I love fruit!!! Especially fresh fruit! I have been so excited this year because of the large willowy pear tree and the beautifully broad fig tree in my new backyard. I couldn't wait for August to arrive so I could watch the trees come to life, and then learn how to make my Grandmother's incredible pear preserves! August has come and gone, but without any fruit! Pictured above is the only piece of fruit I have seen this year. One lonely pear, and even it was too small to eat! I have no idea why my trees did not bear fruit this year, but what I know is I have no fruit. And while I did not curse the fig tree, I was reminded of the many references to "fruit" throughout scripture, and that Christ makes it clear to us that life outside of Him is fruitless!

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:1-8)

I'm sure there have been plenty of days that God has been disappointed by my fruitless efforts, but it comforts me to know that it is not I, but the "Vine" that produces the fruit. If I am in Christ I cannot help but bear fruit. I desire nothing more than to bring glory to God, and it is to His glory that I bear much fruit... yet, not I, but Christ!

I don't have any good excuses for being blog-deficient these past few months other than my experiment with building a website, which is finally about to make its debut. I am currently waiting on Pay Pal issues to be resolved so I can complete the Zambia section and release it to the public. I have pictured above Kelty (left) and Juno (right). They are basically the two things that have happened in the past few months. One good, one bad! Juno is a mix of some sort that fell in to our laps thanks to my dad's soft heart. We call her "Brooke's Dog" even though they both love me more. She has been a nice addition to Kelty's day! They play a lot!!! Kelty is very good to her despite his 60 lbs weight advantage! The "bad" part of this duo is that Kelty was diagnosed with heart worm a few months ago and we have been through a lot trying to get Pfizer to stand behind their product by paying for Kelty's treatment ($500-$600). In the midst of this red tape affair Kelty has developed a mysterious stomach problem. It has all been quite frustrating, but God-willing he will start his heart worm treatment next week, which in itself is going to be a battle. Brooke is now a Speech Language Pathologist at Trice Elementary and she is doing great! She has a lot of kids which will all be blessed having her as a therapist! I am in my ??? week of band and already feel sleep deprived which is why I am going to bed now.