Silent But Not Gone, Learning to Be Content

God has been doing a work in me.

Many times I have sat to write, but then I stop. God says not now. Wait.

So I have been waiting. But I have not been doing nothing.

I went to New Orleans. I refreshed my mind, body, and spirit. I came back with a renewed purpose: personally, professionally, and spiritually. God reaffirmed in me His plan for my life. And slowly but surely I am working towards that.

• I am joining the choir.
• I take my mornings slower. I let my children (& myself) wake gently so we can ease into our days.
• I take the time to rest when my body needs it ( I had the flu a few weeks back and my PCOS is flaring).
• I am no longer trying to please everyone.
• I am pausing in my day to be with Jesus.
• I am praying more.

And I am learning to say no. I feel that my marriage is stronger (this past Saturday was our 5th anniversary!!!), my bond with my children is better and that I am enjoying life more. I am reading for pleasure (Christian authors), working out moderately, tending to my house, and learning to live simply.

My father moved out a week or so ago. Time is flying by. But by him doing so we have shifted how our house works for us. We no longer feel cramped on each other. Not saying my dad cramped us, but we do see that we have way too much stuff. And though we have purged many things, there is more to be done. I shared on my Facebook page a sermon that I deeply love. One of our pastor's, Dr. Gamble, taught on the subject of being content. And to me it was powerful. I received a rhema from the passage he shared.

1 Timothy 6:8English Standard Version (ESV)⁸ But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

Read that verse. Food and clothing. Dr. Gamble said clothing could be interpreted to mean covering (shelter and clothing). Not free Wi-Fi, a 4 bedroom house, 2 cars, and a bursting closet. We are to be happy with food and clothing. Everything else is a blessing.

The two verses leading into verse 8 shed more light. We need to strive to live for Christ and be happy:

⁶ But godliness with contentment is great gain, ⁷ for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

This sermon really convicted me but also inspired me. This world is temporary. The steps I have been taking to enjoy life, enjoy my family are guiding me on how to be content. To quote Dr. Gamble, "We should be the most content people in the world." But I know there are times when I am not content, when I think I need or deserve more. What I deserve, what we all deserve is death. Thankfully we have a merciful good Father who loves us and blesses us. What can you do today to simplify your life? What can you do to stop being so "busy" that you do not have time for God? This is not to condemn, I am just as guilty. I get caught up in the stuff and forget about the one who died for my sins. But let me challenge you to press pause on life, and take inventory of all the stuff that is not food and clothing. Do you need it all? Or can you live without it? It is an adjustment but it is easy to live without much of what we all have.

Life Lessons in the Humdrum

This has been a wonderful weekend for my little family. Especially in contrast with our crazy week!

Last Sunday I broke my pinkie toe, all week long my husband has been at church for the annual Christmas Program, at work myself we had 5 Christmas programs - on top of the regular things that go on daily.

To say that I was ready for the weekend (even though it promised to be just as crazy!) would be an understatement.

Saturday morning found my daughter and I taking little brother to my parents so they could watch him. Her and I then went to her 3 year check up. She is healthy and bright! She acted shy, but considering the craziness in the week prior that is not unexpected.

The rest of the weekend has been wonderful. I attended our church's Christmas Program, sewed a shirt for my daughter (my third project on my sewing machine!), went in depth on the Messiah's Star, was inspired by why Jesus is our greatest gift this season, cooked for my family and baked brownies with my daughter.

When history looks back on December 12th & 13th, 2015 nothing we did will be recorded for children to learn about in school.

But for my daughter, even though this weekend was filled with normal (for this time of year) events many lessons were imparted on her. Someone my husband and I both know posted an image on Facebook stating that high school should teach: balancing a check book, sewing a button, changing a tire, etc. It caused us to have a conversation, and initially we both agreed but then the thought came to us: if the school's teach that, what do the parents teach their children then? I recognize that a few generations back family dynamic's changes when many women had to go into the workforce. But with that shift in family dynamic's, many things that were once taught in the home were no longer taught. Home economic class's tried to help bridge the gap, but society changed its standards on what basic's people were expected to know, so home ec went to the wayside.

The result is many people grew up, went through school and are now in society without some basic life skills. In our household we are big on being "throw backs." I love gardening, sewing, canning, cooking, and pretty much anything related to the domestic's. My husband has taken it upon himself to learn carpentry.

We are imparting these skills on our children. Our daughter helps with cooking, sorting laundry, and cleans up her playroom. Today our son "assisted" his father in changing out the loads of laundry. Obviously at 13 1/2 months of age our son cant do too much, but he can observe. And you would be surprised what a child observes. Case in point: driving home last week from work, kids and I got stuck in traffic in front of McDonald's. We don't eat there, so my children have never experienced their food, or would have any knowledge of their menu. My daughter exclaimed from the back seat, pointing at the restaurant, "They make pancakes!" Now, again, we have never eaten there, but she was right. How? Kids at school have brought pancakes from McDonald's and eaten them in the morning room at school. Now my daughter cannot read, but some how she made the connection - probably the golden arches on the bags and then she saw them on the sign by the street. Something in passing, she normally only spends no more than 15 minutes a day in that room, and most of our parent's don't send breakfast, but just the few times she has seen it stuck with her.

Now I share all that to share this. The area around my children's pediatrician office has a very present homeless population. When my children and I left the house yesterday I grabbed a blueberry muffin (made fresh that morning) and a banana for my breakfast. But, as per the usual, I didn't make time to eat it. So after my daughter got the all clear at her check up, we headed home. At the main intersection before the highway there was a gentleman standing with a sign. Well, I didn't have any money (I rarely carry cash on me), but I did have that food. I will say, that normally, being a woman, I don't roll my window down for anyone - I have heard too many stories. Then you add my child being in the car, my gut reaction would be to double check that the doors are locked. But I did something different yesterday morning. I grabbed the muffin and banana, rolled my window down and gave it to the gentleman. He thanked me, said Merry Christmas and he went back to the corner.

Abigail asked why we were feeding him. I explained that not everyone has a home or food like we do and sometimes they need help. I also told her that Jesus tells us to feed those who are hungry, but not only that, but sometimes, when you help those in need, you are actually hosting angels. Hebrews 13:2 NIV, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Something in what I said resonated in her, because she was satisfied with my answer.

So, like I said, nothing major happened, but maybe, just maybe I planted a seed in my daughter, a seed that, with repeated exposure, will grow into a desire to help those in need. In January Stone has his 15 month check up, and it being January it will be cold. Maybe I will be more mindful and I can be better prepared and share more than a muffin and a banana with someone in need. The Bible has much to say about helping those in need:

• Matthew 25:35 (NKJV) - for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in
• Proverbs 28:27 (NKJV) - He who gives to the poor will not lack, But he who hides his eyes will have many curses
• Proverbs 14:31 (NKJV) - He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.

There is a song by Casting Crowns, Slow Fade, that sums up a good reminder when it comes to parenting:

Be careful little eyes what you see
Its the second glance that ties your hands
As darkness pulls the strings


It's meant as a warning, be mindful of what you put before your eye's, but can be an inspiration too. We must be cautious of what we expose ourselves, and our families, too. But we also need to make sure we expose our families to the works of the Gospel. We need to feed the homeless, serve at church and in our community, help the elderly, and tell other's Jesus love them. Our children need to see us living out the love of Jesus.

Seeing

Right now I am sitting on my bed the window is open and my dog is laying behind me on my pillow (the dog is spoiled). I look outside, the sun is shining, our large oak tree is shading our back yard, and there is a soft breeze blowing.

It truly is a lovely day today. Just enough chill in the air that I am enjoying my 3rd cup of coffee today.

My mind is heavy. So much is going on these days. I feel an ever looming presence of darkness around the world. Yet another mass shooting happened this week past. The two individuals who orchestrated this tragedy - my heart breaks thinking of them. What went so wrong in their lives that they would attack and kill people who were celebrating at a Christmas Party. What went wrong in their brains that they would leave behind a 6 month old child.

I believe that last part weighs heaviest on me. I have a child twice that age, and now a 3 year old. Both are still my babies, even if my daughter does insist that she is big. We traveled the day after Thanksgiving to Pennsylvania. Both did amazing on all the flights. But going through the airport I opted to babywear our son. And that decision flagged me for additional screening. Every check in had my hands being swabbed for residue of some kind.

Let that sink in. Because I was wearing my child on my body I had to be swabbed for residue. What on earth is wrong with people! When it sunk in personally, my blood went cold. There are ladies, women out there who would sacrifice not only their own life but the life of their child in the name of....martyrdom, religion....stupidity.

Luckily, in spite of Paris, and all the tragedies going on in the world, we traveled without event. But it has had me thinking. I am thankful to God for our safe travels and to His angels for guiding and protecting our way.

Our Pastor, Jon, a while back wrote a booklet on the topic of angels. Some think that angels are the chubby cheeked babies flying around with a cloth diaper, but that is not what I envision. The Bible numerous times talks of Michael, a mighty warrior of an angel who does what God commands. I envision a personage that is strong, looming, tall and a presence to be reckoned with. I have read the books by Frank E. Peretti, This Present Darkness & Piercing the Darnkness. In fact I am going to reread both (normally this time of year I grab all things Christmas to read, but this year I feel I need to do things differently). Both of these books talk about normal (well kinda) lives of people, but shows the parallel of what is going on in the spiritual realm. Angles delivering messages to each other, fighting the powers of darkness, darkness trying to take people over, prayer strengthening angels.

Oh, Rhema! Prayer once again is in my life. Have you ever thought that maybe you have an angel in your life, but that angel is weak because your prayer life is weak? That maybe if you started to praying regularly (like going to the gym) your angel would be stronger and more able to do God's will for you.

Now for the meat of what I want to convey today. We read out of Philippians this morning in Sunday School:

Philippians 2:6-8 (NKJV)
⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 
⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

If the verse is unclear to you, this is a description of Jesus. Of the wonderful deed he did by becoming human.

From there we connected Isaiah 6:1-7 (NKJV):

6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 

² Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 

³ And one cried to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!”

⁴ And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

⁵ So I said:

“Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of hosts.”

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 

⁷ And he touched my mouth with it, and said:

“Behold, this has touched your lips;
Your iniquity is taken away,
And your sin purged.”

We lingered a while over the verses describing the seraphim. We discussed trying to imagine what they look like. We voiced trying to imagine the entire scene. How breath taking it would be. And how terrifying.

Hollywood is pretty good about creating creatures on screen that come from books. But I think even Hollywood would fail at creating this scene.

My mind carried the thought that maybe more people would believe if they could see the seraphim like the one's described in Isaiah. But I captured that thought. I realized that seeing such majestic creatures is going to be reserved for those who believed without seeing. The Bible tells us that angels are the messengers of God, that the go between earth and heaven doing the Father's will. We do not see them with our human eyes, but they are there. By faith we believe it. My mind further reasoned people say that if they could see Jesus they would believe, but humanity has already proven this to be a false statement. Jesus walked the earth and was severely rejected to the point of death.

From the Book of John, Chapter 20:

²⁴ Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 
²⁵ The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
²⁶ And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 
²⁷ Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
²⁸ And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

When we get to heaven, I believe our eyes of faith are going to see things that our minds on earth cannot even fathom.

And as it is the season of Christmas, the words about Santa ring in my ears, "Seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing."

Life Never Stays the Same

I have a plethora of issues on  my heart and mind. Going to put that right out there. So much has happened in the past 2 weeks in our country and in my own life that it has taken me some time to process it all.

Let's get personal first.

Last Thursday my son passed out at school. Luckily for me, I am the director (think principal) of his school, so I was in the building. It was terrifying, I aged a decade I swear, but he is perfectly healthy. It took a drive to the ER, a transfer by ambulance to Texas Children's Hospital, 2 EKG's, blood work, swabs, and a total of 7 hours to get a healthy diagnosis, but we got there. Little dude can hold his breath when upset, and can pass out. Apparently it is "common" (to quote the nurses and doctors), but really only 5% of children do it. If we can get him to catch his breathe when upset he should not have an episode. If he still passes out, and we are aware we have to make sure he doesn't hurt himself passing out. Again, I aged a decade as did his three teachers, but we are all just happy he is fine.

My daughter and I are doing great. Only the occasional meltdown happens now. Getting her to "help" me cook in the evenings really has helped our relationship. Plus I put in a sticker chart reward system of a.m. and p.m. must have's so she knows what I expect of her. It has worked out wonderfully - I owe her a Scooby-Doo movie now because of it.

My husband and I are doing great. The incident with our son was hard, but we were together. Luckily his day worked out to where he met me at the ER and was beside me the entire afternoon. Having him to lean on was a saving grace - I might have melted down if I had been solo.

Here lately prayer has been a major presence in my life. From church, Sunday school, friends, to books - pray is the theme of my life right now. And I have spent much time in prayer and reading on prayer. And what I can tell you is this - everyone needs to be praying. For each other, for the unsaved, the unborn, America...honestly, the world. We live in a broken world, people have the wrong priorities, people are not respecters of life, and time is running short.

• Starbucks, the red cup, and Christian Uproar!
• The 2016 Presidential Election - Dem's and Rep's
• The attacks in Paris
• Syrian Refugee's
• Mother's killing their children
• Sex stings and pornography raids
• Black Friday
• Happy Holiday's vs. Merry Christmas

Honestly the list can go on and on. Let me talk the first and last two issues right now.

Christmas

According to http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract4.html the word Christmas has its roots as follows:

Here let it be noted that most people think that the word, "Christmas" means "the birth of Christ."  By definition, it means "death of Christ", and I will prove it by using the World Book Encyclopedia, the Catholic Encyclopedia, and a book entitled, The Mass In Slow Motion. If you are an honest, sincere and discerning Christian, please read on; if not, you might as well stop right here.  The World Book Encyclopedia defines "Christmas" as follows:  "The word Christmas comes from "Cristes Maesse", an early English phrase that means "Mass of Christ." (1)  It is interesting to note that the word "Mass", as used by the Roman Catholics, has traditionally been rejected by the so-called Protestants, such as Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals and so on.  The word "Mass" is strictly a Catholic word and thus, so is "Christ-Mass." ...As previously stated, the word "Mass" in religious usage means a "death sacrifice."  The impact of this fact is horrifying and shocking; for when the millions of people are saying, "Merry Christmas", they are literally saying "Merry death of Christ!"  Furthermore, when the fat man in the red suit laughs boisterously  and says, "Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas", he is mocking and laughing at the suffering and bleeding Saviour, who died for our sins.  He does this while parents place their little children into his waiting arms to hear his false promises of gifts that he says he will give them.  Consider what you are saying when you say "Merry Christmas."
I share that for those who get into an uproar over people saying Happy Holiday's. Technically insisting that people say Merry Christmas is laughing at Christ's death. Happy Holiday's means Happy Holy Day.

For those of you who got into a tizzy over the Starbucks's red cup for this holiday season - grow up already. They went simple and basic - honestly more of us need to do that during the holiday's. They are not anti-Christ or even anti-Christmas because they put out a red cup. They still have their Christmas blend of coffee. And never once have they had a cup that promoted Christ, the manger or the star over Bethlehem. Their cups have been more winter than Christmas. So by going red they are not bashing Christians.

I really am still puzzled by the uproar over the simple red cup. And for those people said their names were Merry Christmas so that it would be written on their cup and the Barista would have to say it - shame on you. That is not showing love, that is being rude and childish. You are giving Christianity a bad name by trying to force Christ on people. Jesus did not say shove the Bible down people's throats. He told us to share the good news (i.e. the Gospel).

Oh Black Friday. I have never been apart of your madness. I have zero desire to camp out and get the best deal. I dislike large crowds, my heart has minor palpitations being in large crowds, which is why I am grateful for online shopping. If I didn't enjoy picking out my own produce and groceries I would for sure sign up for someone to deliver it to me.

I am not anti-social, I am anti-large groups of people with zero respect for everyone else around them! But many people seem to enjoy it, they even make it a early event that all the women in the family partake in. I am not bashing it, but I am asking everyone to be mindful.

• Make sure you are not forgetting your family on Thanksgiving. Show your thankfulness for them.
• When shopping - do not feed into the madness that happens at some stores. No item is worth injury or even life.
• Remember - sometimes the greatest gift you can give someone is your presence not a present.

Now for my political rant:

The 2016 Presidential Election - Dem's and Rep's

The attacks in Paris

Syrian Refugee's

The above three items just all go together. And ladies, women in faith everyday, we must stand up and be heard. And vote!

I lean conservative politically. Small government, less taxes, people take care of people - the government does not need to be in every part of my life. So generally I vote Republican because they are the closest to my political ideals. Those running on the democratic side this election scare me. What they envision for the future is not what America is. I see them trying to change America into something that limits freedom, liberty and personal rights.

But I will be honest, not everyone running on the Republican side is conservative. I do believe a few of them are wolves in sheep clothing. And if they get elected they will do as the democrat's want to do. I see a few true conservatives running though, and my prayer is that one of them will rise to the top and outshine the rest. Not only that, but that America will see the truth and vote in a way that will get us back to God and His blessings. I believe that most of what is going on in America today is because we as a nation have left God and He is removing His hand of blessing off of us.

2 Chronicles 7:14King James Version (KJV)
¹⁴ If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Ladies, 2 Chronicles 7:14 needs to be our prayer. Not just for America, but for the world. Because what we have going on is not just about us here. It is about every single person on earth. Terrorist attacked Paris last week. And now France is fighting back against ISIS. And out of the attacks in Paris comes the Syrian Refugee issue. Our president is insisting that America accept more refugees with a system that has already allowed terrorist into our country. We need prayer, we need to be women of prayer. If you saw the movie War Room you know what I am talking about. If you did not, see it. It is such a great movie on what prayer can do in a person's, in a family's life.

Prayer is transforming, prayer is hard.

1 Thessalonians 5:17New American Standard Bible (NASB)
¹⁷ pray without ceasing;

We are instructed to pray without ceasing. Prayer is to be a constant thing. When you see someone, pass someone by, pray for them. While you are doing dishes, pray. While you are eating dinner, pray. While you are cooking, driving, showering, whatever you are doing, be talking to God. Make a time for Him each day where you are still.

There are times we need to be active, times to be still, time to talk, time to be silent. Right now we need to be seeking Him, talking to Him throughout our day, and being still in His presence so we hear from Him.

Let's be women of prayer and change the world. Because the way things are going, if something doesn't change, we will not recognize the world we live in.

Being Childlike

I am not one to goof off or like surprises.

I like routine, order, and structure. Chaos is not my thing.

But I have children. Which means surprises and chaos are daily companions of mine.

It also means that there are numerous frustrations in my day when dealing with my children, but more importantly with my daughter.

We constantly rub each other the wrong way and get frustrated with other. And it is aggravating to daily be upset with a child you created and love beyond the moon.

Last night and my husband and I had a long, hard talk about the situation and came up with some strategies. My daughter is a "daddy's girl" without any question. Her bond with her him is wonderful. Every now and then they butt heads but mostly it is piggy back rides, hugs & kisses, and fruit snacks on the couch. He pointed out he has never babysat, read a book, or taken a class on children. He plays and is silly with her. He goofs off with her and makes life a game.

I tried it tonight and it worked about 90% of the time. We still had a few hiccups. Baby steps and all. But joking around, tickling and having her help me cook really made the evening better.

Matthew 18:3 (NKJV)
³ and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Bible mentions that we must have faith like a child. My daughter loves hearing Bible stories, going to church and singing "Jesus Loves Me." She gets so much joy out of it all. The same joy that she gets when her daddy gives her rides on his shoulders, or she gets to pick out fruit snacks for them to share. So I am going to put aside (kinda) my need for structure and let our evening's flow. I am going to enjoy my daughter and my time with her by being silly and having fun that she enjoys.

Third times the charm

Today I began my third round of the 21 day fix extreme. My first time was wonderful, my second not so much. This time I am going to rock it! But this is going to be more than about my fitness. This is going to be so much more.

It has been said that it takes 21 days to establish a new habit or break an old one. With my journey through 21 dfx, I have learned more about my eating habits and fitness. I have found the spiritual and practical application to the concept behind it all. I must have a plan. To be successful with 21dfx, you have to plan when you will workout, cook ahead of time, and prep for snacks!

I am going to use this 21 day journey I am on to create a plan for my life. I feel that I am going through each day but not utilizing the day to the fullest. I know what God has called me to do, but I am not making much progress. Tonight I was able to have some time of reflection, and I have some clarity:

• I want to be a published writer, that means I need to write. Everyday. Thankfully I have this blog, but I also have a book I am working on and a Bible Study I want to create. So everyday I will devote time to writing something more than a to-do list.
• I will have my prayer and quite time everyday. I will meet with the Lord to outline each and every day.
• I will make time to have alone time with each member of my family: Brock, Abigail and Stone. I will arrange babysitters and give thought of a way to connect with each one on their level.

The other thing is that I feel that God is calling me for something more, more than what I am already doing and aspiring for. My husband has committed to a new journey that will last at least a year. If at the end he essentially meets the requirements for the next step, our life will change, and we see it for the good. Before that though I feel that God is calling me for more than what I am already doing beyond being a Sunday school admin, working on my classes Facebook page, my Precept class, church nursery volunteering and such. So for the next 21 days I am going to seek clarity as to what He is calling me to do.

We are "That" family...

Every community, every group, has that one family that does things differently.

• they are vegan
• they do not do anything dairy
• no chocolate
• no gluten
• no soda
• no tooth fairy/Easter bunny/Santa Claus
• etc., etc., etc.

I have come to realize that my family, my little group of four, is "that" family. We do not do cow's milk, we do not allow sugar until age 1, no chocolate until after age 2, and the mythical characters are not apart of our storybook.

And it has taken me sometime to get a stiff upper lip about it. We will do the Easter egg hunts, but if there is any gifts given, my children "know" that a bunny did not bring them but instead it was mom/father and maybe one of the five grandparents. We haven't had to deal with the tooth fairy yet, so I am not sure what we will do, if anything. Santa Claus, that one is a bit tricky.

Abigail will be three this year, and last year she was already asking questions at age two. Obviously she loves Christmas, and that makes my heart happy, being that Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. And the girl is obsessed with Santa! She isn't old enough yet to realize that some of her peers get gifts from Santa, but that is just around the corner. The plan my husband and I have is to share the story of the original Old Saint Nick, and explain how Christmas is magical, but all her presents are from mom/father, not the old man in the red suit.

This decision has been met with much criticism, and I have been surprised with how opinionated people are about our family choice. People who have no say in our life giving their two cents like they will persuade us differently.

Here is why we do not do the mythical characters as real - it is lying. Plan and simple, it is lying. And when it comes to my children I do not want to lie to them. It goes to their salvation. When I tell my children about Jesus, I am telling them about someone real, someone who died on the cross to save them. If I have told them that the tooth fairy, Easter bunny and Santa are real right now, and they come to an age that they realize they aren't, they can question Jesus as being real because I told them the other three were real too. But if from the beginning we share that the three are magical and a fun idea but not real, and that Jesus is real, the identity is separate.

It really it me though this past week how different we are. I confess, I hate Halloween. I don't like the costumes, my sweet tooth is tempted too much, and honestly the scary stuff is not up my alley. And for good reason too! Fear is not of God, and some decorations and costumes are flat out spine tingling!

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, and of power, and of a sound mind.” —2 Timothy 1:7

My house is decorated for fall/Thanksgiving - the garish orange is nauseating. In the past few years our church has done a fall festival and we have attended some, but it was a festival. Games and fun - some costumes but nothing scary. This year that flat out did trick-or-treating. Well my daughter cannot have candy - the spike in her sugar causes massive behavior issues that are not needed. I have a garden gnome costume for Abigail (honestly not sure where it came from, but it is in her closet), and if the church had had a festival she would have been that. I really think she would have been adorable doing hop-scotch and ring toss in that little gnome outfit. I did try and get a brown beanie and onsie for Stone so he could be an acorn, but when I found out that there was no festival I stopped looking. Trick-or-treating is all about Halloween, the scary, the evil, the things we are to be set apart from as believers.

“Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.” —1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

I am not casting a stone at my church, they were providing a safe environment for families to have some fun, but Halloween is about evil, even if we are in cute costumes. But, as long as it is trick-or-treating, then every Halloween you will find this Shuman household at home, front porch light off, and more than likely watching a family movie together.

And finally remember this:

“Therefore come out from them and be separate from them, says the Lord.” —2 Corinthians 6:17

Being different from everyone else is not a bad thing. We are called to be different. To be a believer is to be different. There should be a noticeable difference in your way of life if Jesus is the center of your life.