Fruit of Gentleness

Madison starred in another video today, which will be shown this weekend at church. This is part of a series we've been doing on the Fruit of the Spirit. We've got posted below just a part of the video - the portion that features Madison in it. Take a look!

She did very well with this bit. We told her to look sad, and even a bit angry, and she did a great job of acting! To be honest, Daddy was a little surprised at how well she did. She showed the range of talent, versatility, expressiveness, genuine emotion, and charisma with an unforgettable onscreen presence that just screams out for an award. Take note, Academy! A new bright and shining star is entering stage right - start polishing her awards!

As noted, we've been talking about the Fruit of the Spirit of late - and in that same spirit, we've tied the nine Fruits of the Spirit to individual fruits, like bananas, pineapples and oranges. In fact, here's the breakdown:

1. Love = Apple. It's the core virtue!

2. Peace = Pineapple. You have to work to get to the good part, but it is worth it.

3. Joy = Orange. It'll give you the energy when you need it.

4. Patience = Banana. Can't just eat it, you've got to wait for it - peel it, and then get to it.

5. Kindness = Blueberries. They leave a mark on you, like kindness.

6. Goodness = Watermelon. It should be a big part of us. The best part of the watermelon is the inside, and the same can be said for us!

7. Faithfulness = Grapes. You can't do just one. Keep going for all of 'em!

8. Gentleness = Peach. Be careful how you deal with others - as if they have a soft skin.

9. Self-Control = Lemon. Try to eat one without changing your facial expression. It takes - you guessed it - self control.

Anyway, we've been talking about real fruits a lot here too - and using many as examples on stage. As you can imagine, there has been a lot of fruit around here. Inevitably, the big debate comes in: What is a fruit and what is not a fruit? There are some very hard questions that will come in life, Madison, and this is one that you will be able to answer with authority!

What is a fruit and what is not a fruit?

By scientific definition, a fruit is a fleshy product of a plant that contains seeds - and can be eaten as food. This sounds great until you begin to analyze the definition and think of a zucchini. Or a tomato. Or yellow squash, eggplants or peppers. Those fit the definition, don't they? And are those fruits? Clearly not. Clearly, the folks who are in charge of defining things have gotten this one wrong, much like their recent decision regarding the planet Pluto.

The end result of this fruit/vegetable fiasco - for which I solely blame the scientific community - is that much of the populace is confused about which is a what and what is which.

This is why I am making a proposal right now to make things perfectly clear. The definition of a fruit should be changed to this: Anything that you can make a sweet delicious pie out of.

There you go. That makes things simple. Can you make a tomato pie? No. Can you make an apple pie? Yes. A zucchini pie? Not at all. A banana cream pie? Of course. A pepper pie? Clearly not.

This will help you immensely down the road. Let's say someone asks you about a pumpkin. The pumpkin, of course, may be slightly controversial. Technically, it is a fruit - based on the scientific definition. But the great pumpkin is not generally considered a fruit by the rest of the world. This tricky situation can be easily fixed. Simply ask yourself the question: can you make a tasty pie out of it? You bet! Pumpkin pies are delicious!

How about the squash? Can you make that into a tasty pie? Get real - that would be nasty. Therefore, even though technically some may call it a fruit, they are clearly out of their minds.

Now, there are very few exceptions to this rule. A pecan is not a fruit. It is a nut, although you can make a pie with it. But it should be common sense that a pecan is a nut.

But this new definition should be helpful with the coconut: can you make a pie with it? Yes! Therefore a coconut is a not a vegetable or a nut. It is a fruit!

As with the pecan, common sense should be a strong factor in deciding what is and is not a fruit. For example, some may define shepherds as large fruits, because there exists a shepherd's pie. Additionally, there is chicken pot pie to consider. But these clearly are not fruit. Common sense should kick in here, along with a quick reference to our definition: Anything that you can make a sweet delicious pie out of.

So, in conclusion, hopefully this simple definition should make it easier for everyone to determine what is a fruit and what is not. Put another way, it's as easy as pie.

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* Since the writing of this fascinating entry, our good friend Josh has pointed out that there is such a thing as a sweet potato pie, and that sweet potatoes are not fruit. So, we'll add that to the "exception to the rule" category!