Is Halloween a Trick or a Treat?

There are few times in our pressured lives when we can act silly and have fun. Children and many adults view Halloween as a time to dress up in costumes, go trick or treating, and watch scary movies. On the surface this all seems like good, clean fun.

However, when we trace the origins of Halloween we find that it celebrates death and destruction. We may pass these things off but the wiccans (adherents of the religion of witches) take it very seriously and celebrate it as a major holiday.

In fact, our Kenston Intermediate School had a very large Halloween display by their flagpole replete with ghoulish figures. I decided to call the school and spoke with Principal Barrett. He seemed to take my objections seriously and removed the offensive elements. Are there things disturbing you about the way Halloween is celebrated in our schools, our library and in our community? Are you speaking up?

What’s the big deal? The big deal is that our God is a jealous God. He’s jealous or protective of our love and affection. We are commanded to "… love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:5)

It is an oxymoron to love God and observe wiccan holidays. If you disagree with what I am saying I suggest you google wiccan holidays and then pray about it. Ask the Lord to show you the truth.

"Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them" (Ephesians 5:11)

Walking On The Highway Of Holiness, a prayer/devotional, which can be purchased through amazon.com or by calling 440-543-9304

WARNING: Video Games May Be Hazardous To Your Health?

It is common knowledge that violent video games like Doom, Wolfenstein 3D or Mortal Combat may cause anti social, aggressive behavior in children that play incessantly. But should we broad brush the entire genre of video games? Do a few rotten apples spoil the whole barrel?

In the past, there have been times when I played video games. Those times were generally when I was too tired to read, the family was watching football or I was bored. I played games like Cake Mania where you bake cakes for demanding customers, or Fish Tycoon where you raise different species of fish or Alice Greenfingers where you raise crops. Certainly these seemed like safe games.

I began to have second thoughts concerning these video games and video games in general when I started to read their promos. They were touted as being ‘addictive’ and ‘giving you hours of fun’. Secondly, I found I would lose track of time. Before I knew it, it was midnight and I still had customers lining up for cakes. Thirdly, I was stiff when I got up. I would hobble off to bed and dream about the video game. My sleep was fitful and exhausting as I played in my dreams.

Could I have gotten addicted to video games designed for a twelve year old? Was this harmful or just an innocent way to escape?

I started to research and discovered video are games are indeed wolves in sheep’s clothing. Full color graphics and catchy music hide a sharp hook. Here is an excerpt from a paper written by Mary Schlimme, a student at Bryn Mawr.

"The psychological cycle of substance addiction and other maladaptive behaviors can be applied to video games as well. A person playing a video game feels an emotional high, commonly known as an adrenaline rush, as a result of his gaming tactics. He then plays the game more and pushes his physical and psychological limits in order to experience the emotional high. Eventually, he will again reach a level that stimulates the production of adrenaline. The cycle may continue until it leads to an unhealthy level of interaction with video games, which some professionals may label video game addiction."

Addiction is a form of bondage. I willingly allowed myself to be handcuffed and taken prisoner. I allowed my time, my sleep and will to be stolen from me. Has this happened to you? Is it happening to your children? You can reverse the damage.

Walking On The Highway Of Holiness, a prayer/devotional, which can be purchased through amazon.com or by calling 440-543-9304

To Begin Again

How often have we heard the term, "This is your last chance."? It strikes a chord of fear in our hearts. All hope is gone. We have already gone through our first, second, third, fourth and umpteenth chance, blown it and now it’s our last chance.

Isn’t it nice that God does not say that to us? He is the God of multiple chances. In the world we look at January 1 as a time to make New Year resolutions. We reflect on the past year and decide where we could lose a few pounds, fix up the house or enroll in some community ed classes.

In God’s Kingdom He also makes provision for us to reflect on the past year. The Fall Biblical holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are custom designed for us by our loving Father to fix wrong things in our lives.

Rosh HaShanah begins at sundown on Wednesday September 12 and ends at nightfall on Friday September 14. It is the start of the Jewish New Year. The ten days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are called the Days of Awe.

This is an opportunity for us to examine our lives, clean up gray areas, mend fences and turn our hearts toward our loving Father in Heaven. If we are honest with our selves we all have areas in need of a tune up. Perhaps the job is too big for us. This is the time to call upon our loving God for guidance.

Rosh HaShanah is celebrated by the eating of apples or challah dipped in honey. This is a physical act reflecting our inner yearning for God to give us a sweet year. The holiday is celebrated with family and friends at synagogue and at home with a wonderful dinner.

Ten days later at Yom Kippur (September 22), the solemnity of the holiday is enforced by fasting. Only at sundown the fast is broken. This is a time to draw close to the healer of broken hearts, this is a time to digest the Word of God, this is a time to petition our God and our King for situations that seem impossible.

This holiday is not solely reserved for the Jewish people. I believe it is pleasing to our Lord for everyone to come humbly to Him and make our petitions known. When I taught Hebrew School at The Temple Tifereth Israel I had the children write down things they had done wrong during the year. Then they tore their lists into tiny pieces and put them in a brown grocery bag. I sealed the bag, brought it home and my husband burnt it. I took pictures of the bag burning. The children asked to see the pictures and expressed great joy.

In many ways we are like those children. Our faith in God gives us the assurance that our sins are burnt up by God’s grace. This is the start of a New Year. Take advantage of it. Read your Bible. Worship Him who sits on the throne.

Lashana Tova Tickatevu – May your name be inscribed (in the Book of Life) for a good year

As far as the east is from the west, So far has he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)