halloween.

Posted by christin joy | | 10/29/2009 06:21:00 PM
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Halloween is a very touchy subject within the church.  "What should we do?  Do we boycott it?"  There is no doubt that Halloween's origins can be traced to pagan beliefs and rituals, or that some Satanic groups see it as a special holiday.  Many Christians differ on their views of whether or not believers should have any participation in Halloween celebrations, because they see it as potentially dangerous from a spiritual perspective.   Christians certainly should not participate in the "dark side" of Halloween, approve of the Satanic, or the focus on paganism and evil.


The reality of Halloween participation for believers and unbelievers alike is that of dressing up in costumes and having fun trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.  To many, this is all of what Halloween is about, without any connection to occult or pagan practices.  As a comparison, from a Christian standpoint, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ and the beginning of His life on earth.  Would we naively say that ALL people celebrating Christmas are Christians rejoicing at the birth of Christ?  Not at all!  The same goes for Halloween—not EVERYONE participating in Halloween events are rejoicing over pagan rituals.


The difference is in the heart of the people that are celebrating.  When I have children, I plan to let them go trick-or-treating, but I will have explained my convictions to them in ways they will understand to make sure they have the right heart.  I don't mean to be dogmatic on this topic as I know people's convictions are different, but I will say that we should do all things properly in the eyes of the Lord, providing insight and truth when the question comes up.  Whatever conviction you hold about participating in Halloween, live it out for God’s glory!

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i need you...

Posted by christin joy | | 10/26/2009 02:02:00 AM
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i want to take a brisk walk in the cool night air. the streets are dark with only a few street lamps to guide the way. my mind is wandering. my mind is desiring. my heart is yearning for things that are not within my reach. the memories are what keep me sane and the hopes for new life keep me pushing along this dry land. unfortunately - the more i wait and long for the future, the more i feel i am just trudging along a muddy embankment, a soil so soggy it holds on to my feet trying to drag me down. i know where my hope comes from and i know that the light in me is seeking to be let out. however - there are times when the overwhelming flood of emotions and frustrations come and i do feel like i'm going down with them.

Lord you are my strength and refuge, an ever present help in times of need. please bring me out of this place. remind me that you've taken me from the miry clay, that you've cleansed me with your purifying water, that you're refining me in your fire and have brought me to life and life abundant. help me to hold on to your promises, to cling to your very word and trust in your saving grace. i'm struggling with frustrations, with anticipation, with desires and with pain. ONLY YOU can provide the insight, provide the patience, provide the sustenance and provide the healing that i require. help me Lord. teach me to trust. teach me to pray. pray for me Holy Spirit, sing for me oh Lord. please, use my voice to do your bidding, use my singing to spread the Gospel. use me Lord, use my gift that only YOU have given to me.

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i want to remember what its like to be under a sky full of stars and feel oh so small. i want to stand in the sand with waves rushing over my feet and feel myself being pulled out slowly by the strong currents. oh how easy it was to drive without caring where you were going and to stop and take pictures of anything, on a whim. to stay out late at night, driving with no other headlights on the dark streets. blaring loud music, windows down with the heat up high. what a sensation. the sound of crunching leaves on the ground and the smell of winter air creeping in, the smell of snow in the sky. i'm dressed to go and ready to run. lets take it on as it comes. weary and exhausted, i'm ready to lay my head down. trusting the Lord in my vulnerable state of mind. the time is now to trust in Him and i do, i do trust in you, Jesus.


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home... where is it?

Posted by christin joy | | 5/18/2009 12:36:00 AM
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i have not written in a personal blog in so long, i've forgotten how therapeutic it is. just writing as i think, the feelings i'm experiencing showing up on paper or on a computer screen. my artistic side can have a chance to come out a bit, my emotional side can come out, my heart can be read like an open book - and while on a public forum, anyone can read what i'm thinking and how i'm feeling - it doesn't bother me. when i write, i can be myself. when i write, i can unveil the things that are behind these eyes and the sentiments they long to speak but cannot properly convey. so where to start, where to divulge and how to do so in a way that will be satisfactory.

my heart aches to be back in hot, humid, overwhelmingly busy hong kong. each day i am away the more my old desires fade. i used to want the nice house with a patio and a white picket fence, 2 kids and pets with a big back yard and a garden. i used to cry at the thought of living the american dream. but the more i think about them, the more i see how selfish i was for desiring and demanding them for my life. i'm not insinuating that if you want those things for your life or if you have those things in your life, you're selfish and/or sinful. i just know that God has other things in store, even if my heart at one point in time desired it heavily. i know my life of 25 years has been a bit extraordinary and that my future holds similar events. life has never been "typical", it has always been a rollercoaster, full of loops and turns and lots of activity. the only reason i can see why the Lord let me go through the things i've gone through and exeperienced the things i've experienced, was for preparation of an exceptional future.

bud and i have been wondering where we will be in the next few years. we are in a transitional period of our life, paying off debt as quickly as possible, living with his parents and trying to save a little money too. we know that there are options, the question has been thrown around "which one is the one God would have for us." i know that i have work to do in two separate countries and i'm trying to see how God would have us balance that in our lives. i know i need to follow my husband in the ministries God has put on His heart, but i know that as we are one, we both seek the Lord and know that the Lord will guide us in the right direction. what we're feeling and praying about is being in hong kong the majority of the year and when we're not visiting our families back in the states, we'll be in france working alongside our dear friends, the oppenheims.

bud is going to be finishing his B.A. over the next year or 2, so we'll be restricted to just trips to hong kong or france, for short periods of time. that will be hard but i'm asking the Lord for his peace and contentment while we wait. the interesting thing about all of this, is the strange feeling i have about moving. bud and i throw out ideas of moving to different areas of the country where we could live a bit more financially stable life. we throw out the idea of moving to maryland to be near my family, we think about moving to pennsylvania for seminary, we think about moving to colorado to be near the pattarozzi's and the whole time - i'm eager to move to one of those places just so we can move to hong kong sooner. i don't know how to explain it other than hong kong is home for me. nothing moves me like the thoughts of life in hong kong.

not only do i want to do the work we did this past winter but i also want to expand and join in on the many opportunites. i want to help the homeless, i want to get involved with an orphanage (one of the 2 in all of HK) and learn beside people and grow and be stretched. i want to learn the language (FLUENTLY) and be able to talk to people in their native language, to show them i hold the utmost respect for them. i want to do all these things for the Glory of God, not for myself. i want to fulfill the things the Lord told His children to do, to go and help the orphans and widows, to feed those in need of feeding, to show them Christ and to live as Christ. Lord, please give me patience but please keep me on task toward the goal. to life in hong kong once again. agape.

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