I want to respond to the post my good friend Jan wrote yesterday, November 16, 2005. If you haven't already read it please do so. Thje topic she posted on is about "speaking", the connection between sin and the spoken word. Our good friend Bomba in a post he wrote entitled "Personalities" brougth up this subject and in the comments we had lots to say (check it out). Again, I have lots to say..no surprise there. This is something close to my heart and as it seems close to the hearts of many other christians!
In Jan's post, I recognized a woman who has such a deep love for her Father that she looks deep within herself, yearning to be the best child she can be to her heavenly Father. She might not know the chapter and verse but she understands that God calls us to examine ourselves...2 Corinthians 13:5 "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith, test yourselves." This to me is a pretty positive sign that she IS growing deeper and deeper in her love and faith with her Saviour and in that growth God can use her words in a multitude of ways. After all we are" to go out into the world and preach the word of God".
She is a woman who has shared with us through her words that she is a sinner, as we all are. But her words to us are that we have to continually go to the cross....we cannot be content with enjoying our sinfulness even for an instant. She lists the obvious speaking offences but goes much deeper...she, and I will use her words, lets the Holy Spirit "plumb the depths of that sinfulness" so that she can beg forgiveness and be ministered to. She speaks the words of Psalm 119:36-37 by her example..."Turn my heart toward your stautes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word."
Her words have taught and instructed....which she has beeen called to do by the words of her Creator and Saviour. "True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with ME in peasce and uprightness, and turned many from sin." (Malachi 2:6) Also, let us not forget the bold instruction given to Jeremiah which is an example to us.."I do not know how to speak; I am only a child (this is Jeremiah)." But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord. Then the Lord reach out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me,"Now, I have put my words in your mouth..." (Jeremiah 1 :6-10). I can affirm that in the short time I have known her that her words have turned me from sin...her words bringing God's light to me, helping me care more for others, striving to be less judgemental, bringing me time and time again to the feet of the cross humble asking forgiveness for my short comings.
From her mouth have come to me words of compassion...with Jan I have shared fears and sadness, suffering and hurt. The Lord has spoken to me through her which would not be possible if she did not know HIS words and did not know HIM in such a personal way. She had been the tangible reminder of the words in Isaiah 54:10.."Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be remove." says the Lord, who has compassion on you. She has been faithful to respond in her words to remind me of God's immense love for me, how much he cares for me and to remind me of his constant protection. She has shown great compassion, through her posts and comments, to feel the pain , distress, sadness and confusion of others. And in that she is serving her Master, following in the example of the one who has the ultimate corner on compassion.
Jan has been, with God's help, able to do all this with words that "bubble" out with joy and enthusiasm. There is no way, if you read her posts, that you could miss the joy and enthusiasm she feels for her King of Kings. Her words express Psalm 89:1-2.."I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself." More times than I can count I have been a little down and either by her posts or by the words left on my comments (or ones that we both read) I have been lifted up. God has used her words to bring me back into the joyful arms of my Saviour.
Is Jan human? Does Jan fail? Does Jan feel doubts and insecurities? Yes, I am sure she does....she is a part of the human race battling sin each and every day. Jan asked in yesterday's blog if in speaking could she be sinning? I am sure that she has made a mistake or two in that area but what I see in her words are something I can not do without! I see a strong, compassionate, caring, loving, God lead woman who is fulfilling a job that Christ has lead her to. He has given her the skill of communication, the heart for others. There is something else very special and possible unknown even to her... we are observing through her thoughts and words the process of the dying of oneself and in turn a deep, deep relationship with God. I find that an awesome priviledge.
And one last testimony. When I started blogging in July of this year I had very little contact with other christians which was somewhat sudden. I had homeschooled my children and live out in the country. This same time last year they graduated from high school and started into college which made my home very, very quiet. Neighbors are very scarce and to go to town you have to drive. Everyday up until the children graduated was kind of like bible school...reading the bible with them...writing their English papers about christian issues...all our subjects were always faith based. Around here I was always fortunate to have at least two other people to share the Lord with on a hourly basis if I wanted! Then college came (they still live at home but are gone all day) and it was just me here day after day. And on top of that, we had car issues and my vehicle went to them. So, I was not able to join a bible study group or get together for lunch on a regular basis with my other good christian friends. I did have my two sisters who talk on the phone with me alot and my best friend Betty who most of you know. She commits Thursday to come out here and spends it with me. Before you feel tooo sorry for me I was doing okay and then God brought blogging to me. I thought the purpose was for me to share with other homeschool moms what I was going through.....I am not so sure of that now and haven't been sure for sometime. It has for me been kind of a blogging bible study and instead of bringing to me women who are struggling through what I was he brought me a circle of diverse new friends! A wonderful group of dedicated christian brothers and sisters who have encouraged me, prayed for me, shared joyfulness with me, spurned me on to examine my walk with Christ, and loved me boundlessly. I have grown in Christ, my prayer time has been on fire, my knowledge of scripture has exploded and all this fruit from the written word. And what is equally amazing is Jan is in British Columbia, Canada and I am in Dearing, Georgia! Another of my dear christian friends who has answered the call is Bomba...in his twenties, interested in music, unmarried and in Alabama. Go figure!!!I don't think he was pulled in by my thoughts and feelings of being in your forties, married for 28 years and having young adult children!!!! I'm telling ya'll, you and your words are of our God's perfect plan and I am here to testify to that!
So Jan, that is another side of the words you speak...should you be silent today? If the Holy Spirit is leading you to that heck yes! But, as for me you are doing a mighty work for our Lord and Saviour and I need you to pass on to me the thoughts He lays on your heart. Also, be on guard that Satan is not trying to steer you off the path of writing...there is so much fruit being bore I can see the devil wanting to put a stop to that. If God uses the fruit that has come from my life to test if you have been following Him and his will then there is no way you can receive any words short of "You are my good and faithful servant." Keep dishing out to us, through the words of our Lord and Saviour, the truth, the light and the way!!!
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
A jump out of stale!
Well, I hope you have read 1 Chronicles 16:23-32. I have taken just a portion of this psalm of thanks from David. Most of us know that we are to give God our thanks and praise but I find myself, too often, saying the same words over and over....kind of stuck in a praise routine. Oh, my praise is from the heart and is meant in all sincerity, but for me, right now it is rather stale! Your thanksgiving might be fresh and if it is great...for me, He showed me ten steps to "freshen up" my praise using verses 23-31. I will list the steps, which for the most part coincidence with the verses then end with some praise using the steps. Just sit back and enjoy what God showed me....
1. Proclaim his salvation day after day
2. Declare his glory
3. Declare his marvelous deeds
4. Praise his greatness
5. Refer to his glory and strength
6. Refer to the glory due to him, God Almighty
7. Bring him an offering..."I offer you my love, my heart, commitment..."
8. Say "the Lord reigns!"
9. Give him your thanks
10. Do it with joy and jubilance and even in song
My most merciful Father...How can anything I do for you compare to those horrific hours you hung from that wooden cross, in payment for the sins that I have and will commit. It is only because of you, and through you carrying the burden for all of us, that we are redemed and will, one day, be joined with you for eternity. It is only because of your grace and your suffering that we have been saved and will leave this life to stand in your presence never to leave your side.
You have laid before me all the works of your hands....all your splendor surrounds me. Your majesty cannot be denied...you have covered the earth in it, from the heights of the sky, ablaze with the twinkling of a zillion stars, to every creature small and large that live in the deepest depths of the ocean. All glory belongs to you. Nothing, especially life, was done by chance...it all fits into your marvelous plan. You designed this world and me to fit into your perfect plan. We have been put here for and with a plan, your plan, what a marvelous deed! Great are you and your greatness I will praise this day and in the days ahead.
You are creator, you are sustainer, you are my strength, you ARE...without you there would be no one..nothing. That is why I call you Saviour, Creator, Lord, Father, Almighty, and humbly I call you "Most Holy One". I would not be worthy to even speak your name but I have asked and you have healed me. Today I, in all my unworthiness, give myself back to you. Because I belong to you I offer this day to you. I will listen attentively for you to call me to be used for your service. I will open my heart to your Holy Spirit, so that I can walk in your ways, so that I can continue to grow, so that I can draw closer to you. Forgive me, Lord, for where I have failed you, for where I have fallen short, for what I have done and what I have failed to do. I trust in you and feel your forgiveness...I know you love me and I know that I can declare with confidence that my "Lord reigns!"
Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice for me, for your immense love, for your unending forgiveness, for your constant protection, for your continual leading, for your loving patience, for blessing me abundantly, and for loving me enough to bring me into this world and your perfect plan.
To you is all glory and power for day and for always....
1. Proclaim his salvation day after day
2. Declare his glory
3. Declare his marvelous deeds
4. Praise his greatness
5. Refer to his glory and strength
6. Refer to the glory due to him, God Almighty
7. Bring him an offering..."I offer you my love, my heart, commitment..."
8. Say "the Lord reigns!"
9. Give him your thanks
10. Do it with joy and jubilance and even in song
My most merciful Father...How can anything I do for you compare to those horrific hours you hung from that wooden cross, in payment for the sins that I have and will commit. It is only because of you, and through you carrying the burden for all of us, that we are redemed and will, one day, be joined with you for eternity. It is only because of your grace and your suffering that we have been saved and will leave this life to stand in your presence never to leave your side.
You have laid before me all the works of your hands....all your splendor surrounds me. Your majesty cannot be denied...you have covered the earth in it, from the heights of the sky, ablaze with the twinkling of a zillion stars, to every creature small and large that live in the deepest depths of the ocean. All glory belongs to you. Nothing, especially life, was done by chance...it all fits into your marvelous plan. You designed this world and me to fit into your perfect plan. We have been put here for and with a plan, your plan, what a marvelous deed! Great are you and your greatness I will praise this day and in the days ahead.
You are creator, you are sustainer, you are my strength, you ARE...without you there would be no one..nothing. That is why I call you Saviour, Creator, Lord, Father, Almighty, and humbly I call you "Most Holy One". I would not be worthy to even speak your name but I have asked and you have healed me. Today I, in all my unworthiness, give myself back to you. Because I belong to you I offer this day to you. I will listen attentively for you to call me to be used for your service. I will open my heart to your Holy Spirit, so that I can walk in your ways, so that I can continue to grow, so that I can draw closer to you. Forgive me, Lord, for where I have failed you, for where I have fallen short, for what I have done and what I have failed to do. I trust in you and feel your forgiveness...I know you love me and I know that I can declare with confidence that my "Lord reigns!"
Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice for me, for your immense love, for your unending forgiveness, for your constant protection, for your continual leading, for your loving patience, for blessing me abundantly, and for loving me enough to bring me into this world and your perfect plan.
To you is all glory and power for day and for always....
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Back in Bloggersphere!
Surprise, surprise, surprise......I'm back and so very blessed to know I was thought of!!! I have alot of catching up to do....How is the move going Jan? Every day ya'll are getting closer and closer to the wonderful blessing God has provided for you...honestly, I have thought of you every day as I have Bomba! So Bomba, how was the vacation...are you rested? Did you get quality time with family and friends?...I was suppose to be your way this weekend...visiting my brother and his family over the weekend in Fitzpatric and Mongomery, but had to cancel the trip. How about the game on Saturday...Auburn squeaked it out in the last minute....my family VERY upset over their Georgia loss but i'm sure all of Alabama rejoicing....great game though! And to Bett M., thanks for being soooo faithful and now you have a chance to practice your comment making (you know that makes my day), and remember practice makes perfect. Sissy, I have missed your comments, just consider myself lucky that I get to see you and speak to you either directly or indirectly through MEEMEE (of course, most of my life is thru MeeMee). Ton-Ton, I hope the schooling won't keep you from reading some of my shorter posts...can't promise them to be too short, I have alot stored up in me...mostly things you have planted in my head from our talks....and Patti, I caught up today, since my eyes were not watering like faucets and I could actually focus. Are you ready for game on!? Maybe we can wait a few weeks.... Can't wait to hear from everyone!
My disappearance was mostly due to computer problems. Even while writing my last couple of posts, our computer kept freezing up and just steadily got worse. We took it to a computer shop and was told it was a problem with spies so they wiped it clean...still didn't work right...then back to the shop and we were told it was some kind of "motherboard" problem, whatever that is. They tried to get one from the factory.....to make a long story short, we had to decide whether to buy a new computer or overhaul this one. That made for some delay while we shopped and compared what we had with what we could buy and which would be the better deal. Important time lost, not just to me (separation from my friends is hard), but my husband does alot of his engineering work here at home on this computer. Anyway, this weekend we got our overhauled computer back with more memory, faster, and hopefully better. But. instead of being able to jump right to ya'll, I had caught the flu middle of last week and was so sick I was able only to lay around and whine a whole lot. Every year my mom and I go to Alabama to visit my brother's family...my nephew's birthday is the day before my moms so it is a great birthday present for her. We load up and celebrate the two birthdays together there. We were suppose to leave on Saturday morning and return on Monday morning but Thursday night I had to cancel out. I was running a fever and just too sick to drive the 5 hour trip. I was very disappointed....mom and I always have a great time together...I treasure the time alone with her. And it is great to be able to visit with my brother, sister-in-law, and niece and nephew and not be distracted with my family. But, it wasn't in the cards so maybe another weekend soon.
All that said, I am back and ya'll have made me feel so special and important...actually taking the time to inquire about me...ya'll have great big hearts and it means alot to me. I have rambled on today...sorry about that....but please read 1 Chronicles 16:23-32....tomorrow I want to talk about it. God spoke to me this morning and I feel He wants me to share some thoughts on this scripture with all of you. If ya'll read it today or tonight I might be able to keep my post a little shorter (that would be for Ton-Ton!), not having to write out the whole scripture. Then I can use the post to pass on to you what the Lord has spoke to me. I am really excited and can hardly wait for tomorrow!
And by the way, Friday is a big day for my sister and brother-in-law out west....please pray for skill and guidance for the doctors, peace for their family and most of all, for them to feel God's presence with them on Friday! God is in control and he loves that family very much....we need to trust that His will can be done in their lives and in ours.
And finally today, here's to being together, for the blessings that I receive from each of you, and the joy and love from being one in Jesus Christ. See ya'll tomorrow.....I can't wait!!!!
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as our does for you.
1 Thess. 3:12
My disappearance was mostly due to computer problems. Even while writing my last couple of posts, our computer kept freezing up and just steadily got worse. We took it to a computer shop and was told it was a problem with spies so they wiped it clean...still didn't work right...then back to the shop and we were told it was some kind of "motherboard" problem, whatever that is. They tried to get one from the factory.....to make a long story short, we had to decide whether to buy a new computer or overhaul this one. That made for some delay while we shopped and compared what we had with what we could buy and which would be the better deal. Important time lost, not just to me (separation from my friends is hard), but my husband does alot of his engineering work here at home on this computer. Anyway, this weekend we got our overhauled computer back with more memory, faster, and hopefully better. But. instead of being able to jump right to ya'll, I had caught the flu middle of last week and was so sick I was able only to lay around and whine a whole lot. Every year my mom and I go to Alabama to visit my brother's family...my nephew's birthday is the day before my moms so it is a great birthday present for her. We load up and celebrate the two birthdays together there. We were suppose to leave on Saturday morning and return on Monday morning but Thursday night I had to cancel out. I was running a fever and just too sick to drive the 5 hour trip. I was very disappointed....mom and I always have a great time together...I treasure the time alone with her. And it is great to be able to visit with my brother, sister-in-law, and niece and nephew and not be distracted with my family. But, it wasn't in the cards so maybe another weekend soon.
All that said, I am back and ya'll have made me feel so special and important...actually taking the time to inquire about me...ya'll have great big hearts and it means alot to me. I have rambled on today...sorry about that....but please read 1 Chronicles 16:23-32....tomorrow I want to talk about it. God spoke to me this morning and I feel He wants me to share some thoughts on this scripture with all of you. If ya'll read it today or tonight I might be able to keep my post a little shorter (that would be for Ton-Ton!), not having to write out the whole scripture. Then I can use the post to pass on to you what the Lord has spoke to me. I am really excited and can hardly wait for tomorrow!
And by the way, Friday is a big day for my sister and brother-in-law out west....please pray for skill and guidance for the doctors, peace for their family and most of all, for them to feel God's presence with them on Friday! God is in control and he loves that family very much....we need to trust that His will can be done in their lives and in ours.
And finally today, here's to being together, for the blessings that I receive from each of you, and the joy and love from being one in Jesus Christ. See ya'll tomorrow.....I can't wait!!!!
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as our does for you.
1 Thess. 3:12
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Conflicted
Right off the top I want to express my humble thanks for the prayers, support, kindness, caring and love shown to me by my blogger friends. God has truly enriched my life by bringing us together in word and spirit and I am grateful for ya'll. As corny as it may sound, I really could feel your prayers, caring and love.....and Bomba, you said it...I WAS LIFTED UP! Ya'll have a gift for making people feel loved and important, and I know that comes from the deep love and understanding of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and out of a personal relationship with him, our Father. "In all my prayers for all of you, I always prayer with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1: 4-6
A quick report.....the knot in my stomach on the right side is nothing at all to be concerned about and the tenderness on the left side has a term but again is nothing to give a moment's thought to. The doctor will be calling today and now we have a plan....I will be going to a headache specialist and try to connect all the dots to get some relief and knowledge about what is going on up there (some say there is not alot and I tend to agree at times with that assumption!). The doctor was one of the kindness doctors I have come across (God really picked him for me), thorogh, caring, and sensitive. There are still some test results to come in, but there is no indication that they should be anything but great news! Share with me, in the joy of having brothers and sisters who are so full of Christ's love that, in a moments notice, they can be whipped into an army of God out of love and concern for someone they have never ever met!
So, let's talk about the subject of being conflicted. I want to present several sides of this issue and I hope you will respond with more ideas, thoughts, scripture.....it is, to alot of wonderful God loving people, a very gray area. What area is that? I am speaking of Halloween.....Jan wrote a blog about it yesterday and I agree with her position...yet Mandy made a comment on Jan's blog and I agree with her point of view also. So, in the interest of understanding the decisions made by our christian brothers and sisters let's look at several sides of this.
Halloween has a pagan, wicked, evil origin. There is no debate on that. There are alot of devote, righteous christians who believe that participating in the dressing up, the giving of candy, having parties on this evening are participating in the "devil's work". They feel that if they did this they are participating in celebrating something that directly goes against scripture and God's law. I have no disagreement with this....there are so many scriptures that tell us not to be a part of Satan's work and witchcraft is definetly that. There are many christians who sincerely believe that the best way to combat this pagan holiday is to turn off their porch lights, spend some quality time with their children and pray for the light of Christ to eliminate the evil of what others are doing as they, for most people, innocently participate in the rituals of Halloween. They are trying to righteously show their children that there are stands to make in this life and that, fun or not, they have to stand up for good over evil. They strongly believe in the battle on earth between the dark and light sides and they do want not to open any windows into the side of evil. In the here, I have been there and done that! It is a valid stance.
Then we have the sincere christians who gather together on Halloween, in the church gym or activities building for fun, games, hotdogs and a prayer service. Usually, because they know that children love to dress in costume (one of the two biggest pulls of Halloween) they allow that with some distinct guidlines, no devils, witches or evil costumes. Some call it a fall festival or call it family night....it doesn't matter what you call it, the intent is to make a conscious decision to give that night over to the glory of God! Most of the ones I have attended have been filled with family fun, praise and worship singing and a sermon on the family level. The belief is that in banding together they are pleasing God, witnessing to others, and facing Satan toe to toe, reminding the serpent himself, that our God reigns every night but especially Halloween night. In the here, I have been there and done that! It is a valid stance.
Another thought, in the christian realm of thinking about Halloween, is the way Mandy approached it this year. If you read her comment, their family welcomed trick or treaters but witnessed to them. By her comment, I concluded that her first witness was to her neighbors....as a christian family they were trying to dispel the apperance of being judgemental. I applaude them on this, me being the one that has talked about letting the Holy Spirit lead you to share your christianity with people who the Holy Spirit has softened and made ready to hear the truth. So, they welcomed the trick or treaters but still upheld their christian beliefs by using this night to personally evangelize those who came to their door. They handed out "Adventures in Odyssey" cd's along with the candy! I have known people who have done this very thing...not "Odyssey" cd's, but candy printed with "Jesus loves You", What Would Jesus Do?" bracelets, christian activity books, pencils with scritpures written on them....something that would be used to get the message of "truth and light" across. The thought is that we are to go out into the world and proclaim the gospel and what better night when the masses are coming to you. And I am sure, in Mandy's case and the others that have chosen this route, that many a prayer went along with the candy and witnessing tool. In the here, haven't done that one, but surely support it.....it makes a lot of sense to me.
I have gone back and forth my entire adult life about this subject. It became, to me, not the worst holiday of the year because of it being a Satanic holiday in origin but because of the wrestling we would have to do every year as it approached. No matter which way we went we felt under some comdemnation that we were less of a christian because of the approach we took. And the funny thing is we tried it all....no matter what we did, we received the scorn from other brothers and sisters who felt another way. You could say it shouldn't matter what others think we are here to please God.....the only problem with that is we have never been able, on this subject, to figure out what is right in God's eyes! We have never gotten a peace about how this holiday should be righteously celebrated, or like alot of faithful christians, if it should be celebrated at all. What I do know is that alot of people who I admire, who are people that love and seek out the will of God, and who live each day working to become closer to their Saviour, are also conflicted about what to do with Halloween. So I am going to use the month of October, from now on in the after, to share about the ways I have tried to find peace about Halloween. Also, I am going to lend my support and love to my christian brothers and sisters as they struggle with being conflicted about this holiday. Maybe, just like there is more than one way to skin a cat, there might just be more ways than just one right way is to spend the evening of October 31st. After all it boils down to the condition of our hearts....and I want my heart to be full of love for the sincerity of my brothers and sisters in Christ.
"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results." James 5:16
A quick report.....the knot in my stomach on the right side is nothing at all to be concerned about and the tenderness on the left side has a term but again is nothing to give a moment's thought to. The doctor will be calling today and now we have a plan....I will be going to a headache specialist and try to connect all the dots to get some relief and knowledge about what is going on up there (some say there is not alot and I tend to agree at times with that assumption!). The doctor was one of the kindness doctors I have come across (God really picked him for me), thorogh, caring, and sensitive. There are still some test results to come in, but there is no indication that they should be anything but great news! Share with me, in the joy of having brothers and sisters who are so full of Christ's love that, in a moments notice, they can be whipped into an army of God out of love and concern for someone they have never ever met!
So, let's talk about the subject of being conflicted. I want to present several sides of this issue and I hope you will respond with more ideas, thoughts, scripture.....it is, to alot of wonderful God loving people, a very gray area. What area is that? I am speaking of Halloween.....Jan wrote a blog about it yesterday and I agree with her position...yet Mandy made a comment on Jan's blog and I agree with her point of view also. So, in the interest of understanding the decisions made by our christian brothers and sisters let's look at several sides of this.
Halloween has a pagan, wicked, evil origin. There is no debate on that. There are alot of devote, righteous christians who believe that participating in the dressing up, the giving of candy, having parties on this evening are participating in the "devil's work". They feel that if they did this they are participating in celebrating something that directly goes against scripture and God's law. I have no disagreement with this....there are so many scriptures that tell us not to be a part of Satan's work and witchcraft is definetly that. There are many christians who sincerely believe that the best way to combat this pagan holiday is to turn off their porch lights, spend some quality time with their children and pray for the light of Christ to eliminate the evil of what others are doing as they, for most people, innocently participate in the rituals of Halloween. They are trying to righteously show their children that there are stands to make in this life and that, fun or not, they have to stand up for good over evil. They strongly believe in the battle on earth between the dark and light sides and they do want not to open any windows into the side of evil. In the here, I have been there and done that! It is a valid stance.
Then we have the sincere christians who gather together on Halloween, in the church gym or activities building for fun, games, hotdogs and a prayer service. Usually, because they know that children love to dress in costume (one of the two biggest pulls of Halloween) they allow that with some distinct guidlines, no devils, witches or evil costumes. Some call it a fall festival or call it family night....it doesn't matter what you call it, the intent is to make a conscious decision to give that night over to the glory of God! Most of the ones I have attended have been filled with family fun, praise and worship singing and a sermon on the family level. The belief is that in banding together they are pleasing God, witnessing to others, and facing Satan toe to toe, reminding the serpent himself, that our God reigns every night but especially Halloween night. In the here, I have been there and done that! It is a valid stance.
Another thought, in the christian realm of thinking about Halloween, is the way Mandy approached it this year. If you read her comment, their family welcomed trick or treaters but witnessed to them. By her comment, I concluded that her first witness was to her neighbors....as a christian family they were trying to dispel the apperance of being judgemental. I applaude them on this, me being the one that has talked about letting the Holy Spirit lead you to share your christianity with people who the Holy Spirit has softened and made ready to hear the truth. So, they welcomed the trick or treaters but still upheld their christian beliefs by using this night to personally evangelize those who came to their door. They handed out "Adventures in Odyssey" cd's along with the candy! I have known people who have done this very thing...not "Odyssey" cd's, but candy printed with "Jesus loves You", What Would Jesus Do?" bracelets, christian activity books, pencils with scritpures written on them....something that would be used to get the message of "truth and light" across. The thought is that we are to go out into the world and proclaim the gospel and what better night when the masses are coming to you. And I am sure, in Mandy's case and the others that have chosen this route, that many a prayer went along with the candy and witnessing tool. In the here, haven't done that one, but surely support it.....it makes a lot of sense to me.
I have gone back and forth my entire adult life about this subject. It became, to me, not the worst holiday of the year because of it being a Satanic holiday in origin but because of the wrestling we would have to do every year as it approached. No matter which way we went we felt under some comdemnation that we were less of a christian because of the approach we took. And the funny thing is we tried it all....no matter what we did, we received the scorn from other brothers and sisters who felt another way. You could say it shouldn't matter what others think we are here to please God.....the only problem with that is we have never been able, on this subject, to figure out what is right in God's eyes! We have never gotten a peace about how this holiday should be righteously celebrated, or like alot of faithful christians, if it should be celebrated at all. What I do know is that alot of people who I admire, who are people that love and seek out the will of God, and who live each day working to become closer to their Saviour, are also conflicted about what to do with Halloween. So I am going to use the month of October, from now on in the after, to share about the ways I have tried to find peace about Halloween. Also, I am going to lend my support and love to my christian brothers and sisters as they struggle with being conflicted about this holiday. Maybe, just like there is more than one way to skin a cat, there might just be more ways than just one right way is to spend the evening of October 31st. After all it boils down to the condition of our hearts....and I want my heart to be full of love for the sincerity of my brothers and sisters in Christ.
"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results." James 5:16
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