{Hope for the Home} Linky Party: Making The Fruit of the Spirit Come Alive

I told you a few weeks ago that we were going to have a Fruits of the Spirit summer series, to help us put one fruit of the spirit into action in our home each week! I wanted to start last week, but our find joy in the journey Ebook finally released and I was preoccupied with that all day!

Go here for a description of the book and a few testimonials. It can be downloaded onto your computer, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Kindle or Nook. I am absolutely thrilled with the number of downloads and the incredible feedback we have received in just the first week! I know the stories of these 12 incredible women will bless you as much as they have me! Stay tuned for a HUGE celebration giveaway later in the week!

For now, here is Week 1 of our Fruits of the Spirit summer series, which I posted last year...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. {Galatians 5:22-23}

I am sure these characteristics are displayed in abundance in your home as they are in mine, right? Ha! I can't even type those words without laughing out loud!

I feel like my 6 and 4 year old boys do nothing but pick at each other these days. We have been in transition for the past few months, yet again, our second cross-country move in less than 2 years and with the unfamiliar surroundings, lack of routine and uncertainty comes two tired, cranky, fussy little boys. 

They have been driving me crazy and because I am tired and cranky myself, I end up snapping at them and the vicious cycle of non-fruit-filled-living continues.

Sound familiar?

Whatever your situation may be, I am sure that you face days where your home is less than an uplifting environment, to say the least.

Am I right?

This summer I am asking the Lord to transform my home into one free from stress, frustration, negativity and all things associated with the sin-filled life and to instead fill it with peace, harmony, love and all things that are a result of Spirit-filled living. Will you take this journey with me?

Are we going to be able to remove all sin from our lives and home? Absolutely not. In fact, once we begin our journey with Christ, we must allow the Spirit to make us more like Him (and less like the world) each and every day, however we will never actually achieve perfection until we are at home with Him in Heaven.

That being said, I feel it is our responsibility to do intentional things in our lives and homes that are God-honoring, in order to promote growth in our walk with Him and to be a living example of Christ to our children.

In fact, Cat of Cap Creations and I have come up with a plan to help us fill our homes with the Fruit of the Spirit this summer!

Every Monday, I will post a lesson on one of the Fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I will also give you an activity to help you put that particular fruit into action in your home that week.

Meanwhile, Cat has designed a Fruit of the Spirit tree and individual fruits, so that you can display them in your home as a reminder. Click on images to download, when they open right click and save. If you run into any problems downloading them please let her know. The tree is 8x10 and the fruits are 4x6. For our project they both need to be printed on a laser printer, so that the ink will not run. An office store can do this for you.

Go ahead and print your downloads and next week Cat will provide a tutorial showing you how to turn your fruit printables into magnets, so that you can hang your tree on your refrigerator.

If you want to go ahead and gather your supplies for her tutorial, here is a list of things you will need...

- your printed fruit
-large glass pebbles, just over 1 inch (dollar store for a whole bag)
-mod podge (elmer's glue will work too)
-paint brush
-small magnets (craft store or walmart)
-strong glue like E600 to glue on magnets
-a 1 inch circle punch (handy but not necessary)

At some point, she will also show you how to put your tree in a frame or on a wood block, so that it can be moved around your home.

After learning through our I HATE RELIGION series that Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death, I am so excited to begin exploring with you how we can use our freedom to become more like Him, not pursuing a life of sin, but a life filled with His Spirit!

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery....So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. {Galatians 5:1, 16}

Happy Summer, friends! Be sure to invite others to join us here each Monday!

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.