Family

Dear class of 2020, you are immortal…

Dear class of 2020, I am a West Marion High School graduate Class of 1996. That year probably doesn’t mean anything to you, but if you do some quick math you’ll figure out I’m somewhere in the neighborhood of being as old as your parents. Interestingly enough, in January of ’96, the United States experienced one of the worst blizzards on record, forcing the schools in New York to close for the first time in eighteen years. So those guys at least have a little something in common with you. Also in ‘96, Braveheart won the Oscar for best picture, the biggest newsmaker was the Menendez trial, a Michael Jordan led Chicago Bulls won yet another NBA championship, and we all eagerly awaited the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. I had to Google most of that (something I couldn’t have done in 1996) because honestly it just wasn’t that memorable. Except for the Olympics.

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So you’ve decided to reject Halloween? Here’s why you should reject Christmas, too.

We’ve heard the stories. Back in the middle ages, druids would wear disguises and would go house to house demanding tribute. And if the person refused, the druids would curse the family. To ward off such evil spirits, families would place lamps made from a gourd upon their porches. Or something like that. I’m not entirely sure if I got the details right or if it’s even completely true. But that’s what we’ve all been told. We’re also told that Halloween is the single most “powerful” night for witchcraft. Maybe, maybe not. What we do know is that all kinds of ghostly, haunting, Satanic, bloody, monster, zombie, gory, and otherwise evil things are synonymous with our celebration of Halloween. But so is candy. And so is little kids dressing up in their favorite princess or super hero outfit. Yet no matter how hard you look at it, everything about Halloween is of pagan origin. Right? And so many Christians have made the decision to pretend Halloween isn’t even there. If that’s your choice, then that’s your choice. I’m not here to argue against it. You have the right to reject or redeem something in the name of Christ as you choose. But if that is your choice, perhaps there are some things you need to know.

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Story Art: Teaching Young Kids How to Tell Stories

The other day I needed a home school project for my kids, and being a writer I wanted to do something story related. But my children, and probably most younger children, have difficulty grasping the concept of organizing a story. They do, however, enjoy doodling. So I stumbled upon a very simple way to teach them how to organize and tell a story, which uses kid doodling in a sort of comic book way I call it Story Art. Here’s how.

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