Recently I mentioned getting a book for dh by CS Lewis, which was not correct. The book was by Lee Strobel. I would not get anything by CS Lewis; I'm not a fan of Narnia, & see it as the Christian's version of occult reading. Once Disney made the movie I knew for sure there was a problem. I'm particularly sensitive to such things because of my "presalvation" activities. I pray for discernment, & I do believe He answers. Check out Last Trumpet Ministries, now a link on my sidebar, for excellent information on Narnia, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Passion of the Christ, Halloween & other pagan holidays, & more... the liar is at work with believers; don't be deceived!

Another blogger had this site up & I was really blessed by it & hope others will be too.

Today is fasting to turn the tide for autism. But what if one has a medical condition to prevent fasting, or is pregnant, or perhaps nursing a baby (or babies!)?

Have a favorite food you can give up? How about coffee or other caffeine products? TV, videos, electronic games of some sort, etc?

Or how about the computer? (I think that's for the more "advanced" among us...).

Check here for more info on fasting for autism.

"When you fast do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
(Matthew 6:16-18, NIV)

Looking for a great devotional? Joni Eareckson Tada has a wonderful devotional that you can sign up for daily through her website Joni & Friends. Her devotionals have really been a blessing, & I think most are very appropriate & helpful for those of us raising special needs children.

I'll post today's here as an example. Many of us with autistic children struggle with envy toward others with "NT" children. It can be especially difficult for Christian parents. Her devotional today touches the heart of that matter, & puts things in proper perspective. I hope it's a blessing to someone today.

Joni and Friends Daily Devotional
April 23, 2008

A Lesson from a Sprig

"Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.  But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.  For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." 
Psalm 73: 1-3

It's a fact that those who don't believe often possess polished reputations and shining health.  Their children graduate from Stanford University, and the Chamber of Commerce bestows on them community-service awards.  They may even nod approvingly at your religious beliefs.  From all appearances, few Christians seem to measure up to these pillars of the community.
 
For perspective, note this excellent expression by St. Augustine: "It is better to be the meanest number of the body than to be the highest and most important member and cut off from the body; it is better to be a little sprig in the tree joined to the root than to be an arm cut off from the root." *[1]
 
Augustine was right.  When a great arm of a tree is cut off, it may be thick and lush with green leaves, but the little sprig on the tree is in a much better condition because it is joined to the tree.  The other will wither and die in a short time.  So it is with people of the world whom we envy.  They are like great boughs cut off from the tree, for although they have talents and riches, they have no union with God.
 
Please don't envy those who seem to have it better.  You may live in a poor condition, you may lack riches, but you are joined to the Root of Jesse, the Vine, the Branch of the Lord.
 
Prayer:
"God, please save the wicked!  And save me from envying as I pray for them with compassion and empathy."

Blessings,
Joni and Friends

My wonderful blogger friend, friends4tea, has come up with a Bible reading challenge for April. This is a great idea, & great timing for me.

I had found a wonderful online Bible reading program & had been doing well with it, but consistency is not always my strong point, & I get lost in the daily sea (or ocean) of responsibilities, so I lost touch with it.

The link for the program was on my other laptop, which I fried out the other day with hot coffee (it was decaf, but that didn't seem to matter). So now I'm using the other one, but the site is listed here in my sidebar.

Go to her blog for the information & join the challenge! I will be putting the button on my sidebar right up top, as a constant reminder (for me that is!).

Also, coming up this weekend I will be passing along some information for all autism prayer warriers for the month of April!

Please be careful of what Oprah is promoting .. I was into this stuff "BC" & know how bad it all is, & how far from Biblical truth it is... I'm afraid this will lead many far away from the Lord. Sign of the times I suppose...

I wrote the below post on Halloween last year, & since I didn't think I could do any better this year, I decided to re-post it. So in case ya missed it, here it is again!

Autumn is here, & it’s one of the prettiest times of the year here in the country. The air is becoming cooler, the sky grayer, & the landscape more & more colorful.

Unfortunately, grisly decorations on stores, streets, & various homes tend to litter the landscape of this beautiful season. Many people claim Halloween to be an “innocent holiday”, & just “good fun” for the kids. When I see decorations with deathly looking creatures, witches, ghosts, spider webs, tombstones & the like, it definitely doesn’t appear that “innocent”, & for good reason. Halloween is just another lie wrapped up in candy coated “fun”.

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do…he is a liar, and the father of it." John 8:44

Halloween is considered a “holiday”. The definition of holiday states: “1. A day free from work, esp. a day set aside to celebrate a particular event. 2. A holy day. 3. A vacation.”

Holiday also means “holy day”. Consider the meaning of “holy”: “1. Of or associated with a divine power or religious beliefs and traditions. 2. Spiritually pure; saintly. 3. Worthy of respect or awe.”

There are origins of every “holiday”, & reasons behind all the various traditions, so this needs to be looked at more closely to consider what one is actually “celebrating”.

It is important to note that the origins of Halloween pre-date Christianity. The ancient Celtic society had a festival of Samhain, the lord of death & evil spirits. They celebrated their new year on November 1 to enter winter which was considered a dark time often associated with death. They believed that on the night before, October 31, the lines between the dead & the living were blurred. They felt these spirits could wreck havoc & also help their priests make predictions about the future.

They celebrated this event by building huge bonfires & sacrificing animals & humans to their gods.  The costumes they wore during this event were animal skins & heads. They told each other’s fortunes during this time as well. The Romans eventually conquered the Celts territory, & since they could not stop them from celebrating Samhain, they attempted to turn the festival of the dead to a church sanctioned holiday. So in the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated All Saints Day to honor their saints & martyrs. It was called “All Hallows” (means All Saints), the night before was All Hallows eve, & then eventually Halloween. Later, in AD 1000, the church would create All Souls Day, a day to honor the dead, on November 2. This was celebrated similarly by dressing up in costumes, having parades, & even bonfires. By the way, bonfire comes from bone-fire, a great fire in which bones were burned in open air.

The Druids went around collecting offerings to Satan, to appease the spirits so they would not be menaced by them. If you did not comply, you were in danger of them casting some evil spell on you. This is where “trick or treating” comes from. Jack-o-Lanterns were pumpkins carved with demonic faces with a candle in them meant to either scare away evil spirits or announce that the home was sympathetic to them so they would, hopefully, not be in danger from the spirits. The legend is that an evil man named Jack who passed away is the evil spirit being deterred by the “Jack-o-Lantern”. Bobbing for apples is of Roman origin that came to be during their control of the Celts, & was a ceremony to honor Pomona, goddess of the harvest. All of these so called “innocent” traditions also come from the pit of hell.

Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign... But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

2 Chronicles 33:1-3

 He caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 

2 Chronicles 33:6

Druids believed the black cat to be a person reincarnated as a cat as a punishment for evil deeds, & in medieval Europe black cats were sacrificed because they felt they were witches in disguise. They were burned on Halloween.

Black cats are still in big trouble on Halloween. Humane Societies issue warnings to black cat owners to keep their pets inside, & won’t even release black cats for adoption during the season for fear of them being harmed or sacrificed. Apparently many black cats are found having been sacrificed mercilessly on this “holiday”. It’s recommended for anyone with a black cat as a pet to keep it safely indoors, especially during the Halloween season.

Many children are exposed to occult practices at Halloween parties or during the season. Fortune telling, horoscopes, witchcraft, ouiji boards, seances, are not just innocent “fun”. They are all part of the occult & openings to let Satan freely into their lives.

Halloween is still celebrated by witches. Yes, there are real witches in the world. They are called “Wiccan”, they are witches, & they do practice witchcraft. Halloween is still a major holiday for Satanists. There are rituals still practiced on Halloween, & it does include both animal & human sacrifices which are well covered up. Not just black cats but small children are also at increased risk of “disappearing” around Halloween.

There’s no doubt of the desensitization of children and adults toward graphic violence & gore, & Halloween encourages that greatly. The movies, television shows, videos, & decorations have no regard for human life & range from ugly to actually evil in nature. Some children are afraid to walk around a mall or go into certain stores during this season because of the grisly scenes before them  Very young children, if not desensitized enough yet, will instinctually know evil when they see it & be rightfully afraid.

Halloween comes in a candy coated mask geared toward children & “harmless” fun. All the trappings of Halloween that are supposedly innocent & fun gather children & adults, Christians as well, into the web of deceit that is Satan, the liar & destroyer. He wants our children, badly. He doesn’t want you to think he exists. He wants to be known as the cute little red horned thing with the tail & pitchfork many people dress up as, ironically, for his holiday.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5:8 

The devil comes masked in fun, masked in innocence, masked in harmlessness. Behind the mask is the liar, & the truth of which is pure evil. The Bible is clear, many times, on avoiding any of these practices or having anything to do with them.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 
Ephesians 5:11

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

Many parents feel their children are missing out on something this time of year, or that they will feel left out or odd somehow. We can teach them early, at very young ages, that there is evil & there is good, & that as the Lord’s children we must not take part in anything evil or of evil origins. In fact, we’re commanded many times in His Word not to do so.

Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils; ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. 

1 Corinthians 10:21

This could make for a good family prayer night. It’s a great opportunity to pray for all those who are participating, whether it be those who understand & choose to do evil, or those who are deceived & believe it is “harmless fun”. Some people open the door to children, others choose not to. Some give out candy, others give out Christian messages. We have to do as the Lord leads, but praying for His direction is important. Either way, I never let my children open the door, because at the very least I never know what the person behind it will look like.

It’s a worthwhile lesson, a wonderful lesson, & a wonderful opportunity to teach our children how to choose the Lord over worldly things. We do have to make those choices in life, & sometimes we will have to leave behind the “fun” of this world for greater things, for Him.

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. 

1 Timothy 4:1

He will ask us to choose, & as believers who have chosen to accept His gift of salvation, we can also choose to follow Him or the world. Even if it subjects us to the ridicule of others, more the better, for we will be blessed for it by our Father in heaven.

And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive as hundredfold, as shall inherit everlasting life. 

Matthew 19:29

There are things more important then the world’s view of “fun”. We have to protect ourselves & protect our children. There will be better times for Christians, when all this passes, because the Lord will prevail in the end.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 
1 John 2:15

For more info:

http://holidays.christiansunite.com/halloween_web_sites.shtml

If anyone thinks this is harmless stuff, or actually feels it's a good thing in any way, especially for a Christian, please visit my friend momofsix, as she has a great post put together warning against this garbage (scroll down to her July 19 entry). If anyone doesn't think the occult, the devil & his monsters are real, well, reading the Bible would help obviously! But I've had personal experience with a lot of this garbage as well in my pre-saved days, & know it's real & true & I don't let the dark stuff into my life anymore for good reasons. Thank God for His saving grace. I hope to post on that more in the future.

I am SO excited that AiG's Creation Museum (these are two separate links) has finally opened! If it weren't for twin babies coming, I would be there with the kiddos! We WILL be going, eventually.

If you can, go check it out - and if you have a blog, please tell us all about it!

Since HSB took away Javascript (why??? ) I can no longer have a "Verse of the Day", so here is a verse that struck me from my Bible reading today:

The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him. The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. Psalm 37:32-33

Autumn is here, & it’s one of the prettiest times of the year here in the country. The air is becoming cooler, the sky grayer, & the landscape more & more colorful.

Unfortunately, grisly decorations on stores, streets, & various homes tend to litter the landscape of this beautiful season. Many people claim Halloween to be an “innocent holiday”, & just “good fun” for the kids. When I see decorations with deathly looking creatures, witches, ghosts, spider webs, tombstones & the like, it definitely doesn’t appear that “innocent”, & for good reason. Halloween is just another lie wrapped up in candy coated “fun”.

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do…he is a liar, and the father of it." John 8:44

Halloween is considered a “holiday”. The definition of holiday states: “1. A day free from work, esp. a day set aside to celebrate a particular event. 2. A holy day. 3. A vacation.”

Holiday also means “holy day”. Consider the meaning of “holy”: “1. Of or associated with a divine power or religious beliefs and traditions. 2. Spiritually pure; saintly. 3. Worthy of respect or awe.”

There are origins of every “holiday”, & reasons behind all the various traditions, so this needs to be looked at more closely to consider what one is actually “celebrating”.

It is important to note that the origins of Halloween pre-date Christianity. The ancient Celtic society had a festival of Samhain, the lord of death & evil spirits. They celebrated their new year on November 1 to enter winter which was considered a dark time often associated with death. They believed that on the night before, October 31, the lines between the dead & the living were blurred. They felt these spirits could wreck havoc & also help their priests make predictions about the future.

They celebrated this event by building huge bonfires & sacrificing animals & humans to their gods.  The costumes they wore during this event were animal skins & heads. They told each other’s fortunes during this time as well. The Romans eventually conquered the Celts territory, & since they could not stop them from celebrating Samhain, they attempted to turn the festival of the dead to a church sanctioned holiday. So in the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated All Saints Day to honor their saints & martyrs. It was called “All Hallows” (means All Saints), the night before was All Hallows eve, & then eventually Halloween. Later, in AD 1000, the church would create All Souls Day, a day to honor the dead, on November 2. This was celebrated similarly by dressing up in costumes, having parades, & even bonfires. By the way, bonfire comes from bone-fire, a great fire in which bones were burned in open air.

The Druids went around collecting offerings to Satan, to appease the spirits so they would not be menaced by them. If you did not comply, you were in danger of them casting some evil spell on you. This is where “trick or treating” comes from. Jack-o-Lanterns were pumpkins carved with demonic faces with a candle in them meant to either scare away evil spirits or announce that the home was sympathetic to them so they would, hopefully, not be in danger from the spirits. The legend is that an evil man named Jack who passed away is the evil spirit being deterred by the “Jack-o-Lantern”. Bobbing for apples is of Roman origin that came to be during their control of the Celts, & was a ceremony to honor Pomona, goddess of the harvest. All of these so called “innocent” traditions also come from the pit of hell.

Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign... But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

2 Chronicles 33:1-3

 He caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 

2 Chronicles 33:6

Druids believed the black cat to be a person reincarnated as a cat as a punishment for evil deeds, & in medieval Europe black cats were sacrificed because they felt they were witches in disguise. They were burned on Halloween.

Black cats are still in big trouble on Halloween. Humane Societies issue warnings to black cat owners to keep their pets inside, & won’t even release black cats for adoption during the season for fear of them being harmed or sacrificed. Apparently many black cats are found having been sacrificed mercilessly on this “holiday”. It’s recommended for anyone with a black cat as a pet to keep it safely indoors, especially during the Halloween season.

Many children are exposed to occult practices at Halloween parties or during the season. Fortune telling, horoscopes, witchcraft, ouiji boards, seances, are not just innocent “fun”. They are all part of the occult & openings to let Satan freely into their lives.

Halloween is still celebrated by witches. Yes, there are real witches in the world. They are called “Wiccan”, they are witches, & they do practice witchcraft. Halloween is still a major holiday for Satanists. There are rituals still practiced on Halloween, & it does include both animal & human sacrifices which are well covered up. Not just black cats but small children are also at increased risk of “disappearing” around Halloween.

There’s no doubt of the desensitization of children and adults toward graphic violence & gore, & Halloween encourages that greatly. The movies, television shows, videos, & decorations have no regard for human life & range from ugly to actually evil in nature. Some children are afraid to walk around a mall or go into certain stores during this season because of the grisly scenes before them  Very young children, if not desensitized enough yet, will instinctually know evil when they see it & be rightfully afraid.

Halloween comes in a candy coated mask geared toward children & “harmless” fun. All the trappings of Halloween that are supposedly innocent & fun gather children & adults, Christians as well, into the web of deceit that is Satan, the liar & destroyer. He wants our children, badly. He doesn’t want you to think he exists. He wants to be known as the cute little red horned thing with the tail & pitchfork many people dress up as, ironically, for his holiday.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5:8 

The devil comes masked in fun, masked in innocence, masked in harmlessness. Behind the mask is the liar, & the truth of which is pure evil. The Bible is clear, many times, on avoiding any of these practices or having anything to do with them.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 
Ephesians 5:11

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

Many parents feel their children are missing out on something this time of year, or that they will feel left out or odd somehow. We can teach them early, at very young ages, that there is evil & there is good, & that as the Lord’s children we must not take part in anything evil or of evil origins. In fact, we’re commanded many times in His Word not to do so.

Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils; ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. 

1 Corinthians 10:21

This could make for a good family prayer night. It’s a great opportunity to pray for all those who are participating, whether it be those who understand & choose to do evil, or those who are deceived & believe it is “harmless fun”. Some people open the door to children, others choose not to. Some give out candy, others give out Christian messages. We have to do as the Lord leads, but praying for His direction is important. Either way, I never let my children open the door, because at the very least I never know what the person behind it will look like.

It’s a worthwhile lesson, a wonderful lesson, & a wonderful opportunity to teach our children how to choose the Lord over worldly things. We do have to make those choices in life, & sometimes we will have to leave behind the “fun” of this world for greater things, for Him.

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. 

1 Timothy 4:1

He will ask us to choose, & as believers who have chosen to accept His gift of salvation, we can also choose to follow Him or the world. Even if it subjects us to the ridicule of others, more the better, for we will be blessed for it by our Father in heaven.

And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive as hundredfold, as shall inherit everlasting life. 

Matthew 19:29

There are things more important then the world’s view of “fun”. We have to protect ourselves & protect our children. There will be better times for Christians, when all this passes, because the Lord will prevail in the end.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 
1 John 2:15

For more info:

http://holidays.christiansunite.com/halloween_web_sites.shtml