How to Add Jesus to Halloween!

If you are like me than you are always searching for an avenue to teach your children about Jesus. I wanted to share with all moms the best resources I have found to add Jesus to your Halloween/Fall Traditions. The following websites have some really great ways to use a pumpkin to illustrate, tell a story, and share a special devotion with young children and older children. I hope these websites will help you teach your children.


http://www.dltk-bible.com/how_a_christian_is_like_a_pumpki.htm

http://www.beau.org/~vickir/halloween/

http://www.christiancrafters.com/craft_pumpkin.html


My favorite book for fall to teach children is

The Pumpkin Patch Parable By Liz Curtis Higgs
I purchased mine from Amazon.com but several local bookstores either carry during the fall season or can order it for you. Retail Price for the Book is $6.99 but I found mine on sale!

Enjoy the opportunity to teach and share Jesus with your children on this fun night!

In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. Psalm 95:4
Grady and I just got back from Colorado. We had a GREAT trip! It was very relaxing - the town was dead - that’s how we like it. Some nights at dinner, we were the only ones in the restaurant! We enjoyed the river, mountains, good food, and each other. We really enjoy just hanging out together. Grady spoiled me rotten - we stayed in a great hotel, he had 33 (that’s how old I’ll be on Oct. 29th) roses in the room when we got there, and a birthday gift EVERY NIGHT - can you believe that!!! I told him that we should start doing this every year :). We had an amazing view from our hotel room and I painted from our window every day. Below are some of those quick sketchbook type paintings I did while there - none are really any good but they sure were fun to paint. We were surrounded by mountains. There is a song we sing at church (I can’t remember the name of it) that has a phrase I love and sing often - it says, “My Savior, He can move the mountains, My God is mighty to save…” I LOVE the song and sang it (to myself) all week. My Savior not only created the mountains, but He can move them if He wills - He is mighty - that’s for sure!

Devotional and Painting By: Sandi Hester

Painting The Word

By Sandi Hester

From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him. Proverbs 12:14

Do you think much about what comes out of your lips? Do you pray very much about the words of your mouth or the meditation of your heart? The Word of God is clear that what is in our heart will come out of our lips. One thing that burdens my heart as a woman, is how sinful we are as women in-regards to our mouth. We, oftentimes, take such pleasure from the sin that comes from our own mouths or the mouths of others. We delight in it - we seek it - we find pleasure in the sins of our lips. Oh ladies, may our hearts break over the sin that is birthed in our hearts and then is allowed to pour-forth from our lips. Just the other day, to be more specific - the Lords day of all days, I sinned by telling something to Grady that was shared with me in confidence. You may think that sharing something in confidence with my spouse if fine, but I know what the root of it was in my heart. My only reason in sharing it with him was to share it. I went before the Lord and confessed the sin of my heart and mouth. Forgiveness was found in Him. May I turn from my sinful ways. Oh how I want to walk in His ways and not my own. Yesterday I was also wounded from the results of the mouth - not my own this time, but another’s. Oh the power that is in the lips - how it can sting and wound. May our lips be filled with good things - with fruit that is sweet, healthy, good for others, pleasant, wholesome, and filled with the Spirit. Lord, help us in this area as women. We are desperate for Your guidance, for Your rebuke, and for Your sanctification (making us into His image). We need You - please come and do these things in my life!

New Year's Resolution
A New Year's Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year's Day and remain until the set goal has been achieved.

Watch Your Tongue!

"You'll have to watch your tongue Lizzy!"
Elizabeth Bennet: [laughs brightly, speaking of men] No, they are far too easy to judge.
Jane Bennet: They're not all bad.
Elizabeth Bennet: Humorless poppycocks, in my limited experience.
Jane Bennet: One of these days, Lizzie, someone will catch your eye and then you'll have to watch your tongue.

A famous quote in Pride & Prejudice from Jane Bennet to her sister Elizabeth Bennet! She warned her sister she would have to eat her words one day. As we PP fans know, Lizzy certainly did eat her words.

In my own devotional this past week I came across scripture in which the Lord reminded me, gently, I need to watch my tongue more carefully. My New Year's resolution was declared to my friends and family, I am striving this year to speak less words that are not thought out, , encouraging and beneficial to others. I will tell you this, I will probably fail miserably, but I will try to improve this poor habit of mine starting now.

Anyone that knows me knows that I would never intentionally hurt anyone with my words, but somehow I still do so as words seem to flow out of my mouth when I have not given any thought to how they sound or the recipient really needs to hear them. Just because something is true does not mean it needs to be said. Here lies my downfall! I resolve to turn it around, get back up and make a difference in my life, a difference in other's lives, by trying to concur my bad behavior!

A confirmation that this was the very thing I was to do showed up at church Sunday morning when Jeff Lovingood, the youth pastor at LHBC, spoke on this very topic. He spoke from his heart about his own struggles with his tongue and how he had chosen that very thing as his New Year's resolution. He gave us more scriptures on the topic to further drive home the confirmational nail that this was the very resolution I needed to concentrate on this new year, 2008! What comes out of our mouth is LIFE or DEATH! I choose LIFE!

My devotional had me in 1Peter 3:8-12, James 1:26-7, 3:1-12.

Lovingood's scripture was in James 3:3-8

Have you made your New Years Resolution?

Knight & Shining Armor

My daughter came home one day before she went off to college and recited this to me:

"A woman should be so close to God that a man should have to chase God to get her!" By C. S. Lewis

I was blown away! I love C. S. Lewis, but I had never heard this one. I wanted to share it with you. I have posted it near my computer and I like to remind my lovely daughter of this from time to time, since she has left for college where a sea of men swim about. A mother's heart for her daughter should be the sought after Knight and Shining Armor type character(a long time away, down the road, way-way down the road) for a future spouse. Mostly, I pray for godly character! Oh sure, I pray that he is financially successful to some degree and all the bells and whistles that one wants in a spouse, but if he does not know Christ(Meaning having a relationship with him), there are no boundaries that help prevent one from slipping away from the shiny armor! Of course, this theory goes for both genders. For myself, it is what keeps me striving to do the right thing, which keeps me from adding to any regrets that may have otherwise piled up over the course of a life time.

What is this holiday about?

When I was a little girl, there was no question about what this holiday was about. It was purely a Christmas celebration of our Christ Jesus’ birth. Yes, there was folklore about St. Nicholas, a jolly good ol’ man, who gave gifts to all the little children on the eve of Jesus’ birthday in celebration of God’s gift to mankind, Jesus our Savior.

There was another celebration during the season celebrated by the Jews called Hanukkah, but was never publicly celebrated. Only here in recent years have people in the US began to rebel against the long celebrated traditional holiday. I have read about the origins Christmas rooted in paganism and such, but when I was little, none of those ideas celebrated or heard of practically.

We, here in the US, only celebrated Jesus’ birth, Christmas. Many could debate all the many different issues that exist in our diverse country today, but I like to think on what our country was found on, Christianity without persecution from which denomination you were in. Jesus left out of the equation was simply not an issue.

Therefore, I would like to quote our family’s tradition of celebrating this holiday. For the sake of space I will only quote a portion of Luke 2, unto us a child was born:

“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his
Favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Lets go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” (Luke 2:13-20 NIV)

Merry Christmas,

Gail Williams & Family

Devotional

After continuing to read in 1Peter 3 this morning, in my daily quiet time, about the pledge to keep a good conscience toward God, I received a visual picture of myself feeling unbelievably clean and pure, so much so that I glowed. As I, in my mind’s eye, spun around slowly savoring the glorious feeling, pictured God’s words from scripture that I have read in the past covering my whole body from head to toe realizing that it is His Word, as I read it, being poured into me causing me to have wisdom and knowledge, and the feeling of purity and cleanliness, but mostly joy and peace beyond an explanation with words. An indescribable love engulfed me.

I thanked the Lord for pouring His Word into me, for showing me this visual picture in my mind’s eye of what is taking place in me as I read His Word. I truly love Jesus for dying on the cross for my wretched self and for God sending His ONLY son to this earth to be born, live, and die all for our salvation. I do not understand it all, but having this personal relationship with Jesus helps me to understand enough that I know I cannot, and would want to, live without Him!

Merry Christmas Sumner Moms!
May the light of the Lord lead you unto Him

Peace Joy & Love,

Gail Williams
SumnerMoms.com

TRUST
Is your trust genuine?

I do not know about you, but it seems to me that everyone around me, including me, is going through trials, overwhelming trials of many kinds and variations. I spoke with a dear friend this week, who is going through a few, and I advised her to trust in the Lord and do not react on what you see, go with what you know from His Word for this is what the Lord has shown me through my own trials. She realized quickly that part of her trial was trusting the Lord to handle it. I would like to share what I read this morning in my quiet time, everyone needs a quiet time. It is what keeps me sane! I want you to know that I have been rereading the new testament and this verse was only in the progression of my reading. So, by chance, .....OR by Divine happenstance, I read this morning in 1Peter.

"Through trusting, you are being protected by God's power for deliverance ready to be revealed at the Last Time. Rejoice in this even though for a little while you may have to experience grief in various trials. Even gold is tested for genuineness by fire. The purpose of these trials is so that your trust's genuineness, which is far more valuable than perishable gold, will be judged worthy of praise, glory and honor at the revealing of Yeshua the Messiah. Without having seen him, you love him, without seeing him now, but trusting in him, you continue to be full of joy that is glorious beyond words. And you are receiving what your trust is aiming at namely, your deliverance." 1 Peter 1:5-9

Wow! I sat dumbfounded for a bit. I, personally, do not believe that verse was a coincidence. I BELIEVE it was divinely laid before me for this very purpose and time. What I do with it is what will make the difference. So, I am sharing it with you, my friends, my family, my community. I ask you, is your trust genuine? Do you have joy in your trials?

Devotional November 2007

‘A woman should be so close to God that a man should have to chase God to get to get her!’

My daughter, Chelsea who is a freshman at UT Knoxville, told me that this summer. I was blown away. She had heard it in one of her bible study groups from Long Hollow Baptist Church. It stuck with her, as it did me and I wanted to share it with you.

Speaking of Chelsea, she was asked by Noble House International Publishing House to write another poem for them this summer. I would like to share it with you because it makes me stop and think about what being a Christian means to me. I have to ask myself if I am representing Him well or not. Who would have thought our little girl was such a deep thinker.

CHRISTIAN

To give is to receive
To sow is to reap
To forgive is to forget
To see is not faith
For faith is to believe in the unseen
You say you give, but have yet to receive
For you sow good things, but reap bitter nothings
You are so quick to forgive, yet vow never to forget
You scream "have faith", yet you doubt His very existence
You are indeed humble in your weakness
Yet so resiliently prideful in your strengths
You say "He knocked and I opened the door”
But you never allowed Him past the entrance hall.
You represent the Holy of Holies, the Lord of Lords,
The King of Kings, yet you call yourself
Christian.


By Tressa Chelsea Williams


Titus Woman

I love the New Testament book Titus! I like to refer to it as the Titus Woman. I somehow equate my terminology to describing the importance of that chapter to me. It has other points that are just as important, but I mostly go to that chapter to refresh on, as a woman, where I am suppose to be and what I am suppose to be doing in this world for God. There is, on occasion, times that I need reminding, like everyday.

The verse that caught my attention in my personal devotional today was Titus 3:4:
“But when the kindness and love for mankind of God our Deliverer was revealed, He delivered us. It was not on the ground of any righteous deeds we had done, but on the ground of His own mercy.”

I think Chelsea’s little poem reflects the fact that if we are not reminded of where we are suppose to be in the Lord, we end up being like a ‘Pharisee’ or a hypocrite. Letting the Lord past the doorway allows for him to penetrate your whole being in a way that radiates His Glory like no other! That is when you shine. Haven’t you ever met someone who just glows with God’s radiance? I have! It is obvious it is because they have allowed God to come in and set up residence in themselves by denying their flesh and following TRUTH. So, ladies, shine today!

God Bless Sumner Moms!

Gail Williams