He’s all about LIFE!

But the Spirit cares about his creation

Isaiah 32:15 … until at last the Spirit is poured out on us from heaven. Then the wilderness will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops.

Isaiah 34:16 Search the book of the Lord and see what he will do. Not one of these birds and animals will be missing and none will lack a mate, for the Lord has promised this. His Spirit will make it all come true.

When I think of exuberant beauty, I think of the flowers that transformed a rustic camp into a paradise at my daughter Valerie’s wedding.

Interesting—just before I started writing this blog, I read an article about MAID—Medical Assistance in Dying, which is legal in several countries and (so far) eleven states.

The pros and cons of MAID reminded me of Karis’s struggle to understand transplant friends who made that choice, feeling that life is always the correct answer. In her suffering in the last months of her life, though, she re-thought her perspective to the point of feeling compassion and comprehension of why someone would choose when and how to end his or her life. She didn’t do it, but she certainly thought about the joy of being with the Lord, free from all that constrained and hurt her here on Earth. In the months before her death, she wrote often in her journal, “Father, please, please take me Home. I can’t do this anymore.”

I went from there to contemplation of Isaiah’s celebration of LIFE, of both flora and fauna, mediated by the Holy Spirit, and the blessing to people of flourishing, fertile fields and animals. (Even the deer, groundhogs, turkeys, and bunnies that plague my efforts at gardening, Lord?)

I’m writing a book with a double setting: Bethlehem/Jerusalem and Heaven. The Heaven of my imagination overflows with vibrant life of every kind and natural beauty that is the “real thing,” only reflected in the mountains and valleys, rivers and oceans, gardens and fields of waving grain of our world. In creation, I see how much God cares about the details of texture and color and fragrance, of shape and function, of variety and mystery in our amazing world. How could Heaven not celebrate every form of life?

I think that even when, through human negligence and abuse, species become extinct on Earth, hurting their Creator’s heart, they are preserved in Heaven. How else could Isaiah’s promise be fulfilled, that not one will be missing?

I invite you to read aloud Isaiah 35. Yes, the whole thing, all eleven verses. Because our Lord is the Author of life, in all its forms. And that includes our own hearts and imaginations.

Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and the redeemed will be filled with joy and gladness (Isaiah 35:11).

A 3000-piece puzzle called Life that our daughter Karis put together, framed, and hung. I’m trying to find out the name of the artist.

Rebellious

But the Spirit grieves when we hurt ourselves or others

Isaiah 30:1 “What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the Lord. “You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins.”

Isaiah 63:10 But they rebelled against the Lord and grieved his Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve (bring sorrow to) God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.

[Note: I’m posting this now because I’m traveling tomorrow.]

My breath caught. “Don’t do it!” I screamed inwardly as from too far away to intervene I saw my angry grandson pick up and hurl a small stone.

The injury caused by the small stone connecting with his sister’s arm ruined river play for all three of us. But the pleasure of our outing had already been spoiled.

My granddaughter had kicked her brother’s carefully balanced tower of rocks while he went downriver to search for more flat stones.

Why had she demolished his tower? Because she wanted him to play with her, concocting what they called “river soup,” stirring together an assortment of sticks, leaves, and pebbles into “the best soup in the whole world!” That day, her older brother preferred his solitary tower building.

At two and four, the present moment is everything, patience is still developing, and diversion from an anticipated delight (making the soup like they “always” did at the river) may only be effective for a short time. That did not excuse what either of them did to hurt the other. The consequent immediate end to river fun grieved us all.

Isn’t it true that we’re capable of hurting the most those whom we most deeply love?

I believe that the one most grieved that day was the Holy Spirit. Because he passionately wants our best. He sorrows when we hurt ourselves and one another. The context of these verses in both Isaiah and Ephesians is relationship: the call to care for each other with compassion. In Isaiah 30, the Spirit is sad because Israel has committed to a relationship that will prove harmful to them. In Isaiah 63, at issue is Israel’s relationship with the Lord himself.

And in Ephesians 4 and 5, Paul’s concern is the Ephesian believers’ relationships with each other.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ (Ephesians 4:31-5:2).

Good words for me today. You too?

Stunning

But the Spirit works counter-culturally

Isaiah 11:1-2 [Matthew 3:16] Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Isaiah 42:1-4 [Matthew 12:18, Luke 3:21-22, Philippians 2:7] Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth.

Isaiah 61:1-2 [Luke 4:14, 17-21] The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.

Throughout history, Jesus’s name has gotten a bad rap as people have used it to amass power, wealth, and privilege for themselves, often in immoral or even illegal ways more akin to the Enemy of our souls who steals, kills, and destroys than to the true Shepherd who lays down his life for his flock (John 10:9-11).

Power, wealth, and privilege acquired through abuse and oppression of others: this is not the Jesus of the Bible.

This is not the Jesus who, as Philippians 2 so movingly tells us, chose to lay down his divine rights and privileges to become a slave, a doulos in Greek, a person in submission or bondage to another; in Hebrew, an ebed (Isaiah 42:1), a person of lower social status who is subject to another.

In fact, Jesus taught that among his followers the worldly definition of power must not hold sway. Jesus used the power of the Spirit to heal, to comfort, to care for, to free from bondage, to encourage, to teach, to bring justice. He lived with no place even to lay his head (Matthew 8:20). He dined not with the rich and famous in fancy places, but with the socially marginalized “disreputable sinners” (Matthew 9:10). His “brand” was humility, simplicity, and love.

This Jesus, filled by God’s Spirit without measure or limit (John 3:34, Colossians 1:19, 2:9) shows us what God the Father is like. Isaiah’s perspective, inspired by the same Spirit, of what God’s Chosen One, Jesus, would accomplish is as stunning as his attributes detailed in 11:1-2.

We must be careful. Anyone who claims to represent God yet does not aspire to serve as Jesus did has other goals in mind than God’s goals. Our first allegiance as Jesus-followers must be to him and his ways. The power of the Spirit foretold by Isaiah that filled Jesus led him not to comfort and wealth but to suffering and death as the powerholders of his day objected to his counter-cultural teaching and actions.

Are we ready to invite the Holy Spirit to empower us to live like Jesus did, building up rather than tearing down (2 Corinthians 10:8), bringing good news not to the rich, but to the poor and brokenhearted?

Jesus called his disciples together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant (diakonos), and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave (doulos). For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom (lutron: payment to liberate a captive) for many.”

Come, all who are weary, wounded, weeping, Porter’s Gate

Security

But God’s Spirit never abandons us

For today, a picture and two lovely poems.

Caleb, first grade

When do you feel butterflies? Nervous, scared, anxious, worried, insecure?

I felt that way while my sister recently spent a week in the hospital, most of it in ICU. Her doctor said he hadn’t known a case when someone as sick as she was had not died. We praise God for bringing her through this! For me, though, the days before she stabilized were nerve-racking.

This poem was true for my sister during those fraught days—and equally true for me, despite my feelings. It’s true for Caleb and Talita, now living in another country, with everything new.

And it’s true for you.

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.

You know when I sit down or stand up.

You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.

You see everything I do.

You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.

You go before me and follow me.

You place your hand of blessing on my head.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

I can never be lost to your Spirit!

I can never get away from your presence!

If I go up to heaven, you are there.

If I go down to the grave, you are there.

If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

even there your hand will guide me

and your strength will support me.

Psalm 139:1-10

I received poem #2 from my niece, who is going through her own fraught time:

…we live not outside of time,
but inside its melodic chambers,
not escaping the fear and the pain,
but companioning it with so much love,
so much beauty that somehow,
even in the halls of distress,
we nestle deeper in and feel safe.

from The Humming by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

As we’ve been seeing in our survey of the Holy Spirit at work in the Old Testament, he companions us wherever we walk every day. With so much love and so much beauty. We are never alone. Never abandoned. Never lost to God’s eternal, unchanging, faithful Spirit.

The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness (Romans 8:26).

Never Alone, Hillsong

Grief

A personal note:

The last couple of months have been intense, and I’ve gotten behind on a long series of responsibilities and projects. Until I catch up–especially with a book I need to complete–I’ll be posting here only once a week, aiming for Wednesdays.

One part of the challenge was the decision our daughter Valerie and her husband Cesar made to move back to Brazil–with just six weeks before Val would have to start work there. They accomplished a major move, including participation in our Elliott family reunion and a trip to New York to secure documents they needed, in that short time. Truly amazing! We will miss them. And we rejoice with them, for all the goodness they will experience “back home.”

Here they are on the airplane; destination: a new chapter of life in São Paulo.

They did it!! Girls and guys: Back row Luciene (Cesar’s mom), Valerie, Talita. Front row Cesar Sr., Cesar Jr., Caleb. Lu and Cesar Sr., who came to visit before the Brazil decision was made, worked incredibly hard to make this move possible, including preparing the house for sale. Anyone looking for a cute house to purchase in Pittsburgh?

I asked you to pray for my sister. Thank you. She’s doing better, for which we are so grateful. And she has a long road ahead.

It’s helpful to me right now to know that the Holy Spirit understands grief. This blog considers a particular kind of grief, not the separation of loved ones moving to another continent, but the rupture caused by our sin, when we harm ourselves and others.

But the Holy Spirit grieves

Psalm 51:10-12 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you.

Ephesians 4:30 Do not bring sorrow to [grieve, offend, vex, sadden] the Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified [put his seal on] you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not stifle [quench, suppress, smother, hold back, try to stop] the Holy Spirit.

Grief. It touches each of us sooner or later, to a greater or lesser degree.

Grief even touches the Holy Spirit. Why? Because he expects us to obey a random set of arbitrary rules or face capricious anger and punishment from God?

No. God deeply loves each of us. What hurts him is our unnecessary suffering because we do what is not lifegiving and harm ourselves and others, whom he loves just as profoundly.

In Psalm 51 King David records his anguished cry of repentance after the prophet Nathan confronted him with seducing Bathsheba and murdering her husband. David rightly fears that God will take the Holy Spirit from him as he did with David’s predecessor, King Saul (1 Samuel 16:14). God’s Spirit is holy; he cannot associate himself with rebellion and evil. And in the Old Testament, pre-Pentecost, the Spirit was given to particular people in select circumstances. Not, as Paul stated to the Ephesians, to all believers as a guarantee of our salvation.

God’s Spirit is all about life, health, growth, creativity, blessing, fruitfulness, beauty. When we choose to harm ourselves or others, we limit his power and effectiveness in our lives. And we grieve him.

The way back to joy is exactly what David did: admit and confess our wrongdoing; no excuses. There still will be consequences. Saying “I’m sorry; I was wrong” does not bring a murdered person back to life or make adultery OK. David and Bathsheba’s firstborn died.

But the relationship with God can be repaired, and often (not always) ruptures with other people can heal.

Restoration begins with humility and honesty. Repentance opens the door once more to the Holy Spirit’s wonderful work in our lives.

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God (Psalm 51:17).

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. … The Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings which cannot be expressed in words (Romans 8:26).

Hungry

But God’s Spirit teaches us

Nehemiah 9:20 [In a prayer rehearsing God’s goodness to Israel after Ezra reads the Law of Moses to the people] You sent your good Spirit to instruct them. [Other versions say “teach.”)

John 14:26 [Jesus told his disciples] But when the Father sends the Advocate [paraclete: Comforter, Encourager, Counselor] as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything that I have told you.

1 John 2:27 For the Holy Spirit teaches you …

So far in this little survey of the Holy Spirit active in the Old Testament we’ve seen him as creator, supreme artisan, wise adviser/burden bearer, source of power, and communicator.

Since God doesn’t change, it’s not surprising to see the Spirit playing these same roles in the New Testament. Today’s topic is no exception. The Holy Spirit teaches us, as he taught the people of Israel in ancient times. Jesus, the master teacher, filled with the Spirit, told the disciples it was better for him to go away, because the Spirit can be present to each of us, as Jesus in his human body could not be.

Nehemiah 8 and 9 describe people hungry and thirsty to understand God’s instructions. They longed to live in keeping with God’s wisdom. In chapter 8, they stood for three hours listening closely (v. 3) as Ezra read the law of Moses to them. A month or so later, they again stood for three hours listening to the law, and then for another three hours confessing their sins—all the ways they had broken God’s law—and worshiping God.

Have you ever been as hungry and thirsty as that, not just for a Fourth of July barbecue, but longing to understand how to please God, in love with him and thrilled to honor his greatness? In chapter 8, the people celebrated “with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them” (v. 12).

Immediately after, Israel put into practice what they were learning. It led to a dramatic change of priorities and lifestyle, resulting in health and harmony among them.

I appreciate this prayer by Joseph Mercier, 1851-1926, noted for his strong resistance to German occupation of Belgium during World War I. Many around him were killed and buildings destroyed. It’s a fervent prayer in the throes of great trouble and stress. Today I think of the courageous people of Ukraine who persist in their work for God while missiles fall around them.

O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore you. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do; give me your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that you desire of me and to accept all that you permit to happen to me. Let me only know your will.

Listen!

But God’s Spirit speaks to and through those who listen to him June 30, 2025

2 Samuel 16:13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on.

2 Samuel 23:1-2 These are the last words of David: … The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me; his words are upon my tongue.

1 Kings 11:38 [God said to Jeroboam through his prophet Ahijah] If you listen to what I tell you and follow my ways … as my servant David did, then I will always be with you.”

Jeremiah 23:18, 21-22 Have any of these prophets been in the Lord’s presence to hear what he is really saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen? … I have not sent these prophets, yet they run around claiming to speak for me. I have given them no message, yet they go on prophesying. If they had stood before me and listened to me, they would have spoken my words.

Acts 2:30 [Peter preaching on Pentecost, referencing Psalm 16] But David was a prophet.

A friend gave me wise counsel regarding a problem I shared with her.
My husband encouraged me by running an errand on a busy day that I had forgotten, accompanied by kind words.
On a day I felt like I had blown it in several areas, a mentee told me her sessions with me have helped her overcome obstacles and draw near to God.

All of these happened in the last week. In each case, I felt that I received through others words from God that nourished my soul and lifted my head. I believe they fit within a broad definition of prophecy: hearing and communicating words from God that bless us and others. As Paul put it, speaking truth in love, in a way that is good and helpful and encouraging (Ephesians 4:15, 29).

Leanne Payne often said, “God is constantly speaking words of love to us.” Am I still and attentive enough to hear what our Father is saying, or am I too anxious to fill the space with my own words?

Shutterstock: N. D. DSouza

Listening to God doesn’t come with any agenda other than accurately hearing what God is saying to us. Words from God always align with Scripture and with God’s character. Exceptionally, they may be predictive of the future.

When people claim to have heard messages from God for others yet do them harm rather than good, or when these “words” don’t line up with Scripture or with God’s character, they cast doubt on whether hearing from God is a real thing. Perhaps you’ve been hurt by someone claiming to know God’s perspective or direction for your life.

Jeremiah, cited above, records God’s frustration with that kind of “prophecy,” false because of failure to humbly listen to him. We must always take great care with our words, but especially when we think we’ve heard from God for someone else. I wonder how much “church hurt” is rooted in this kind of abuse.

Some Scripture authors, such as David with his psalms, may not even have been aware that their writing was prophetic in the predictive sense—yet New Testament writers refer to them as Messianic. An example is Peter’s quoting of Psalm 16 in Acts 2. Did King David consider himself a prophet, as Peter declares? I at least have not thought of David that way, and commentators express a variety of opinions about this.

Hearing from God is a huge topic that can’t adequately be covered in one blog post. It’s clear, though, that David listened to God, and in the power of the Spirit, communicated God’s words to others through his psalms, words that still bless us today.

I want to listen like that.

Word of God Speak, Bart Millard and Pete Kipley, Mercy Me

Too heavy

But the Spirit shares the burden June 23, 2025

Numbers 11:1, 11, 14-18 Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the Lord heard everything they said. … And Moses said to the Lord, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people? … I can’t carry the burden of all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! … Then the Lord to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men … I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone.”

As we picked raspberries in her father’s garden a few days ago, my granddaughter Juliana, 2 ½, said, “Grammy, I mulch. But sometimes it’s too heavy, so my Daddy helps me.”

Juliana (right) “camping” with her sister and cousins in Grammy and PopPop’s back yard Friday.

I’ve been smiling over that ever since. How many two-year-olds do you know who say with pride, “I mulch”? How many have tried to carry a 40-pound bag of wood chips?

But Juju’s statement went deep into my soul. I, too, try to carry burdens too heavy for me. And my Father helps me. Thank you, Father.

In your life, what is too heavy for you to carry by yourself?

My friend Rhonda and her husband Jim have carried gardening burdens for me this spring, a responsibility too heavy for me as I have faced other challenges. I am so deeply grateful.

Moses found himself desperate for help with dealing with the complaints of the people he shepherded for forty years in the desert, a burden too heavy for him alone.

God, who called us through Jesus to live “freely and lightly” (Matthew 11:30 in The Message), promises not to give us more than we can bear. He calls us to share the weight of our burdens with other people.

If life feels overwhelming right now, I invite you to think about these Scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit who can share your load. I’m doing this exercise myself today.

Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.

1 Corinthians 10:13 The temptations (peirasmos, testings) in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Galatians 6:2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

I will give you rest Sing through the Bible

All kinds of arts and crafts

But the Spirit is the supreme artisan!

Exodus 31:1-5, 35:30-35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel … I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. … And the Lord has given both him and Oholiab the ability to teach their skills to others. The Lord has given them special skills as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet thread on fine line cloth, and weavers. They excel as craftsmen and as designers.

It makes sense that the triune God who created earth in all its beauty and exquisite detail, and in particular created humankind in his image, would delight in our ability to create. I love this story, of God particularly gifting Bezalel and Oholiab, filling them with his Holy Spirit, to lead and guide the crafting of the Tabernacle, an oasis of beauty in the desert. I love the fact that God wanted this mobile place of regular connection with his people to be especially lovely.

Last Saturday our church held an Arts Collaboratives Retreat for people engaged in all kinds of creative pursuits. We have seven Arts Collaboratives: Writers J, Gardeners, 2-D Visual Art, 3-D Visual Art (pottery, knitting, architecture, glasswork …), Songwriters, Music Performers, and Drama. The retreat focused on Psalm 51 in four parts: Who am I without God? Who am I with God? What is my response to God? What is God’s response to me?

Each part included personal meditation on our response to questions related to our art, including toward the end, How am I through my art showing God’s greatness? How do I want to show God’s greatness through my art?

Our church enjoys the fruits of the Collaboratives’ labor in a variety of ways. The Songwriters regularly enrich our worship. A couple of weeks ago, the Music Performers offered a wonderful concert recognizing the in-between time we all live in. During Holy Week and Easter, 2-D and 3-D visual artists displayed thoughtful, intriguing interpretations of the Stations of the Cross. The Gardeners’ Collaborative helps keep our green spaces lovely.

The Writers’ Collaborative does not have a joint project at this point. But on a personal level, we share our work with each other and offer feedback and encouragement. Right now, as I’m working on Three-in-One, a member of our group who has kids the ages of my target audience is giving me valuable input. The book will be much better because of his own experience with writing for 9-12 year olds.

I depend on the Holy Spirit to help me every time I write something (including these blogs). In the case of this book, I have repeatedly asked for prayer that God will open my mind and guide me through his Spirit to accurately (if inevitably incompletely) represent who God is through this story. If you would like to pray for me in this, I would appreciate it! I am keenly aware of my own limitations, and at the same time I’m learning so much!

Please pray too for Lucy, the teenage artist who is working with me on Three-in-One. And pray for Aderyn, who is figuring out how to handle the challenging ideas I have for illustrating The Gladness Book. (If you’ve seen Campfire Song Stories, Lucy’s and Aderyn’s names are probably familiar to you). I hope both The Gladness Book and Three-in-One will be out by the end of the year, joining The Giggly Bug as this year’s new books.

Inspired by an attempt to help a three-year-old get over her fear of bugs,

now available in hardcover and paperback on Amazon (I don’t know why the cover image isn’t posted yet) and Barnes and Noble.

Thank you, Lord, that when you created us, you desired us to also be creative! Thank you that your Spirit inspires and gifts us in so many different ways.

One of the songs from the retreat keeps running through my mind: Your Labor Is Not in Vain, by Wendell Kimbrough, Paul Zach, and Isaac Wardell.

Strengthen self-control

But God’s power must be used rightly June 5, 2025

Galatians 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Proverbs 16:32 Better to have self-control than to conquer a city.

Proverbs 25:28 A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.

I’m writing today in lovely Meridian, Idaho, remembering the impact on me of previous experiences in this beautiful state and their influence on Treasure Hunt 1904, book two of the Cally and Charlie historical fiction series. My sister Jan and I are here for a few days visiting our sister Marsha and brother-in-law Vance. I’ve not been here before in June. The flowers are stunning.

Marsha’s roses

The themes of Treasure Hunt 1904 directly relate to the final virtue in Paul’s description of agape, the lovely fruit the Spirit produces in our lives when we give him freedom to garden our hearts.

Self-control, translated “temperance”—moderation, self-restraint—in the KJV, is enkrateia in Greek, derived from the word kratos, which means strength. Like praos (see the last blog about gentleness), enkrateia is a strong word. It calls us to the right use of power. That power, as we know, is the operation of the Spirit of God in our lives, which we will recognize and celebrate this Sunday, Pentecost.

Along with the other virtues, gentleness calls us to choose how we treat others. Enkrateia reminds us we have the ability and responsibility to choose how we manage ourselves, circling us back to “Love others as you love yourself,” as Jesus taught us (Matthew 22:39). The Spirit empowers us to do both with godliness (God-likeness, the God who is love) as we practice agape.

Paul uses enkrateia (as a verb): we must discipline ourselves to win the race of life. Not to win temporary earthly rewards, but an eternal prize: God’s “Well done, faithful servant” (see 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Philippians 3:12-14; Matthew 25:21).

So, what’s the connection with Treasure Hunt 1904? Using the motifs of a multi-layered treasure hunt and of water (see John 7:38-39), so critically important to transform into fruitfulness the fertile deserts of Idaho, we see Cally grapple with the wounds of trauma in her life (book one), emerging from the grief and paralysis of victimhood into proactive purpose. As she grows into acceptance of the love the Malcomson family offers her, Cally begins to recognize her own power. She can make choices for herself, rather than being controlled, for good or ill, by others.

This book also includes scenes of the devastating, ongoing impact of previous decades of misuse of power, sometimes, tragically, in the name of God, as western settlers and the U.S. government claimed a “manifest destiny” over the lives and territory of native Americans and others. Is not this false equivalence, still plaguing the world today, a breaking of the third commandment and of Jesus’ command to love others as he loves us?

Pentecost Sunday initiates the liturgical season of “ordinary time.” Ordinary, for you and me and all followers of Jesus, means practicing the wonderful fruit of the Spirit, in the agape love of the Father, empowered by Jesus’ conquest of sin and death by his sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection. “Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights.. your faithful service is an offering to God” (Philippians 2:15-17).

In ordinary time, let’s shine! Let’s bear fruit that adorns the world with joy.

Holy Spirit, today I offer you freedom to grow the good fruit of agape love in my heart, in all its dimensions. Pull out the weeds, heal the wounds, rebuild healthy boundaries, and water the fertile soil of God’s love. Amen.