When Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” did He mean for us to include ghost and goblins? If so, that means every Halloween is an opportunity to witness to the dark side.

Most Christians don’t know what to do with Halloween. They wonder if they should ignore it; protest against it; or find alternative ways to participate without offending their faith. The trouble comes from the belief that nothing good can come from evil so why take part? Yet, Joseph tells us in the bible that “what is meant for evil God can use for good.” In that case, Halloween can be an opportunity for us to do good.

I realize that some of you may be wondering if I’ve been living on a far away planet unaware of what Halloween is. I have not. I’m very much aware of its meaning and tradition. Before Christ, Halloween was part of the Celtic Feast of Samhain. This celebration of Druid priest commemorated the beginning of winter. The Festivals consisted of animal sacrifices to the dead and bonfires in recognition of departed souls. Those who participated in the festival believed that goblins, demons, witches and elves were sent from the world beyond to harass the living. For self-protection, the Druid’s would dress up like ghouls and goblins and involve themselves in demonic activities. They believed participating in this way kept them from being attacked by real witches and demons.

The early church responded by moving All Saint’s’ Day from spring to fall and renamed it Hallows’ Eve. In doing so, Christians used, what we now call, Halloween as catalyst in which to proclaim Christ’s death and resurrection. Halloween, for the early church, became a way to evangelize the people. They took something evil and used it for good. We would do well to follow their example.

Halloween is full of trickery and illusions about mystical powers and the living dead. Christians today can use these illusions in comparison to the truth that Jesus overcame the grave by the power of God and is the true Resurrection and Life. Better yet, those who are in Christ will also conquer the grave and live forever in the presence of God. What good news to share on such a dark day!

There are many ways to share the good news of the gospel. My church has a Harvest Party on October 31 every year. The children play games and collect candy while the adults enjoy hayrides and winner roasts. The most significant part about our party is the gospel room. This is where a drama is presented sharing about the good news of Jesus Christ and His saving power. One way for you to share Jesus with others is to invite an un-churched family to your church’s festival.

Another way to participate if you’re a stay at home kind of person is not to turn off the lights and hide. Instead be a shinning light on a dark night. Tie scripture or gospel tracks to some candy and hand it out at your front door with Christ-like love and joy.

If you have with the gift of hospitality, then have a Harvest party at your house. Invite friends, family, and neighbors to sit around a camp fire or your living room floor and think of creative ways to talk the Holy Spirit instead of ghostly spirits.

Halloween is not a time for avoidance. It’s a time to communicate with your children, family, and friends that, “yes,” death and the grave are real, but through Christ, we are more than conquerors over evil. What better time to share this good news with others then when our minds are on such things? It’s an opportunity to take something evil and use it for good.

Lately I've been faced with the fact that many are losing hope in this crashing economy of ours. While many are losing hope, the God of all hope has not lost us! Because of this truth, I've been thinking about how to reach out and offer hope to the hurting. I've found in my walk with God that when I ask, He answers.

This excerpt from Keri Kent spoke to my heart. I hope it speaks to yours....

One of the barriers to becoming someone who makes a difference is simply this: we don't want to. In many ways, we would like to stay blind and small, like baby mice. We don't realize how fulfilling, how thrilling, being a difference maker can be. Jesus invites us to be people who see, and then act. When we do so, our very desires our changed.

The Christian faith, a faith that makes a difference, calls us to see with new vision. Jesus says when we pry the plank of hypocrisy and judgment out of our eye, we will "see clearly" to help others (see Matthew 7:1-5). What does it mean to "see" someone? To not just be vaguely aware of them, as some sort of distraction, but to see them?

Jesus recently has been challenging me to see even more clearly. In 1 John 3:17, the Bible says, "If any one of you has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in you?" This is not a statement of condemnation, it's just a question. In fact, a few verses later John says we need not let our hearts condemn us. It is a question with a challenge. Do we see the under-resourced of the world? In our neighborhood? Or do we work very hard to stay blind to their plight? I think one of the scariest prayers you can pray is, "Help me to see more clearly." God only knows what he might show you.

-Keri Wyatt Kent

Imagine what would happen if we truly saw the needs of others, and then, reached out and provided what we could from our own supply?

One of my favorite things about fall and winter is soup! I love to make and eat soups during the cool crisp months between October and March. One of my favorites is a family recipe. It’s called Italian Wedding Soup. Yes, it is served at Italian weddings. Perhaps that’s where it got its name from. I dunno. But I do remember my mother serving it as a family meal as well. I hope you’ll try it!

Soup:
4 chicken breast
1 medium onion-chopped
4 Tlbs butter
2 stalks celery, diced
4 hardboiled eggs
Salt, Garlic, oregano, parsley
(to taste—about 1 ½ tsp each)

Boil chicken in large pot. Add chopped onion, 4 tlbs butter, and seasonings. Cook chicken until done—about 20-25 minutes. Remove chicken and cut into bit size pieces. Add celery to soup. Make the meatballs and add them to the soup. Cook for 15 minutes longer. Add in cut up chicken. Before serving, diced 4 hard boil eggs and add to soup. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Meatballs:
½ lb ground beef
½ lb ground pork or Italian sausage
1 egg
½ cup Italian bread crumbs
Salt-to taste

Combine meats, egg, bread crumbs and salt—mix thoroughly. Form into small balls about 1 inch in diameter. Should make about 30 meatballs. Brown the meatballs in a skillet using a small amount of oil. Drop meatballs into finished soup along with drippings and cook 15 minutes more.

If you've ever doubted God's love, listen to this short message...

Have a great weekend and know you are loved!

My friends, Renee and JJ along with their two sons, recently adopted a sweet baby girl from Africa. Last weekend, their church gave Aster a Welcome home party! Renee extended the invitation to those she serves with at Proverbs 31 Ministries. Well, I should say she invited those who live in town. However, the email went out to the entire staff and team at Proverbs. Although Renee lives in North Carolina and I live in Tennessee, I wanted to attend the celebration!

You have to understand. I’ve prayed for this sweet baby for many, many years. I’ve seen pictures of her chubby checks which caused the “mom” in me to want to reach into the photo and hold her. So, when the invitation came out and even though I live 7 1/2 hours away, I couldn’t resist not going. I had to see and hold God’s sweet answer to our prayers.

I called my husband at worked and asked, “Are you feeling spontaneous today?”

“Why?” he replied with hesitance in his voice. “What have you got in mind?”

With as much enthusiasm as I could muster up I answered, “How would you like to spend the weekend in North Carolina?” From there I explained the party, my desire to celebrate with Renee, and my longing to hold baby Aster. He was in! He’s such a great hubby!

We decided to make our visit a surprise. I called LeAnn, my friend and our executive director at Proverbs to help me secure a nearby hotel. Once that was done, we were on our way!

The closer we got to Charlotte, the more excited I got! I couldn’t wait to see LeAnn, who was meeting us at the hotel and accompanying us to the party. I also couldn’t wait to see Aster. But mainly, I tried to imagine Renee’s response when saw me. I wanted her to feel my love and support. Boy, did she!

We didn’t knock once we arrived at Renee’s house. We simply walked in through the front door. The house was buzzing with people. We decided that LeAnn should walk in front of me and Pat would follow behind in order to make the most out of the surprise. It worked!

Renee saw LeAnn and instantly reached out with a welcome hug. That’s when she spotted me. With her arms still extended, she passed up LeAnn and embraced me. It was quite funny—not to LeAnn of course. Anyway, Renee hugged and kissed me and while exclaiming, “What are you doing here?!”

She took me over to Aster where I got to finish feeding her a bottle. She is SO precious that words are not sufficient! I was surprised at how alert she was from reading Renee’s emails from Africa. But love is a powerful antidote. There was no doubt that Aster was home, loved, and knew her family. Whenever Renee spoke, Aster would turn her head to find her mommy.

I not only got to feed Aster but play with her and changer her too. I was trying to soak in as much as I could. I knew it would be months before I got to see Aster again. But how could she forget me. I am her number 1 aunt because I drove the furthest to see her! Right?

Later that evening, Renee and her son Josh joined LeAnn, Pat and me for dinner. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful day of celebration.

Welcome home, Aster!

If you read my devotion today, When God Comes Near, you may be wondering where Pastor Walter got his strength. He asked God for it. The fastest way to cause God to come near to you is to draw near to Him. How—by telling God your needs. It sounds simple, but how many times do we really ask God for specific help like Walter did? Maybe we think He’s too busy to bother. Nothing is further from the truth. God is not distant, too busy, or absorbed by other challenges to hear our petitions. He is aware of our concerns and has given us His promised Presence to see us through.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Ps 46:1). I love that verse. It says God is my helper! He’s yours too! So go ahead and ask God for His provision. Ask for comfort, wisdom, guidance, and strength.

Without God’s help, we tend to grow hopeless in our situations. But those who abound in hope are those who understand the power of prayer. We can petition God anytime, anywhere, and any place sharing our sorrows and joys alike. “Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer” (Ps 4:1).

Praying through the pain is a practical step toward maintaining our hope. No matter what we face, we should never stop praying. Jesus prayed frequently and alone avoiding distractions. This can be difficult in today’s busy world. Although, picking a quiet place to meet with God on a regular basis helps to stay committed and minimize disturbances. Prayer helps sooth our anxieties and lift our spirits.

On the other hand, those who are overcome with hopelessness often feel bound by circumstances beyond their control but talking with God has no boundaries. Even when the words won’t come, the Spirit of God understands and interprets our groans. He fills our hearts with hope and enables us to experience peace and joy in the midst of suffering.

I’ve often made this verse my prayer: “May the God of hope fill [me] with all joy and peace as [ I ] trust in him, so that [ I ] may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

After we tell God our needs, the next step is to watch and see how God responds. Many times we feel as if our requests go unheard and our needs unmet because we miss God’s response to our prayers. After we ask God for help, we should watch to see what happens next. Many times God shows up in the practical things of life—help from a friend, a reimbursed check in the mail, or a job offer from an unexpected source.

I don’t always know how God will meet my needs, but I do know that He will always deliver on His promise of hope to those who trust and seek His provision. He is there to guide our decisions and offer us comfort and security even in the most chaotic circumstances.

Whatever your concern may be, whatever your pain, take some time today and tell God about it. In fact, I'd like to challenge you to make the verse above, Romans 15:13, your prayer today. To encourage others, as well as yourself, leave a comment saying...I talked with God today. If you like, add how that made you feel.

Here we are again. It’s another new day. Where does the time go? It’s seems the older I get the faster time fly’s. Growing up I can remember when a summer day seemed to last an enter week and Christmas took light years to arrive. As an adult, it feels like Christmas comes every six months. Last week seems like yesterday and last year flew by as if someone pushed fast-forward on my video camera. I can barely keep up!

Time goes so quickly that I can hardly remember the events that took place in my life and in the life of my family last year. Isn’t something terribly wrong with that?!

YES!

What on earth am I doing with my time?

Perhaps that’s the wrong question. Maybe I should be asking, “What does God require of my time?” Besides the Psalmist says, “This is the day which the Lord has made.” If it’s His day, maybe God has something in mind for me to do.

Meditating on this thought caused me to remember an old “English Prayer” that offers simple instruction for enjoying the day which the Lord has made. It goes like this:

Take time to work, it is the price of success.
Take time to think, it is the source of power.
Take time to play, it’s the secret of perpetual youth.
Take time to read, it is the foundation of wisdom.
Take time to be friendly, it is the road to happiness.
Take time to dream, it’s like hitching your wagon to a star.
Take time to love, it’ is the privilege of our heart.
Take time to look around, it is too short a day to be selfish.
Take time to laugh it is the music of the soul.

Enjoy the day which the Lord has made! And make some memories, too!

Refreshing! If I had to choose one word to describe our mini-vacation I’d say it was refreshing. The kids are on fall break so my husband took off Friday and Monday from work so we could enjoy a long weekend together.

The weather was cool and crisp—just right for hiking which we love to do. But mainly we rested. We rested from the work place. We rested from the computer. We rested from doing. Period. We trusted that our work would wait on us. It would be there after our vacation was over.

We took long drives in the convertible, we window shopped, explored nature, went to the movies, read a book, enjoyed dinner out and talked with one another without the interruption of ipods and text messaging. We rested—trusting that work could wait.

The result was refreshing.

I don’t think we rest enough in our society today. People are burning out from tying to do it all and from carrying a load larger than life. When they become completely beaten down, they look up and wonder Where is God?

He’s there. He’s inviting us into His rest. “Come to me all of you who are weary…weary from work, weary from pain, weary from worry…come and I will give you rest.”

Rest requires trust. Why? Because you and I have to trust God to work on our behalf in order to let go. We have to trust that God is able to do what we can’t do. We have to trust that God knows best. When we trust, we enter into God’s rest. There we find peace, renewal of our mind, and refreshment.

Go ahead. Take a mini-vacation today. Your work will wait and you’ll be better prepared to handle it after you rest.

If you’re looking for great tips on making your children’s faith their own, visit my friend Susanne’s blog today!

Sometimes God picks the most unusual places to teach me a new truth, or remind me of one that needs a bit of my attention. This time it was in the fourth quarter of my son’s basketball game. The score was tied, causing tension to heighten. I expected a new play from our side that would catch the other team off guard, but that’s not what happened. They simply kept to the fundamentals of the game. The coach had a philosophy:

“When stress enters the court, the team who keeps to the fundamentals succeeds.”

The same is true in our walk with Christ. When the pressures and stresses of life began to press in, we need to keep to the fundamentals of our faith.

I’ve learned that one of the fundamentals to keeping my faith fresh and alive is keeping my relationship with the Lord in first place. The Bible encourages us: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). I want to put the Lord first place in my life because I know I can’t live on yesterday’s bread. Do you remember how God fed the Israelites daily manna from heaven as they traveled through the desert on their way to the Promised Land? God instructed them not to gather more than a day’s worth of bread or it would rot. God did this because He wanted the Israelites to know that He was their daily provision. The same is true for you and me. We can’t live today on yesterday’s blessings and provisions from God. We need to seek Him for “new bread” everyday.

The second fundamental is to never lose the wonder. It’s easy to let the wonder of God become commonplace amidst the drudgery of everyday life. However, by keeping my eyes on the wonder and awe of God, I’ll never lose hope. In fact, once you and I are awe struck by His greatness, we can’t help but share it with others. “For he said to God, “I will declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among all your people” (Hebrew 2:12). To keep on track, I ask myself often, “I’m I just going through the motions or am I seeking the great things of God and sharing it with others?”

Finally, I think it’s fundamental to rely on the supernatural Spirit of God. Ephesians 5:18 commands: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” When a person is filled with wine, what’s controlling them? Alcohol. When a person is filled with the Spirit, what’s controlling them? The Lord! Aren’t we always trying to control our own lives, and don’t we usually fail? And yet, God has provided a better way. He has given us a helper, the Holy Spirit. In Him, we have all the power, confidence, and strength we need for whatever comes our way.

You and I were never meant to go it alone. Therefore, before each day begins, I ask God to fill me with His Holy Spirit. Then, by faith, I thank Him that He is with me. Allowing God to guide our lives daily is the only way to lead a successful and thriving life of faith. So the next time pressures enter your life, return to the fundamentals of your faith and win the day!

I was sitting in the doctor’s office this morning thumbing through a magazine when I came across 10 ways to wake up beautiful. They caught my interest so I thought I would pass them along to my closest friends.

1. Wash Your Face: Okay, I admit it. If I wait until I’m really tired, sometimes I go to bed with my make-up on. According to this popular magazine, this is not just a bad-habit. It's also bad for your complexion. Clean pours make for healthier skin in the morning.

2. Use A Good Night Cream: Since you don’t have to worry about your mascara running during the night because you’ve washed your face, go ahead and lather on the moisturizer! Don’t forget your neck, too!

3. Add Some Glow: If you want to wake to a glowing face, add a touch of self-tanner to your night cream. Hummm…I thought that was interesting.

4. De-frizz Your Hair: If you live in the South, then you know all about fizz! To help control the problem, sleep on a stain pillow chase OR wrap your hair in a silk scarf while you sleep. My husband’s gonna love that one!

5. Do The Wave: If you have long hair, twist it up with a hair scrunch while damp. In the morning, let your hair down and enjoy your wavy hair.

6. Go Smooth: For hard to manage hair, use an all night conditioner. In the morning, rinse and style your newly controllable hair.

7. Lose The Puff: Eat a high protein low fat dinner. Leave off the potatoes, rice, pasta and bread. Crabs tend to add puffiness to the face. (For me, they add puffiness all over!)

8. Sleep On Your Back: Your head weighs on average 6-7 pounds. That’s a lot of weight for your face to support during the night.

9. Make Gravity Your Friend: Sleep on two pillows or elevate your headboard 2-4 inches. Gravity keeps fluids and blood from settling in the wrong places.

10. Pop a Pill: I don’t normally push drugs, but this magazine proclaims that taking a natural vitamin such as Melatonin—what our bodies produce anyway-- a few times a week makes for a good night sleep and a more beautiful morning.