Happy Hallowe'en? I don't think so...

This is actually something I posted up on Facebook last year, but I came across it again today, and it seems relevant to repost it here:

"I like bats and pumpkins (they make great pies - well, the pumpkins anyway)...but I will not be celebrating Hallowe'en. Not because I'm a party pooper (far from it - I shall, all being well, be enjoying a friend's 30th celebrations this weekend)...but why celebrate darkness and death when you can have LIGHT and LIFE?

Hallowe'en has everything to do with FEAR and DEATH - ghosts, witches, skulls, tombstones, graveyards, Druid sacrifices, menacing faces etc. - and nothing to do with the goodness of life. Jesus said, "I come to give you life..." and then He overcame death. The 'Trick or treat' game scares the living daylights out of the vulnerable. Fear is not of God.

"For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

2 Timothy 1:7

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

1 John 4:18 

Hallowe'en has its roots in witchcraft, the occult and everything related to Satan. As Christians we should shun any involvement in it. We are called to be "holy" ("separate" from the world and from evil), and have no part in such things.

The Bible (i.e. God) has a few choice words to say about it. These are 'old' words...but they are the Word of God...and their relevance is still for today.

"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."

Galatians 5:19 

"Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD..."

Deuteronomy 18:10-12

Still not convinced? The satanic bible recognises Hallowe'en as a major 'holiday'! You only have to do a Google search on the history of it to realise it's roots in the occult, whatever your beliefs.

There is nothing 'fun' about being involved in something that celebrates fear and darkness, whatever the marketing people say...and to justify otherwise is to literally be playing with fire.

I know which I'd rather choose!"

With Jesus in your life, you don't have to be scared of anything anymore!

While the history of Hallowe'en is more complex than I've shown, in the research I did before writing the note, it's being rooted in witchcraft is really what it does come down to. It's also been twisted into something different from intended (though its roots are definitely dubious). My point is that, in measuring the festival against the light of Christ, it really is something dark and distasteful and Christians should be wary of 'celebrating' it...if it's about the fun of dressing up, there are plenty of other themes. The devil is subtle in his deception. Sometimes by letting in something we deem 'harmless', we're actually letting in a lot more, spiritually speaking (I'm talking to myself here too).

Be still, and know that I am God

"The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul." (Psalm 23: 1-3). This is a beautiful babbling brook I came across last June (2010) on my first day in the French Alps...so peaceful and, with the mountains and sunshine, full of the majesty of God's creation. I sat down here for a while and just enjoyed 'being' in the presence of my Father, the Creator of the universe. It was a special time.

In recent weeks – and months, if I'm honest – I feel God has been prompting me to spend more quality time with Him – not just for me to learn to pray (talk at Him!) better, but also for me to learn to listen better. I've failed at this for a number of reasons...mainly lack of time-management and too much self-interest.

A couple of weeks' ago I led the topic at home group. It had been a busy week and I hadn't made time to prepare anything until the actual day. I'd expected to find a good verse to delve into - or to spark discussion on a particular life theme. However, as I wondered and sought inspiration, it dawned on me to look into the discipline of having a quiet time and what that might mean, and to share my findings.

Having a quiet time really is a (spiritual) discipline. We can get so caught up in the day-to-day art of 'doing', that it's easy to forget how to just 'be'. I am a serial 'faffer' - give me some spare time and I will easily fill it doing 'stuff'. Sometimes I find myself with a spare hour or two - perfect time to spend with God. But no, there's usually always something else to do - like watching tv or surfing the interweb or 'painting my nails'. It makes me wonder how I am any good at sustaining any relationship with that attitude?! It's easy to become anaesthetised to such promptings when we choose to constantly ignore them, and yet God never gives up on us. Thank God He doesn't!

Even Jesus needed time away from people and life in the presence of His Father...so how much more do we?! A quiet time is fellowship with a Holy God. Christianity is not a legal relationship, it is a love relationship. Ten thousand 'don'ts' will never make us one iota more like the Jesus. It is Jesus Himself who makes us like Him. But we need to spend time with Him, as with any relationship of substance.

A good friend recently reminded me of two questions we should be asking of God:

"What is going to satisfy Your heart?"

and

"What is going to bring You the glory?"

There are times in my life when I have put God first and made that sacred time and it has been rewarding. How frustrating it is to grow out of that habit. Below is basically (with a few later thoughts) what I shared with my home group – as much for myself as anyone else! (I like to hand out notes on things I do!).

~

A guide to doing quiet time

Quiet time is one of the most essential aspects of our Christian life, especially in today’s fast-paced busy world. Many Christians take some time reading the bible every day and while it is very useful, just reading the bible will not lead us to a much deeper and fuller walk with Christ. We need to spend time in His words, study them and learn from them every day.

Without daily regular quiet time, our spiritual life can be seriously under nourished, just as our body can be without proper food and water. How often do we forget or avoid a quiet time due to a busy schedule? Has anybody ever forgotten to eat for a day due to work?!

Time 
Our quiet time need only take about 10-15 minutes. Obviously, if we can do more, great! It 'should' be our best time - not our leftovers. Finding time won't happen - we need to make time. We can choose ‘when’ according to our schedule. For some, morning works better; for others, the evening may work well. It is important to try and stick to a set fixed time everyday, as it brings discipline and consistency.

What do we need?
A quiet place to focus (see Matthew 6:6: "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.", a Bible, notebook and pen. Jesus sought out places where He could be alone and we need to do the same. While it is fine to occasionally refer to Bible commentary or a dictionary for difficult passages, try and study the Bible as it is and ask God for His guidance in understanding the passage. It is good practice to take notes in the quiet time – you will be amazed and encouraged when you see them years later!

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

How to do quiet time
Start with prayer: be natural and honest with God. Tell Him how you feel. Pray out loud if possible - it helps keep your mind on track and enables you to stay focused.
Spend just a few minutes in worship and thanksgiving
Spend some time in asking God for forgiveness for our sins
Ask for His guidance in today’s quiet time

Passage for quiet time: 
Select any book of the Bible and stick with it for the duration. It helps us get the whole picture, as well as making our quiet time more enjoyable. As a suggestion, select about 8-10 verses but don’t select a whole chapter as there may not be time to cover it.

Read the passage 2-3 times
There are many suggested guides as to ways of studying and you're welcome to find something that works for you. Below is my suggestion - this bible study method is also called the ASPECT method:

Ask the following questions:
A – About God – what can I learn about God through this passage?
S – Sin – does it talk about any sin?
P – Promise – is there any promise in the Word?
E – Example – is there any example I can follow?
C – Command – are there any commands I need to obey?
T – Teaching – what can I learn and take away from this passage?

Suggestions for a concluding prayer:

• Thank God for His guidance in the quiet time
• Worship God for His character
• Pray for deliverance from any sin
• Ask for strength for that or the next day

Our spiritual train is running on two rails; one is revelation and the other is obedience. And if either rail stops, our train stops. We need to learn to obey the Word of God.

God did not make us to be reservoirs; He made us to be conduits! If it seems right, share what God is showing you with others that you trust - it may encourage them!

~

A few years ago  I wrote a song, initially inspired by Psalm 62:1-2:

"For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David. My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

It grew to become about that special time we spend with our Father - and through that, know who we are. Maybe when I've learned that discipline I'll get the song finally finished!

I am Your child

In You, O Lord, my soul finds its home
You, O Lord, are my strength and salvation
Resting in the shelter of Your wings
Living in the presence of Your love
I am Your child

In You, O Lord, my soul finds its peace
You, O Lord, are my fountain of faithfulness
Trusting in the One who calls my name
Living in the promise of Your Word
I am Your child

You’re my Rock, I will not be shaken
You’re my Hope, my Mighty Defender
In this place, where You reign, You are my King
My Everything

"Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths..." (Psalm 36:5-7) View of the mountain from the chalet balcony as the sun was setting.

And on a lighter note... :oD

Inspiration

Detail of Michaelangelo's 'The Creation of Adam' in the Sistine Chapel

For some reason the word 'inspire' has been on my mind for a few days this week. I felt prompted to investigate it further, particularly with regards to my faith and understanding of Scripture. As a creative person, inspiration is important to me. I hope, also, that I am able to inspire others at times.

The somewhat onomatopoeic word 'inspire' has a lovely breathy quality about it. All I know about the derivative of the word is that it is something to do with 'breath', based on the Latin. Now, I'm definitely no hardcore intellectual or theological scholar (and total kudos to those who are!) I do, however, have a love of words which extends to the joy of word-play. I also love learning about the original meanings of words (etymology), especially in relation to Bible texts, so I can build up a fuller picture of what is intended. I was fortunate (?!) to have studied Latin until I was 15, before dropping it at the first opportunity for History! While I disliked it intently at the time and couldn't see the point in being taught a 'dead language', it proved to be a useful tool when understanding word definitions in other areas - such as language and musical terms.

I decided to start with looking at the dictionary definition of 'inspire.'

Our English word 'inspire' comes from the Latin verb 'inspirare' – from 'spirare' (to breathe) – 'in' (in) and 'spiro' (breathe). Definitions of the verb include:

inspire [ɪnˈspaɪə]
1. to exert a stimulating or beneficial effect upon (a person); animate or invigorate
2. (tr; foll by with or to; may take an infinitive) to arouse (with a particular emotion or to a particular action); stir
3. (tr) to prompt or instigate; give rise to her beauty inspired his love
4. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) (tr; often passive) to guide or arouse by divine influence or inspiration
5. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Physiology) to take or draw (air, gas, etc.) into the lungs; inhale
6. (tr) Archaic
a.  to breathe into or upon
b.  to breathe life into
[C14 (in the sense: to breathe upon, blow into): from Latin inspīrāre, from spīrāre to breathe]

I then decided to also look up the word 'inspire' in the Bible and came across two different contexts.

A good use of the word as defined above is in the creation of Adam: dust or clay shaped by the Great Potter (yasar) lay as a lifeless body until the Giver of Life “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and he became a living breathing being” (Genesis 2:7). So Adam arrived 'by inspiration of God.' Beautiful.

Let's have a look at it:

"And the Lord God formed a man's body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And the man became a living person."

The Hebrew word for 'breathed' is 'naphach' (meaning to breathe, blow or be blown, sniff at, seethe, give up or lose, to cause to breathe out, express a harsher snorting sound). The Hebrew word for 'breath' is 'neshamah' (meaning, breath of God and man, the Spirit of God imparting life and wisdom to the spirit of man).

As a slight aside, there is something else I find of interest. Before they were given their new names by God, Sarah and Abraham were Sarai and Abram. At the time Sarai was barren and getting on a bit, and had exhausted her faith and Abram weakened also, causing them to devise their own scheme 'according to the flesh' (Galatians 4:23). In the Bible, name changes correspond to either character change or a major call from God. Abram's name is changed from 'Exalted Father' to Abraham 'Father of a Multitude'. Sarai's name is changed from 'Princess' to Sarah meaning 'The Princess' or 'Queen' linking her in co-rulership with her husband and including her in God's covenant promise. Why am I telling you this? Both names were expanded with the Hebrew letter H or 'Hey'. According to Jewish mystics, 'Hey' represents the breath of God and His creative power. Therefore, it can be said that God gave them new names and breathed life into their circumstances - and Sarah gave birth to Isaac despite her being 90 and Abraham being 101! I'll try and find out more about this.

'Inspire' is also used in the translation of the following verse (2 Timothy 3:16):

"All scripture is inspired and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."

Here, the word 'inspired' comes from the Greek word 'theopneustos' that is, 'God-breathed' or 'breathed out by God.' The word is made up of two others - 'theo' meaning God, and 'pneustos' meaning to breathe or inspire and relates directly to God's Spirit (Gk pneuma) which can also be translated 'breath.' This word is only used once in the Greek New Testament, in the verse seen above and therefore the exact meaning is not known.

There seems to be some misunderstanding as to the interpreted meaning of the use of 'inspire' in this verse. While 'inspire' can have the meaning as shown in the Latin term that means 'to breathe into', this is not what Paul is talking about here. He is not saying that the Scriptures are human words into which God has 'breathed' something special, something beyond the norm. Neither is he saying that God did something special to the writers of Scripture, though this is a common usage of the term today as well. While the authors were of course 'inspired by God to write' (holy men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Spirit, 2 Pet. 1:21), this is not the meaning of the term here. By using theopneustos in this context, Paul tells us that the very Scriptures themselves are the creation of God, reflecting His very breath, His very speaking.

So, what have I learned from looking into this? A couple of things really. I've learned more about the contexts of the original words and there meanings, which makes the Scriptures come alive to me. I've been reminded of how awesome our God is - that He chose to create man 'in His image' and breathe life into him...as well as giving us the living Scriptures as a guide to help us draw closer to him while we are on earth.

Amazing and powerful stuff - just from one word! I truly am inspired!