Welcome to the Prayers of Rest podcast. I'm your host, Asherita Chuchu, and today I have the pleasure of announcing what we've been working on behind the scenes for months now. It's our brand new season of prayers of rest, and it's what we'll be focusing on this summer, the fruit of the spirit,

living a fruitful life. Now this is something that God has been working on in my own life.

He keeps bringing this idea of fruitfulness in books that I'm reading, in sermons I'm listening to when I'm listening to

the radio or podcasts.

And I think it's a timely topic, not just for me, but for all of us here in the prayers

of rest family.

And it's for two reasons.

And I hope you agree.

Feel free to let me know your thoughts on this. But one of the reasons is

the liturgical calendar. Now, I didn't grow up with a liturgical calendar, but as an adult,

looking for a rhythm in my faith at a time of going through scripture and relating to God, not just at Christmas and Easter,

but in the times in between, we just celebrated Resurrection Sunday on Easter a few weeks ago.

And coming up soon is the ascension, the celebration of Jesus going up into heaven, being seated at the

father's right hand, and then sending his spirit at Pentecost. So that's kind of where we are

in the rhythm of the calendar year right now. And so I thought it'd be neat for us to focus time

this summer to remember the reality of God's spirit

poured out on us and indwelling us and spending time praying through. What does that mean

exactly for our day-to-day life? Now, the second reason is the cultural and political moment that we're living in right now.

I feel like more than ever before, it's time for us to question, what does it really mean to be

a follower of Jesus? What does that look like? How do you recognize someone who is truly a

Christian from someone who just says they are?

And as we reflect on our own lives, do we bear the marks of a follower of Jesus?

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