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Most Christians agree that we grow in the Fruit of the Spirit by abiding in Christ, but most of us still treat it like a checklist.
Why? Partly because we don't know how to abide in Christ...together.
In Fruit Full, Christie Thomas helps your family focus on how Jesus lived out the fruit of the Spirit...and how, as we abide in Christ, the Holy Spirit makes us more like Jesus.
Each topic:
- Begins with a variety of simple, interactive family experiences to get kids excited about the topic and memorizing Scripture together.
- Offers ten daily reflections that focus on the hands, heart, and habits of Jesus as he lived out the fruit of the Spirit on earth.
- Shares family-friendly discussion starters to help you grow closer to God.
- Suggests prayers to help you let the Holy Spirit do his fruitful work in you.
This devotional can be used by an entire family, or just one parent with a child. Either way, families will fall more in love with Jesus and grow in the fruit of the Spirit...together.
"Would you like the fruit of the Spirit to be a reality in your children’s lives and your family life?
Pick up THIS outstanding book and let it guide you!"
—Diane Stortz, author of I AM: 40 Reasons to Trust God
About the Author: Christie Thomas
I have spent many years growing in the fruit of the Spirit. Mostly, I've grown in joy, peace, patience, gentleness, and still need to grow a lot in the area of self-control (especially when it comes to cookies).
I am grateful for the continued work of the Holy Spirit in my life, guiding and growing me to be more like Jesus. Because really, that's what the fruit of the Spirit is about, right?
The fruit is not a list of attributes to memorize, or even study verses about. These fruits are the ways we grow to be as we spend our lives abiding with Jesus. We always do it imperfectly, but He does his job perfectly.
After getting a BSc in Biology, I spent my entire adult working life in Children's Ministries until, a few years ago, God called me home to educate my three boys and to run Little Shoots, Deep Roots. If you're looking for other books to help your kids know and love God, they're listed here.
I don't know about you, but it's in parenting that I've most desperately needed God's fruit to grow in my life. I pray that this book would help you abide in Christ as your family uses this book: read the stories, talk, pray, maybe even get a little silly. Above all, may you know Christ deeper.
🌱 Growing with you,
Christie
"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."
Philippians 1:6 NLT
CHRIST-CENTERED
Christie has given us a book about the fruits of the Spirit that is beautifully Christ-Centered and grace-filled. I can’t wait to recommend Fruit Full to the families in my church.
Pastor Tom Baird
Lead Pastor, Maranatha Church, Belleville
REFRESHINGLY CONTEMPORARY
Fruit Full is grounded in Scripture and refreshingly contemporary. This family-focused devotional is sure to bring your kids and you closer together.
Brock Eastman
Author of Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop, Bedtime on Noah's Ark, and The Quest for Truth series
PRACTICAL AND FUN
As a pastor and father, I often ask myself how to have more Spirit-filled conversations about Jesus with my kids. Fruit Full highlights that growing and vibrant faith emerges from families that commit to daily rhythms of sitting, playing and receiving the gift of God’s freedom. Christie Thomas rightly reminds us that finding our belonging in the hands of our creator-gardener is not just good news, it’s the best news.
I recommend Fruit Full to any parent seeking practical ways to have fun and learn more about Jesus with your kids. Not only will your kids be blessed by the love and intentionality in this resource, but you will too.
Cris Harper
Pastor of Bethel Community Church, Edmonton
PRACTICAL AND RELATIONAL
Christie does a fabulous job of making big virtues accessible to little people. Fruit Full is a lovely meditation on the fruit of the Spirit - drawing together the words of Christ and the experiences of His disciples to help children (and their adults!) better understand how we can see evidence of the Spirit's work in our own lives.
This guide is practical and relational—easy enough for a tired parent at the end of the day, but deep enough to produce real conversation and a better understanding of who Christ is and who he has created us to be.
Danielle Hitchen
Author of the Baby Believer series
COMPREHENSIVE AND DELIGHTFUL
Fruit Full is the most comprehensive, well-written family devotional on the Fruits of the Spirit that I have ever read.
A thoroughly easy-to-read, delightful devotional.
Glenys Nellist
author of the Love Letters from God, Snuggle Time and Good News series.
DEPTH AND WARMTH
Christie Thomas’s approach to helping children grow in Christ exhibits everything you’d want in a devotional: depth, warmth, and surprising insights.
—Marianne Hering
Author of the Imagination Station book series
KID-FRIENDLY, COMPREHENSIVE
Christie Thomas provides a tremendous resource for families in this outstanding collection of devotions based on the Fruit of the Spirit. Her brilliant mix of contemporary stories and Bible stories speaks truth to children in a positive and enjoyable way.
The Fruit of the Spirit is a well-known, yet difficult concept to grasp, until now. Through this kid-friendly, comprehensive study, children will learn how to be rooted in Jesus in order to experience continual spiritual growth.
Crystal Bowman
Bestselling, award-winning author of over 100 books for children including Our Daily Bread for Kids, and I love You to the Stars: When Grandma Forgets, Love Remembers.
BIBLICALLY SOUND AND FUN TO READ
So often, I find it is a struggle to make abstract, spiritual concepts real and relatable to kids. But Christie Thomas has done exactly that in Fruit Full.
By combining Bible stories with some of her own personal adventures, Thomas has created a resource that is both biblically sound and fun to read. She goes beyond explanations to encourage children to look for the Spirit’s fruits in their own lives, as well as to seek a deeper connection with Christ.
With just the right amount of humor to keep kids engaged, Fruit Full is sure to be a sweet experience for your family’s devotion time.
Tama Fortner
Award-winning author of more than forty books, including Simply Christmas: A Busy Mom’s Guide to Reclaiming the Peace of the Holidays
A fun family devotional inspiring children to understand the fruit of the Spirit.
It's common for kids to memorize the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, goodness, self-control, and all the rest. But that doesn't mean they understand what it means. Is peace just not fighting with your siblings? Does self-control mean resisting a second dessert? When Mom and Dad explain these concepts just in terms of morality, we miss the mark.
Christie Thomas is skilled at taking complex ideas and making them accessible to kids . . . and adults learn a lot along the way too. Each of her devotions is designed to help parents connect their children with the Holy Spirit through a Scripture passage, thought-provoking questions, ways to apply each verse, and a prayer. And for each fruit, parents can use the optional hands-on activities when there's extra time.
Perfect for kicking off the New Year as a family, these 100 devotional experiences include illustrated examples of each fruit of the Spirit. They demonstrate the hands, heart, and habits of Jesus and also teach children to spend time with the good God who loves them.
By understanding how he covers them with his goodness and how his Spirit helps them grow their own beautiful, Jesus-reflecting character, the whole family will connect to the Vine and grow abundant fruit together.
