Tips for Carving a Pumpkin!

I have a book called Redeeming Halloween that has given me a lot of good ideas about how to celebrate this holiday that seems so dark. Instead of hiding upstairs in a corner with all the lights out while trick-or-treaters come, we are going try to celebrate the light of Christ this year!

I am getting ready to leave for the conference. Please pray for God to speak through me. I am a nervous wreck with sweaty armpits! But determined to serve my King! What an honor!!

Have a fun weekend wherever you are remembering that-

"God is LIGHT; in him there is no darkness at all."

1 John 1:5

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous LIGHT"

1 Peter 2:9

"Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he alone has all wisdom and power. He determines the course of world events; he removes kings and sets others on the throne. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he himself is surrounded by LIGHT. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength."

Dan. 2:20–23

Be Blessed Today~

Steph

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"Be like a Halloween pumpkin: a source of light on a dark night. As your family transforms a pumpkin into a decorative lantern,use the process to teach how we ourselves can be a better light source.

* cutting open the top: Have the mind of Christ to think and act as He would (1 Cor 2:16)

* Cleaning out the seeds: Confess your sins so God can clean them out (1 John 1:9)

* Carving new eyes: Instead of looking for the faults in others, use your eyes to examine your own faults first (Matt 7:3-5)

* Carving a nose: Don't be a proud person with your nose in the air or you will be the cause of many arguments (Prov 13:10)

* Carving ears: Listen to gain knowledge and tune your ears to wisdom from others (Prov23:12)

* Carving a mouth: Let your words be sweet so that they will bless others (Prov 16:24)

* Lighting a candle: When you try to think, act, see, listen, and speak as Christ, then "your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, and it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you". (Luke 11:36)

* You can give this devotion to your family using a ready-made pumpkin that you prepare beforehand. Just replace all the cutouts and remove them one by one at the appropriate time in your presentation. You could even draw the face on with a permanent marker instead of cutting it out.

----Use the carving process to share the gospel---

*Cut the pumpkin open and reveal the mess inside: No matter how our life looks on the outside, our life is really a mess and hopeless without God because of our sin (Romans 3:23)

* Turn the pumpkin upside down and try to shake out the mess: We can't get rid of our own sin. Just as a pumpkin will rot and be left useless as it is, left with our sin, we will also face ruin (Romans 6:23)

* The pumpkin is helpless to take its own mess away and needs our help: We are helpless to take our sin away and need help too (Romans 5:6,8)

* Remove seeds and slime from the inside of the pumpkin: God sent Jesus to do what we couldn't, take away our sins (Romans 10:9)

* Show the clean and empty pumpkin: Once the mess has been taken away, a new space has been created for something better (Eph 4:22-32)

* Cut a joyful face in the pumpkin: Joy is one of the first things that God uses to fill that empty space (Rom 15:13)

*Place a candle inside the pumpkin and light it: Now our lives are a place where God lives, and when we obey Him, the light of His goodness shines through us (John 8:12)

*Set the newly carved pumpkin next to an uncarved one: When we trust Jesus to take away our sins, He makes us into a whole new creature, full of joy and light (2 Cor 5:17)

* Set your pumpkin our for all to see, but as you do, tell your children that the pumpkin will eventually rot and perish: Those with the real light of Christ, though, will never perish, because we have eternal life (John 3:16)

-----Ways to Light Your Home-----

*A great way to make an impact with light on Halloween is to string white Christmas lights on your house during October. Your home will stand in stark contrast to the darkness around.

(And after Halloween you will be ahead on your Christmas decorating!)

* Make luminarias to line your walkway or drive. This is a simple and inexpensive way to light up your entryway.