Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

Well, Halloween is "creeping" upon us ever so quickly. It's apparent for we are all being bombarded with the annual display of images of spiders and goblins, skulls and blood, and witches and zombies. Among all the gloomy and perverse outfits and decor, however, arise some quite entertaining and ingenious costumes, especially those of the kids. After all you can't help but smile at toddlers dressed as firemen, over-sized m&m's, and even lobsters!

This annual event is and has been quite a point of controversy for many people, particularly among those who are seeking to make godly decisions and aren't exactly sure where celebrating Halloween falls on God's scale of right and wrong. Many point out that Halloween is rooted in pagan traditions and rituals and that for one to "glorify" Halloween, he might as well be worshiping Satan. On the other hand, children dressing up, getting candy, and bobbing for apples hardly seems to be some unholy worship of false gods-why deny children such innocent fun?

There are some things we may not understand about Halloween and/or God's Will concerning such a celebration. However, to quote an old pastor of mine, "don't let what you don't know rob you of what you do know." Going to the Bible and seeing what Jesus said, here are some things we do know:

Matthew 5:14,16- "You are the light of the world...Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven..."

• Halloween is characterized by darkness and gloom- We are to be the Light in a dark world.

John 15:11;14:27- "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be full..." & "I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

• Halloween's theme is horror and fear- We are to be joyful and faithful.

Matthew 5:14,16- "I came that the may have life, and have it abundantly... "

• Halloween depicts (even glorifies) death- We are to have Life through Christ and offer this Life to others.

So, however you approach Halloween weekend, be safe and keep these passages in mind. God bless, and hope to see you Sunday.

On the Journey Together,

Justin

Speech Problems

Momma always said, "if you ain't got nothing nice to say, then don't say nothing at all." Sadly many of us get that backwards and hold in the nice things while letting out the not-so-nice. This story is a great example:

There once was a poor, rural family who were greatly concerned because their little boy had not started talking. The family didn't have many resources to call upon, so the problem went on for a long time. One day, while the mother was making supper, she became overwhelmed and lost her concentration. She burned the meal. After she served the meal, the little boy tasted it and hollered, "I can't eat this. It's all burned." Shocked but happy, the mother hugged the child and asked, "Why haven't you been talking?" He said, "Up to now, everything has been OK."

I've been that little boy way too many times. I hold in the encouraging words of affirmation and the compliments that would brighten a person's day while freely complaining and criticizing over the smallest of things.

When I read the New Testament I am convicted about the way I sometimes speak, but encouraged because God has given me direction in this area. Check out these verses:

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (Ephesians 4:29)

"Let your speech always be with grace." (Colossians 4:6)

"But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." (Colossians 3:8)

"...and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks." (Ephesians 5:4)

Prayer: Lord, help us speak words of Grace and Love. May our words pick up and and build up, not tear down. May we encourage, not discourage. May we give thanks and not complain. May we glorify and bless Your name, Oh God, by letting our speech be pure and holy to Your ears. Amen.

On the Journey Together,

Justin

Do Things Always Work Out for Good?

It seems whether or not one is a Believer in God or the Bible, he or she will most likely use a commonly used phrase to comfort people who are dealing with fearful or crisis situations. Have you ever had someone tell you, "Everything will be ok" or "The Bible says that everything works together for good."

Unfortunately, one of the most well-known verses in the Bible is also one of the most misunderstood and misquoted. It's found in Romans 8:28:

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Did you see the rest of the verse? All things work together for good "for those who love (God) and who have been called according to His purpose." One thing that we see throughout the Bible is that almost exclusively the promises of God are for the people of God.

If you love God and are fulfilling His calling and purpose for your life, take heart---for, everything will work out for good!

However, if you are living a life of unconfessed and unrepented of sin; if you are rejecting the calling of His Spirit; if you are knowingly choosing to rebel against God and His Word, don't be surprised when things in your life don't work out.

In fact if you aren't following Christ, you should expect that aspects of your life will almost undoubtedly fall apart when the storms come, for you are building on a foundation of sand.

As Paul continues in this letter to the Believers in Rome, he says in verse 37:

"...in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

May we love God, follow God's calling and purpose for our lives, and experience (by His grace) the ability to become more than conquerors in all of life's situations. Then and only then will we realize that ALL things DO work together for good...

On the Journey Together,

Justin

Creator God

Have you seen the newly released from NASA? Just this week we have new breath-taking images of the universe taken by the recently updated Hubble Telescope. Click here to see more of the incredible images.

One of the most challenging things for me to try and wrap my mind around is the cosmos. When I think about the sun(s), other planets, stars and star clusters, other galaxies, black-holes, the varieties of nebula, and so forth, I am flabbergasted at their scope, beauty, and force. The awesomeness of such wonderful things fills my heart and mind with awe.

Psalm 33:6,9 says,

"By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host...for He spoke, and it was done; He commanded and it stood fast." (NASB)

For me, the only thing more astonishing and majestic than the cosmos is the One who created it by simply causing it to be. God spoke and it was so.

This God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, knows us, loves us, and wants a relationship with us. You may choose to believe that the universe is an accidental byproduct of random chances, but as for me, I'll put my trust in God.

Worshiping the Creator Together,

Justin

Know-It-Alls

The sign hung in the barber shop in which I used to get my hair cut (crew cut style) as a child: "Teenagers: Stop! Move out, get a job, and start a family while you still know everything!" I didn't really understand that sign then...but I'm starting to grasp it now! Not sure I can say the same for society as a whole though.

It appears in our "information age" everyone wants to know it all. Answers to almost any question are just a quick google search away. In fact, we don't even have to be near a computer; we're so connected that we have Internet on our cell phones. It seems all of the world's knowledge is literally at the tips of our fingers.

We must not be deceived, however, to think that just because knowledge and facts are so readily available that we really are the all-knowing ones. To be sure, it is one thing to be educated/informed and another thing altogether to be wise. This is an important distinction because we don't make choices based on knowledge alone, but we make choices from our wisdom (or the lack thereof).

Paul instructs us in 1 Corinthians 3:18-19:

"Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight."

Paul says if you're looking around and comparing yourself to the world and the people around you, and if you are beginning to think that you're smarter and wiser, watch out! Beware, for if you think you're wise, you're really a fool in God's eyes!

Later in 1 Corinthians (10:12), Paul reminds us that if we think we're standing, we better be careful 'cause we're about to fall.

If you're anything like me, at times you can start believing that you're a pretty smart fella (or gal). It's when I think I've got the answers and everything is all figured out, and when I start feeling in control and empowered, that I usually blow it the most and the biggest.

So what do we do? Well the verse above says that we should humble ourselves and realize that ultimately our worldly wisdom is really foolishness. We should trust God (and His Word) for the answers and the true wisdom that we need to succeed.

Learning Together,

Justin

A Complaint about Complaining

According to the authors of the book Significa, the world's champion complainer was a man named Ralph Charrel. Charrel received over $100,000 as a result of his systematic complaining. His smallest refund was of $6.95 and his largest was $25,000. Charrel spent time every day making phone call and writing letters of complaint. He even wrote two books, How to Get the Upper Hand and How I Turn Ordinary Complaints into Thousands of Dollars.

While we all have the right to stand up for ourselves, would you want to be known as the "World's Champion Complainer"? I hope not.

The issue of complaining has been around since the beginning of time and it found a special place at a church in Philippi in which Paul addresses the problem. Philipians 2:14-15:

"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe..."

Paul makes a distinction between the children of God and the rest of the world. He says they are a "crooked and depraved generation," but we should become blameless and pure. One of the ways we do this is avoiding the temptation of complaining and arguing with each other.

If we choose to be thankful and encouraging instead of complaining; and if we choose to make peace instead of causing division and dissent, the Bible says we will shine like stars in the universe. May we shine for Jesus today.

On the Journey Together,

Justin

Let Freedom Ring

Everyone that I know really loves the 4th of July weekend. Whether your deal is traveling, camping, grillin', or taking the boat to the lake or river, we all seem to joyously celebrate it in one way or the other. You know, it is something about the hot summer sun, the fireworks, and good eating that get's us all excited--or is it?
Maybe all of the things we do to celebrate the 4th of July are just results of what we're really excited about. It's possible that burgers and sparklers are simply an outward expression of an inward appreciation. We may not think of it this way, but I believe somewhere in our mind or heart, we all long for freedom. Once our freedom is realized, it excites us; once we're excited, we show and share it.

I hope one day to travel to the Northeast and tour our nation's capitol and surrounding areas. If I'm ever granted the opportunity, I think I will plan to visit the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. The history of the bell is astounding, but I'll spare you all of its historic details. I would like to point out, however, a key inscription on the bell. It reads as follows:

"Proclaim Liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof." (Leviticus 25:10)

Forgive the pun, but that inscription "rings a bell." Remember Matthew 28:18? (Hint: "the great commission.") You see, Jesus came to set us free from the penalty of sin. He has freed us from it's bondage and it's punishment (death). Through Christ we have true freedom. Essentially His last words before leaving earth were: "Go to everyone in the world how they can be free!" Go back and read the Liberty Bell inscription once more. How 'bout it?
In closing, my simple challenge is this. First, realize true freedom comes through Christ, and Him alone. Secondly, proclaim that freedom to everyone you can-in Bubba language, that means tell somebody about Jesus.
Celebrating Freedom Together,
Justin