With candor and wisdom, author Kristin Couch weaves together stories from her life with Scripture passages to reflect on how the Holy Spirit grows good fruit in believers’ lives.
In introductory notes, Couch explains that when people become Christians, their entire beings—body, soul, mind, and spirit—come under “new ownership” since they have been transported from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. Couch writes, “And now it’s as though God dons his gloves, rolls up his sleeves, and gets to work, restoring life and beauty to the home he has set his love upon.”
Couch assures readers that “God is not distant, but present, and working on your behalf.” As readers immerse themselves in Couch’s stories and Scripture, she hopes they will begin to view the occurrences of their daily lives through the lens of the biblical narrative and God’s sanctifying work within them.
As Couch explores the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), she urges readers to remember that the fruit “are not a checklist of traits to drum up with the hopes of receiving heavenly merit. Rather, these traits are the identifying characteristics of a Christian, produced by the Holy Spirit. They give evidence to our conversion. And often they are right there, slowly growing, if we have eyes to see them.”
Reflection questions for each chapter make this book an excellent resource for group study. Deep Roots, Good Fruit is suitable for Christians who want to become more like Jesus, and it could make a valuable, possibly life-transforming gift for a person who might be wondering about who Jesus is and what it would mean to submit to and follow him. (The Good Book Company)
About the Author
Sonya VanderVeen Feddema is a freelance writer and a member of Covenant CRC in St. Catharines, Ontario.