But the fruit of the Spirit is
love
joy
peace
patience
kindness
goodness
faithfulness
gentleness
and self-control.
There is no law (Jewish Law) against such things.

And he has told you, O man, what is good: and what does the Lord require of you but

to do justice,

and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God.

(Micah)

(A real humble person, were you to meet him or her) will not be thinking about humility. He will not be thinking about himself at all.

C. S. Lewis

Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus

Humility is the mother of giants. One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.

G. K. Chesterton

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid, one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Douglas MacArthur

Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.

Mother Teresa

Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue;

and to virtue knowledge;

and to knowledge temperance;

and to temperance patience;

and to patience godliness;

and to godliness brotherly kindness;

and to brotherly kindness charity.

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter

Do not neglect the gift that is in you.

living water

I am made in the image of God, not your image of God.

(Speaking of the story of Jesus and the woman with the alabaster box at the dinner table)

The moments of transformation are always in those indiividual relationships.

The moments of true transformation are always in those moments when Jesus is speaking either to those twelve disciples or to the individuals in the story.

It is those moments - that moment of table talk - that transformation really happens.

And that's another cool thing my Senior Pastor told us.

PROGRAM LISTINGS & PROGRAM SCHEDULES

By this our fourth foray beyond the sweet mist to explore The True Nature of Authentic Love, you probably recognize our template. It is a shining passage from a letter dispatched to followers gathered in Corinth, who as with any gathered group, were experiencing unique and nuanced challenges which may or may not resonate in every way with yours or mine. We are using this template as a grid, more or less, to sift through our grit in search of the finest elements of love's transformational power.

Our findings this far are golden.

Indeed, authentic love is a living breathing being with focused intentionality and exciting dynamism. By extrapolation we can formulate a number of hypotheses then test these to see how well love stands up to life's rigors. And we will. But there is no compelling need to do so. Authentic Love appears quite ready and willing to reveal itself. Life, by and large, seems equally eager to experience the fullness of its presence. Pressing through the thick mist something grander than the myth is emerging.

Here we are, just barely begun, and look what else we've stumbled upon: a holy conundrum. Love does not BOAST.

Who-ah.

Sharing time!

Is there no inherent value to boasting? Is there no profit, no elevation, no satisfaction, no glory? Is there no driving need for boasting in a city so high on a hill, its skyscrapers booming, lights of eminent wonders trading places with the sun, its candescence a marvel through the nights? Doesn't overwhelming evidence not provide a consistently loud and clear answer? Haven't the shy and the subordinated not yet learned the foolishness of hiding lights under bushels? Where, beside the beaten and bowed, is there no boast? What about the servile and enslaved would so highly recommend love that it has no need or want to boast?

I recall a moment vividly. I was standing smack in the thick of it, but was much too naive then to appreciate its lasting import. The mother arrived. She took her daughter's left hand, lifted it high and looked at the new ring. She gazed at it. Then she said, "I'll need my glasses to see the diamond, dear."

It took me years to figure that one out.

Oh, the stories I'm heaving to tell you now - Oooh-weee! - but I need these telling breaths, so I'll hold those tigers in our leather bag, though its zip is barely shut.

Love does not boast. It does not flaunt itself. Is it stupid? Has it never heard of street cred? And with no proof beyond bruised sentimentality dares to show up, stand up, and speak out in this rarified air? Is it retarded? No curricula vitae worthy amongst the esteemed of oohs and ahs, and yet has the chutzpah to vie for the chair? What the . . . who are you?

"Who-ah! I am Love! I do not boast."

Were I Love's Whisperer, I might have said, "Tell them they are nothing more than high-flying flim-flams. Tell them their lights are frictive flickers - wild stones clashing in a windowless dark. Mimic Paul to them. Say, if I should boast you wouldn't fit on my toenail." Alas, Love needs no whisperer! Supreme angels are at hand. And not only that! Love does not boast.

Love does not boast.

Perhaps we are looking at this all wrong; our view is obstructed. Perhaps we need a microscope, and to sift love under brighter lights. Through this square of the grid, see: love is free of the burden of arrogance. It has wings. And so fluid it is, it is unchainable. One can dip it and taste it, but not bottle it or deplete it.

Amazing.

Perhaps we are not looking at it all quite right; our view is limited. Perhaps there are scales across our eyes; I don't know. Perhaps rose-colored lenses, since we've been on Solomon's bed, which is fragrant and sweet. "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee." That's the love we are seeking. That's the love we want. And it's here. We see it. We hear it. We feel it. But only here. It's an amazing song!

Perhaps we are engorged. Blessed with a new birth. Our nurturing instincts are crying out. I adore my baby. I need my baby. I want my baby. I must protect my baby. This baby is mine. My milk is ready; my baby is not weened. That's the love we are seeking. That's the love we want. A protective love! Reserved! A nurturing love. And it is here. We see it. We hear it. We feel it. But only here. It is a sacrifice beyond measure.

So amazing!

Perhaps we're trapped in the trenches, encircled, smoke from the battle burning our eyes. Our survival instinct is high. Our trigger finger is heavy. "My lovingkindness and my fortress, My stronghold and my deliverer, My shield and He in whom I take refuge. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah." That is the love we are seeking. That's the love we desperately need. A triumphant love! And it is here. We see it. We hear it. We feel it. But only here. It is a glorious affirmation.

Extraordinarily amazing!

Perhaps we're at the water's edge, where the sky is blue and the wind is at rest, and we see ourselves reflected. Gorgeously framed. Magnificently formed and woven from the womb. Superb. "How precious are your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them. If I should count them they would outnumber the sand. When I am awake I am still with you." That is the love we are seeking. That's the love we crave. An embracing love! Accepted. And it is here. We see it. We hear it. We feel it. But only here. It is a holy confirmation. Breath-taking! Amazing. And yet, it is a love that does not boast.

What if - what if - at each awareness of limitation, at each moment of hunger for fullfillment, and in our want to not be discounted or excluded or disregarded when the shout of inherent worthiness and earned worthiness and preferred worthiness are bubbling for a blow, what if instead of initiating a spectacular eruption, we look in each other's eyes and begin to experience a love reflected, the love that other sees and hears and feels, and allow that other the very experience of us? What if we do this for the sake of honesty, for the sake of truth, for the sake of discovery, and see, if perchance, there is a reason love does not boast. Perhaps, it has no need.

Step this way. Peek through my scope. See if you see what I see: another of love's 'secret' superpowers - humility! True humility! Not hidden. Not covered. Solid. Sturdy. Strong. Unflappable. And look there! A facet I've not yet named. Perhaps it already has a name.

Do you see it too?

Love does not boast. This is not a shy love; it is bold. Unbowed! it is an embracing love, an unbending love. It has a 'secret' super power: humility, Isn't it awesome to discover 'love does not . . . boast?'

Being fully functional and wholly human!

Love . . .

This was said before; let's say it again.

"Love is an active, accountable, responsible 'being' that makes decisions reflective of its authentic self."

Love has this secret superpower - humility - the sweet manure of lasting growth.

I love a good garden, and gardening, and the dedication of an honest gardener - thanks to me mama!

The seed - humble fellow - has earned a good place, and rightly so, in our common consciousness. The mustard seed! Acorns too! It's the season, you know.

My SuperStarKids keep collecting and hoarding acorns at every chance during their training (play really). I have to keep extending my hand in a beg for these prized collections from them, with a repeated promise I'll return them gently and in tact at the end of each session. I do this to keep them focused on their training. It's become a thing now. It fosters trust.

Good seeds grow into wonderful trees, naturally wanting to, but must be nurtured. Isn't that so? The sun and the wind and the rain will do their part, measuredly, but not always in the right measures if left entirely alone. Isn't that so?

I think so.

Love plays its part. It's a good role love plays. When that's done, even a casual passerby knows it. He feels it and is uplifted. She fetches the feeling like a good seed to the next stop.

Don't you agree?

Growth! Humility is required of it. That's the wonder. But here's the thing! So so so so often unseen. Not only seeds do this. Some leaves do too. They come equipped. You set that leaf in the soil; it roots. Then out of that leaf several plants grow. It is beautiful to watch. Have you seen this?

You should. It's an awesome thing.

And not only leaves do this. Limbs do too. And stalks. And here is one more I'm sure you know: bulbs do it too. Humbly they do their part to foster growth - new plants, new trees, replenishing our gardens. And love plays a part, a really good part. It's the secret sauce. Every plant, every bush, every tree know this secret sauce. Love. It does not boast.

There is no need. What do you think?

"Knowledge that takes you not beyond yourself is far worse than ignorance." Elif Shafak.

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Something To Consider

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You are

What a PRIVILEGE!