism. For instance, as a child, I was repeatedly cautioned about the seven deadly sins, and was told if I...
The Missing Fruits (Enthusiasm)

The Missing Fruits (Truth)

Election time is fast approaching in Danville, we’re voting in a new town board, and the town is abuzz with gossip and speculation. The yard signs are popping up like dandelions, people are staking out their claims, forming alliances, and avoiding people they’ve known...
The Missing Fruits (Enthusiasm)

The Missing Fruits (Courage)

One of my favorite movies is A Christmas Story, the scene where the dogs from next door, the Bumpus hounds, break through the front door and carry off the turkey cooling on the kitchen table. Do you remember that? I identify with that scene because the Bumpus family...
The Missing Fruits (Enthusiasm)

Fruits of the Spirit (10) (Galatians 5:22)

Joan and I had a fascinating week. We traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico to attend a conference with Baptists from Lubbock, Texas, an ecumenical experience that caused me to reconsider everything I’d ever thought about Baptists from Texas. We stayed an additional three...
The Missing Fruits (Enthusiasm)

Fruits of the Spirit (8) (Galatians 5:22)

When I graduated from high school and began working at Public Service Indiana, I vowed I would never miss a day’s work. Fortunately, I didn’t tell anyone, because three months later I fell down a flight of stairs, cracked my tailbone, hit my head, and had to take a...