The Best Fruit: How Raising Your Emotional Intelligence Helps Spiritual Development - Paperback

by Jacquelyn M. Ragin (Author)

The Best Fruit is about how high emotional intelligence augments what the Christian Bible calls the fruit of the spirit. The goal of this book is to highlight how increasing one's emotional intelligence actually augments the work of God in the individual. The author emphasizes character traits and mental habits that can lead to successful living, greater leadership ability, and relationship building as they relate to the fruit of the spirit. Christians believe that God, the Holy Spirit, is at work to cultivate behavior and characteristics that are pleasing to God and that add not only to the individual's quality of life but to their community engagement. The text gives several examples, from the author's life experience, from history, and from the Bible, of how emotions can highjack a person's cognitive ability. Yet this book also extolls the virtues of high emotional intelligence and gives examples of its effect on a person's ability to successfully navigate life's challenges. The author concludes with suggestions and resources to start increasing emotional intelligence.

Author Biography

Jacquelyn M. Ragin is a recently retired senior pastor, published author, and podcaster. Ragin authored the bestseller Stepping in: The Art of Leading a Church Through Transition, a book about transitional ministry. Her podcast Ready to Go with Pastor Jacqui encourages prophetic women in ministry. She created the Northeast Ohio Symposium on D.Min Project Research to encourage seminary education and to build relationships between the seminary, churches, and communities. She hold a Masters in nonprofit organizations and two seminary degrees, including a DMin. Ragin serves as a board member of the McCreary Center for African American Religious Studies, is a mother of three children, and currently calls Ohio home.