Halloween

Thanksgiving has passed and if you ask Hallmark or Walmart, the next major event is Halloween. This is one day that has always made me uneasy. Every year as the costumes, decorations and candies appear in stores, flyers and the community I ask the question "how does God want my family and I to respond to this event?".

My kids, and I love to dress up (and eat candy) regardless of the time of year. It isn't that part of the tradition that brings me to my knees, to my bible and to my wise brothers and sisters every October. It isn't that I want to be a party pooper or a fundamentalist rule follower, it is that I want to submit every aspect of my life to God and to seek to glorify Him in the life of myself and family. Undeniably, Halloween has a dark history. Many of the rituals surrounding it involve the spirit world and Satan.  There are an endless number of websites and books that go into detail about the history and practices of Halloween. Just reading some of these makes me want to turn off the lights and hide in my house on October 31st. Why would I want to have anything to do with a night like this?

However, hiding in my house is just a cop out and a fear response rather than a prayerful courageous response to one of our cultures biggest holidays. My desire for my children is that they would approach each situation and event from a biblical perspective. Doing this requires prayer, bible reading, discussion and an examination of our true motives and identity. We need to wrestle with these issues so that we can seek after our Father's heart and grow closer to Him. We can't run and hide from the world we currently live in (although sometimes that seems like the easier answer). My children won't become critical, God seeking thinkers if I show them how to close the curtains and lock the door when tough issues surface.

So, what to do? Accept, redeem or reject Halloween? What is our Father teaching you?

Thanksgiving crafts

I love seeing the cute crafts my kids bring home from playschool. It is interesting to see how their little personalities come through in their works of art. One of our kids was the colour in the lines type, another the half finisher variety, another the reluctant artist.

Our 4th child began playschool this fall and I have been excited to see the masterpieces he brings home. He is a bubbly, exuberant little fellow with a real zest for life. He is proud to show and tell me about what he has made.

With the impending Thanksgiving weekend, this weeks theme revolved around the turkey. As he pulled his turkey from his cubby, I immediately noticed its unique arrangement of feathers. Each of these paper feathers had been carefully placed and glued by my boys own little hands- even the one that was conspicuously placed between its legs. He could hardly wait to tell me about it. Eyes lit, smile wide, he blurted out "it has a penis!". "It goes pee, pee, pee. Its gonna pee on the potty!".

I tried hard to not burst out into laughter, but calmly smiled and nodded with a token "wow, that is really... nice." I poked my head back into the classroom and thanked his teacher for the wonderful craft. This one will definately go into the scrapbook.

A turkey with a penis, now there is a Thanksgiving first.