We are starting a brand new sermon series called “9,” where we will spend the next couple of months in Galatians and unpack the Fruits of the Spirit. Our theme is sports/baseball because the baseball season is long. 162 games. You can’t win them all. Nobody has ever had a perfect season in baseball, 162-0. But, the teams that win in the end make progress throughout the entirety of the season. Sometimes it’s two steps forward and one step back, but the goal in baseball is Progress, not Perfection. The same is true in our pursuit of the characteristics God wants us to display in our Christian walk. It’s a long season being a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes we display the fruits of the Spirit better than other times. It can feel like two steps forward and one step back. Sometimes, we lose a battle here and there…But, if we keep in mind the fact that it is a long season, we can get back at it and keep moving toward our goal of growing in all 9 areas over time as we realize it’s about Progress, not Perfection.