I have often wondered if Halloween is something that ought to be celebrated by Christians. I will be interested to hear what others think about it. After all, the holiday is a lot of fun. Every year on October 31st kids and adults from all over the place dress in various costumes and attend special events or parties to celebrate a holiday called Halloween. The kids go from door to door asking for candy, smiling in their costumes, with their parents right beside them. The evening of the holiday is filled with fun, excitement, parties for some, Trick-or-Treat rounds for others, and lots of sugar. Seems innocent, right? Not so much.
Halloween is specifically a holiday to commemorate Satanism. This tradition goes all the way back to about 200 B.C. Be prepared, this post is not for the squeamish and requires discretion on the part of the reader. If you do not want the details, you may want to skip the next paragraph entirely. The original name of this holiday is actually "The Feast of Samhain" and celebrates hatred of God in an extremely vile form. Samhain (pronounced sah-WEEN), or the "Lord of Darkness", is the whole reason this so-called holiday was celebrated in the first place. This pagan god was of the most disgusting evil, requiring his followers to participate in some pretty gory traditions. The people who participated in this original Halloween believed that the veil between the living and dead opened and allowed for interaction. This night was a celebration of the removal of that veil. Does that remind you of anything?
Samhain-worshipers would do what most people in their right minds would consider unthinkable on the night of what we now know to be Halloween. "Trick-or-Treating" was actually something that was quite serious. People would dress up as evil beings and demons, performing different antics in exchange for food and drink. That is not even the beginning of the evil performed on the original Halloween. Child-sacrifice was required. The priests, or "Druids", would eat the flesh and drink the blood of their victims. On top of this wickedness, sexual perversion was rampant during this celebration. Orgies included incest and homosexuality. It is a chance to celebrate sin and "dance with the Devil", so says Satanic High Priestess Blanche Barton (on The Church of Satan website). It is, in fact, a time for homosexuals in particular to live in "a moment of utopian wishfulness" (Santino, Jack. Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life, p. 211).
When I hear about Samhain and the rituals required on his night, the first thing that comes to my mind is the god Molech. In the Old Testament, God condemns Molech-worship because of the things it celebrated - namely, pure evil. It is also reminiscent of Sodom and Gomorrah. You all remember that place, right? Those were the cities so evil that God destroyed them with fire from Heaven.
Now, I understand that the celebration of Halloween today is done in some innocence, but I have a huge problem with it. Paul says that we ought to reject any form of evil (1 Thess. 5:22). We are to set our minds on things above, not on the things that are on earth (Col. 3:1-2). I am not going to flat-out say that I think everyone who celebrates Halloween is in sin. That is not my say. In fact, I do not think that. Everyone is responsible for their own convictions and I do not in any way think someone is in sin if they participate in this holiday. If you invite me to go Trick-or-Treating or to a Harvest Party with you and your kids for fun and fellowship, I will probably do it. Here is what I will say: when I compile the information about this holiday and compare it to what is said in Scripture about the Lord's hatred for this kind of evil, it leaves me with a very strong inclination to be completely opposed to celebrating Halloween or having anything to do with it. That is my stance on Halloween. I would much rather celebrate Reformation Day.
If you want to know more about Halloween and its origins (from the same sites I found some of my information), check out these sites:
Halloween: A Covenant with Death and Hell
Halloween: The Fantasy and Folklore of All Hallows
Samhain, Lord of Darkness
Ancient Origins of Trick-or-Treating
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
My Hand is my Real Hand
People often ask me how many siblings I have. I have three younger sisters. I love them each dearly. The Lord put them all into our family in His own good timing and way. The next question is usually as to whether I can show a picture. I show people a picture of my family, and their faces go from "smiling and interested" to "smiling and confused." The reason? People expect a family of blond-haired, blue-eyed girls. Instead, they see two blond-haired, blue-eyed girls; one brown-haired, brown-eyed girl; and one black-haired, brown-eyed girl. That is not typically what people expect to see in a family photo. Of course, the next question is, "Are they your real sisters?" To which my answer is, "Of course. We have the same parents."
There is a common misconception about adoption that a lot of people seem to buy into. This misconception is that children brought into a family by adoption are different than children brought into a family by birth. In reality, they are all equally part of the family. They have different backgrounds and different genetics, but that doesn't change their status within the family. This is hard for some people to wrap their minds around. They simply cannot get past the idea that family members by adoption are equally members of the family as family members by birth. We don't differentiate between children by C-Section and children by natural birth. It's simply another way to bring a child into a family.
Adoption is so much more than papers and a name-change. That child is welcomed into the family with the same joy and excitement as a child who is born into a family. That family becomes their own family. The parents are legally the parents. The birth certificates are re-generated to have the new parents' names on them. Once papers are signed, the new parents become the only parents. There is no going back - that child is now fully part of the family. That child receives the same rights and privileges as any other child. Two of my sisters were born in the country of Colombia. That does not make them any less my sisters.
This is a beautiful picture of what we have in Christ. As believers, we are adopted into God's family (Romans 8:15). There is a reason that we call each other "brothers and sisters in Christ." The Father's adoption of us changes our identity. We become part of a family. There is no chance that it could ever be reversed. It is simply out of the question. We become heirs with Christ and will inherit blessing. Because of my personal experience with adoption, I have somewhat of a better understanding of what this means. I don't have a perfect understanding because we all live in a cursed world. But it is amazing to think about it in that light.
Being in a family that has received some children through adoption rather than birth has really changed my perspective. I didn't understand what it all meant before. Now I get it. I guess that, when someone hasn't gone through it personally, it makes it harder to understand. People don't realize the sometimes insensitive nature of their questions or comments. I often have to correct people in their questions as to whether they are my real sisters. Of course they are. My answer usually sounds like this: "If you mean to ask whether they are my biological sisters, then the answer is no. However, biological or not, they are just as much my real sisters as my hand is my real hand."
There is a common misconception about adoption that a lot of people seem to buy into. This misconception is that children brought into a family by adoption are different than children brought into a family by birth. In reality, they are all equally part of the family. They have different backgrounds and different genetics, but that doesn't change their status within the family. This is hard for some people to wrap their minds around. They simply cannot get past the idea that family members by adoption are equally members of the family as family members by birth. We don't differentiate between children by C-Section and children by natural birth. It's simply another way to bring a child into a family.
Adoption is so much more than papers and a name-change. That child is welcomed into the family with the same joy and excitement as a child who is born into a family. That family becomes their own family. The parents are legally the parents. The birth certificates are re-generated to have the new parents' names on them. Once papers are signed, the new parents become the only parents. There is no going back - that child is now fully part of the family. That child receives the same rights and privileges as any other child. Two of my sisters were born in the country of Colombia. That does not make them any less my sisters.
This is a beautiful picture of what we have in Christ. As believers, we are adopted into God's family (Romans 8:15). There is a reason that we call each other "brothers and sisters in Christ." The Father's adoption of us changes our identity. We become part of a family. There is no chance that it could ever be reversed. It is simply out of the question. We become heirs with Christ and will inherit blessing. Because of my personal experience with adoption, I have somewhat of a better understanding of what this means. I don't have a perfect understanding because we all live in a cursed world. But it is amazing to think about it in that light.
Being in a family that has received some children through adoption rather than birth has really changed my perspective. I didn't understand what it all meant before. Now I get it. I guess that, when someone hasn't gone through it personally, it makes it harder to understand. People don't realize the sometimes insensitive nature of their questions or comments. I often have to correct people in their questions as to whether they are my real sisters. Of course they are. My answer usually sounds like this: "If you mean to ask whether they are my biological sisters, then the answer is no. However, biological or not, they are just as much my real sisters as my hand is my real hand."
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
He led me where I thought I didn't want to go
The Lord leads us in so many ways that we don't expect. I didn't know that He could lead me in a direction so pointedly as He has these past few weeks. I went home to visit my family near the beginning of October. I got to spend almost a whole week there with them and with the believers in my church back home. Of course, this made me miss them a whole ton and wanted to go back. Don't get me wrong, I would miss all of my friends here to the enth degree, too, if I left. I also love everyone back home and I am sad to be apart from them right now. I have always said that I didn't want to do school and that I'd rather work. I'm not sure why that is, it's just where I gravitate. I told my parents that I wanted to leave Master's after the end of this semester and come home which really seemed to come out of left field to them. Not what they were expecting to hear.
I didn't want to hear anyone argue with me. I listened to counsel and prayed and asked the Lord to make it clear to me whether He would want me to go home or stay at school. Almost a week after I came back from visiting, I made a "final decision." My parents told me that they would be supportive of whatever decision I made, but that their counsel was for me to stay and grow that way. I wrote my parents an email, telling them where I was coming from. Here is part of it:
"I believe I have the freedom to choose whether I want to stay at Master's or go home. Once I make a final decision, I think I will be at rest. The Lord provides grace for mistakes, knows that I will fail, and has forgiven me anyway. If I make the wrong decision, I pray He will be gentle and gracious. Both options are equally beneficial in my opinion. He will still work out everything for my good because I am His and I love Him. The decision to stay may not be permanent. The decision to leave my not be permanent. I see benefit and blessing to staying and being involved here. I see benefit and blessing to leaving and changing the environment around me. It is before the Lord I stand and give account. He will teach me in the way I ought to go. Ultimately, God will judge my heart (Romans 14:12). I have listened to and heard counsel. I heeded counsel to come to Master's this year and it has been a good learning experience. I am in no way ungrateful for the Lord's provision for me to be here and I thank Him for it often. Through thought, prayer, and some study, I have come to a final decision about next semester. I have decided that I believe Fallon is the best place for me at this point in my unpredictable life."
That decision lasted all of four days. I kept having this nagging feeling that I was doing something wrong. I wanted to hurry up and get the semester over with so that I could get home before something prevented me. I was trying to undermine God - as if that were possible. I was so uneasy that I had to keep calling my parents to reassure me that my decision was okay. I knew their preference was for me to stay. They both thought I would benefit and grow more if I stayed at Master's. I didn't want that to be the case.
Finally, after several days, I broke down and told my mom how I was feeling. I felt depressed ever since I made my decision. I kept feeling uneasy. I denied that my moods had anything to do with my decision, even though I knew that they were probably related. After talking with her for awhile, I finally changed my mind. With many tears, I went ahead and began my pre-registration for next semester. The tears did not last long, though. I was quickly in a better mood and have been happier ever since.
I know that those feelings of doubt, depression, and denial were worth listening to. There was a reason I was not feeling right. There was a reason I was having a hard time finding any joy. And I am oh so glad that I chose to stay!! It's not even the end of the semester yet, but I am excited to begin next semester. The reason? Because I know it's going to be worth it! I know that the outcome is going to be far beyond my expectations. I don't like being in an uncomfortable situation, but the Lord is going to grow me. And that is what I'm excited about. I am very much looking forward to staying at Master's and growing with the people here and in my church who I love. I praise the Lord for His faithfulness and gentleness in bringing me to a decision that I know will glorify Him and will have greater benefit. :)
I didn't want to hear anyone argue with me. I listened to counsel and prayed and asked the Lord to make it clear to me whether He would want me to go home or stay at school. Almost a week after I came back from visiting, I made a "final decision." My parents told me that they would be supportive of whatever decision I made, but that their counsel was for me to stay and grow that way. I wrote my parents an email, telling them where I was coming from. Here is part of it:
"I believe I have the freedom to choose whether I want to stay at Master's or go home. Once I make a final decision, I think I will be at rest. The Lord provides grace for mistakes, knows that I will fail, and has forgiven me anyway. If I make the wrong decision, I pray He will be gentle and gracious. Both options are equally beneficial in my opinion. He will still work out everything for my good because I am His and I love Him. The decision to stay may not be permanent. The decision to leave my not be permanent. I see benefit and blessing to staying and being involved here. I see benefit and blessing to leaving and changing the environment around me. It is before the Lord I stand and give account. He will teach me in the way I ought to go. Ultimately, God will judge my heart (Romans 14:12). I have listened to and heard counsel. I heeded counsel to come to Master's this year and it has been a good learning experience. I am in no way ungrateful for the Lord's provision for me to be here and I thank Him for it often. Through thought, prayer, and some study, I have come to a final decision about next semester. I have decided that I believe Fallon is the best place for me at this point in my unpredictable life."
That decision lasted all of four days. I kept having this nagging feeling that I was doing something wrong. I wanted to hurry up and get the semester over with so that I could get home before something prevented me. I was trying to undermine God - as if that were possible. I was so uneasy that I had to keep calling my parents to reassure me that my decision was okay. I knew their preference was for me to stay. They both thought I would benefit and grow more if I stayed at Master's. I didn't want that to be the case.
Finally, after several days, I broke down and told my mom how I was feeling. I felt depressed ever since I made my decision. I kept feeling uneasy. I denied that my moods had anything to do with my decision, even though I knew that they were probably related. After talking with her for awhile, I finally changed my mind. With many tears, I went ahead and began my pre-registration for next semester. The tears did not last long, though. I was quickly in a better mood and have been happier ever since.
I know that those feelings of doubt, depression, and denial were worth listening to. There was a reason I was not feeling right. There was a reason I was having a hard time finding any joy. And I am oh so glad that I chose to stay!! It's not even the end of the semester yet, but I am excited to begin next semester. The reason? Because I know it's going to be worth it! I know that the outcome is going to be far beyond my expectations. I don't like being in an uncomfortable situation, but the Lord is going to grow me. And that is what I'm excited about. I am very much looking forward to staying at Master's and growing with the people here and in my church who I love. I praise the Lord for His faithfulness and gentleness in bringing me to a decision that I know will glorify Him and will have greater benefit. :)
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Introduction - My Testimony
I have been encouraged to begin blogging, so I will be interested to see how this goes. I am always learning about my Lord and how I ought to live as a believer. I like to learn alongside others. This will be a somewhat candid shot of my heart as I am growing in the Lord. I figure my testimony would be a good place to begin.
As an unbeliever, I was very arrogant in my knowledge of theology. I have always been an intellectual individual, attempting to argue with people for the sake of winning an argument. My dad always told me I should become a lawyer, and I actually considered it. I always wanted to be right. I would often begin an argument simply for the sake of proving that my point was the only valid option. What I had to say held Biblical truth. I had those arguments because I knew - at least, in my head - that I was right. I didn't let it permeate into my heart. I couldn't. I wasn't regenerate. I didn't know the Lord.
I grew up in a solid Christian home. Ever since I was 6 years old, I have been under strong Biblical teaching. My parents always taught me the truth as they learned it more accurately. As they grew, my stores of knowledge grew. I was rebellious, but still receptive to Scripture - or so I imagined. By the time I was 13, I was making a claim to salvation and was baptized. I soon realized that I was not a believer. So, at 17, I was baptized again, thinking I was saved that time. Lo and behold, I was again duped by my own self-righteousness and quickly accepted the fact that I was still tied to this world. I loved everything it had to offer and had no real desire to belong to the Lord or obey Him. I could still have intelligent theological discussions and debates with just about anyone, and I was very proud of my knowledge.
While I was still 17, before I came to the understanding that I did not really love the Lord, I went to this place called The Master's College. Some of you may have heard of it. :) After one semester, I wanted to go back home with every fiber of my being. I didn't enjoy my time at school. I went home and quickly got a job, doing what I love - math! Little did I know that job would launch me into a career that I would follow with my whole heart. That's when things began to go downhill in my spiritual life.
While I was at that job, I became romantically entangled with my first boyfriend. He was sweet, gentle, funny, and we clicked almost immediately. We were good friends for several months and soon got ourselves into a relationship. Due to complications in that relationship, we ended up cutting things off peacefully. Three more relationships later, I found myself with a man I thought I could marry someday. The Lord had different plans for me (for which I am so very thankful).
This man and I had known each other for several years and were friends. I was interested in him for a long time, but it never went anywhere. So I eventually dropped it. Lo and behold, we began to pursue each other and quickly found ourselves in a relationship. There was one small problem - he was a professing believer, and I was openly a God-hater. I made myself very clear to just about anyone - I did not want God in my life and I sure didn't want to hear about Him. I enjoyed my sin. Due to some of the circumstances within the relationship, I made moves toward attending church again. I quickly broke off the relationship because of the above-mentioned "small" problem.
I went to church again the next week, not exactly sure why I was there. I didn't want God in my life. I knew what that entailed: too much work for me. For some reason, I found myself attending a Bible study that week in my church. I was pretty open with everyone that I still didn't want to be saved. That evening, during accountability time, my pastor's wife began talking with me one-on-one. I told her that I didn't want to be saved because it was too difficult to be obedient. I loved my sin. It was fun. She shared with me the truth about saving faith - that it has nothing to do with our ability to be obedient. That clicked with me for some reason and I still remember what she shared with me. It was that night that the Lord opened my eyes and breathed life into my soul - He saved me that day! This means that I have now been baptized three times - but only once as a believer.
I am not sure why the Lord timed my salvation the way He did, but my first Sunday as a believer was Easter Sunday. I'll never forget how surreal it felt for me to be hearing the Easter sermon as a believer. It was quite an experience. Ever since then, the Lord has been so gracious to guide, grow, and protect me as His own child. The posts in the future of this blog will contain my new findings as I continue to grow in the Lord. I am a new creature - I don't have to live with the shame of my past anymore.
As an unbeliever, I was very arrogant in my knowledge of theology. I have always been an intellectual individual, attempting to argue with people for the sake of winning an argument. My dad always told me I should become a lawyer, and I actually considered it. I always wanted to be right. I would often begin an argument simply for the sake of proving that my point was the only valid option. What I had to say held Biblical truth. I had those arguments because I knew - at least, in my head - that I was right. I didn't let it permeate into my heart. I couldn't. I wasn't regenerate. I didn't know the Lord.
I grew up in a solid Christian home. Ever since I was 6 years old, I have been under strong Biblical teaching. My parents always taught me the truth as they learned it more accurately. As they grew, my stores of knowledge grew. I was rebellious, but still receptive to Scripture - or so I imagined. By the time I was 13, I was making a claim to salvation and was baptized. I soon realized that I was not a believer. So, at 17, I was baptized again, thinking I was saved that time. Lo and behold, I was again duped by my own self-righteousness and quickly accepted the fact that I was still tied to this world. I loved everything it had to offer and had no real desire to belong to the Lord or obey Him. I could still have intelligent theological discussions and debates with just about anyone, and I was very proud of my knowledge.
While I was still 17, before I came to the understanding that I did not really love the Lord, I went to this place called The Master's College. Some of you may have heard of it. :) After one semester, I wanted to go back home with every fiber of my being. I didn't enjoy my time at school. I went home and quickly got a job, doing what I love - math! Little did I know that job would launch me into a career that I would follow with my whole heart. That's when things began to go downhill in my spiritual life.
While I was at that job, I became romantically entangled with my first boyfriend. He was sweet, gentle, funny, and we clicked almost immediately. We were good friends for several months and soon got ourselves into a relationship. Due to complications in that relationship, we ended up cutting things off peacefully. Three more relationships later, I found myself with a man I thought I could marry someday. The Lord had different plans for me (for which I am so very thankful).
This man and I had known each other for several years and were friends. I was interested in him for a long time, but it never went anywhere. So I eventually dropped it. Lo and behold, we began to pursue each other and quickly found ourselves in a relationship. There was one small problem - he was a professing believer, and I was openly a God-hater. I made myself very clear to just about anyone - I did not want God in my life and I sure didn't want to hear about Him. I enjoyed my sin. Due to some of the circumstances within the relationship, I made moves toward attending church again. I quickly broke off the relationship because of the above-mentioned "small" problem.
I went to church again the next week, not exactly sure why I was there. I didn't want God in my life. I knew what that entailed: too much work for me. For some reason, I found myself attending a Bible study that week in my church. I was pretty open with everyone that I still didn't want to be saved. That evening, during accountability time, my pastor's wife began talking with me one-on-one. I told her that I didn't want to be saved because it was too difficult to be obedient. I loved my sin. It was fun. She shared with me the truth about saving faith - that it has nothing to do with our ability to be obedient. That clicked with me for some reason and I still remember what she shared with me. It was that night that the Lord opened my eyes and breathed life into my soul - He saved me that day! This means that I have now been baptized three times - but only once as a believer.
I am not sure why the Lord timed my salvation the way He did, but my first Sunday as a believer was Easter Sunday. I'll never forget how surreal it felt for me to be hearing the Easter sermon as a believer. It was quite an experience. Ever since then, the Lord has been so gracious to guide, grow, and protect me as His own child. The posts in the future of this blog will contain my new findings as I continue to grow in the Lord. I am a new creature - I don't have to live with the shame of my past anymore.
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