Shaun Groves
I’ll be singing about fruit in the Nashville area next Wednesday night. Otter Creek Church of Christ in Brentwood, Tennessee is hosting a series of concerts/conversations all about what Christians call the “fruit of the Spirit.”
I know a little about fruit. We have peach trees in our backyard. I know they’re peach trees because of what they make: peaches. I know they’re peaches because they’re furry, tart, sweet, pitted, yellow and deep red and light orange. That’s what a peach is.
The bible says that Christians are people attached to God, connected to the Him like fruit on a tree. They grow and live because the Spirit of God flows from the tree through the branches and into the Christian who really, like a peach, can do no growing or maturing on her own. A Christian is the fruit of God, so to speak – what HE makes. And that fruit – a Christian – has certain qualities. Just as certainly as a peach has fuzz, a person connected to God has love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Next Wednesday night I’m supposed to pick one of those attributes and sing songs that have something to do with it. And a preacher guy – a professor of something at a university in town, actually – will be leading a discussion of that attribute and how my music relates to it. No pressure. So between now and then I need to figure out what words like “love” and “kindness” mean as they’re used in this part of the bible.
I have this fear of putting words in God’s mouth. The word “peace,” for instance, can mean “no conflict between individuals” or it can mean “wholeness in all parts.” Big difference. The difference between me singing “Peace Has Broken Out” or “Welcome Home.” The word “gentleness” can mean “bridled, under the control of a master” or it can mean “soft.” So I could sing “White Flag” or “Damage Done.”
And it’s not just about determining which songs I sing; it’s about expressing accurately what a Christian is. That’s a pretty weighty task for a musician (a post for another time). A Christian is not in conflict with anyone else or a Christian is becoming whole or both? A Christian is a slave to God or nice to be around or both?
Show up next Wednesday at Otter Creek Church of Christ to find out if I found any answers…and to bring answers and questions of your own. It’s supposed to be one hour of back-and-forth. See you there.
keith says:
Otters are kind of soft… and peaceful.
Todd says:
How are you going to do those songs a cappella? That seems like a bigger challenge!
anne jackson says:
holy cow, so this will mean i actually get to see you in the flesh the first time since moving here?
Shaun Groves says:
Is there a woman without the ability to create guilt through the the passive aggressive arts?
Yes, Anne, for the first time since you moved here we will hang out.
And, yes, it will be difficult to sing Welcome Home without a piano but harder still to sing for people who may very well believe I’m going to hell. Seriously, these folks aren’t that kind of Church of Christ. In fact, I’ve never actually met those kind of Church of Christ folks. Do they still exist?
anne jackson says:
i initially intended to put a disclaimer on there, but took it off at the last minute.
Todd says:
They do indeed still exist, but I’m sure they’ve written off Otter Creek long ago. You should try to find some other CofC’s in Nashville and read their bulletins in the coming weeks. You’ll probably see a story about you and your confirmation of the Otter Creek heresy.
If only I were joking…
Shaun Groves says:
No disclaimers needed, Anne. My sarcasm is just turned up to eleven today.
anne jackson says:
only?
Tamara Cosby says:
I’m coming and bringing a friend! Can’t wait!
anne jackson says:
see…tamara wasn’t passive aggressive.
ToilingAnt says:
the Christian who really, like a peach, can do no growing or maturing on her own. A Christian is the fruit of God, so to speak – what HE makes.
Thanks, I really needed to be reminded of that today. 1 Cor. 3:7
Kyle says:
I did a study on the fruit of the Spirit recently with some college students recently.
There was a neat response to “peace” which is the greek word “eirene”, which means “oneness”.
We drew a lot of parallels between external wars and internal wars.
It’s seems as though many of us have a lot of political factions inside our own skin, and we’re trying to support all of them.
In world where most everybody seems to be fragmented and “at war” inside, it was helpful for us to pray for seek after “oneness”.
Erin says:
I say you thief the song I once heard Chris Rice do (which I’m guessing he thiefed from someone, too).
“Oooooohhhhhh, the fruit of the spirit’s not a banana (insert jump to look banana-shaped) ….
oh the fruit of the spirt’s not a banana (another jump)
oh the fruit of the spirit’s not a banana (no jump this time), but this is what it is:
lovejoypeacepatiencekindnessgoodnessfaithfulness
gentlenessandself-controoooool
lovejoypeacepatiencekindnessgoodnessfaithfulness
gentlenessandself-controoooool
and so on and so forth with other fruits and their appropriate actions.
Shaun Groves says:
If the audience is entirely made up of fifth graders I promise you, Erin, I will.
Phil Wilson says:
I’ll be there.
Actually, I’ll be running your sound.