Kids Bible Devotion

3 Minute Devotions for Girls

3 Minute Devotions for Boys

When my kids were younger I spoon fed them the word of God, and I created affirmations out of scriptures they could speak daily to strengthen and encourage themselves. In my past post, Teach your Children the Commands of God I share some of the bibles I used through the years to teach my kids. In the mornings when I drove them to school we’d listen to Keys for Kids Devotional. It’s a really cute online radio program geared toward developing spiritual growth in children. The kids really enjoyed it, I, on the other hand, LOVED IT! Lol! Even as an adult I could apply some of those elementary teachings to my own grown up life. I’ve always had a love for studying the bible and spending time with God (even when I was doing my thing in the world), so naturally, I want my children to do the same.

During our times of devotion my son who is a thinker would often say, “I feel like I don’t know God, is God even real?" As a mom trying to raise Godly children, his little comment and question aggravated me. But, I actually began to appreciate the fact that he was questioning this "faith" I was teaching him. I told him God is real, but he needed to experience God for himself, by reading his bible and asking God to show him that he's real. I realized it was time for my kids to mature a little bit by learning God's word and developing intimacy with Him outside of me teaching them. 

My kids are your typical 11 and 12 years old. They love spending time playing Xbox, games on their phones, watching silly videos and stupid cartoons (the cartoons today are stupid). Yes, I'm going to allow them to be children and have fun, with boundaries of course. But I always tell my kids, “What you put inside of you is what comes out of you!” I'd like for my kids to be righteous people with good character. I thought spending alone time with God through a kids bible devotion would be a good start. 

I went online and found two 3 minute devotionals for boys and girls. These are great starter devotionals that are ridiculously affordable. The age range is from 8-12 years (I'll be looking for the next level very soon). The devotionals contain a scripture, short story or example and prayer. They really are 3 minutes! The stories and examples are practical and children can relate to them. I will say, the print for the girls devotional is small, but my daughter is ok with it.

My kids read their devotional in the morning or after they finish their homework in the afternoon. I encourage my children to give God a total of 10 minutes by reflecting on what they've read and examining themselves. Basically just spend time with God and talk about whatever you want to talk about with God! Then I talk with them about what they've read and what they took away from it. The goal is to get them comfortable spending time with God and getting to know Him through their reading. My son is still growing in this area but I'm glad he's putting forth the effort. If you're looking for a simple kids bible devotional, give these a try. 

Blessings,

Tytenisha

Why I Stopped Sneaking Snacks Into Movies

Disclaimer: This post is not pointing fingers or judging anyone who sneaks snacks into the movie theater. This is my own personal conviction and I'm sharing it with you.

Like many of you, I grew up in a home where sneaking snacks into a movie theater was normal. My family would pack goodies we had hanging around the house or we’d hit up a local convenience store and purchase snacks at less than half the price you’d pay for them at the movie theater. We’d drop those yummy treats into our inconspicuous bags and off to the movies we went. I couldn’t wait for the lights to dim so I could whip out my snacks. The funny thing is - most times I wasn’t even hungry. I guess there was something thrilling about sneaking in snacks and getting away with it, scanning the aisles to see if an attendant was lurking in the shadows, and trying my darnedest to softly open a package of chips and not draw attention to myself.

My Story

Yeah, I was all about that sneaking snacks into the movie theater life - even when I had my own children. I remember preparing for the movies one time. I pulled together little juice boxes, mini bags of chips, nutri grain bars, and those cute lil Smuckers frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I stuffed those snacks for my family of four right into my big black coach bag. We arrive at the theater but were not able to sit together. We were separated by a huge aisle, so hubby had one kid and I had the other.

When the lights went down and the movie was about to start I whispered, "Give this to daddy." My daughter walks across the aisle, sticks her hand out and says, “Here daddy! Here's your peanut butter and jelly sandwich!” All loud! This child was born with a voice that carries... She doesn't know the concept of whispering. Anyways, Hubby quipped, "Go sit down!" I'm like, "Oops! My bad." At that time my baby was 6 years old and didn't realize we snuck these snacks in the theater. All my children knew was, mommy brings snacks from home in her big black bag.

Why I Stopped Sneaking Snacks Into Movies

Well, now my daughter Raji was about 7 years old. Our family was in the kitchen preparing for the movies. You know the routine. I'm tossing snacks in the big black bag and I see Raji whizz by me with a pink Disney characters back pack. I observed her as she grabbed chips, a strawberry shortcake pastry, and a juice box, and tossed them in her little pink back pack! I said, "Raji what are you doing?" She said, “I'm bringing my own bag of snacks to the movies.” That bothered me. Something about it seemed wrong. I saw myself in what she was doing. A strong conviction gripped my heart. I thought, what am I teaching my children? How to be deceitful, and sneaky? These characteristics cross over into other areas of life, so this did not sit well with me at all.

I'm not one of those “Do as I say not as I do parents.” If it's not good for the child - many times it's not good for the parent either. That very day my husband and I decided we would pay $1,000 for snacks at the concession stand or buy nothing at all! Desiring my children to be people of character (virtuous and honest) was why I stopped sneaking snacks into the theater. If my children are going to emulate what I do I better start doing a better job at following Gods standard of living.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” Romans 12:12

But Ty, it's not that serious...It's just snacks geesh... Everyone does it! As a Christian I don't want to do “everything” Keke n nem do or what Pastor so and so does… Listen, if I'm hungry and I happen to find a snickers bar in my bag that I completely forgot about... you know I'm gonna tear that candy bar up right then and there.. along with the $100 nachos I purchased at the concession stand. My point is, there's a difference between intentional and unintentional. God expects a higher standard of right living from us. I find that God challenges me in the most minute things to see how I respond. How else will I mature and reach a higher standard of living in Christ, if I'm not challenged to? If I respond the way He expects - then I move on to the bigger issues he wants to deal with me about. Hopefully, I respond by quickly making the necessary changes. That's how character is developed. I'm a work in progress folks - No perfection here!

 

 

Showcase Cinema de Lux Randolph, MA

I Believe in Sowing and Reaping

Movie theaters make their living off of the astronomically priced concession stand food. Why?  Because movie ticket sales "supposedly" go straight to the movie studios - not the theater. This is someones livelihood. "No outside food or drinks allowed" is the policy of these establishments. No, it may not be written in plain view for you to see in most theaters but the policy exists on most of their websites. Plus, why would we sneak snacks if it was ok to bring them?

You’re probably like, is this chic the “no sneaking snacks police?” Lol! No… But I have a small business, so I get there are rules and policies that customers are expected to adhere by. But I also wouldn't charge such outlandish prices for my services. My solution: Eat before I go or I'll just have to be prepared to fork over a good chunk of my paycheck to the concession stand business.

Sowing and reaping is a biblical/universal principle. I want to sow good seeds into my children, my business, and any other things i'm entrusted with - and I want to reap a blessing from them. Thanks to my daughter, I've been clean of sneaking snacks into movies for 4 years now. If I can do it - anybody can do it. Lol!

Food for thought: “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them” Luke 6:31

Blessings,

Tytenisha

You Shall Love Your.....

"I was looking out of the living room window. I saw Mr. Jones (our next door neighbor) drive up in a police car. Mr. Jones got out of the car dressed as a Police officer! I never knew he was a police officer. Rain begins to pour down. Me and my daddy are now outside in the rain with Mr. Jones.

The three of us go into Mr. Jones' house. It looks exactly like my house. My Daddy and Mr. Jones are talking and laughing. There is a dark man with glasses standing behind them holding a black briefcase, then the man disappears.

Mommy is in the kitchen washing dishes. She hugs daddy and said, "who is that man? I'm not hugging him." She was talking about Mr. Jones. I hug daddy then I hug Mr. Jones. While I'm hugging Mr. Jones he turns into my sister Taraji!" - Takai's Dream

 

I'm not the only one who dreams in my home. My husband and children dream too. My son Takai was given this dream from the Lord. It's considered a correction dream. Not only was the Lord lovingly correcting my son He was making me aware of an issue I need to attend to. Let's take a look at what the symbols mean for this particular dream.

 

PROPHETIC SYMBOLS:

Window: Prophetic symbol of revelation and understanding

Living room: A current situation that is taking place in the dreamer's life that God wants to make him aware of

Mr. Jones as a Police Officer: Next door neighbor who represents a Biblical Law/Commandment

Daddy: God

Rain pouring down: The Holy Spirit (meaning this is a dream from the Lord)

Daddy and Mr. Jones talking and laughing: Represents agreement

Dark man with brief case: Represents Satan - Accuser of the brethren

Mommy washing dishes: Symbolizes me cleaning things up

Mommy hugged daddy and not Mr. Jones: I embraced the Lord but did not "recognize" that a biblical law/commandment was not being enforced

Takai hugged daddy and Mr. Jones who turned into his sister Taraji: Embracing the Lord and His Law/Commandment.

 

PROPHETIC MEANING:

The Lord is saying,

"Takai there is an issue that I want to make you aware of. Satan is looking for an opportunity to destroy a relationship within your family. Not only should you love and embrace Me (God) but also my commandment. The second greatest commandment is, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39). In other words - YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR SISTER AS YOURSELF.

 

Takai and Taraji would fuss and argue every day. Sometimes their actions toward one another were mean. I would bring these things before the Lord because I was not sure if this was normal sibling behavior or something I should be concerned about. My children are familiar with the greatest and 2nd greatest commandments in scripture. What a powerful reminder from the Lord! My husband and I sat down with the children to discuss the message in the dream. Takai knew almost immediately the message was the second greatest commandment, and he was very receptive to God's word. It really touched my heart.

I believe the Lord brought this matter to our attention so that we don't allow the enemy a foothold in our children's relationship. If it was important enough for God to speak to us through a dream about this matter; it was certainly something to be concerned about. It also became my responsibility to consistently enforce love and respect between the children in my home and to remind them of God's word. We are working on this every day. 

God is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. His word never changes! Loving your neighbor as yourself is a command for every person who considers themselves a child of God. A neighbor is considered any person other than yourself. So, however you treat yourself (Hopefully it's good) or however you want to be treated - is how you are to treat others even when it's not reciprocated, ouch! It's definitely a challenge for all of us, but it's part of growing, maturing, and becoming like Christ. Thank you Lord for reminding us of the 2nd greatest commandment and it's importance to you. Oh! And in case you need a reminder of the greatest commandment, here it is: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all of your mind" (Matthew 22:36-37).

Blessings,

Tytenisha

Teach Your Children God's Commands

"And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up." 

- Deuteronomy 6:6-7 

 

In the scripture above, the Lord was speaking to the Israelites as they were preparing to enter the Promised Land. The nations surrounding the Israelites were wicked and perverse. God wanted his people to wholeheartedly follow His commands. He admonished the adults to repetitively instill the commandments into the children day and night. I believe He wanted to establish in their hearts what was right and what was wrong so they would not participate in the wickedness that surrounded them. If they obeyed the Lord, they would enjoy a long life. We the people of God should take note and incorporate this practice into our daily lives as well. 

As a parent, grandparent or guardian, you have the awesome responsibility of introducing your children to Jesus and teaching them God's commands from the bible. We are living in a world where greed, rebellion, hatred, perverse living and so much more are quickly becoming the norm and have influenced the lives of many people we know and love. As our country continues to remove anything that has to do with God from it, we are experiencing the presence of wickedness like never before and it's greatly affecting our children.

 

 

My Kiddos

My children are eight and ten years of age. When they were in my womb, and when they were born, prophetic words about their purpose were spoken to my husband and I. I'm sure many of you can identify and have experienced the same thing or something similar regarding your own children. Satan's job is to quickly rob you and your children of purpose and trust me, he WON'T BE NICE while trying. The enemy wants to stop every believers (Christians) purpose in the earth so he (satan) can have his wicked way in the world without interruption. When we move in our purpose, we disrupt the plans of the enemy. Our children have purpose NOW in their own generation to show other children (who may be lost, hurting, etc.) that there is a real God they can call on even in their young age. 

The World We Live In

Children are innocent and their minds are pure. They don’t know ANYTHING about life until you teach them. If you want your child to be a loving God-fearing person who lives righteously – teach them Gods word. It will help them understand right from wrong and prepare them for the realities of this crummy world that they live in. Over the summer, while in camp my children were exposed to inappropriate discussions and acts from other children. Such is life, right? I've been teaching my children the word of God since they were very young and now they're seeing and hearing what the world is talking about. I'm actually glad they had that experience because that is the world we live in. So, as a family, we sat down and openly discussed different topics and went to the bible to explain what God says about those different topics. We discussed what's appropriate and what's not. No question is off limits in my home. My kids are far from perfect but my husband and I try our best to teach them the ways of God. Remember, if you don’t teach your kids God’s commands the people of the world will waste no time teaching them theirs.

Be Their Example

As guardians, we have to live what we preach and teach our children. Do as I say not as I do, doesn't work! We are the example they are looking at. If you are consistently inconsistent they will doubt what you're teaching them. No parent is perfect but when you mess up, try not to make the same mistake over and over again. Children are easily influenced by the things they see and hear. My husband and I monitor and limit what our kids watch on TV. We monitor and limit the kinds of video games they play. We monitor the sites they visit on the computer, and they are not allowed to watch YouTube videos unless they ask so we can screen it first. YouTube is filled with wonderful videos as well as disturbing videos. One disturbing video leads to another and before you know it, the child has just been introduced to something that could become very damaging to their life. 

I'm not saying to keep your child in a bubble so that they never experience the real world. As a guardian, your job is to protect your children from the snares of the enemy. My kids are far from perfect, they're children and from time to time they say and do things that disappoint me. Because they have a purpose they've been spiritually attacked which caused me to pray and fast on their behalf. But my husband who is rarely moved by circumstances reminds me we are to teach, pray and correct and God will do the rest. The bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when they're old they won't depart from it.” This doesn’t mean having your child in “church” 24:7 is going to teach them God’s ways. YOU have to teach them from the word of God and be their example.

Feed Them God's Word 

Teach them the Ten Commandments. Read the bible to them and explain the stories you read. The bible says, "The word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires" (Hebrews 4:12). The word of God is alive! When you read it, speak it and believe it, it changes your life and the way you think. It will do the same for your children. When those seeds of truth are constantly being planted in your child's heart and mind, they will begin to take root and grow and cause your child to make right choices according to the word of God. 

Often tell your children you love them, hug them, kiss them, and give them your undivided attention. Brag on them, encourage them when they're down, speak life into them and spend quality time with them. It makes such a difference in their little lives. Create a healthy balance of spirituality, education, after school activities and family fun time in their life. As guardians, we want to develop well-rounded leaders and warriors who can walk amongst the wickedness in the world and not be affected by it. Our children must walk in the purpose for which they were created.

Children's Bible Devotions

You may be wondering what is the best children's bible? Well, here are some of the resources and teaching tools I’ve found helpful on this journey to teaching my children God’s commands (click on picture):

 

The Preschooler's Bible age 3-5: Perfect for teaching the bible to preschoolers and for introducing children to biblical characters.

 

Children's Picture Bible age 5-9: I absolutely love this bible. It touches on the major stories in the bible and the visual artistry is wonderful. I highly recommend it.

 

NIV Adventure Bible age 9-12: This bible is just OK. The print is too small and does not have the red letter print. 

 

Keys for Kids has kid devotions online and more, for all ages: My kids and I read and listen to this devotion every morning as I drive them to school. Keys for kids also has a children's game site with fun activities and bible trivia. It's really cute. www.Itoadu.com  

 

Blessings,

Tytenisha

   

Train Up A Child in Prayer

My Prayer Warriors

"Train up a child in the way he (or she) should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

If you're a parent, guardian or caretaker of children, you have a great responsibility. The scripture above says to train up a child in the way he should go. You can train or instruct your child to do anything, but I pray its positive and beneficial for them in the long run. In addition to stressing how important a good education is, instilling respectful manners, and teaching them to be productive citizens; I believe the most important training we can give our children is a spiritual foundation in God. It won't hurt to be good examples before them either. Jesus said, "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a huge millstone tied around his neck and to be thrown into the sea" Mark 9:42. Wow, Jesus is serious about his little ones. Hmmm. We probably should be too.

Children are a gift from God and we (adults) are responsible for raising them according to Gods instructions. God is not looking for perfection from us; just willing and obedient hearts to train up these precious children to know His ways. Can I encourage someone with a wayward child? If your child has veered off the path, and you've trained them in the ways of God to the best of your ability - pray for them, and love them right where they are. I'm sure the disappointment is overwhelming and the pain is great, maybe even unbearable; believe in faith that God will help them find their way back. For those who did not teach your children the ways of God for whatever reason, be the best example you can, NOW. Love your children, pray for them and trust God to put them on course. 
 
This post will be about training up a child in prayer. Most of us have taught our children the common bedtime prayer, "Now I lay me down to sleep," or the popular grace, "God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food." Those prayers are cute, simple and perfect for getting children accustomed to praying. Those prayers are good for a time, but I want to challenge you not to limit your children to cutesy prayers. I believe children "can be" sensitive to spiritual things because their minds have not been tainted by everyday life. The purity in children allows them to have extraordinary faith, and as their prayer life develops, they will begin to see there is power in prayer.
 
Children should know "The Lord’s Prayer." This prayer encompasses our everyday living in the earth. It's a great template for basic prayer. If possible, explain to your child what each line in this prayer means so they'll have an understanding of what they're praying. A child's prayer is powerful because they simply believe that what they are praying for will come to pass. As parents, we have to nurture that simple faith.

Many times I purposely let my children see and hear me pray, so they'll be comfortable and accustomed to a lifestyle of prayer. My children are seven, nine, and sixteen years of age. I try to set aside time for prayer and bible study in my home, and I always let THEM open and close our study with prayer. In the mornings as I drive the kids to school, we have a short prayer session. Each day, a different child, will lead the prayer session which consists of The Lord's Prayer, Praise and Worship, and Intercessory prayer which teaches the children to pray for the needs of others. I teach my children to memorize bible scriptures because it’s important to couple prayer with the word of God. I feel scriptures add more weight and authority to our prayers.

Our children need to understand there is power in their prayers, and that prayer can actually change things! Cute little prayers for children are ok, but we can’t let them stay at that level. The world we live in is becoming increasingly scary. Our children, who are the next generation, need to know how to pray with power and authority with the word of God if they are going to see change in the world and in their own lives.

Let your child freestyle in his/her prayer by allowing them to pray whatever they want, or you can give them something to pray for. Correct them when you hear the prayer is a little off, they have to learn, right? When my seven year old was first learning to pray he would say, "Thank you for worshiping us Jesus." I would chuckle to myself then correct him by saying, "We love to worship you Jesus" lol!!

I hope you accept my challenge and teach your children to pray mature prayers so they'll start to develop a powerful, effective prayer life of their own. Teaching your children to pray establishes a strong foundation in communication with their heavenly Father, so when they grow old, they will never depart from it.

Blessings,
Tytenisha

Guest Blogger Sharon Brewster

Nurturing Our Children

Each day is a rush.  Beginning with Sundays, most of us are running non-stop.  Work, activities, errands, etc. demand most of our time.  As parents and caretakers, it seems everyone in our lives want and need more of us, especially our children.   If we're fortunate they will tell us exactly what they need.  But more often we sense the needs of our children.  More mommy/daddy time, more lullabies, hugs, kisses and home cooked meals. In talking with other therapists seasoned by clients and children of their own, they often comment that they wish they cooked more with their children, than for them.  They wished they had stood for their children when they were wronged, rather than model fairness, only after seeing years later the damage that was done.  Often they wish they listened more, judged less and valued their child's unique qualities instead of forcing them into a mold they've yet to fit into.  Despite all of these moments and thoughts of parental regret, these children for the most part are fine citizens and stable minded adults.  

Today, those of us with young children have a chance to really nurture them and hopefully have fewer regrets while raising them.  With the holidays fast approaching, toy magazines are in circulation and wish lists are being created.  What is the best gift besides Christ we can offer our children?  Is it really the toy they can't do without, or is it you?  As my kids get older, they still cry for me when I'm at work, they yearn for me when I’m running late from an appointment, and they miss me when I’m overbooked and rushing from meeting to meeting.  It occurred to me, there's no dollar amount or achievement I can earn worthy of missing precious moments with my babies.

 

Ages 0-6 are crucial years of brain development.  Personalities, preferences, skills to build on for a life of learning take place during this time.  If your child is 7 years or older, nurturing and bonding is still essential and welcomed, even if they don't admit it.  It’s important to nurture your child by maximizing your time together and establishing unbreakable bonds of communication, accountability and love – lots of love!                                                                                                       

Steps to nurture and strengthen our relationships with our children:

·         Make sure your children know you love them, even when they do something wrong

 

·         Encourage your children. Praise their achievements and talents. Recognize the skills they are developing

 

·         Spend time with your children. Do things together that you both enjoy. Listen to your children

 

·         Learn how to use non-physical options for discipline, many alternatives exist

 

·         Depending on your child's age and level of development, these may include simply redirecting your child's attention, offering choices, or using "time out."

For more tips on being a nurturing parent, visit:

Child Welfare Information Gateway

 

Sharon has a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. She combines her experience as an art director, understanding of healthy child development and therapeutic interventions to offer interactive art and talk therapy. Sharon is a wife and mother of two young children.   She is passionate about family life and early childhood development and education. Sharon is known for: her commitments to God, excellence and family, comedic wit and ability to empathize with others. Sharon will contribute blogs that will inspire and encourage parents and caretakers of children.

 

Trunk or Treat!

What's Wrong with Trick or Treating?

Yes, I know Halloween is over but I had to share my trunk or treat experience and my own personal revelation regarding trick or treating. A couple of years after my parents received Christ as Lord, my siblings and I were no longer allowed to go trick or treating. I was around 12 years old and was told that Halloween was Satan's day and a lot of bad things take place on that day. They explained as Christians we should not participate in this "dark" day because it does not glorify God. I understood and accepted it, but it was still really hard to watch other kids dressed up going door to door receiving candy. 

Those beliefs instilled in me have carried over into my parenting style. Instead of taking my kids trick or treating my husband and I take the kids to a Harvest Party at church. This is an alternative event (during the Halloween season) for kids to dress up in fun friendly costumes, play games and eat lots of candy. Harvest parties normally take place at church's or function halls. It's called a harvest party because October and November is the time of year farmers would reap their harvest. It's considered a time of blessing and acknowledges the Festival of Harvest (biblical feast) that God says we are to celebrate.

We weren't able to take our kids to the harvest party this year because we had other obligations. We received a flyer in the mail a few weeks back from a local church that was having Trunk or Treat on Oct. 31st.   The flyer stated there would be games, candy and a bouncy house.   We figured we would go and check this out. OK, I know you're like, "What is Trunk or Treat?” Well, it's when you trick or treat out of the trunk of a car! A slew of cars line up side by side in a parking lot, (in this case, the church parking lot) open their decorated trunks and hand out treats to candy obsessed children. 

Me and my clan pull up to the church and found a spot to park. My husband and I sat in the car starring at each other because we didn't bring bags for the kids. We're shaking our heads like great, what are the kids going to put their candy in? I said, "you don't have any bags in this truck?” He's like, "No!! should we go to Target and get some?"  I'm like No!! We jump out of the  truck and he starts searching his trunk for bags. He hands me these terrible Stop & Shop bags but they were better than nothing. Quickly he said gimme those bags back, here take these. I'm like what in the world!! He hands me two small sturdy tool bags lol!! Thank God! someone from the church yelled out while approaching us, "you guys need bags?” I practically screamed, Yesss!! as I tossed the tool bags back in the trunk. Cute little shopping bags with the church logo were given to us. 

As we made our way toward the cars everyone was friendly and the atmosphere, very festive. I liked the idea of decorated cars with candy in the trunk, it was different.  We strolled from one trunk to the next checking out the decorations and seeing how the candy was set up.  As we approached each trunk, I was a little baffled by some of the greetings and decorations.  Everyone kept saying "Trick or Treat!!” My kids didn't know how to respond. They stood there with blank stares on their little faces while holding their bags wide open (they knew how to do that, lol). I smiled and muttered, "mmhhmm" as to say trick or treat to you too. Why was I afraid to utter those three words? I didn't know what to say because I didn't expect that type of greeting at a church event. Because of what was planted in me from a young age, I was afraid to let go and give my children the freedom to say three silly words that will have no affect in them.
 
Ok, back to the story!  Someone had little skull heads hanging from their trunk which was kind of creepy. A few trunks had cobwebs and skeletons. One woman had cute pumpkins sitting on hay surrounded by those winter flowers called mums. Some man brought his caged chickens. I'm like really?? What does that have to do with anything lol!! Needless to say, I was a little disappointed in this Trunk or Treat event. It was open to the community and held outdoors but nothing really set this "church event" apart from what trick or treaters do on Halloween. We ended our time there by letting the kids play in the bouncy houses they had inside the church.  Check out the pics below:

This Halloween was a struggle for me for a couple of reasons. For one, my kids are older and wanted to go trick or treating. As a parent I want to make the best decisions for my kids. I explained to them in depth why we don't trick or treat and they had good logical come backs for everything I explained. Two, the trunk or treat event prompted me to question my reservations on trick or treating. That event was no different from going door to door and if those church folks didn't have a problem with it, then why did I? 

I decided to reach out to two mentors in my life to get their thoughts on Christian children going trick or treating.  Both reminded me that just about every holiday we celebrate has pagan roots. One of them used to take their children trick or treating when they were younger and taught them God's truth. The other one teaches God's truth but chooses not to participate in ANY holiday. I'm proud to say my kids know God's truth. Now, it's a matter of choice and my own personal convictions as to whether I will let them go trick or treating or not. Of course we will continue the tradition of attending harvest parties but I had to get to the bottom of this dilemma and set myself free lol! Look at this interesting passage of scripture nestled away in the book of Jeremiah:
 
"The Lord says, "Do not start following pagan religious practices.  Do not be in awe of signs that occur in the sky even though the nations hold them in awe. For the religion of these people is worthless. They cut down a tree in the forest, and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools. He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold.  He uses hammer and nails to fasten it together so that it will not fall over. Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field. They cannot talk. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them because they cannot hurt you. They do not have any power to help you" - Jeremiah 10:2-5 
 
This scripture is most likely referencing the Yule-tree aka the Christmas tree. God was commanding the Israelites not to copy people of the world in this ritual. Basically, people that did not believe in God worshipped this tree. It was an idol for them, it was their God. In our society today, we celebrate Jesus' birthday (although not born in December) with a Christmas tree and mimic the traditions this scripture talks about accept we don't worship the tree. For many of us the tree represents festivity, decor, and a place to store presents. It's rooted in paganism. I question as Christians why we pick and choose holidays to celebrate or participate in that are "deemed" to be better than the other, when none of it really matters or most of them have something historically kooky attached to it. We probably shouldn't participate in any non biblical holiday if we are going by our religious beliefs.

If we know and practice God's truth, we can't be affected by it. The only thing most kids are thinking about on halloween is GETTING CANDY!! One of my mentors said, Ty it's not that deep. Am I trying to justify a desire to let my kids enjoy the experience of trick or treating? Maybe lol! or maybe I'm trying to exercise my freedom in Christ without feeling fear of condemnation. Hmmmm.. Next year should be pretty interesting. What are your thoughts about this topic?

Blessings,
Tytenisha