{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Avondale University Church Sermons","title":"From the Heart: Formation Before Fruit - Norman Hurlow","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1728,"description":"Building on the series' earlier threads of love and identity, Pastor Norman Hurlow turns to John 15 and Jesus' image of the vine and branches to ask a deeper question: not just what we believe or who we are, but who we're becoming. He unpacks the idea of spiritual formation—the slow, often unnoticed shaping of our hearts by whatever we give our attention to—and makes the case that fruit is the outcome of abiding in Christ, not the goal we should be chasing. Drawing on James K. Smith's line that we are fundamentally loving beings rather than thinking ones, he names practical rhythms (Scripture, prayer, community, family worship) that form us over time, and reframes pruning as an act of love rather than punishment. As the church steps into a new year of resolutions, Norman leaves us with a reordering of priorities: formation before fruit, rhythms before resolutions.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/gep4PA7Dc52wkrRJ8QXxGw_cH0GHbI23rNnEfoNFRMc/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80Y2Zk/Mjg0OGZhOTg0MDdi/ZGNlNDEyMTM0YzZk/M2RmNS5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}