Christians and Hanukkah

Lately, I've been getting a backlash of folks who don't support us celebrating Hanukkah or the other Jewish feasts. Expecting it doesn't really make it easier, especially when it comes from within the church. I began searching Christian churches who are celebrating Hanukkah and found:

• Gateway Church in North Richland Hills, TX,
• this booklet from the Evangelical Association that might be of interest,
• and this blog from ChristianPost.

I am pleased there are Christian churches and organizations out there doing this sort of thing. And I am distraught by the mocking and ridicule our family has received mostly behind our backs and entirely from believers.

Worldly Hanukkah

The other day I was in a conversation with my mother about getting Hanukkah books for the kids. I saw some on Amazon and was somewhat interested as an alternative to the Christmas movies and cartoons all over TV these days. Really I am uncomfortable buying these books without reading them myself first though. I would love for the kids to have some Hanukkah books, but I also want to make sure the Hanukkah being presented is not as worldly as the Christmas junk out there. If we are switching in order to avoid the worldliness, I don’t want to trip into it all over again!

As I explained that I wanted to make sure the Hanukkah books we picked were not straight worldly celebration books, she commented that Hanukkah is a pretty worldly celebration anyway. This is nothing against my mother, who I credit as the one who got me heading in this direction in the first place! Her understanding of Hanukkah is fairly worldly, and I can certainly understand why! The world’s presentation of Hanukkah is worldly, and unfortunately, many Jewish families who still celebrate Hanukkah celebrate it in a fairly worldly way. We even include some worldly aspects as gift giving too, so we’re aren’t exactly purists!

Yet, Hanukkah is NOT a worldly celebration. Nor does a Jewish feast with celebration aspects mean that it is strictly worldly. Many of the feasts have celebratory aspects – Passover in particular. God has done great things and we should celebrate! We should party and rejoice and dance and play games! We should be happy! Happiness does not equal worldly. To be fair, I do not think this is at all where my mother was going with her comment. It is just something that occurred to me later on. I know many Christians who frown on Jews because they drink wine! I mean, really?! Jesus made wine! Frown on that!

Hanukkah from a historical perspective is a time to rejoice that God provided for Israel as they were faithful in immediate obedience to rededicate their Temple even when it wasn’t convenient (too little oil). Hanukkah is also a time to consider Jesus as the Light of the World, to re-dedicate today’s Temple – ourselves, to consider what we do as individuals to keep the Lamp of God burning in our own lives…. The list could go on. We could easily focus on family togetherness, presents and parties. In this world, distractions are easy to come by. But Hanukkah is rich with meaning and significance for Christians, much more so that I even attempted to put into this post. Jesus wasn’t born in December. The Feast of Dedication did in fact occur on the 25th of Kislev. More likely Jesus was born during one of the other Feasts. I’ll celebrate His birth then, and celebrate Him every day in between.

Hanukkah Surprises

As Hanukkah approaches closer and closer, I’ve been surprised by a few things. For one, as we have explained to friends and family, I have gotten raised eyebrows from the least likely suspects and gotten nods of approval from the other end of the spectrum of least likely suspects. People who appear to be weak believers nod with approval commenting how Christmas is so pagan anyway, why not do Hanukkah; and then those who would appear to be the ones to best understand the celebration, shirk from it citing simplistic explanations and excuses for Christmas celebrations.

A while back it occurred to me that when you are an expert on something, and by that I mean trained and people seek you out for advice, and you have long supported an idea in ignorance, I think it is more difficult for those individuals to admit the truth to themselves than for those who aren’t a so-called expert. Let me explain it a different way. If I was a well renowned health department official and I pushed a certain water additive that later proved to be the cause of several impairments and diseases, I would have a hard time admitting to myself that my error could have hurt people, and therefore I might be less likely to ever admit the error even to myself; whereas a common person can likely read a label and recognize that poison has been intentionally placed in our water supply. It is not a criticism. I understand it. In anything I pour my life into, I find it difficult to see the mistakes I’ve made as well. It is a human weakness.

That said, it still surprises me that *some* of the most educated ministers can see all the evidence of a pagan celebration and continue to explain away the pagan ritual because it’s culturally acceptable, because it’s tradition, or because it doesn’t matter what the origins are as long as WE know it’s Christ’s birthday, even if it we know it isn’t Christ’s birthday. Let me be clear, though too, some people, ministers included have been very receptive as this truth has been presented by us or by others we have heard of on the same journey. Let me also be clear, that we have not been trying to persuade people ourselves. When people ask, we explain. We don’t hide the truth, but we don’t cram it down people’s throats either. It must be a work of the Holy Spirit, not a work of mine.

The second surprise I have encountered is a feeling of worldly outcast-ness. I don’t know how to word it any other way really. I’ve been trying to maintain a sense of fun for the kids and not include Santa hats and Christmas trees, yet I find it incredibly difficult to do! I was fortunate to find a dreidel set at Target and some gift bags at the Dollar Tree, but aside from that Amazon has been my best friend and even there I find so little. I’m getting a deeper sense of what it must be like to be Jewish trying to live in this world and yet keep separate from it. If for no other reason, I think this lesson is worth this struggle. My children are actually excited about Hanukkah and I have some special things planned for them, but their school is offering pictures with Santa as a fundraiser. They’re doing a holiday shop for the kids, but it starts after Hanukkah has ended. I know they feel left out in ways and they’re all handling it beautifully, but it is a reminder that we are to be separate from the things of this world. We are supposed to feel like outsiders because we are! We are not of this world. Our home is elsewhere.

Thirdly, I have been surprised by people trying to lure my children, tempt them into compromise – even at church. Maybe the others at our church think we’ve backslidden or that we’ve lost our minds, but to enlist our children into a Christmas production without our consent is truly deplorable. I am sure they have the best intentions because I know these people and they are good Bible believing people, but giving my children speaking parts in an act that we don’t approve of and then explaining how important they are to the production, leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Is this what people feel like in foreign countries when we trick their children into participating in activities for Jesus without getting their parent’s permission? Is this what it feels like when we give medical care to the poor while shoving a track and a prayer in their hand? I am all for missions! I love missions and I support missions! And while loving people can be a great gateway to a conversation about Jesus, I wonder if the people feel manipulated when we do it wrong, when we love the people only for that gateway and not because we actually love the people.

I am also maybe slightly surprised by the number of people who agree with us, but won’t give up their beloved Christmas tree, or Halloween costumes, or whatever it is for them. I get it! I did it myself, so I understand, but I also thought for the longest time that it was just me. I thought it was just me who could see something as wrong and still do it anyway, that in spite of knowing the truth, I could refuse to obey. I thought it was just me. So that part is encouraging and sad at the same time. I do pray that more people who know the truth will come to a place of trust in Jesus to cast off all worldly things and press on toward Jesus. I also pray I can continue to see the worldly things I still cling to, so I can cast those off as well.

I’ve also been surprised at how much of a movement this is already! My mom recently told me of a woman thousands of miles from us, who I haven’t even seen since I was in 5th grade I think, who is on the same journey as us. She told me of the perhaps wrong approach she is taking with sharing her ideas, and the public criticism she has received for it.

We are not alone as Christians returning to the original feasts and celebrations, yet even in knowing this, the separation from the world that we experience is still palpable. And it’s all ok. My kids are handling it beautifully, we are trying to remain understanding of others and the misunderstanding of it all. And we’re still on the journey. Happy Happy Hanukkah!

Does truth matter?

Does it matter? Does it matter what we know of truth? Some say that as long as we know that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for our sins, that we are following after Him with all our hearts, that that is enough, and everything else is just cause for unnecessary division. Certainly, I have seen division in the church over silly matters, and I have heard stories of churches splitting over carpet color, but should we shy away from truth to avoid division? Is all division necessarily wrong in the church? Is how we worship an unnecessary truth?

Matthew 25:33 talks of separating the sheep from goats. Yes, this refers to separating the believers from the unbelievers at judgment. Jeremiah 24 talks of two baskets of figs - one basketful so rotten they couldn't be eaten. Then in Revelation in the letters to the seven churches, many of them refer to a distinction made even among the people within these churches. In Thyatira, there were those who were misled by Jezebel and there were those who kept to the truth. There was a distinction and God judged between them.

Certainly, I am not anyone's judge. I cannot and will not condemn anyone for celebrating Christmas or Easter or for choosing Saturday or Sunday worship. I won't judge for matters like this. For one reason, I myself was walking in ignorance for 35 years. I just followed those who went before me, the ways of the churches I attended, my family traditions, church traditions and so on, without ever questioning much. It took me 35 years and God has led me to the understanding I have now. I don't avoid friends or my church leaders because we don't agree on holidays. However, I also feel a responsibility to live righteously in the way that God has led me, in the truth God has revealed to me.

Will I share why I believe what I believe? Yes, absolutely. Will I condemn those who don't follow me? Heck no! Nobody should be following me anyway! Please please, follow Jesus! I do feel a responsibility to share my reasons for my beliefs, but beyond that, I have no control, and no judgment for how a person responds to that information.

So, is this truth causing division in the church in an inappropriate way? I don't think so. We are called to come out of the world. By choosing to worship in the ways God has commanded in His word, I am certainly drawing a line for me and my family in division from the ways of the world. Yet, I love my church brothers and sisters and have no need to divide the church over this matter. I'll leave that division to Jesus as He sees fit.

To Tattoo or Not Tattoo?

Recently, I have been hearing a lot about tattoos. I saw a television show that was discussing how tattoos are not approved by Jews for example, and then also ended up in a conversation with friends on this topic just hours later.

One person seemed against them, although she wasn’t at all being judgmental. Another person was adamantly in favor of them. I decided I could probably make a good argument on either side of the debate so I mainly listened. Ok. Ok. I offered my two cents here and there.

The reason Christians and Jews are opposed to tattoos is because of this single verse in the Bible. Leviticus 19:28 says, "Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord."

On the surface it seems crystal clear, and certainly there is nothing wrong with abstaining from tattooing yourself based on this verse. However, this passage and the surrounding verses are all referencing the ways the pagan peoples around Israel worshipped. God does want us to choose to be set apart from the ways other people worship their “gods.”

Today, tattooing your body is not a pagan practice, so much. Surely some may still do this; however the vast majority of people are making an artistic statement.

Years ago, I got a tattoo at a particularly difficult time in my life. There was a lot of challenging things happening to me and around me. None of it was anything I could escape in the moment, but I just wanted an expression of freedom, of flying, even while I was taking life’s lessons with me. I chose a hummingbird. I love that little bird on my back and I am not at all convicted about having gotten it. Still I don’t believe I would ever get another now.

I don’t necessarily think that having a tattoo is any more evil than paying a worker tomorrow for their labor (Lev. 19:13), planting a small garden with more than one kind of seed (Lev. 19:19), or trimming your beard (Lev. 19:27). Some of Leviticus is still very applicable to us today, while other verses are applicable in context.

And yet, I say I don’t know that today I would fully support tattoos, nor would I consider getting another. Here’s why.

Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Now, if you believe this, if you believe that we are His creation, and that He created us exactly how He wanted us, then changing that creation is, well, pretty sacrilegious. If you have trouble getting on board with this, follow me for a minute.

You fall in love with a Rembrandt or a Van Gogh painting. You save for it your whole life. It’s very expensive to purchase one of these paintings, so you don’t take vacations, you work all the time, you don’t ever go to restaurants and you live in a little shack just so you can someday buy this painting. You’ve given up everything for this painting. Finally you buy it and when you bring it home, your kids decide to pull out their permanent markers and add to this beautiful painting. Maybe they draw something kind of cool on it, but how would you feel?

God created us, His priceless possession. He gave up everything for us, even paid for us with the life of His son, and we decide we know better and color on it. Now, for those of you who feel like this is taking it all too literally, I understand. This is my conviction, so I don’t extend that to anyone else, except as food for thought. And for those of you, who now feel you have another argument to use against your children, friends or other church-goers, first examine your own image. If you choose to partake this particular argument against tattoos, consider the other areas in life, where this may also apply: ear or body piercings, hair color, plastic surgery…. The list could go on and on, I am sure.

Now, once again, it’s possible to argue tattoos any way you want. I don’t believe anyone will go to hell for a tattoo, but I do think there is a best way to bring glory to our Creator. I also think it is your responsibility to prayerfully consider what that is. Don’t rely on what other people say. Don’t take scripture out of context. Do strive to bring glory to your God.

The Secularization of Hanukkah

The other day I had a conversation with my mother about gift giving at Hanukkah time. She had been doing her own Hanukkah research and found some of the same materials and resources online that I had found. (As a side note: I love it when my mom calls me to tell me what she's found in relation to these topics. It's exciting to see truth spreading, particularly to my mom who I owe so dearly for first introducing Passover to our family when I was just a child.) We ended up in a discussion about whether or not we should give gifts at Hanukkah. And I have to admit, I love having little things like this challenged in my beliefs. It makes me dig deeper in my spirit, go back the Source, and really consider why we do what we do. It is only through these conversations that I am challenged to live closer to the truth of God's Word and His purposes for our lives and these celebrations.

It is true that Hanukkah originally did not include presents, but rather candle lighting, worship, and time together with family. Presents were not part of the original Hanukkah celebrations. Gift giving over the course of the eight days was actually a response to Christmas. As I understand it, Jewish children were jealous of the many gifts the other children received at this time of year, so parents began to incorporate eight days of gift giving for the children. Gift giving is in fact a secularization of this special time of year.

Hanukkah is the Feast of Dedication, not a feast of gifting. So, I certainly see the point of those who wish to return wholly to a pure Feast of Dedication with candles and worship of our God as the sole purpose. If I am honest, though, I would miss the giving, gift wrap and seeing my children's faces light up each night. Certainly I can see the point of removing the gifts from this celebration, but I also question whether or not there is any harm in giving gifts to our children, if we desire to do so.

Disclaimer: My ideas are merely my ideas. I am not suggesting this would be right for any other family, other than our own. In fact, I may even change my mind in a future year; however, right now, this is where I have rested on this matter.

I personally don't see anything wrong (at this time) with gift giving as part of Hanukkah. Does it add a flavor of materialism? Sure. Does it add to the secularization of this feast? Probably. Do I feel I should remove the notion of gifts at this time of year? Nah.

My kids and my family have all celebrated Christmas for as long as each of us has been alive. Taking down the stockings, not cutting a tree together, skipping the Christmas carols, and Christmas Eve services is a lot of change already. In addition, I am not necessarily convicted about gift giving in general. I don't believe there is anything wrong with giving presents to your kids or others. I don't know that the main emphasis in pagan Christmas was gift giving either. So, since I cannot think of a solid reason to exclude gifts, since we and our children enjoy that piece of this feast, for now, we'll continue with it.

That does not mean we won't pare down from the materialism of Christmas. In fact, for the last few years, we've made an effort to cut back on the extravagance of it all anyway. This year, we will continue to trim costs, make more gifts at home, and make it ever more about the One to whom all feasts point, our Precious Jesus.

Preparing Hearts and Traditions for Hanukkah

Officially, Feast of Tabernacles is over now, although our temporary dwelling continues as we wait for our home to be built. We wait to enter our Promised Land, but we are enjoying this time dwelling among our lovely friends.

My daughter's birthday is approaching fast now, so I am keeping busy with pinatas and guest lists, but Hanukkah is still on my mind. I've selected a couple crafts for my family already and am looking forward to putting together some special things to begin our new traditions together, and to help them gain a deeper understanding of this special season.

Our Hanukkiah is packed in storage with little hope for finding it, I fear, so I have decided to craft one myself this year. I found this version made of hardware, paint, and a strip of wood on Martha Stewart's web site and I fell in love. It's simple, sparkly, and looks easy to make. I just need to find some candles first so I can correctly size the nuts I need to build it with. This web site offers quite a few varieties of Hanukkah crafts but as hectic as my life is these days, I wanted something easy. Once I make it, I will post pictures.

In addition, when we used to celebrate Christmas, my kids loved having advent calendars of their own as they counted the days. Hanukkah is particularly geared toward counting days, so I was thrilled when I found a variation of this theme for children. This matchbox menorah will fit the bill just fine, as each day they can slide open a box and reveal another flame. I may even include a scripture for each day to remind the children the significance of each and every flame they "light." I am making four - one for each of my children - although I am considering a fifth for the 16 year old girl with whom we are sharing a home these days.

After a brief conversation with her one day this week about why we are passing on Christmas and a lot of reassurance that if they had a tree I wouldn't be at all offended, she said she wanted to research it herself. "If the Bible is clear and history is clear on the origins of Christmas, then there is only one thing to do," she said. I drove off to get my kids from school and returned about three hours later to hear her telling her mom that she wants to celebrate Hanukkah now and not do Christmas things anymore. Naturally, this teen deserves a matchbox menorah of her very own.

My goal is not to convert people to think the way I think. I really don't believe I have that power. I do believe I have the responsibility to share what I believe, and what I have discovered, and to encourage others to do their own research if they are curious. I really didn't expect this teen to seriously consider giving up Christmas at her age. Kids love Christmas! I loved it myself. I just had to decide whether I loved Jesus or Christmas more. And as soon as I thought about it that way, there was only one answer for me. Apparently, there was only one answer for her as well.

The Holy Spirit is doing something I think. I am just getting in on it, now, and I believe He's been working in hearts for years and years - centuries even. I believe He is calling the church back to Himself, to no longer tolerate that Jezebel (paganism/idolatry) in our midst. Many don't want to hear. Many want to linger at the pagan altars that merely have been painted over with "Christian" terminology. I don't think less of them. I was one of them, refusing to lay aside my Christmas! It has to be a work of the Holy Spirit in each individual's life. He works in people differently. Some may never even have heard the truth behind the ways Christians worship. My job is to educate and inform. My work ends in the sharing, the articulation and the encouraging of others to do their own research. God does the rest in His timing.

Rosh Hashana Review

Before September is completely over, I felt I should journal about this year's Rosh Hashana celebration, for the record if nothing more.

This was actually the first time we celebrated Rosh Hashana as a family... and we dared to invite others to participate as well even though we barely knew what we were doing. I feel that each and every time we practice one of the Lord's feasts we gain a deeper understanding of the Lord and the feast itself. It is one thing to read about them, or study them, but when you practice them personally, it's another entirely. Perhaps this is why the Lord writes, "TRAIN up a child in the way he should go..." and not "Teach a child..." Experience counts. It counts a lot, and we had none. Yet, we forged ahead, invited our pastor and his wife and several friends from church.

I used a book called Celebrating the Biblical Feasts in your Home or Church. For a beginner, it was an excellent resource. We read the book once through and then returned to the feast we were planning and studied it more in depth. I organized a picnic style feast at a park on a river, so we could all participate in Tashlich, a ceremony of repentance.

The book called for some traditional foods, including a fish with the head still on, round Challah bread, carrots, apples and honey. Each food item had significance and so as we passed the food around the table, we taught the group what each thing represented and why it was significant to this particular feast. We blew the shofar. My husband was disappointed that he wasn't able to make much of a sound in it before that day. Learning to blow that thing really isn't as easy as it looks. I was a little more successful, so he started off by talking about reasons to blow the shofar while I blew that thing 12 times. By the end I was a little light headed and my throat hurt, but mission accomplished.

The group stood and seemed to be quite enthralled by the ceremony and the teachings. We taught about the history very briefly and mentioned some of the prophetic significance as well. We all gathered at the shore of the river, collected handfuls of stones (most people were not wearing clothes with pockets so we improvised) and tossed a stone in for each sin we repented of.

All in all, it was a beautiful event, rich in significance and history. Our pastor's wife asked about teaching it next year for children's church and the pastor himself asked to do it for the church.

There is so much rich history, symbolism and prophecy wrapped up in each and every feast. It's a lot like peeling an onion. When you skim through the Bible references to the feasts, you don't get much out of it. When you study them you understand a little more, but when you practice them you begin to see why they are important to God. Notice, I said begin. We have a lot of layers to peel yet. But, we are thankful that some other people began to peel some layers as well and will themselves begin to see the rich gift God gave us when he commanded these feasts.

Out of the Tent - Into the Wilderness

September is closing fast and October is on the horizon. That means colder weather, snow is coming and the campground is closing. In just a couple days we have to load up the camper and move on out!

It's ok. We knew it was coming. We had planned initially for our house to be completed by now, but alas, bureaucracy has tied our hands in red tape. Now, we don't expect to be finished with the house and ready to move in until the middle of winter - a less than ideal time to move.

We are wonderfully blessed by a friend who has offered her home for our family of six to live in. Yet, even as we embark on this journey, and as blessed as we feel, I feel some trepidation. Will my four kids behave in someone else's house? Will they break something important? Will they be too loud? Will our friendship survive this? I know I must cast my anxieties on my Lord.

For the last three months we've been in our camper. It's not the same as a house. It's small and cramped, it's poorly insulated, the shower is never warm, the stove is a pain to light. But it was our space.

God has designed life to include many seasons. Right now, we are in the season of tenting, albeit in a 37-foot camper. The Israelites tented across the desert for 40 years. Sometimes they moved frequently, other times, they stayed in one place for years. We are moving out of the camper and the campground and we are moving into a home, but not our home. It's a bit like going out of the tent and into the wilderness, and yet the Lord is everywhere.

The Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkoth begins in just a few days. And as it begins, I had expected to be heading to our home, or still dwelling in our camper. For us, this year, it is our friend's lovely home. It is a temporary dwelling, and that is just what Sukkoth is designed to remind us of. We ought to remember that heaven is our dwelling and this earthly home is temporary. We ought to recall the Israelites wandering in the Wilderness on the way to their Promised Land. We ought to not expect to become too comfortable here, because the Lord is our Shelter and the Holy Spirit is our Comforter.

This Sukkoth, we will not be spending a few days dwelling in a temporary shelter, although we may still spend some time in the camper in the back yard, but we will certainly feel as much as ever, or maybe more than ever, that this is not our home.

An Adventure from Christmas to Hanukkah

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are past and while we still are very much looking forward to Feast of Tabernacles, I am also beginning to plan for Hanukkah. I was concerned that I would struggle to find some decent material for a believer in Jesus to celebrate Hanukkah appropriately. I recall last year finding some material, but I was left feeling it a bit boring and rushed.

Last year we celebrated both Hanukkah and Christmas as a way to introduce it to our kids and ourselves less abruptly. I wasn't sure my husband was ready to abandon Christmas, and honestly, I wasn't nearly as convinced that we needed to. I really had just begun considering incorporating Jewish feasts and hadn't discovered the long buried Christian mistake of adding pagan Christmas to our religious calendars. I had heard years earlier from my friend, but still had not been convinced by the Holy Spirit until later on in the Spring.

Nonetheless, I think it was a nice transition. If I had announced to my 13, 10, and 7 year olds that there would be no more Christmas and that instead we'd celebrate Hanukkah from now on without having allowed them the privilege of experiencing it last year, there would have been tears and all sorts of drama that just isn't necessary. After having both holidays last year, they learned to see some of the beauty of the eight days of Hanukkah before we excommunicated Christmas altogether.

As we announced it this year, they seemed actually ok with the change. We never made a big deal out of Santa anyway and as long as there are still presents they'll make the best of it. Of course, our children actually enjoyed the Bible study time we did each night at dinner, the candle lightings and getting presents for eight days as well. We didn't even incorporate games or entertainment really last year. I had wanted to, but I just didn't really plan enough.

This year, we won't even be in our own home, so there will be a different feel once again. I may even have to suffer through a Christmas tree in the living room, but God has a purpose in everything and I am thankful that we will be sharing the season with the good friends who have offered to let the six of us share their home over the next several months while our house is being built.

So, last night I began researching some material for believers who celebrate Hanukkah and I found a remarkable little book online, entitled, Hanukkah, the Light is the Messiah. It's completely free, posted by other believers who feel the same as we do. And it is comprehensive! It starts with a parable that somewhat explains why we celebrate Hanukkah and not Christmas any longer, and continues to include almost everything we need to do it well. I have just begun reading it because it is quite in depth and lengthy, but here is the link just in case someone else is searching too and happens to stumble upon this article instead of their book first.  http://www.haydid.org/hanukkah.pdf

To the family who wrote this beautiful description and explanation and detail account of how to celebrate, I offer my sincerest thanks! It is so wonderful to discover others who have gone before us in this wonderful adventure.

Living In Tents

I have no Jewish ancestry. I've never been to a synagogue. I identify as a Christian. And this fall, I am very much looking forward to celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkoth. Thousands of years ago, the Israelites left Egypt and wandered in the Wilderness for 40 years, living in tents, picking up and moving every time the Spirit of God moved. I've long thought, "That was then! Such a life could never work nowadays!" Yet, over the past few years, as my family has committed to obedience, following God wherever He takes us, and giving up control, the Lord has taken us on a modern day journey.

To date, we are moderately homeless for the second time in three years. It's not as bad as it sounds. God always provides, though at first the concept seemed overwhelming and many tears were shed. Maybe because we've done this before, maybe because we see the light at the end of the tunnel, or maybe because we've learned something over the past couple years, this time it isn't so bad.

Last time, we had to leave our beautiful rental, and we had no place to go. Trusting that God would provide something, we relaxed while packing and got nervous only on moving day. God did provide, but not exactly as I'd have liked. We stayed with friends for a week, my father in law for a month, my sister in law for a month, and finally found a place to live just before school began that fall. That was our home for almost two years, when we had to move again. Only this time, we'd just begun building a house.

Fortunately, we had booked a campsite for the summer. So currently, as we are still working toward getting this house built, we are enjoying the summer at a wonderful family campground.

It really has been a journey - a beautiful and sometimes frustrating journey! And so, that brings me to our wandering. We are living in a camper, which is a step up from a tent. We must move campsites occasionally to accommodate weekenders who booked before us. And as fall approaches, we'll remain in the camper a little longer, celebrating the Jewish feast, Sukkoth. We'll be camping. We'll be still on the move, provided for all the way by our Lord, and the feast will mean so much to us as a family.

Our promised land is on the horizon. We can see it, but we haven't taken possession just yet. Keeping our eyes on Jesus, he leads us on.

Offending

About 4 years ago, a friend of mine, told me of her discovery of the origins of Christmas and Easter. At the time, I was not ready to grab a hold of that information and do anything with it, even though her evidence was strong. Briefly I would forget about it entirely, only to remember as my family headed to the tree farm to chop down the family tree each year. These were traditions I loved! My family loved these traditions. We had based much of what we do around these traditions, from Christmas parties, to handmade stockings, special desserts, and heirloom ornaments. I just couldn't part with these things!

Then one day I discovered all the same truth again, all on my own, entirely by accident. But I remembered. I began digging and researching and the more I looked, the more evidence I found to indicate a change was needed. I shared my discoveries with my husband and we have spent the last year transitioning our family from Christmas to Hanukkah, not that we're entirely done with that transition.

My point, is this: I reconnected with that friend and told her about our decision and how I shared our findings with others. How we just wanted them to hear us, not necessarily make any change in their own lives. Ultimately we'd love to see a change sweep over the modern church, but we know that we cannot do this. That must be a work of the Holy Spirit.

However, my friend began sharing with me that I should not tell people around these holidays, that I should only tell them ever if they ask, or more likely beg to know, because she does all she can to avoid sharing. She says she lives it and her life speaks volumes. But is that how we as Christians are supposed to operate? Are supposed to fear offending someone?

Certainly we should try to carefully word our statements, time them appropriately, and be understanding that not all have come to this wonderful realization as we have. Yet, should we avoid the truth and force people to beg us to tell them?

When I began to tell my mom about this, that I was going to speak with my pastors, she warned me. "Don't mess with people's holidays!" I understand, really. But that is similar to suggesting we not mess with people's sin either, and the Bible tells us we are to point out to a brother or sister when there is sin in his or her life. We cannot make them change and we need to approach them with compassion, but we should certainly call their attention to it.

In this case, the sin lies deeply within the church. Ages ago, thousands of years ago to be exact, the church entangled itself with paganism. Most modern pastors aren't even aware or haven't spent the time researching this enough to make an informed decision. They do have their hands full with a host of other issues in the church to say the least. The sin, the prostituting of the church with pagan gods, occurred long ago. Now, it is merely business as usual, until and unless the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of a few good men and women who are willing to obey and seek change.

It is not for us to judge, but it is for us to share. I am sure that when I stayed home last Easter Sunday I offended a mighty few people at my church, but I cannot worry about offending. I can only seek to be kind, share my story with love, and speak truth.

Roots

I am embarking on a journey, blazing a new trail. Or at least it sure feels that way. Over the last year, my family - or at least my husband and I - has come to grips with the pagan origins of many Christian religious traditions. I am full aware that we are not the first to undergo such a transition, or even the first to undergo this transition for the very same reasons. We are not alone. There are others out there! And yet, there is no community of us, at least not that I've found, and not around these parts. There are few resources and unearthing the resources that do exist seems cumbersome to say the least.

Yet, it is about the roots. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are grafted into the vine. We are not Jews, either by birth or nation or even choice. We are Christians. We believe Jesus Christ was the foretold Messiah of the Jews, and of the world. By our choice to believe in Him, we are His. He is a Jew. And that makes our spiritual heritage, our roots, distinctively Jewish.

We need not become Jews first to be saved, because God's Word has proven that Jesus came for Jew and Gentile. His very lineage includes a few Gentiles. And yet, that makes Him no less Jewish. So, we struggle to know Him, even while He wants to be known. The best way to know Him is by reading His Word. And in that Word, we find command after command. It is through obeying these commands that we can know Him more, understand Him more.

When we begin to see the Law as more than a set of rules... when we see His feasts and Holy Days with purpose for our modern lives... when we come to understand that His law, His ways were designed for our benefit, as a gift and not a burden... then we begin to catch a glimpse of Him. It is also when modern Christianity stops making sense.

Many modern Christians insist we don't need to keep the law. Some even insist that we musn't keep the law, although even those individuals would admit there are some laws we need to keep. The phrase "We aren't under the law," is used all too often as an excuse to continue with modern Christian traditions that have no Biblical basis, or worse, to continue in blatant sin.

When we see the gift of the law, without the burden of acquiring salvation through it, we experience true freedom in knowing Christ. At the same time, this is also when faced with separating ourselves from the world ever more, and in some cases, separating ourselves from mainstream church traditions.

Do your own research. Examine the scriptures. Allow God to reveal Himself and His ways to you.

Halloween Alternatives are No Alternative

Before you begin to read this article, I want to start by stating this is not a commonly accepted viewpoint. Just last year, I offered and supported our church's Halloween alternative event, called Light the Night. Nice name, isn't it? We had a hay ride, carnival games, balloons, candy, face painting, popcorn and cupcakes and all sorts of things the kids loved. The kids had fun and nobody came wearing Satanic looking costumes. Just last year, I could see nothing wrong with such an event. The year prior I even enthusiastically endorsed it and even insisted it be larger, better, more... to be an outreach for the community. It's a nice idea, and I am certain that the many churches who offer these types of events in whatever format are thinking the same "good" thoughts. Yet this past year, my eyes were opened to the pagan influences behind many of our Christian holidays and I began researching their origins. I discovered that the early church shunned Easter as pagan and many were persecuted for it; I learned that even the Puritans who came to the New World just a few hundred years ago shunned Christmas and refused to participate in it. My research left me concerned and convinced what my family needed to do in response to those two days, and then I was approached to help with our Halloween alternative event. I don't know if it is because I know the origins of the day already, or if it is because I just don't consider it a big church day, but I hadn't even given it a thought to that point, and yet I intuitively knew my answer. Still, I decided to research it and prayerfully give it a due amount of thought, and as I prayed and pondered I saw the potential for a terrifying future.

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Many churches offer alternatives to Halloween, such as carnivals, bonfires, hayrides, etc., so that parents can have something fun for their children to participate in while neighborhood children go door to door collecting candy.

On any normal Tuesday, it might be ok to knock on a neighbors door and to accept candy if it is offered. Yet on October 31, many churches contend that knocking on neighbors doors and receiving candy is unacceptable. Why is this? Because it is an occult day and this mainstream way of celebrating this occult day has become a popular way to denounce the celebration of this day.

On any normal Tuesday, attending a carnival, bonfire, or hayride is perfectly acceptable as well. On October 31, many churches offer these “alternatives” for their church-goers and community members to detract or distract from the celebration of Halloween. Yet, are they detracting from it, or are they rather adopting Halloween as their own?

If candy, visiting neighbors and dressing up are not the issues, then the issue is the day, Halloween, October 31. Therefore, if trick or treating is an occult practice so would be these many church alternatives. In fact, that the church has adopted worldly celebrations, even occultic celebrations such as Halloween, is cause for more concern than some church-going parents who may allow their children to go trick or treating.

The church is supposed to be separate, different, and to have nothing to do with evil and the occult. By adopting an alternate means of celebrating an occult day are we not in danger of adopting the occult itself. In fact, in 100 years, Halloween (albeit possibly under a new name) may well be considered a Christian celebration. As more churches adopt this day in whatever form and celebrate it, it is not even difficult to imagine the church’s adoption of this occult day as their own. 

Churches may wonder then how they should respond to Halloween? Seeing as it is a day when the practice of the occult is at a peak, perhaps prayer would be the right alternative. As it comes to children who would like to be out enjoying the festivities with their classmates and neighbors, perhaps instructing them in the ways of the Lord and explaining why Christians should keep themselves separate and holy unto the Lord would be an appropriate alternative. 

I know! I realize I am a party-pooper, I am a downer, and even my own kids will be displeased with my decision on this; however, my aim is to please the Lord and to raise them in the instruction of our God. Sure, they can dress up any time of the year, and my girls I am sure will! They can have candy various times throughout the year as well. They can even go visit neighbors. But no matter the form, whether in our neighborhood or at our church, we will not participate in the occult.