Tea and Fruit

Dannah Gresh: Hey there, True Girl. Before we get started today, “Hi.” Staci and I just spent the weekend with a whole gaggle of you at the Museum of the Bible. 

Staci Rudolph: A gaggle?

Dannah: Yeah, a gaggle. It’s a group of geese.

Staci: You and your animals! The Museum of the Bible was the perfect place for the annual True Girl Pop Up Party, though. We loved it. 

Dannah: And we loved teaching you how to study the Bible. 

Staci: We also loved meeting you, and I wanted to say a few hellos. 

Dannah: Right. Aria, hi. Aria was the one wearing that awesome neon-colored, sequined, bomber jacket. Staci, did you see her?

Staci: Oh, did that girl worship! 

Dannah: Yep! And she told me she memorized Scripture with us during the “Flourishing Forests”season of the podcast on Psalm 92. 

Staci: That’s pretty cool. 

And Emma, who told us she loved learning about the ancient city of Susa in the “Finding Esther” season. 

Dannah: That’s right. Hey there Emma! Loved getting to spend time with you! 

Of course, there were more, but we just wanted to say we loved meeting you. And I want to invite you to check out MyTrueGirl.com. You can find out where the True Girl Crazy Hair Tour will be coming in the next few weeks, because we could meet you there, and we’d love to hear what you loved about the podcast. The True Girl Crazy Hair Tour teaches us to stand strong and stick out in a world that thinks God’s ways are crazy.

And we’re okay with that, because normal is overrated. Let’s get God crazy together at the True Girl Crazy Hair Tour. Go to MyTrueGirl.com to find out what thirty cities, we’ll be hitting this spring. 

Staci: Okay, let’s do this season of the True Girl podcast, Dannah. I want to say something that never gets said.

Here’s Claire Black. 

Claire Black: Welcome to True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together we’ll explore God’s truth for us, one drive at a time.Buckle up! You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus!

Do you like fruit? I sure do! My favorite is kiwi. This season of the True Girl podcast is gonna be all about fruit—like apples and bananas and pomegranates . . . and mostly about other kinds of fruit that you can’t taste. Sounds interesting, right?

In season 15, titled “A Recipe for a Fruitful Life," Dannah Gresh and Staci Rudolph are serving up all the best ingredients for growing in the Fruit of the Spirit! (And they’ll share some wonderful recipes to try.) Each episode explores one of God's sweet fruits like love, joy, or kindness, showing you how to mix these ingredients into your daily life. 

Let’s listen in. Staci Rudolph, our cohost, has just made a flight to visit Dannah Gresh and is sitting in the kitchen at her house. But Dannah hasn’t told her what they’re going to be doing, so let’s find out in episode 1 called, “Tea and Fruit.”Here’s Staci.

Staci: Thanks for the tea, Dannah! I needed it after that rough flight . . . and getting up at 4:30 this morning!

Dannah: Yeah, I would need it too! You’ve had quite the day already. How’s that ginger pear tea?

Staci: Well, it’s interesting. You’d think I wouldn’t be able to taste the pear through the ginger, but I can. I like it, and the biscuits are delicious!

Dannah: Thanks. And you know what? I’ll make sure I give you the recipe!

Staci: Sounds good. So, be honest with me, do you have my life all planned out?

Dannah: Well for the next week while you’re here, yes.

Staci: Fill me in.

Dannah: Well, look around my kitchen. What do you see?

Staci: Uh . . . sink . . . fridge . . . stove . . . what’s that have to do with anything?

Dannah: No, I mean, what do you see that isn’t in everybody’s kitchen?

Staci: Well, you do seem to have way more fruit on your counters than is normal at this time of year.

Dannah: Ding, ding, ding!

Staci: Oranges and bananas are pretty normal. But peaches? Blueberries?

Dannah: Yeah, I know peaches and blueberries aren’t exactly in season, but that’s what we’re doing.

Staci: Huh? Sitting around and eating fruit?

Dannah: No, baking . . . baking fruit! You know, pies and cakes and things like that.

Staci: Oh, okay. That sounds fun! I gotta warn you, though, one time I burned a pan of frozen lasagna, so I’m no expert baker. 

Dannah: Aw, that’s okay, Staci. You don’t have to be an expert. I’ve had my fair share of flops—but I enjoy it. And . . . I do make a pretty nice apple pie, if I say so myself. But we’re just gonna have some fun.

Staci: Sounds great. What’s the occasion?

Dannah: There isn’t one, really, except, well, we’re recording a season of the True Girl podcast. Hello, True Girl, once again! 

Staci: Yeah, hey there. Glad you’re here!

Dannah: In this season, I want to talk about fruit in the Bible. Can you guess which fruit?

Staci: Hmm. Well, there’s Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 

Dannah: Yeah, but that’s not it. Keep going.

Staci: Oh, and isn’t there a story about the Israelites putting poisonous fruit into soup?

Dannah: It was gourds . . . not exactly fruit, but I’ll take it.

Staci: There are plenty of pomegranates in the Bible!

Dannah: Yep. In the tabernacle.

Staci: Jesus talked about fruit—vines and fruit and being known by our fruit.

Dannah: Yeah, yeah! You’re getting closer.

Staci: Oh, okay . . . I know where you’re going! Galatians 5—the fruit of the Spirit!

Dannah: Exactly! That’s what I was thinking of!

Staci: We get to talk about the fruit of the Spirit? That’s great!

Dannah: Yeah, and I wanna start right now. You want more tea before I start?

Staci: Uh, sure. Thanks.

Dannah: So first, we need to read the verses that talk about the fruit of the Spirit. Can you do that? You can grab that Bible on my dining room hutch.

Staci: Okay, of course. 

Dannah: Find Galatians 5:22–23.

Staci: Alright!

Here we go! Galatians 5:22–23 says: 

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things.

Dannah: Thanks, Staci. So . . . love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. All good and . . . well, all these things are things that we want to have in our lives, right?

Staci: Agreed!

Dannah: Staci, I wonder if you at any time had the same misunderstanding about the fruit of the Spirit that a lot of people do.

Staci: What’s that?

Dannah: That it’s a list of things we’re supposed to try really hard to do.

Staci: Yeah, if I’m honest, I have. I think I get really focused on accomplishing and achieving, and I think that I have to do everything in my own strength. So I did kind of think it was trying to, you know, be as good or as kind or as gentle as I possibly could. 

Dannah: Mhmm. 

Staci: And I mean, if we’re honest, it’s an understandable mistake, because lots of times people tell us to practice the fruit of the Spirit. 

Dannah: Yes. And, it is true that those things do need some practicing, but there’s more to it than that.

Staci: For one thing, what’s it have to do with fruit? Hey, wouldn’t that be great if there were “patience” trees and “kindness” trees? I think I’d want to make a self-control pie and eat it!

Dannah: Ha ha. That would be nice. But . . . it doesn’t work that way. 

So, last time you had your big dictionary with you. Did you bring it this time?

Staci: Ah, no. Too heavy for a plane!

Dannah: Well then, can you just look up the definition of fruit on your phone?

Staci: Sure. But, um . . . I think I know what that word means, Dannah.

Dannah: Indulge me, friend!

Staci: Okay, well . . . Wow! There are probably eight definitions here on Merriam Webster! Let me just read the ones that seem relevant.

One, “a product of plant growth (such as grain, vegetables, or cotton).”

Dannah: Mmm. 

Staci: Two, “the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant; especially: one having a sweet pulp associated with the seed.” 

Dannah: Okay, so basically, apples and bananas fruit.

Staci: Yeah. Three, offspring or progeny.

Dannah: Big words! No, that’s not the one I’m looking for either.

Staci: Oh, hey, is this one it? “The effect or consequence of an action or operation.” 

Dannah: Yep! That’s it.

Staci: So that means that sometimes the word “fruit” is a result of something else happening, right?

Dannah: Exactly! For instance, Staci, did you know that an apple tree won’t produce apples unless bees and other insects go into the blossoms and spread the pollen around to the right places? Apples are a result of the bees’ pollination!

Staci: Ah, now that’s cool! But Dannah, what’s that have to do with the fruit of the Spirit?

Dannah: I’m going back to Galatians 5 now. See, because of that other definition of the word “fruit,” we know that that phrase “fruit of the Spirit” means that those qualities—love, joy, peace, and the others—come from the Spirit. They are the result of Him! So, it’s not about me trying really hard to be loving and kind. You see?

Staci: I get it! So when the Holy Spirit works in my heart, I can ask Him to make me loving and peaceful and gentle, and He will.

Dannah: Yes. Now, it doesn’t happen all at once. But the Bible tells us that when we trust in Jesus to save us from sin, then the Holy Spirit lives inside us and changes us. Do you know what that’s called?

Staci: Yeah. It’s a big word: sanc-ti-fi-ca-tion. That means that the Holy Spirit makes us holy like God.

Dannah: Yes, and True Girl, let me tell you how you can remember that word. When I learn a new word, I remember it better if I know where it came from. So, here’s a language lesson for you. The word “sanctification” comes from the Latin word sanctus, which means holy.

Staci: Hey, I like that! That’s a shorter word than sanctification, anyway.

Dannah: Yeah. Like I said, that process of being made holy or set apart for God, kind of like your fancy dishes at home are set apart for Christmas dinner, you know what I’m saying?

Staci: It’s not the more theological definition, but it gets to the point. 

Sanctification is about us being totally different than the world, right?

Dannah: But sanctification doesn’t happen all at once. I’m not completely sanctified yet. You can just ask Farmer Bob. 

Now, sometimes I’m not self-controlled or I forget to love or I’m grumpy instead of joyful when times are hard.

Staci: Me, too. Just this morning I got really grumpy because the guy next to me on the plane wouldn’t turn off his light. I wanted to sleep!

Dannah: Yeah, I’ve been there, done that. Now, we won’t be fully sanctified until God takes us home to heaven. And neither will you, True Girl. But it’s the Holy Spirit working in us that makes us able to live out the fruit of the Spirit. When you see someone who has the fruit of the Spirit, that shows that his or her heart has been or is being changed by God. 

Staci: That makes sense. And you know what? This morning when I got so grumpy, after a while I prayed and asked God to forgive me, and I asked Him to make me patient with the man, and guess what?

Dannah: What?

Staci: He did! I wasn’t grumpy anymore after that.

Dannah: That’s so great, Staci! God really does answer prayer, sometimes in obvious ways.

Staci: He sure does!

Dannah: And it took your prayer and calling on God’s Spirit to produce the fruit of the Spirit.

Staci: True that! 

Dannah: Your patience was a result of the Holy Spirit. Now, there’s something else really important we need to understand.

Staci: What’s that?

Dannah: When you buy fruit from the store, you can buy whatever kind you want (if they have it). Apples, grapes, kiwi . . . it doesn’t matter. But with the fruit of the Spirit, you can’t pick and choose. You can’t decide, “Today I want to be kind, but not joyful.” Like we said, we don’t always live out the fruit of the Spirit perfectly, but a true child of God has a bit of all of them.

It kind of like one giant watermelon, apple, raspberry, banana, kiwi, mango, peach, salad. You get a big old fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Staci: Thanks for clarifying that!

Hey, Dannah, can I read a longer portion of Galatians 5? I want to make sure we don’t take the fruit of the Spirit out of context!

Dannah: Please do!

Staci: Okay, let me start in verse 16.

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. (vv. 16–17)

And then Paul gives a list of just a few “works of the flesh,” or sins. Big things like worshiping things other than God Himself, and getting drunk, and some sin that you might be tempted to think isn’t such a big deal, like: anger, jealousy, fighting, arguing. Then he says:

Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. (v. 21)

Dannah: He’s not beating around the bush!

Staci: You’re right about that. Let me keep reading. 

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (vv. 22–23)

Sounds like one of those “put off, put on” passages you hear about! Huh?

Dannah: That’s because it is. Paul’s saying that who you are before you know Christ and who you are after you know Jesus are completely different! You are a new person, and so God will develop new qualities in you. Even though you still sin sometimes, you aren’t completely controlled by sin like you were before.

Staci: And guess what? Those qualities—the fruit of the Spirit—are the same ones God has. I think that’s so cool!

Dannah: Me too! And we’re going to talk a lot more about that.

For now, do you want to get started with some baking?

Staci: Let’s get to it! But first, I need another biscuit.

Claire: I can’t wait to see what kinds of yummy things Dannah and Staci are going to bake! I hope they start with pumpkin pie. 

Maybe you’d like to do some baking with your mom or grandma after you listen to each episode in this season. Well guess what? We’re going to give you recipes for everything Dannah and Staci make! Today’s recipe is for Buttery Biscuits. Go to this episode of the True Girl podcast at ReviveOurHearts.com, and you’ll find the recipe in the transcript! 

Dannah and Staci talked about how the fruit of the Spirit is a result of God’s work in our hearts, not something we can just try really hard to do. Have you thought about that before? And have you trusted Him to do that work in your heart? 

For example, if you have trouble being patient with your little brother, you could ask God’s Spirit to enable you to become patient! We’ll learn more about each of these qualities or results of God’s Spirit in our lives as we move through this season. 

On the next episode, Dannah and Staci will dive into the first fruit of the Spirit: love. I hope you’ll be back for that.

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts, calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ!

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Buttery Biscuits

Recipe from A Taste of the Lodge, ⓒ 2019, Life Action Ministries.

2 cups flour

3½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

½ cup cold butter, cubed

⅔ cup milk

1 tablespoon honey

Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside. 

Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Cut in cold butter cubes until they resemble peas. Whisk together milk and honey, then add to flour mixture. 

Stir just until dough starts to come together. Pour mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until dough is able to be formed into a rectangular shape. (To keep dough tender, use your hands, not a rolling pin.) 

A flaky biscuit is created by layering the dough. Handle gently when layering. Fold dough into thirds; pat the dough down and fold again into thirds. Pat the layered dough into a thick (¾”) rectangle.

Cut the dough with a long knife into 8 equal squares. Place biscuits on baking tray about 2” apart. Let them rest for 15 minutes, then bake 10 minutes or until golden brown. 

Brust tops with melted butter. 

Serves 8

 

*Offers available only during the broadcast of the podcast season.