Our {First} doTERRA Story

During "The Summer of the Great Sickness," as we have so loving nicknamed it, we were introduced to doTerra Essential Oils. It is possible, though not confirmed, that our twins had pertussis (whooping cough). The older kids had the same symptoms but their immune systems are much more mature and handled the illness like a boss. These oils were the game changing moment in our family's s healing journey.

We have been dealing with respiratory issues since July due to "The Great Sickness." In the past few weeks we have continued with essential oils purchased from the health food store without any improvement. Switched to doTerra oils and BOOM! Improvement. Again, game changer.

Here is a little something my doTerra consultant shared: 

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Thus begins the Gospel of Saint John. The creation story of Genesis begins with the statement: "In the beginning God created..." Following that we find God speaking His creation into existence by His very Word. "And God said, Let there be light...And God said, Let there be a firmament...And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so." We find the phrase, "And God said..." nine times in the first chapter of Genesis.Word is a vibration, a frequency, a consciousness, an expression of energy. When God created the plants by His speaking voice, he imbued them with His Word and His intelligence. This includes the oils of the plants which He intended, from their very creation, to become our medicines when we need healing.That is what is so special about essential oils. They contain power of God's Word. Artificial medicines, made by humans, contain no such power. That's why they cannot heal and never will. The point here is that essential oils are divinely ordained as medicine's for God's children and are meant to be used with God's guidance, accompanied with prayer. ~The Healing Oils of the Bible, By: David Stewart PhD

We are hooked on doTerra oils. We have seen first hand the difference quality oils can make in your health. Mackey and I are super excited to join the doTerra family! We want to help people the same way we were helped. Our prayer is that daily God will bring people into our life that we can help by showing them the power of essential oils and teach them how to care for themselves and their family naturally.

Santa in Our Home

In my last blog, A Holy Holiday, I briefly wrote a little on Halloween, Christmas, and celebrating secular holidays as Christians. In this blog I will share my heart journey with you. {It is ok to agree to disagree. I am not here to debate. I am not a theologian. This is only the story of my journey}.

I have been on both ends of the spectrum when it comes to celebrating Halloween, Christmas, and Easter. I was raised "doing" the holidays like everyone else. It was fun {SO MUCH FUN} but it wasn't purposed. However, I can honestly say that it has not damaged me as an adult. I don't believe in Jesus less, not even as a child when I found out the truth. I have heard of a few instances where kids found out and then wondered if God was real. I think with a balanced view on fiction, fantasy, and reality this wont happen. Fostering a healthy imagination in children will most likely prevent this and it's important for kids to make-believe. Kids also believe Dora, Elmo, Doc McStuffins, and all of their favorite characters are real.

Fast forward into my adult years as a young mom on a motherhood journey much too young and very much still trying to just figure out the basics. I decided Halloween, Santa, Christmas, all of it was evil and came from the devil. I didn't want our little family to participate. It was always a debate in our home, my sweet hubs wasn't completely on board. We did participate in a few and very limited amount of these celebrations. Back in these days (until last year of 2012) I can honestly say I was completely operating in legalism, a spirit of fear (fear that I was pleasing the devil, not God), and self-righteousness (I wanted to be super holy).

Here's the deal with Santa:
It was almost the holiday season of 2012 when my sweet little 3 year old twins came running through house shouting, "Santa is coming! Santa is coming!" Needless to say I was completely thrown through a loop. We had never talked about Santa with them and it wasn't even December yet (Santa and Christmas stuff weren't even out in the stores yet). I tried to tell them Santa wasn't real, he is pretend like Elmo and Dora. They completely melted down and didn't believe me. The other kids had just accepted this truth like no big deal. I could not bare to crushed their childlike faith. So, I began to search my heart and pray.

After the eye opening experience with the twins I realized that my kids where longing for a more exciting childhood and the space to just be kids. We not only did the Santa thing we even did Elf on the Shelf. Let me tell you one of the biggest reasons why. I had been suffering from depression for a few years and I really needed to have fun and relax. I didn't want the Christmas season to feel like a drag. We celebrated. That is why God gives us the opportunity to celebrate isn't it? To remember His goodness, to relish in His love, and to have fun! God wants us to enjoy life.

We have been open and honest with our kids about the whole Santa thing from the very beginning, including the tooth fairy, but we all enjoy pretending together. I am so bad at the tooth fairy thing, when the kids lose a tooth I will ask them, "Do you want the money now or under your pillow?" They usually will say under their pillow {because it's FUN}. The twins asked me just yesterday if Santa was real. We had a good talk {I'm not sure they totally caught on}. I explained about St. Nicholas, who was very generous but had to remain anonymous and that's where we get the idea to give gifts from Santa, to help us to remember to give generously and without expecting anything in return. Jesus gives to us so we can give to others. We really like this VeggieTales.

We talk about how we just pretend about Santa. They know we eat the milk and cookies. Our Elf on the Shelf, Zippy is his name, is just part of the fun make-believe. And guess what? During Christmas time they choose to go all out and pretend like they actually believe. Our family had fun last year and we really needed that. The kids went bed with anticipation of the fun that Zippy would bring in the morning!

My goal this year is to be purposed with Zippy and our Santa game. I want Zippy to do silly things but mostly bring important messages to the kids about doing acts of kindness. Zippy will come back from the North Pole with assignments for the kids to carry out. As far as Christmas Eve and Santa, he will be riding in his sleigh to bring a few gifts, eat his cookies, and travel around the world-for pretend. It's fun to make-believe with your kids. Our imaginations are beautiful gifts from God. He created us to imagine, to hope, to dream, to have faith in things unseen, and to believe.

We will also be using the Jesus Storybook Bible to go along with our Jesse Tree devotions. I am currently working on our December reading list that will consist of Christmas stories that focus on Jesus, some about the make-believe stuff (like Santa), and hopefully some that incorporate both.

The point is that any day of the week can be as evil as you allow it to be. Any holiday, character, anything at all can be used for evil or for good. I believe it's our choice. We choose to make good what the enemy wants to use for evil. I can't think of a better way to defeat him than to use his own tools against him!

St. Nicholas was a real person who did great things in the name of Christ. He set an excellent example that we can all learn from. However, Zippy is no more real than Cinderella and I don't know about ya'll but we love her! So that's it, my journey, my heart, and how I am hoping to make our make-believing purposed.

{Update: We are following this blog this year, Elf on the Shelf Jesus Style}

A Holy Holiday

If there really is one....

Let me start this blog by saying a few things about myself. There was once a time (not that long ago) that I didn't want my family to celebrate Halloween, in any way shape or form. I didn't want my kids to believe in Santa Clause or the tooth fairy or the Easter bunny. None of it. It's all pagan, right?? Can we actually redeem these pagan holidays and make them Christian? I don't know. What I do know is that over the past two years I have had a major heart shift in all of it {we are all having a lot more fun}.

One thing I have come to realize is that I was raising my kids in a very sheltered sub-culture of Christianity. The very last thing I want to do is raise kids to become teenagers and adults that cannot influence anyone for Christ because no one from outside their sub-culture can relate to them {I digress. That's a blog for another day}.

Let's talk Christmas and Halloween for a moment. Jesus was not born in December-fact. Saint Nicolas was a real person-fact. Christmas is basically a made up holiday deemed a time to celebrate the birth of Christ and take the place of the pagan holidays (Saturnalia, Yule, etc.)- fact. So, it seems we Christians have found a way to "redeem" this former pagan holiday. {Although I'm not sure how Santa and Elf on the Shelf have anything to do with the birth of Christ, but we have fun with both in our house anyway.}

Halloween has some serious dark roots-fact. Halloween actually means All Hallows' Eve and is the day before All Saints Day (Catholic origins)-fact. October 31st is also the day Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the doors of the Catholic Church changing not only the church but the world-fact. Reformation Day is {in my lowly opinion} worthy of celebration. However dressing up and trick or treating isn't really celebrating Reformation Day anymore than pretending a fat guy came down your chimney and dropped off presents and saying it's a way to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Here is a snippet I read from Relevant (Christian Magazine).

"Halloween clearly came from some pretty not Christian stuff. And we should all take seriously the world of spirits and the dangers of real witchcraft and messing with the occult. The Bible explicitly talks about a world we can’t see, and a world that very often influences and affects our own. Which begs the question: How should Christians think about Halloween?Well ... probably the same way we think about Christmas. What does Christmas mean to you? When you see a Christmas tree or wear red and green for a cheesy photo, are you thinking about how you can best honor the Roman god Sol Invictus? And when you eat your Christmas dinner, are you super pumped about gathering to observe the ancient German pagan holiday of Yule?Because that’s where those traditions started.If you are, then you should probably stop celebrating Christmas (you also might want to talk to someone about your theology). But if you aren’t, then Christmas is likely the time you remember Christ’s birth and how His birth provides the opportunity for salvation and ushered in a Kingdom that is changing the world."

-Is Halloween Good or Evil  By: Ryan Hamm

Just as Christmas has been deemed a time to celebrate the birth of Christ maybe Halloween can be deemed a time to celebrate the freedom we have in Christ and the work of the saints who have gone before us paving the way. All I know is that I will let the light of Christ shine {hide my light under a bushel-NO!} and I will not let the enemy have any day not even October 31st. Every day belongs to my Redeemer.

Happy Halloween. Happy All Hallows' Eve. Happy Reformation Day. Happy October 31st, the day that the Lord has made {I will rejoice and be glad in it}!