Fresh Fruit

#1 son and I took advantage of the beautiful Saturday weather and spent the morning with no particular plan and ended up at the Dallas Farmer's Market. He looked at me cross-ways when I asked if we should get some strawberries. The last batch I bought got moldy before I could even use them. I really don't know that much about picking fresh vegetables and fruit. I know avocados should give in slightly when pressed; I know you're supposed to thump on watermelon, but I don't know what sound equals good; I know I like thin asparagus, whether or not that's the best kind; I know I don't like stringy oranges, but have no idea how to pick against that factor; I know it's hard to go wrong with bananas - but it's even safer to go with Oreos! No guess work, no variation. You know what you're getting when you open a bag of Oreos! Sugar, flour, hydrogenated soybean oil, cocoa, high fructose corn syrup, whey, corn starch, baking soda, salt, soy lecithin, vanillin, chocolate...

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, like fruit that goes unused or stays on the vine too long, so our gifts can become addled and useless. It may not always be obvious what gifts we have, but through study, prayer and the willingness to push, dig, and listen we can discover the fruits of our spirit. We pray for a genuine life that does not fall into a cookie-cutter package of what we are told Christian lives are like. We do have variety, different tastes, different strengths, and different weaknesses. We long to savor in the harvest of the fruits of the spirit; an ambrosia of congregational vitality. Amen.