Itinerary

• Love - God is love, and so our first stop will be here. Without love, we are a like a clanging gong and clashing symbol. We will become more loving toward God, and treat our neighbours as we would like to be treated.
   
• Joy - This place is a hidden little spot that doesn't get much attention. But joy is near the top of the list. The Bible is full of so many references for us to pursue, desire, and seek joy. Joy is not a worked-up happiness, full of hot-air, but an intense pleasure found only in God. As C.S. Lewis described it, it is a glimpse of the perfect happiness of heaven that leads us to desire heaven.
   
• Peace - Ahh-- peace. Elusive, but so appealing. We're not just talking about World Peace, though that would be great. This peace is an inner assurance, or confidence-- an inner-knowing that you are right with God. It refers to the desire to deal justly with the world, as well as remaining in good conscience before God.
   
• Patience - This is not just a relational patience with ourselves, or a patience with others. Actually, the word is also known as long-suffering, and refers to the growing ability to endure both temptation without sinning, and suffering without discouragement.
   
• Kindness - A simple concept, but seldom seen in our cut-throat, dog-eat-dog world. Kindness is the growing tendency to act kindly toward and do good for others.
   
• Goodness - Jesus said that only God is good. However, as we become more like Jesus, we will reflect more and more of his goodness... not giving in to the little temptations we come upon every day, but withstanding them. This also refers to doing good to others.
   
• Faithfulness - Our God is a faithful God, standing by us, even carrying us through hard times, and times when we abandon him and his perfect Way. We too will grow in Faithfulness as we journey down the Pathway. We will be able to stand strong in faith, and find ourselves full of strength against diversion and distraction from God.
   
• Gentleness - "A gentle word turns away wrath." Along the way we will find ourselves growing in gentleness-- also known as mildness-- and we will not merely allow provocations to go unanswered, but answer them in such a way to diffuse the anger..
   
• Self-control - One of the last items on our Itinerary, self-control is especially difficult and unusual in our western culture. We take, and get what we want-- when we want it. As we grow in self-control, we'll find the delight of self-centered pleasure diminishing. We will no longer be "consumers" of material and people.