Halloween!!! A word that strikes fear and excitement in children everywhere. For me, as a kid, I definitely looked forward to this fun day. Think about it, you get to dress up in the most creative, crazy, funky way you want without being mocked, run the streets well after the street lights come on, and, THE single most driving factor of them all...FREE CANDY!!! I participated in this ritual all the way through my senior year in high school (best costume - BABY - because I could wear pajamas to school!!!) There was little thought as to the origin and history of Halloween...until...I began to hear speak of the “evil” of the holiday; the unholy meaning behind this day of fun costumes and free candy.

As a youth I was slightly confused, yet understood what was going on. My mother taught me about the things of God and I believed them, but, I truly did not see the big deal about dressing as an angel or a baby or a princess and spending time with my family and friends while acquiring FREE CANDY!!

Fast forward to me, as a mom. I was excited to share the celebration rituals with my own kids. I did not want to deprive them of the joys the day had brought me as a kid per say, however, based on the evolution of Halloween in my life, I developed a list so my kids could enjoy the fun without experiencing the “scary parts.” I even explained that Halloween comes from something “bad,” but we would just have fun; make costumes based on inanimate objects, fun sayings, or even Bible characters. See, Halloween… “Christian-style.”

Now, as a teacher, I have to be very careful with everything I say and do. So, when Halloween comes around, I am once again conflicted. When I was in elementary school, I looked forward to this time of year. Why? Because we got to dress up, the teacher would do some fun activities that disguised learning brilliantly, and...you guessed it...TREATS!!!! Those days were memorable and made school fun...at least for that day. How can I now, an elementary school teacher myself, deprive my students of that experience?

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Well, as an adult and a Christian, I am fully aware and have a significant understanding of Halloween. I am not willing to allow Satan to use me as a tool to infiltrate the minds of any little person I interact with. However, there are so many demands on our elementary-aged children today: they have to analyze the main character in a story; they have to explain why 5 times 5 equals 25 in 3 different ways; they have to design science investigations about the relative density of several objects and justify their results, they have to plan, write, revise, edit, and publish an expository essay explaining who the most important person in their lives is and why. Can the kids just be kids for ONE DAY???

​My answer...YES!!! So, Mrs. Brown’s class always receives a little goodie bag; complete with a fun “halloween” pencil, a few “halloween” stickers, and...SHHHHH...some FREE CANDY!!! We also learn using halloween-themed activities and HAVE FUN!!!

My final thought, being a Christian mom and teacher does not demand that I eliminate EVERYTHING from my life; all those things that I enjoyed as a kid/teen and couldn’t wait to pass along to my children. What it does demand is that I am responsible with the approach, I educate the little ones around me on the history and the appropriate way we can enjoy the “good” parts without being submerged and controlled by the bad.

Balancing church and family responsibilities is a reason Paul cautioned wannabe pastors in Corinth about getting married.
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 Depending on the source you’re reading, there are varying views about divorce rates among couples who profess themselves to be Christ-followers. The rates are either growing at the same rate as non-believers, greater than that rate, declining from that rate, or were never as high. 

Assorted denominations have particular points of view about whether couples should divorce and what roles people who do divorce should have in Christian ministry, particularly leadership positions. 

Whatever the numbers, whatever your opinion, these facts remain:  c

• children of God divorce;
• they have done so since the time of Moses;
•  divorce is not God’s desire. 

Of the numerous verses in Scripture about divorce, the best perspective is Matthew’s gospel account of Jesus’ conversation with Pharisees.

Keep these questions in mind when listening to Family Priorities, today’s 1-minute audio installment from “Who Prays for the Pastor?” In this segment, author Fredrick Ezeji-Okoye recounts the testimony of a pastor whose zeal for evangelizing produced fruit, not all of which was sweet.
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Before you start, discuss or journal about the following:

This essay is one in a series of devotionals on coping with stress in ministry, and is based on the book, "Who Prays for the Pastor?" written by Bro. Fredrick Ezeji-Okoye.  The accompanying discussion guide was written by Michael Edgar Myers, who also narrated the audiobook and 1-minute devotional excerpts. If you have any difficulties accessing the material, please e-mail mem@kit-ministries.com.  Thank you. ​

Among the teaching in his first letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul gave what some Bible translations subtitle, “Concerns for Married Life.” Included in the passage in chapter seven, Paul speaks to pastors…or would-be pastors, with an admonition summarized here by the late Eugene Peterson in his paraphrase, “The Message.”

“Because of the current pressures on us from all sides, I think it would probably be best to stay just as you are. Are you married? Stay married. Are you unmarried? Don’t get married. But there’s certainly no sin in getting married, whether you’re a virgin or not. All I am saying is that when you marry, you take on additional stress in an already stressful time, and I want to spare you if possible.”
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Peterson and Paul’s perspective is the backdrop for this sequence of audio and written reflections based on the book, “Who Prays for the Pastor?” by Fredrick Ezeji-Okoye, founder of the Men of Faith Network. Ezeji-Okoye’s book goes into depth about the pressures pastors (and other ministry leaders) encounter from their work, their ministries, their families, themselves.  More than recount them, he offers suggestions in overcoming them.

Also consider visiting Amazon to purchase “Who Prays for the Pastor?”  in print, downloadable audio, or Kindle rental.
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 However, more than looking at the data and testimonies, take to heart the principle of the book and devotionals and pray for your pastor.  This would be an on-going gift growing out of Pastor Appreciation Month.