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We don't celebrate or observe Halloween in our family. We reject its ungodly message of fright, fiction, superstition and despair. It's something the popular culture has created and we don't care for its dark and unholy history. And we tell our children as much. Most children love to dress-up and we provide other opportunities for our children to dress up for other fun occasions. But then we know that not everyone has the same understanding as we do. And the kids that come to our door are usually sweet little children dressed in their cutest. It seems churlish to ignore them especially since we can also be a witness to them.

So what we have been doing the past several years is to use this opportunity to bless them. To proclaim the truth about God's love and His plan of salvation in Jesus

We give out tracts with our candy (I would rather give apples instead!! All the sugar! ). We have either bought or created our own tracts. This year, our tract looks like the picture below. Feel free to use it if you so wish. With each tract we give out, we pray that the recipient and his or her family will come to know the Lord. Actually, if we could get small affordable Bibles, that would be great too! (Of course, if some families are offended, they might not return the following year).

I'm aware that most of the tracts will either not be read or simply tossed away. But even if it's just one boy or girl or parent who pauses to read about God's love for them, then nothing is wasted. Besides, the whole exercise of creating the tract and inserting the lollipop is part of our discipleship process. We are teaching our children to use every opportunity to tell others about Jesus. That's our responsibility. We just keep on sowing seeds.

We've been interested in observing A Night of Reformation too, so Lord willing, in 2008, we'll incorporate that into our school week. My friend Mandi has some great ideas! Read her blog and be inspired!

This publication might also interest some of you. It contains a short play about Martin Luther plus instructions and illustrations for games, carnival booths, crafts, food, music, costumes, decorations, and art and writing projects. Cool! Maybe I'll blog about Reformation Week and Night next year!

This lollipop (sucker) carries

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A hot topic in one of my yahoo groups was that of copyright issues. Sadly, some homeschool moms are either not very aware of copyright laws or they choose to ignore them.

JoJo from Communications Fundamentals and  Tammy Cardwell (previous blog entry) have written very eloquently about this issue but I just need to add my own two cents being a self-publisher myself.

Would you allow your daughter to shoplift a pencil from the dollar store or supermarket? After all, it's just a cheap pencil, and the store, which is part of a chain, will not miss that solitary pencil.

Would it be all right if your son were to swipe a quarter from his uncle while visiting? The uncle has a whole jar of quarters. He won't miss one. Besides, he's rich, isn't he? What is a quarter to him?

I think all homeschool moms will say “Of course not!” to the two scenarios above. Some may be miffed that such fundamental questions are even raised at all!

Stealing is stealing. It's taking what doesn't belong to you in the first place.

Yet, when it comes to published works, whether by a well-known author or a homeschool mom, some moms don't think twice about the copyright law. They make copies of the book or consumable worksheets for friends (out of the goodness of their hearts, perhaps) or they make a copy of the book for themselves, and then sell the original copy!  Some thoughtlessly share downloads liberally. It may seem a stretch to them  to consider such actions as “stealing”.

But they are stealing from the authors when they do that.

For each photocopy they make from the original book, they are depriving the author of the rightful revenue or royalty he or she deserves, and has worked very hard for! A self-publishing friend related to me how someone bought one of her ebooks and then went ahead and printed 25 copies of it for her friends attending a shower! My friend lost 25 potential customers in one swoop.

Writing is hard work. And for those who self-publish, a lot of sacrifices are involved. Many moms love curriculum written by other moms because they seem to “understand” the needs of homeschool families better. But homeschooling moms who publish don't just publish for fun. Many also do so to enable them to stay home with their children. They do so to encourage their husbands.

The next time a fellow mom shares something with you that you know is not right, do the right thing and refuse it. You can do so graciously. Then explain to her why you cannot accept that “gift”.

Like what we tell our children, the time is always right to do the right thing.

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I don't know how long this piece of news will be online, but it sure is sad and very disconcerting.

How much better it is to nurture our children in the Lord and to teach them to reason Biblically. Life is to be lived from the inside, not outside.

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Someone shared this website on one of the lists I’m on and I’m so excited. Maybe more will buck the culture and wear something more modest if they choose to swim in public pools.

http://www.freewebs.com/swimwear_solutions/

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I’m wondering what other Christians think about swimming in public pools. No matter how “modest” a swim-suit is, it is still revealing! Does modesty end when we leave the pool’s changing room?

What are we teaching our children when we exhort them to be modest but the moment we go swimming, we bare almost more than we conceal?

Purity begins with the heart.

And to the pure, all things are pure.

But we don’t know what goes on in another person’s heart.

The most modest clothing can stumble a brother if the brother is vulnerable to start with. We cannot assume that everyone is on the same level of spiritual maturity. So if ordinary clothes can stumble a brother, or cause the wearer to puff up, how much more a swim-suit, especially if a girl looks good in one?

My daughter is 7 and learning how to swim at the YMCA. Because of her allergies we don’t care for the chlorine as that can mess up her skin if she stays too long in it.  But we think being a strong swimmer is an essential life skill so she goes for lessons.  Oh, she LOVES the water.

But when she is a teen, I’m not sure if I want her to swim in a public or private pool with other boys, even when she wears the most covered-up swim-suit. And I’m not sure if I want my teen son to be exposed to scantily-clad girls at the pool either. Am I being unrealistic? Narrow-minded?

Oh, I don’t want my daughter to grow up judgmental or possessing a sense of affected modesty either. That can really be off-putting! I want to raise a godly daughter who loves the Lord, who cares about what she wears and how she looks primarily because her body is God’s temple and she wants to bring joy to her husband.

The issue is can a teenager (or any woman, for that matter!)  bring glory to God while swimming in a public pool?  It doesn't matter whether one is trim, overweight or what. The fact is that one is wearing  something one would not dream of wearing at a supermarket or in church.

What do other mothers of teenagers think? What has been your own experience? I’m really interested in other parents' input and the decisions they have made for their families. Thank you!

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