Trick-or-treating began on my street last night, with a group of little ones dressed up as ghosts and witches and vampires, their Mums with them. I thought about how excited the children must have been getting all dressed up like that, and going around with their friends getting loads of sweets. I remember when I was a kid how I used to love it, and would never have dreamt of giving anything deeper a second thought.

To be honest, had I not experienced the occult in the way that I did later in my life, I still may not have thought any more deeply about Halloween now. I still may have seen it as just a bit of harmless fun.

Last year I wrote a post all about this. Is Halloween just a bit of a fun, or is there a good reason why we as Christians should think twice before getting into the spirit of it? Some of you will have read that post last year, and some of what I say today is a repeat of that, so you’ll be familiar

My road to coming into relationship with God came as a result of being involved in the occult when I was in my late teens. After coming out of this background, God showed me His thoughts about occult practices which are throughout the Bible, in particular that these practices are “abomination” to Him Deut. 18:12. This is a strong word, and it means that God hates, loathes, detests and is repulsed by these practices. He really is not neutral about it.

Not only did that help me to realise what spiritually dangerous territory I had been treading through my past involvement, but it also became relevant for me regarding things like checking my horoscope in the paper, watching certain programmes on TV, and also, my thoughts on Halloween.

My understanding is that Halloween has its roots in an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain. It was believed that on this night the divide between the human world and supernatural world was at its weakest and that it was possible for the spirits of the dead to return and bring harm to the living. One way that these harmful “tricks” could be avoided by these spirits was by leaving out “treats” in the form of food and drink.

This evening was also an opportunity for people to commune with the spirits to foretell the future. It is believed that the devil himself was also called upon to tell people about their future.

The Bible clearly tells us that God does not want us to practice such things as fortune-telling and divination, so I question then whether it’s a good idea to join in with Halloween when part of its history is understood to have involved these.

For me, I see that Halloween is marked by beliefs and activities that go against God’s Word and offend Him a lot. Because I want to please Him, my decision is to part ways with the event. I love the way The Message puts this verse where God says to us, “Don’t link up with those who will pollute you. I want you all for myself. I’ll be a Father to you; you’ll be sons and daughters to me” 2 Cor. 6:17-18. And where Paul says,”… dear friends, let’s make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let’s make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God” 2 Cor. 7:1.

The other reason I have chosen not to go along with Halloween is definitely a result of my past experiences of the occult. It affected me in ways I didn’t expect like developing extreme levels of fear in my life at the time that I had not lived with before. I know that as harmless as it may seem, the supernatural realm is real. Not everyone may be affected by the occult as I was, and getting involved with Halloween for most people, may never lead to anything deeper in a spiritual sense. For me though, all it took was an intrigue in the things of the occult set up years earlier by the smallest exposures. For somebody, this may be found in Halloween or in the practices associated with it.

What communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? 2 Cor.6:15.

I’ve started reading about the life of a Carmelite monk called Brother Lawrence who entered the monastery in Paris in 1640 at the age of twenty-six, dedicating His life to loving and serving God.

Several years earlier, when he was eighteen, Brother Lawrence (then, Nicholas Herman) had this experience with God which opened his eyes to the reality of Him, and “a love for God that never after ceased to burn.”*

In the deep of winter, Herman looked at a barren tree, stripped of leaves and fruit, waiting silently and patiently for the sure hope of summer abundance. Gazing at the tree, Herman grasped for the first time the extravagance of God’s grace and the unfailing sovereignty of divine providence. Like the tree, he himself was seemingly dead, but God had life waiting for him, and the turn of seasons would bring fullness. At that moment, he said, that leafless tree “first flashed in upon my soul the fact of God,” and a love for God that never after ceased to burn.*

I thought this was beautiful, the realisation of God, and His extravagance towards us, from a barren tree in the winter. Seeing for the first time that it is God Who brings summer from winter, flourishing from barrenness, life from death. That evidence of His grace and His providence is all around us, if only we would have the eyes to see.

And he saw himself in that tree, “seemingly dead.” How often can we feel this way too? Laid bare, and brittle. Questioning how fruitful we are for Him. Facing times that are desolate. But what a beautiful picture of hope this story gives. That with God, there is the promise of changing seasons and newness ahead. That if we will wait for Him, “silently and patiently” and confident in His grace and “unfailing sovereignty,” we have the “sure hope of summer abundance” before us.

*Reference: ‘Brother Lawrence’ on Wikipedia – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Lawrence. The book I’m reading is called ‘Practicing God’s Presence: Brother Lawrence for today’s reader’ by Robert Elmer (2005, NavPress, Colorado Springs).

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Autumn seems to be so short lived in London, and I’ve been keen to capture a little of it, of the reds and yellows, before the perennial grey of winter. So I went for a walk over the weekend and took these photos. They’re mostly of leaves. I love the colours of the leaves, how definite they are. That’s one thing that’s so beautiful about England, the real contrast of the seasons, and autumn would have to be my favourite One thing that might make a difference if you view the slideshow is to change the setting of the speed so that it errs more on the slow side, otherwise it goes pretty fast! I hope you enjoy the photos … 

He changes the times and the seasons ~ Daniel 2:21

It’s seamless, this turning.

Walking by the river a few days ago, I stopped by the bridge to watch as leaves fell from a tree just ahead. It was the loveliest thing, softly falling. Like the rain. Like a shower of yellow.

Autumn.

It happened so quietly; the deepening of the days, the blushing of the leaves.

Unnoticed was summer’s surrender.

And then I think of God, and of the seasons that change as I walk with Him, mostly unnoticed except with hindsight.

Seasons of barrenness and rest. Of promise, of flourishing. Seasons of harvest.

And I think of His purposes for this season, for such a time as this. For surely these days will yield too, into memories.

Help me Lord to redeem the time that You have given.

For You have said to learn from the signs of the “fig tree and all the trees” Luke 21:29, for “the Kingdom of God is near” Matt.4:17.

Prose and photo by Birgit Whelan © Copyright 2009

Make a Smilebox slideshow

A month ago Michael and I spent a few days in Prague. I’ve been really looking forward to putting together some photos of our time there, and just this week I’ve been able to.

The photos basically follow our time in this beautiful city. Scenes from the castle on the hill, the Old Town with its spires and maze of cobblestone streets, the Vltava and its bridges; there is famous Czech beer and also a lunch of goulash and dumplings. I love taking photos of things that catch my eye as we’re walking as well, so there are lots of these too; street art, detail from buildings, flowers at the market.

I hope you enjoy the photos and it gives a good impression of our time. I’d love to know if you have any favourites . Lots of blessings to you.

The conference was wonderful on Saturday. Thank you so much to those who prayed and sent encouraging emails, God really answered your prayers!

The setting itself was just beautiful, a church on the sea! On the coast, just north of London. I love stained glass windows, and high above the altar in this church was a window of Jesus robed in white, and light streaming from Him, as angels worshipped Him in glory.

I smiled at the way this picture of Jesus, radiant in His light, seemed to confirm the message that God had given me.

At the time in my life when I called out to Him for the first time, He revealed Himself to me, and gave me a particular picture in my mind’s eye, with the word that He was going to take me ‘step by step from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light.’

It was this point about coming into, and living in God’s light, that I felt He wanted me to focus on. To think about those things that we may be hiding from God. Those things that cause us to avoid Him or turn away from Him out of guilt, shame or disobedience.The way that intimacy with God comes as we come boldly before His throne of grace Heb. 4:16, allowing His light in on the shadows of sin and regret in our hearts.

I spoke about Adam and Eve. How in the beginning they enjoyed full intimacy with God, naked before Him, both physically and in their hearts, and were not ashamed Gen. 2:25. But after they sinned, their reaction was to hide away. Under the trees. Away from God’s presence (Gen. 3:8-10).

Then I felt like God showed me Jesus as the contrast to Adam and Eve.

Jesus, the last Adam 1 Cor. 15: 45. Where the first Adam sinned, the last Adam was without sin. Jesus’ intimacy with the Father was never broken by sin, and where Adam hid away from God, Jesus went to a high place, Mount Tabor I’ve read, to seek God and to be with Him (Matt. 17:1-9).

Where Adam hid under the trees in darkness, Jesus stood openly on the mountain – transfigured by God’s light. I so love the way this is described in the different gospels! Listen to Mark’s account of it – ‘His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them’ Mark 9:3. I really like the way he describes it

I felt as if God showed me this connection between intimacy with Him, and being in His light.

Moses, a friend of God the Bible says Ex.33:11, goes up Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights to be in God’s presence. And when he comes back down, His face shone with such radiance that the Israelites could not look upon him without him covering his face with a veil (Ex. 34:28-35).

Intimacy with the Father, and being soaked in His light.

And then I felt the Lord had given me particular words for particular women in the group. Specific burdens these women had been carrying. Areas of brokenness, sin, pain and regret. It truly was the most awesome, humbling, joyful thing to be able to pray with these precious women afterwards who came forward in response. I am in awe of our God. He had such a purpose for that day, and it just overwhelmed me to see His Spirit at work as He revealed His immense love and compassion for these precious ladies, and the hope that He wanted to give us all. He is just so incredible.

So what a beautiful experience it was. Thank you once again for praying, as I said at the start, God answered!

I also wanted to flag up that very soon I’m going to be posting photos and thoughts about our trip to Prague last month. It’s really been so busy recently, with God opening wonderful opportunities to serve, and lots of other fun things, so it’s meant that I’ve had to put one or two things on hold until now . It was a wonderful time in Prague, and I’m so excited to be posting the photos soon .

A few interesting emails have gone between my father and me since writing the post below, and so these are just a few follow up thoughts.

In one of the emails, Dad said something that got me thinking.

This is the part:

‘Air on a G String’ is probably the most famous movement of his Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 (out of six), and you are absolutely correct in saying, that Johann Sebastian Bach created his music exclusively out of his devotion and his worship for God. Apart from the quality, the depth and the discipline of his music – to him nothing else mattered. He was not interested in how his music might be perceived by the general public. He composed for God and his son alone. Some of his Cantatas composed towards the end of his life appear to be nothing but a dialogue between him and his maker.’

It was the last part.

‘He composed for God and his son alone …’

And,

‘Some of his Cantatas composed towards the end of his life appear to be nothing but a dialogue between him and his maker.’

I imagined the beauty of this. That what Bach composed was an expression, and it was intended for God. And in turn, that God answered him, and inspired even more of the beauty we sense in his music.

A dialogue with God. I love this thought.

And then, this,

‘….to him nothing else mattered. He was not interested in how his music might be perceived by the general public.’

I thought about the freedom of this, and the humility.

How easy it is to get tangled up in thoughts of what others may think of us, to fear what others may think, to try and impress even; and yet this point reminded me that God alone is the One whose opinion matters. That our audience is not those around us, but the One whose throne is Heaven, and whose footstool is the earth Acts 7:49. The One who ‘has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS’ Rev.19:16.

And I imagine the joy it must give God. A heart most concerned with His pleasure and His glory, and using all that He has given us to that end. 

My father is passionate about the composer, Bach.

There were many afternoons he would call me into the living room to play me one piece or another. He would dust off the cover, and take the record from the sleeve.

As the music played, his eyes would light up as he told me all about it. All about this incredible composer he so loves, Johann Sebastian Bach.

At Christmas time, before any presents could be lifted from beneath the tree, he would ask my brothers and me to sit with him, and see the beauty of the atmosphere around us. The candles lit up on the tree, and in the advent wreath, the plate of stollen and lebkuchen and pffernusse. The gifts so beautifully wrapped and laid. And all the while, a piece from Bach would play.

As I grew older, he would take me with him to concerts. I remember one. It was Good Friday and we sat in the pew of the most exquisite of Catholic churches, while an orchestra, choir and soloists performed Bach’s St Matthew Passion. Chapters 26 and 27 of the Gospel of Matthew set to music. It’s so beautiful. It intrigues me about composers like Bach and Vivaldi, that from what I have read of them, they were men of faith. I like to think of the extraordinary beauty that they have created through their music as somehow reflecting the beauty they experienced of God Himself. Inspired by His extraordinary beauty.

And so after all these years, I have inherited Dad’s love of Bach. Although compared with him, I really know so little. But I do know which pieces of Bach’s I love, pieces that minister such incredible beauty to me.

This is one. It’s called, Air on a G String.

I hope you feel blessed by it in some way too …

                 Come to Flourish!

Flourish Women’s Conference is next month on Saturday 10 October, and if you happen to be in the London area then, then come along for the morning!

The focus and theme is Pursuing Intimacy with God and a few of us have been invited to share our stories, about how it is we came to know and love God, and what we have learnt about nurturing a close relationship with Him since then.

There are testimonies about restoration in marriage, searching for love and ultimately finding love in Jesus, a testimony of coming to know Jesus after growing up in a Sikh family, and being healed of pulmonary tuberculosis and infertility, and I’ll be sharing my story of a dramatic encounter with God when I was 20 after being deeply involved in the occult, and the reality and grace of God I have discovered.

If you’d like to know more, click here to see the full flier. You’ll see contact details at the very bottom if you’d like to book! Hope to see you there