Fall Activities

An interesting discussion was going on on an email list I am a member of about Halloween. It all started by one person asking a seemingly innocent question.

Do you celebrate Halloween?

She got many different answers. And I am not going to say there were any wrong answers within the varying degrees that she got.

Most American families don't see anything wrong with their kids going out dressed up and trick or treating. Many churches have Fall Harvest Festivals or Trunk or Treat or some other form of entertainment on or near the time of Halloween. It's a wonderful outreach to non-saved and non-churched families and children.

The answers that were given on the email list were from there is no way I would participate in a satanic holiday to oh, it's only halloween, if you don't allow it to be satan's day then it's not to we let the kids dress up and trick or treat but we don't do the horror stuff. I used to be the last one. I as a young mom didn't want my kids to miss out because my parents didn't let me dress up or do trick or treat and I got made fun of. Let me tell you right now, don't let peer pressure push you to do something when you should be listening to God.

Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God---what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect. (Romans 12:2 GNB)


As Christians, Followers of Christ, we are not to conform to this world. We aren't to succumb to the pressure of will Mrs So and So let's her kids trick or treat and she goes to that big church on the hill so it must be okay if my kids trick or treat. People, we don't need to look at the Sunday School School teachers or what the church is doing as a whole. If you truly want to know if your family is suppose to take part in Halloween activities, no matter what they are called, you get in the Word and on your knees and see what God Almighty tells you.

As for those that say it's only an evil holiday if you allow it to be and it's no different than Christmas or Easter. In my honest opinion, you are wrong. Even in the United States there are devil worshipers and occults that love to celebrate Halloween. There are people that poison candy or worse. It still happens. And to compare Halloween to Christmas and Easter, that disturbs me. It disturbs me because while Easter may have been a pagan holiday to welcome in spring and fertility, it is when Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. We don't celebrate the goddess estre and worship her. (Do forgive my spelling) Christmas, it was originally the winter solstice. More than likely it is no where near the time that would have been Christ's birth, and all I can say here is do you give Christmas to the fat man in the red suit? Or do you praise the Lord for sending His Son so that 36 years after His birth he would be the sacrificial lamb that provided the PERFECT sacrifice to cover all of our sins?

Think about it.

We are in this world but we are not to be of this world.



In God's Love,

Renewing of the Home

The last week or two have really been quite uplifting for me. And it's not just because school has started.

For about the last two years or maybe 3, God has been working on mine and my husband's hearts. We were no longer where He wanted us to be. We didn't know what this meant and we weren't in the place we needed to be spiritually to know that that was what God was doing. It started with our Sunday School teachers stepping down and they went threw very trying times. We weren't so sure we were suppose to stay in that class, but we did. We were in the word and the other class that we were interested in was during the worship service we typically went to. Our church had two services and Sunday School went on during both. Plus had we changed classes we had 6 kids to change classes too.

So we continued and we were blessed by the Lord with fellowship and growing closer to Him, but there was something missing. We, Jeff and I, started feeling out of place. At first we though it was because we had 6 kids and while we did know other families with many kids, it's not exactly common. After Benji was born, our church family ministered to us and helped us through the trials of his heart condition and the surgery. We felt closer to the Lord and thought that that was what we were missing. You know that spiritual closeness that sometimes we forget about once the daily grind gets ground into us.

Some more time went by and we started feeling lost again when we would go to church. We made excuses and visited my mom's church once or twice but didn't think anything about this missing piece. Everytime the women's group would start a Bible Study I would go to sign up but then something would stop me and I would feel miserable. We lost any touch of the world outside of our home other than sporting events. (Not that we wanted worldly fellowship, but the fellowship that was available we felt we didn't have.)

Finally, a major crisis happened in our family and we were all alone. We struggled, we knew God was the only way we would survive. And it has taken us a year to get to where we could hear God's call on our lives.

We have recently changed churches. Our spiritual needs are now being met as we need them to. All of our kids are being blessed. Little Benji, the youngest, went from kicking and screaming when we would drop him off at the nursery at our old church to running from me when it's time to go to nursery where we are now going. The atmosphere is different to us. I am not saying that God's presence is not at our former church. That is not the case at all. We have just outgrown our former church. Sorta like as you grow up, you go through school and you change school's once you get so far.

So, now that we have changed churches... The kids are loving to go to church and learn about God. And they are really learning. I signed up for Bible Study and I also joined MOPs. I am looking forward to being part of both groups and some of the ladies are in both groups.

All of this going on and it is amazing to say that, now that the spirit man is being fed and we are getting back into the Word the way we are suppose to be. Our home life is getting calmer and renewed. Three of our children have issues that can stress a mom, and dad, out. Two are emotionally/behaviorally challenged and then the other is developmentally challenged. All three are in therapy and getting help, but we have good days and bad days that have to be dealt with.

In getting back to the Lord, our home is renewed by His love and grace. We are growing closer to Him day by day and that renewal is awesome.

In God's Love,