I have a soft place in my heart for Halloween. Maybe it’s because October 31^st is my birthday. When I was a little girl, back in the stone ages, we dressed up as princesses or cheerleaders and paraded through the neighborhood with parents watching. Today the world has more risk and caution is needed. Some in the Christian Community think it is “ungodly” to celebrate.

Several years ago I read an intriguing book called, Redeeming Halloween, Celebrating without Selling Out by Kim Weir and Pam McCune. They discuss the origin of the holiday and its tie to All Saints Day, which was a time to remember and celebrate Saints and martyrs from Christian history. In a practical sense it is a perfect opportunity to show the love of Christ to the people who ring our doorbells.

Before you start typing a rebuttal email, I ask you to consider two passages from the Bible

This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 (NKJ)

and

Jesus says of Himself, in Luke 4:18-19 (NIV)

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

In a nutshell the first verse says that the enemy has not created any days. October 31 is NOT his day. God is the Creator of time and every day belongs to Him. 10/31 is no different. So I am going to rejoice by giving out candied blessings to the people who come to Trick or Treat.

The second passage is where Jesus quotes Isaiah stating that He is now on earth to do what was promised. In the great commission Jesus extends this work to all His followers. Because of the Holy Spirit we now have the ability and responsibility to share the good news of His love with other people so that they can be fully connected with Him. One simple way to share this message is with the treats you giveaway.

A few years ago, our church provided stickers to place on candy that said “Because God Loves you BIG! (Not just fun sized.)” And they encouraged us to buy large sized candy bars to give away. You can create your own version on your computer and tape them to the candy and maybe include the website URL for the place where you worship or your address.

Our family often gives a sample Adventure in Odyssey CD to the first 20 families along with some candy. (Adventures in Odyssey is an outstanding children’s radio program that teaches faith-based concepts in a creative storyline. Check your local radio station for air times, or listen online at www.whitsend.org.) You can get samplers online.

If you’ve already bought a bunch of fun sized candy packs, maybe you can bundle them with a note that says – Here’s some Fun Sized Candy to say, “I love you” from a Super-Sized God.

I think this is a great way to show the generosity of our Father.

As you give out treats at your door or walk in your community, you could dress as a person from the Bible… or some other positive role model in history as you smile and share His joy. Who knows, your Queen Esther or Prime Minister Joseph costume might spark great conversations.

Please let me know how you decide to celebrate the Lord of the Harvest, with Halloween babies everywhere.

Blessings to you and yours,

Kelly

You are not pretty and you don’t belong here.

These would be really harsh words if I were talking to a person. But I am saying them to weeds in my front yard.

Sometimes several days go by when I don’t notice the front entrance to our home. This is because I typically enter through the door inside the garage.

But, because we have guests at least a few times a month and they enter the front en they door, I want it to be welcoming and look nice, so I garden every couple of weeks…

For the most part, the plants in our yard are easy to take care of and not elaborate. Maybe that’s why the ugly uninvited weeds look so bad when they inevitably show up. I hate them because they are growing all proud and strong like – I’m cute. But they are Not!  They are not pretty and they don’t belong.

I was recently having this discourse with myself and realized that I sometimes have thoughts like the weeds. They are not pretty and don’t belong. Sometimes they are ugly because I am judging someone else or being a hypocrite. Sometimes they are ugly and full of self-pity, which keeps me stuck in bad behavior. They don’t belong because they are not consistent with my faith in Christ.

By His grace, when I ask Him, He takes a divine trowel and digs up the nasty thought weed. He puts down a version of “Preen Weed Preventer” so they don’t grow back as fast. He can do the same thing with any kind of sin. He can do it with anything that keeps us away from Him. Though the weeds are unattractive and create work, I’m grateful that God is using them to help me grow in Him.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holiday celebrations. It is a combination of things I love: I get to cook, eat, and host my family and friends. And best of all – tell God and hear others tell Him how grateful we are.

Here is my 2015 Top Ten list of Thanksgiving tips and ideas…

10. The week before Thanksgiving is the perfect time to clean out your refrigerator and freezer. You are going to need that space for the feast and leftovers. I typically plan our pre-Thanksgiving week menu to eat whatever is currently in the frig/freezer food. Sometimes there are some creative combinations…

9. If you are making a dish for the first time, or one you haven’t made in a long time, make it this week as a practice dry run. That way you will be confident when the big dinner arrives.

8. If you are hosting the dinner, layout the serving dishes that you plan to use a few days in advance. That way you will know what you have and what you might want to borrow.

7. Take pictures of the preparation and throughout the big day. Don’t worry about posting them anywhere. Just keep them, the good, the bad, the ugly, like the dozen uncooked yeast rolls that my dog pulled from the table before I got a chance to bake them, to savor during future holidays. (And if you must share just do a quick air drop to people in the house.)

6. Create a cooking schedule. I always do some cooking the weekend before Thanksgiving. (That’s why I need my freezer to be ready.) I start by making a list of everything we are having. Then I type the person who is making or bringing the item. For the things I will be preparing, I add the day I am planning to cook it. That way I can pace myself.

5. If you are a houseguest, ask how you can help. Men folk, maybe you can keep an eye on all the garage cans in the house and be the emptier/bag replacer. My favorite guests help clean the mountain of dishes from dinner. That is one of the best gifts.

4. Our dining room table isn’t big enough for all our guests to sit there. So we dress-up the kitchen table and add a cute table in the family room, so the football heads can watch the game while they enjoy the meal after we say grace. Each is decorated and set with plates and utensils that guests can carry through the buffet line.

3. Consider setting up the food buffet style. We sit the serving dishes around our kitchen countertops so folks can serve and get seconds easily. I try to make it attractive while self-sustaining once the eating begins.

2. Make it a priority to enjoy the process of cooking, cleaning, visiting, laughing, etc. Play music or listen to books on tape/CD while you cook and clean or pack if you are traveling. Watch Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Make popcorn if you dare. Gather up some board games to play when dinner is over.

1. Starting today, tell God how grateful you are for His grace and mercy in your life. Be thankful and don’t stop. (Psalm 103:1-5)

Kitchen Table

Dining Room Setting with Bible Verse Card