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Bookshop Genres Fruit for Thought: Recovering the Original Fruit/s of the Spirit and Harvesting It/Them Today by Art Edwards
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About the author

When it comes to professions, Art Edwards has bounced around a bit. He's worked in an amusement park where he was a beauty queen, engineer, train robber, and undertaker. He served on special assignments as a United Methodist minister in The Purple Dragon Coffee House at the Jersey Shore and in a State Park ministry in Washington's Okanogan Valley. He worked as a somewhat regular minister in New Jersey, Illinois, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska. After losing his voice, he re-invented himself at various incarnations of AT&T as a technical writer, speech writer, AT&T Foundation COO, and leader for an in-house PR agency. His retirement has included travel and new world views thanks to his four grandkids. He and his wife Joyce live in Decatur, Georgia.
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Fruit for Thought
Recovering the Original Fruit/s of the Spirit and Harvesting It/Them Today
by Art Edwards

Overview

If you take the Bible literally, you might want to read this book. It recovers the meanings of the Greek words Paul used and which his audience understood when he wrote about the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.

If you're looking for 21st-century real-life examples of what Paul meant by the Fruit of the Spirit, wander through these pages.

If you want to expand your faith horizons by connecting ancient wisdom to surprising topics like the movie Avatar, Flatland, string theory, and the multiverse, dig in.

Read more

Description

I first heard about the Fruit of the Spirit when I was about 15. I began my church life when many people end theirs. The Fruit of the Spirit verses were catchy, and I memorized them as I did many other parts of The King James Bible. To this day, the only Bible verses I can quote come out of my mouth in 17th-century English.

Even though I could recite the verses, their meanings eluded me. But, please understand, I thought I knew what they meant. After all, how many meanings could straightforward words like joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and love have?

OK, even at 15, I knew there was more than one meaning for “love,” but I didn’t think any of the other “Fruit” words held multiple meanings. I was well into my 60s before I discovered how wrong I had been about this.


As much as I loved (and love) The King James Bible, it wasn’t written in the language Jesus spoke. Yes, at some level, I knew that. Though Anglo-centric and arrogant, I wasn’t a complete idiot.


But beginning with a 3D movie (Avatar), continuing with the discovery of a 2D world (Flatland), and moving into a multiverse with 11 or 13 dimensions (String Theory), it started to dawn on me that there was much more to the Fruit of the Spirit than I realized.


This book meanders along my path to a more complete understanding of some words from nearly 2000 years ago. These words were first spoken in a language that has disappeared, written in a language I don’t speak, came from a place I’ve never been, and were part of a culture I can’t imagine.

After regaining the original meanings of the words, I've connected them with the realities of contemporary life including insights from Oscar Romero, Margaret Mead, Big John, Keri Strug, my grandchildren, and my Dad.

No matter whether you are churched or unchurched, spiritual and/or religious, or just open-minded without being empty-headed, I hope you'll join me on this journey and in so doing see the Fruit of the Spirit that surrounds you.

Read more

Overview

If you take the Bible literally, you might want to read this book. It recovers the meanings of the Greek words Paul used and which his audience understood when he wrote about the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.

If you're looking for 21st-century real-life examples of what Paul meant by the Fruit of the Spirit, wander through these pages.

If you want to expand your faith horizons by connecting ancient wisdom to surprising topics like the movie Avatar, Flatland, string theory, and the multiverse, dig in.

Read more

Description

I first heard about the Fruit of the Spirit when I was about 15. I began my church life when many people end theirs. The Fruit of the Spirit verses were catchy, and I memorized them as I did many other parts of The King James Bible. To this day, the only Bible verses I can quote come out of my mouth in 17th-century English.

Even though I could recite the verses, their meanings eluded me. But, please understand, I thought I knew what they meant. After all, how many meanings could straightforward words like joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and love have?

OK, even at 15, I knew there was more than one meaning for “love,” but I didn’t think any of the other “Fruit” words held multiple meanings. I was well into my 60s before I discovered how wrong I had been about this.


As much as I loved (and love) The King James Bible, it wasn’t written in the language Jesus spoke. Yes, at some level, I knew that. Though Anglo-centric and arrogant, I wasn’t a complete idiot.


But beginning with a 3D movie (Avatar), continuing with the discovery of a 2D world (Flatland), and moving into a multiverse with 11 or 13 dimensions (String Theory), it started to dawn on me that there was much more to the Fruit of the Spirit than I realized.


This book meanders along my path to a more complete understanding of some words from nearly 2000 years ago. These words were first spoken in a language that has disappeared, written in a language I don’t speak, came from a place I’ve never been, and were part of a culture I can’t imagine.

After regaining the original meanings of the words, I've connected them with the realities of contemporary life including insights from Oscar Romero, Margaret Mead, Big John, Keri Strug, my grandchildren, and my Dad.

No matter whether you are churched or unchurched, spiritual and/or religious, or just open-minded without being empty-headed, I hope you'll join me on this journey and in so doing see the Fruit of the Spirit that surrounds you.

Read more

Book details

Genre:RELIGION

Subgenre:Christian Living / Devotional

Language:English

Pages:98

Hardcover ISBN:9781667858401

Overview

If you take the Bible literally, you might want to read this book. It recovers the meanings of the Greek words Paul used and which his audience understood when he wrote about the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.

If you're looking for 21st-century real-life examples of what Paul meant by the Fruit of the Spirit, wander through these pages.

If you want to expand your faith horizons by connecting ancient wisdom to surprising topics like the movie Avatar, Flatland, string theory, and the multiverse, dig in.

Read more

Description

I first heard about the Fruit of the Spirit when I was about 15. I began my church life when many people end theirs. The Fruit of the Spirit verses were catchy, and I memorized them as I did many other parts of The King James Bible. To this day, the only Bible verses I can quote come out of my mouth in 17th-century English.

Even though I could recite the verses, their meanings eluded me. But, please understand, I thought I knew what they meant. After all, how many meanings could straightforward words like joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and love have?

OK, even at 15, I knew there was more than one meaning for “love,” but I didn’t think any of the other “Fruit” words held multiple meanings. I was well into my 60s before I discovered how wrong I had been about this.


As much as I loved (and love) The King James Bible, it wasn’t written in the language Jesus spoke. Yes, at some level, I knew that. Though Anglo-centric and arrogant, I wasn’t a complete idiot.


But beginning with a 3D movie (Avatar), continuing with the discovery of a 2D world (Flatland), and moving into a multiverse with 11 or 13 dimensions (String Theory), it started to dawn on me that there was much more to the Fruit of the Spirit than I realized.


This book meanders along my path to a more complete understanding of some words from nearly 2000 years ago. These words were first spoken in a language that has disappeared, written in a language I don’t speak, came from a place I’ve never been, and were part of a culture I can’t imagine.

After regaining the original meanings of the words, I've connected them with the realities of contemporary life including insights from Oscar Romero, Margaret Mead, Big John, Keri Strug, my grandchildren, and my Dad.

No matter whether you are churched or unchurched, spiritual and/or religious, or just open-minded without being empty-headed, I hope you'll join me on this journey and in so doing see the Fruit of the Spirit that surrounds you.

Read more

About the author

When it comes to professions, Art Edwards has bounced around a bit. He's worked in an amusement park where he was a beauty queen, engineer, train robber, and undertaker. He served on special assignments as a United Methodist minister in The Purple Dragon Coffee House at the Jersey Shore and in a State Park ministry in Washington's Okanogan Valley. He worked as a somewhat regular minister in New Jersey, Illinois, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska. After losing his voice, he re-invented himself at various incarnations of AT&T as a technical writer, speech writer, AT&T Foundation COO, and leader for an in-house PR agency. His retirement has included travel and new world views thanks to his four grandkids. He and his wife Joyce live in Decatur, Georgia.

Read more

Book Reviews

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Don 		Fruit For Thought This book is a labor of love that shines light on the deeper meanings and dimensions of words we use to refer to the Fruits of the Spirit. These words are too easily glossed over in our one-dimensional “Flatland” and our “flat thinking.” We so often squash the meaningfulness of these words for fear that they just might snag us into some uncomfortable action like genuinely sharing an experience with others. Gliding over the top may be faster and smoother, but a twist and turn now and then, maybe even a fall, might have a bigger and better payoff later. For example, the discussion of the Fruit of the Spirit that we call “Joy,” teaches that something like sitting down at a birthday celebration table with a 4-year-old who won’t rest until we all take up our party hats and honkers just might be a good thing. Maybe, just maybe, that “uncomfortable” fulfilling of everyone’s joy might touch a dimension of our lives decades later, at some poignant moment when we want others around — others with whom we need to share something. We simply don’t know, and that’s OK. God might make much more progress with us in living and sharing the Fruits of the Spirit if we were paper-coned and honking more often. The book also illustrates the consequence of living the Fruit instead of fleeing it. The discussion on the Fruit of “Peace” as modeled by Bishop Oscar Romero exposes the danger of actively working for reconciliation, as well as the killing anger such “peacemakers” can engender in others. In this case, Bishop Romero received the flat, one-dimensional response of a single bullet. The author's personal stories, from the heart and always on point, shine a light on dimensions of meaning we might have missed on our own. Here’s one that surfaced for me: Perhaps we are sometimes the ones who were meant to turn the darkness into light. There’s light here. Take a look. Read more
Molly 		Understanding in a New Way Reviewed by Diana Lopez for Readers’ Favorite Fruit for Thought: Recovering the Original Fruit/s of the Spirit and Harvesting It/Them Today will help you understand the Bible in a new way. It focuses on redefining the original meanings of ancient words with simple explanations. The information is based on the New Testament, mainly on the words of Paul and the meaning of the fruits of the spirit that he mentions. To provide a background, Art Edwards begins by narrating how he became involved with the church at the age of 15. He provides a new perspective to give readers a starting point in understanding the complexity of defining God. He then describes his journey to come to a fuller comprehension of the Bible. He emphasizes the meaning of crucial terms such as love, based on his interpretation of Greek terminology. I liked Art Edwards’ narrative style. He uses explanations based on history, everyday situations, and modern culture. The result is a book that is informative, thought-provoking, and easy to understand, yet remains personal. Edwards shares the doubts that he had and how he sought to obtain answers, adding that you can always expand your knowledge. In explaining the meaning of words derived from the original Greek text, he provides the context according to the understanding of the people of Paul's time. This allows us to understand some biblical passages quite differently. Fruit for Thought can be read by someone new to the Bible or those who are already familiar with it. The arguments are concrete and focus on the fruit of the spirit which Paul described. The book allows readers to view morality in a different light, according to the teachings of the Bible, but with a better understanding of the concepts. Read more
Arthur 		Opening a Crack in the Biblical Parchment Reviewed by Carmen Tenorio for Readers’ Favorite Fruit for Thought: Recovering the Original Fruit/s of the Spirit and Harvesting It/Them Today sheds light on a profound yet concise list of nine hallmarks of Christian virtues or the Fruit of the Spirit found in the Apostle Paul's letter to the early Christian communities located in the ancient provinces of Turkey known as Galatia. Art Edwards attempts to recapture the true spirit and meanings behind the nearly two millennia-year-old Greek words that the Apostle Paul has used in his writings. Following his attempts to recover the original meanings, he made connections between these ancient words and the realities of 21st-century modern life and culture, drawing his observations from movies, novellas, scientific theory, prominent personalities, heroes, and more personally from his own experience with his family and church community. By analyzing St. Paul's doctrine in this manner, the author also wishes to arrive at a deeper and more relevant point of view and understanding of who the Christian God in the New Testament is without getting lost in translation. Reading how Art Edwards matches the Fruit of the Spirit embodied in Christian teachings with his own everyday experiences can be touching, entertaining, and relatable. It is a well-researched work, and his views on important people and events help give his interpretations a more expansive view of what Christian thought and action are and what they should be. His modern analysis of old themes ultimately helps open a crack in the biblical parchment that leads to a better, more enlightened, and precise view of what it truly means to be inspired by the Spirit in our current life. His brilliant similes also give a good, clearer insight into several points that he has made. Fruit for Thought offers a different perspective on Christianity and its character that urges us to interpret actual words, acts, and their meanings more deeply and plausibly than most traditional Bible followers have done. A recommended read for people who are already devout Christians, as well as for those whose faith or beliefs might be different or those who have lost them along the way. Read more
Wayne 		Fruit for Thought Art Edwards has a unique talent for studying words and phrases in the Bible and explaining what they meant to the people of that time and how the various language translations, however well intentioned, have lost the original meanings. He makes what could easily be a dry and boring history lesson into a light and fun story time. Read more