Attitude Check

Do you find that when you are sick and tired, it is a time that other things pop up like attitudes, being short with your Children.

I have been struggling with this the last few days. I have been sick with the flu, had to get my daughter ready for her big ballet concert and still do the day to day things. Well I got home last night and the house was a mess. And attitudes like why is it when I am sick the bottom falls out, why this and why that and woe is me. (all in my head of course) Then trying to catch up on a week worth of house work then the kids play up and give attitude, which they are just probably feeding off me.

So I have been re-challenged on why I do things and the state of my heart. So that things don't fester and attitudes take root. Yes we all get sick and we all have lots on our plate and life happens but what happens when we are not at the top of our game. Does our true nature come out. How do we handle this, do we take it to the Lord or does it fester under the surface and then bang things blow up.

Our Children are always watching us, how we handle things greatly impacts of their lives. They follow our example. I want to use these times to teach my Children how to deal with stress and life God's way, and have him the center of my life. Sure I will make mistakes and blow it but by being honest and open and teaching my Children how to go to God, repent and move on is worth more than giving them the latest toys or gadget. It is giving them life skills that they will take with them.

Halloween

This post is a bit of a long one, so grab a tea of coffee:)

This year I have noticed Halloween alot more it seems to becoming more and more common or the norm. There have been more children's programs on television more Halloween things in the stores, last year we even had our house toilet papered. (In Australia Halloween has only been popular about the last 10 years it is growing in popularity every year). I can't remember doing any Halloween craft at school or even talking about it when I was a child.

Also this year my eldest who is 6 has been asking me about Halloween and why don't we celebrate it. A few days ago she came home from school wanting a Halloween party, she had no idea what it was other than lots of lollies and you get to dress up and have scary things around. (She goes to a Christian School, must have picked it up from friends) So this started my research into what is Halloween what is the history behind it so I can give an informed answer to Mikayla. I was always told as a child that Halloween was evil and we don't celebrate it, and back then it was not in your face as much.

As a mother I try and give answers that are as correct as possible I like to know all the facts so I can answer my children as best as possible. This is why I have been researching Halloween I did not know enough about it to answer all of my daughters questions so I asked her if I could have a couple of days to find out more and then we will have a chat about it.
The info I have here is only an outline to give background to Halloween. I have not included everything I read or found out. From what I have read Halloween has strong links to in paganism.
The History of Halloween.

The term Halloween is shortened from All Hallows' Even (both "even" and "eve" are abbreviations of "evening", but "Halloween" gets its "n" from "even") as it is the eve of "All Hallows' Day", which is now also known as All Saints' Day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions, until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints' Day from May 13 (which had itself been the date of a pagan holiday, the Feast of the Lemures) to November 1. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. Liturgically, the Church traditionally celebrated that day as the Vigil of All Saints, and, until 1970, a day of fasting as well. Like other vigils, it was celebrated on the previous day if it fell on a Sunday, although secular celebrations of the holiday remained on the 31st. The Vigil was suppressed in 1955, but was later restored in the post-Vatican II calendar.

Halloween, or Hallowe’en, is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties, visiting "haunted houses", carving Jack-o'-lanterns, reading scary stories and watching horror movies. Irish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century. Halloween is celebrated in several countries of the Western world, most commonly in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom and occasionally in parts of Australia. In Sweden the All Saints' official holiday takes place on the first Saturday of November.

Halloween was perceived as the night during which the division between the world of the living and the otherworld was blurred so spirits of the dead and inhabitants from the underworld were able to walk free on the earth. It was believed necessary to dress as a spirit or otherworldly creature when venturing outdoors to blend in, and this is where dressing in such a manner for Halloween comes from. This gradually evolved into trick-or-treating because children would knock on their neighbours' doors, in order to gather fruit, nuts, and sweets for the Halloween festival. Salt was once sprinkled in the hair of the children to protect against evil spirits.

Human and animal sacrifices were held and other paigan rituals.

I also found this site written by a Christian, it has alot of helpful information about Halloween.

http://www.jeremiahproject.com/culture/halloween.html

Halloween looks like so much fun to children, blind fun while celebrating the very thing we as Christians try and keep away from. It is marketed to Children. More and more children's shows are having Halloween specials (and I am very fussy about what my children watch) just this morning my son was singing a Halloween song that he heard on a kids show while I was having a shower.

My family will not be celebrating Halloween, to us it will be just another day. Now that I understand it more I can give reasons why we do not celebrate Halloween, my answer will not be because empty learnt responses like it is evil or our Church does not agree with it or as a Christian I don't think we celebrate that. My answer will be because it goes against God and everything the bible tells me. It celebrates satan and all that is evil, it invites evil spirits. I do not want any of these things in my house or my life. I have found some bible verses that clearly show us where we should stand on Halloween. As my children get older I will be able to share these verses with them as I explain why we do not celebrate Halloween.

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 ("Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.")
James 1:27 ("keep oneself from being polluted by the world")
3 John 1:11 ("do not imitate what is evil")
Romans 12:9 ("abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.")
Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (do not learn to imitate detestable ways, including spiritists, sorcerers and witchcraft)
Ephesians 5:11-12 ("Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness" / "live as children of light")
1 Timothy 4:1 (don't "follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons")
1 Corinthians 10:21
2 Corinthians 6:14-17 ("what fellowship can light have with darkness?")
Philippians 4:8 (think about pure, lovely, noble things)
1 Corinthians 11:1 ("follow the example of Christ")
1 Corinthians 10:31 ("whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God")
James 4:7-8 (submit yourselves to God / resist the devil / purify your hearts)
Ezekiel 44:23 ("…teach my people… to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.")
Proverbs 22:6 ("train a child in the way he should go")
Matthew 18:6 ("if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin…")
Hosea 4:6 ("My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.")
John 3:19-20 (people love darkness instead of light)
Romans 13:12 ("put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.")
Ephesians 6:11-18 ("take your stand against the devil's schemes.")
1 John 5:19
2 Chronicles 7:14

These two youtube links are interesting especially the second one I would suggest you watch the second link when there are no children around.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=blYGAUTbbFo

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=zQjrsCWhOqY&feature=related

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=-M_6K1aj89w

Great blog post

http://heartofthematteronline.com/2008/10/23/halloween-for-christians/#comment-19253

Imagine Me

My friend Martha posted this on facebook it really spoke to me.

by Kirk Franklin

Imagine me…loving what I see when the mirror looks at me cause I…I imagine me. In a place, of no insecurities and I'm finally happy cause I imagine me. Letting go of all of the ones who hurt me cause they never did deserve me, can you imagine me. Saying no to thoughts that try to control me, remembering all you told me, Lord can you imagine me? Over what my momma said, and healed from what my daddy did and I wanna live and not read that page again.

Imagine me, being free, trusting you totally, finally I can imagine me, I admit it was hard to see you being in love with someone like me, finally I can imagine me.

Imagine me…Being strong and not letting people break me down, you won't get that joy this time around. Can you imagine me? In a world, where nobody has to live afraid, because of your love, fear's gone away, can you imagine me. Letting go of my past and glad I have another chance and my heart will dance cause I don't have to read that page again.

Imagine me, being free, trusting you totally, finally I can imagine me, I admit it was hard to see you being in love with someone like me, finally I can imagine me.

This song is dedicated to people like me, those that struggle with insecurities, acceptance and even self esteem. You never felt good enough, you never felt pretty enough, but imagine God whispering in your ear letting you know that everything that has happened is now…

Gone. Gone. It’s Gone. All Gone. Oh It’s All Gone. Every Sin. Every Mistake. Every Failure. Its’ All Gone! Depression. Gone. By Faith. It’s Gone. Low Self Esteem. Hallelujah! It’s Gone. All Gone. It’s Gone. All My Scars. All My Pain. It’s In The Past. Its’ Yesterday. Its’ All Gone. What Your Mother Did. What your Father Did. Hallelujah!

IT’S GONE!

More on some of our Christian Kids are hurting

Further to the post I just wrote I had the idea that I would give a brief view of how I felt when I was a teenager. Sometimes hearing how people feel opens out eyes.

After that week I felt let down by everyone, I felt that I had no value because no once seemed to care. I put up lots of walls and kept on going as long as I was seen as having it all together everything seemed to be ok. I was involved in a lot of leadership over the years but had all this hurt in my heart. I suppose I stated to do "works" to find my value.

I felt judged and that my mums breakdown was my fault, not one told me different so I carried this until I was 19.

Because I felt so bad about myself I started to hate myself I use to cover my mirror up with photos so I could not see myself, I tried so hard to fit in but because I felt so unworthy I felt clumsy and useless.

My school work suffered because I was afraid of failing and I knew I could pass without studding, if I studied and failed that would have destroyed me so I did not study much at all. (pretty silly hey if I knew I could pass without failing, then it would makes sence that studding could help me more) but when you are in that place you do things that are not logical.

Because I thought the people in Church did not care I did not know how to take complements or anything positive said about me I did not know what to do and thought they were just being nice.

I had lots of non Christian friends but found it hard to build relationships with Christians.

Now this is how I reacted different people react in different ways some rebel and some hide like I did. That is why it can be so hard sometimes to know if people are hurting when they are hiders. It does not matter who they are wether the come from a single parent family, a family where the parents are leaders, pastors kids, teachers kids, doctors kids. The fact is life happens and God can use it for good or the enemy can use it.

I don't want anyone else to feel how I did and for as long as I did. I don't know what the answer is other than to look out around you and pray and get help for our young people. To be real and not be afraid to put our arms around someone and say are you ok. If they are ok that's great at least they know they matter.

I can share this now because I know my value is in the Lord because he made me, I can use this experience for him. I have come a long way since those days and have worked through much of this. I just want people to be aware that Christian Kids can be hurting just as much as the next kid and we also need to look around our Church community as well as the whole community.

I am in a Church now that is loving and accepting and reaches out to its young but there maybe some that fall through through cracksI realise I need to be part of the solution for our young people.

Christian Kids are hurting in out Churchs. (part 1)

Before reading this blog I would like to let you know that I have not written this to condemn anyone or the Church. I write this not out of bitterness or hurt. I am writing this out of the heaviness of my heart and I for one want to change and be aware of others.

I am going to be sharing something that I have not spoken much about, something that is really hard to talk about, I am not doing this to hurt anyone but to help people.

I have just been speaking to a childhood friend who has shared the hurts and struggles she faced in her teenage years due to family breakdown. It broke my heart to hear some of what she went through and what she carried alone. This girl and her family had been involved in a Church all of her life. It struck me that no one stepped in and helped her and her family. She is not the only one, over the years I have been told stories of hurt and abandonment carried by Children and teenagers.

I also went through this as a teenager. When I was 13 my mother had a breakdown, my father was away for work for a week and I did not know how to get hold of him. A lady from the Church we were involved with came and visited us and saw what was happening and then left, no one called to see if I was ok, everyone in the Church talked about it in secret. No one ever spoke to me about it and it was pushed aside. But I was treated differently after that. My parents were very active in the Church and I know everyone knew what happened and that I was alone.

The things that happened that week should never have had to be carried by a 13 year old alone. I was at home for 1 week with a lady who did not know who I was. A lot of things happened that week which will not benefit anyone by me giving all the details.

The outcome of that week was good , the Lord used the breakdown as testimony of his healing power and his unconditional love. Since that incident mother has been healed of mental illness and my parents became pastors soon after the healing.

I am coming across more and more of these stories and seeing lives off track and wrong choices taken because no one was there. There are so many young people and young adults walking around feeling abandoned and unloved who have been raised in the Church.

I know that there is no such thing as a perfect Church, if there was such a thing there would be no people in it. I believed people want to the part of the solution, and a lot of people probably don't see that our Christian kids are hurting. Fear has a lot to do with this not wanting to stick our noses into someone else's business. Often we put so much effort into the "unsaved", street kids that we don't look around us, to the kids in our own Church. Don't get me wrong I think out reach is needed and am all for it. But the kids in our Church matter just as much.

This post is to bring the fact to our awareness that there are christian kids hurting out there. If we know that there are things going on in a family or a child's life we need to speak up. If we don't know what to do go to the pastors or leaders and get help and pray for them. Please get help and pray for these kids. It can be so easy to get caught up in our lives and not see, I have been praying that God will open my eyes to hurting kids. The enemy wants our Kids we need to stand in the gap for them and help them.

I look at all the wasted years of my life that I struggled with what I went through and it would have been so easy for me to go the wrong way. A lot of years I was of no use to God because of all the hurts I carried that I was blinded to others hurting around me I was so scared that I lost some of my compassion for people, I was just warming a seat in Church and going through the motions.

Father help me to see our Hurting kids

and give me the strength to do something

and to make a difference. Help me to overcome

the fear of man.

Keep me real so I don't miss the signs and my

heart soft so I don't turn a blind eye.

Titus 2 v 3 -5

I have been thinking on the scriptures Titus 2 v 3-5.

The aged women likewise, that [they be] in behaviour

as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to

much wine, teachers of good things;

That they may teach the young women to be sober, to

love their husbands, to love their children,

[To be] discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to

their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

In today's society where so many wrong messages are sent out to our women we need the older women to take a stand and be role models, build relationships and speak truth. Likewise younger women need to humble ourselves and listen.

I would like to encourage all you mature women to put your hand up and reach out to the younger generation. Don't let the enemy talk you into believing that you have nothing to give. If you walk with the Lord and want to be used by him, have experienced heartaches, struggles and victories, sorrow, joy and his love then you have all you need. Just open your heart and share.

By mature women I am meaning any of you who have older teenage children to adult children you don't have to be a grandmother sitting in a rocking chair:). If you have not had children that does not discount you, you have much to offer.

Allot of the younger generation are getting their life advise from daytime talk shows, which are filling women's heads with new age, humanism and popular culture views.

Young mums or young marrieds or younger singles make yourself available, the older generation have so much to give if given the chance.

I look forward to developing relationships with older women of God. I know this is not an easy thing to do, to find another woman who you can build relationship with and it does take time but I am sure the benefits outweigh the time it takes. Being an only child I am use to being by myself and can go for days without talking to other women and can so easily get caught up in my little projects and little world of husband and Children. This is something that I have to be aware of.

Our Church has started a Grandads ministry for men it is such a great idea where a group of "Grandfathers" in our church have offered their time to younger men to pray with them, befriend them or just be an ear. I would love to see something like this for the women as well. Just think of what would happen if every church offered this with strong Christian role models. Maybe marriages would benefit, divorce would be lowered, family relationships strengthened and peoples personal relationship with the Lord strengthened.

Okay girls it is time to turn off the daytime talk shows and go and build a relationship with someone.

Worth Remembering

"Until you settle the issue of your own worth, it's impossible to bring holiness into anyone else's life. Until you understand that your worth is already determined by the fact of your birth, everything else is an exercise in propping up a dying tree." Carol Brazo

Read this today and thought it was worth thinking about and seeing were our worth is placed. Do we hear God's voice about our worth or are we listening to the worlds voice. I know myself it is easy to hear the worlds voice because is it loud and constant. We are constantly being measured by how we act, what we wear, what we do, what our job is, who our friends are, who our family is, how much money we have what our education level is and the list goes on and on.

We need to take time a listen to the soft gentle voice of God saying we have worth and value because he made us and loves us and has a plan for each and every one of us.

Oprah

I saw this today it was very interesting and so sad that Oprah is so lost and confused.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NizojZIX7Aw

This is something worth looking into to see if it holds water.