Tip of the Day 6/1/12

99 Days of Summer: Stop at your local Chamber of Commerce or Tourism office and pick up some brochures on activities in your area and plan to be a "tourist" this summer. It is amazing how many things you can find to do in your own town that you never think about. Put each of the activities on a slip of paper and pull one out each time you are looking for someplace to go for the day.

Word for Today, Longsuffering. We live in an agricultural smorgasboard here in southwest Michigan. From May - October there are fruit stands on seemingly every corner and the Farmer's Market is bursting with new produce every week. Starting with the asparagus and ending with the grapes and pumpkins, with everything in between our taste buds are delighted. As we enjoy the literal fruits of our neighbors labors it is easy to forget what he has gone through to produce this feast for us. This spring brought an early heat wave to our area followed by some late freezes which destroyed a lot of the grape and apple crop. It is heartbreaking to see a farmer that can't make it through another year. They are a picture of true longsuffering. As Christians we are told that longsuffering is part of the fruit we bear in this life. It is actually a sign that we belong to Christ and are filled with His Spirit. When we read the list of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives we love the other ones, love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, but God put longsuffering right in the middle of that list. Just like the farmer we must endure everything thrown our way in order to bear good fruit. We are not alone in the journey. We are told God is longsuffering and will help us as we seek to be as well. "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth."