Deep Roots, Good Fruit

Tim Challies

It is one of God’s greatest promises and one of our foremost encouragements: that he is changing us from the inside out. By the work of his Spirit, he is transforming us so we bear fruit—fruit that displays the goodness and grace of our Savior. That is the subject of this book, which has been written by one of my favorite authors. And as Kristin does on her blog and elsewhere, she not only writes what is true, but she writes it beautifully and compellingly.

Carolyn Lacey

Growth in godliness is slow, and it’s easy to become discouraged. In this beautifully written book, Kristin Couch skilfully weaves story and Scripture together to show how God’s Spirit works, gently and patiently, through the day-to-day, seemingly insignificant experiences of life to grow good fruit in his people. Her invitation to slow down and notice this transforming work in your own life will encourage you and fuel your desire to grow more like Jesus.

“Good Overall, But Requires Trigger Warning for Graphic Violence”

This is a shortened version of my full review, which is available here: https://www.lifeisstory.com/nonfiction/deep-roots-good-fruit-seeing-the-fruit-of-the-spirit-through-story-scripture-kristin-elizabeth-couch/

This book teaches about the Fruit of the Spirit in a gospel-centered way, and it is full of vivid, well-written stories from the author's life. Couch shares examples of how she has seen the Fruit of the Spirit in different people's lives, and she also tells some stories about vices, sharing stories about people who behaved in impatient or harsh ways that sharply contrasted with others' virtues. Couch shows what a difference it makes to other people for us to show spiritual fruit in our interactions with them, and she weaves in Scripture passages throughout each chapter to reflect on different virtues.

I mostly enjoyed this book, but am docking my rating because of graphic violence in one of the stories Couch shared. At the beginning of the first chapter, she startles readers with the horrific details of a car accident that nearly killed a child and horribly disfigured him for life. I have read many truly horrific things, but this is near the top of the list, especially because it came out of nowhere. At least when I read nonfiction about wars, I'm prepared for violence. When I am reading a Christian living book primarily targeted to women, the last thing I expect is to read a graphic description of an unspeakable horror.

I found this book thought-provoking, engaging, and encouraging overall, but feel obligated to give the trigger warning that the author and the publisher did not. If you don't think you can handle reading about the details of the car accident, you can skip page 16. At the very least, you'll know to expect it. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but that part was so jarring and awful that I feel obligated to focus on it in this review.

I received a free copy from the publisher, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

“Straight Forward and Beautiful”

A straight forward and yet still beautiful look at the fruits of the Spirit in scripture. But more than that, this book has encouraging and tangible examples of people living out these gifts in their lives. I loved sitting with each fruit and pondering how the Lord has manifested them in my life and in the lives of people around me.

“Practicalities of Living a Spirit-Centred Life”

In teaching and preaching on the fruit of the Spirit, we often get broad applications and it can be hard to think through what they might look like in everyday life. In Couch's book, she walks through some really practical, down-to-earth stories as well as some more inspirational ones too. It reminds us of what it looks like to live for Jesus every day, not just on a Sunday, and is a refreshing exploration of the change we should expect as Christians, with God's help

“Encouraging & Thought Provoking”

Deep Roots, Good Fruit; Seeing the Fruit of the Spirit through Story & Scripture by Kristin Elizabeth Couch.
This book is well written and the stories shared allowed for me to reflect on my own life and people I know who have been influential in my life because of how the fruit of the Spirit was evident in them.
In each chapter, typically there is a story shared about somebody not exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit highlighted for that chapter and then a contrasting story shared where the fruit of the Spirit is evident. Couch discusses the impacts of each person and allows for the reader through story to understand how impactful even seemingly small but faithful acts can be.
I already mentioned it, but for me as I read through the stories, I found many that I was able to easily to connect with. This allowed for me to have time to pause in my reading and thank God for those people in my life and take time to pray for them. I think this book is one I will remember even more because of that personal connection I felt a I read.
This book is one that I would say is inspiring to take those small steps to grow in the fruit of the Spirit. At the end of the book there are discussion questions for each chapter, making this book an excellent choice for a small group study or for personal reflection.

“A beautifully encouraging book”

This book was so encouraging to me. I love reading stories of godly examples and how they impacted someone's life. Kristin shared examples about how her life was impacted by women at her church as well as famous women of faith like Elisabeth Elliot. This book is super easy to read and can be incorporated into your daily quiet time. I enjoyed reading about a different fruit of the spirit each day. I'd definitely recommend this book if you're feeling in need of encouragement in your spiritual walk!

"But self-control is rarely a rapidly built shelter. It is a slow work, one brick pressed on top of another until a godly house is built. The Christian's self-control is a practiced relinquishment - snuffing out fleshly desires while pressing into the Holy Spirit's promptings, in order to please God." (p 139)

“A lovely, gentle book”

In the Bible, the book of Galatians has that well known passage “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Sometimes, keeping to this can seem like a lofty ambition, challenging, with all the circumstances that life throws in our direction. But this lovely, gentle book from Kristin Elizabeth Couch shows that in our daily lives, even in the small things, we can intentionally take positive steps in our spiritual growth that will ultimately help us in becoming more Christ-like.
The book takes a chapter for each of the “fruits of the Spirit”, shows how it is applied in ways that have deeply impacted the author’s life, anecdotes that highlight their power in a world where often these things are missing. Then she explains, in an approachable way, their importance, their value and why Christians can be making a difference in the world if they follow the teachings.
There are helpful questions at the end of the book for each chapter, than means it could be a useful text for a Bible study group.

“Delightful and Edifying!”

Kristin's masterful storytelling, combined with her unpacking of correlating Biblical Truth, makes this a delightful and edifying read.

I am particularly grateful for Kristin's unswerving emphasis, in every chapter, on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Her remarkable stories depict the fruit of the Spirit beautifully, yet with grace and conviction, she leads us "back up the sunbeam" to the source Himself and says, in effect, any slight evidence of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control within ourselves are marks of the Holy Spirit at work. Amen and amen! 

I highly recommend this book!

“Encouraging & Inspiring!”

This book is like a cozy coffee chat with a Christian mentor. The author uses stories to introduce each fruit of the Spirit and then explores applicable Scripture. I loved reading one chapter a day along with my daily Bible reading. This is the perfect companion to your personal Bible reading and it’s sure to both challenge and encourage you.

Thank you to The Good Book Company for a gifted copy of the book. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

“Touching and encouraging read!”

Kristin's writing is so encouraging and compelling! I love how she gently weaved her personal stories and Scripture together to show how God’s Spirit extraordinarily works to grow His people in everyday life. Her stories are beautifully written and are so impactful. The reflection questions at the end of the book were particularly helpful to slow down and give thanks for the examples we experience in life, to reflect and pray for the areas we need to grow in. This book is for every Christian who longs to see how God works in ordinary lives and seeks to grow in the fruit of the Spirit.