Gospel study with friends
Worship with fellow believers
Open front door
Learning to let go
Favorite movies
Pumpkin spice English muffins, toasted and buttered
God's grace
Visual Melodies shared Epic Bagpipe and Uilleann Pipe Music
https://youtu.be/L7U8HNVZHcA?si=kSYurPKdjN3zeuRK
"The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a class—it is the cause of humankind." ~ Anna Julia Cooper
Psalms 91 : The Soldier's Prayer
Psalms 91:1-4 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Tales from a Mid-Lifer shared Farewell October:
https://family5power.com/2025/10/31/farewell-october/
Inspiration from Bridget A. Thomas:
https://bridgetathomas.com/2025/10/09/what-we-feed/
God bless.
Why I celebrate Halloween: It's the one holiday we encourage ourselves to look into the darkness and drag our fears into the light and hopefully see them for what they are: An opportunity to be brave and reclaim our power over them.
Shelley's "Frankenstein" explores the folly of men pretending to be God. Stoker's "Dracula" reveals the horror of those who live by taking from others. I can't imagine a world without Poe, and his willingness to expose the monsters within. We prevail when we choose good over evil.
The early history of Samhain, what would later become Halloween, was a celebration of the end of the harvest and the end of the year as well as the beginning of a new year. Leave in the past what no longer brings life and love. Welcome the opportunity to start fresh with the old and withered swept away, making room for the new. A time to seek God's protection in the coming winter.
For the record, I don't do scary. Growing up in it means it isn't entertainment for me. Dress up is fun. I've always had a fondness for jack-o-lanterns, the cheerful flame flickering inside. Not to mention my love of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. The promise of cooler weather, a definite bonus in the desert. The changing color of the leaves, which people generously share through pictures. The prelude to the coming triad holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year (gratitude, giving, and starting anew). Enjoy the day. Indulge in a treat. Laugh.
Some of my favorites to fit a Halloween mood:
Most people will recognize this piece of music but may not know the name. From Carmina Burana ~ O Fortuna by Carl Orff performed by André Rieu:
https://youtu.be/EJC-_j3SnXk
Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRU1AJsXN1g
Gustav Holst's Mars from The Planets
https://youtu.be/Jmk5frp6-3Q
Hall of the Mountain King (Peer Gynt) by Edvard Grieg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLp_Hh6DKWc
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by J. S. Bach needs to be heard as an organ piece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho9rZjlsyYY
Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCEDfZgDPS8
Service/help opportunities
Church
Cool enough to leave the door open
New book
Gospel study with friends
God's grace
Gentri "The Impossible Dream"
https://youtu.be/h5kd_XnuzjE?si=ni652hAYsmH22mYH
1 Corinthians 15:57-58 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
I love beautiful pictures and Tales from a Mid-Lifer shared this sunset:
https://family5power.com/2025/10/01/last-nights-sunset/
Suzanne Askham makes an inspiring observation:
https://suzanneaskham.com/2025/10/01/wellbeing-notes-leave-peace-and-kindness-in-your-wake/
God bless.
Celebrate with a story.
Secondhand Samhain
The seventh
novella in the series.
http://www.amazon.com/Secondhand-Samhain-Holiday-USA-Book-ebook/dp/B01A0IBBQI/ref=sr_1_1
Serving others
Church with family
Surprises from friends
Gospel study with friends
New books by favorite authors
Weather cool enough to leave the door open
God's grace
Gentri - "All I Ask of You" featuring Laura Osnes
https://youtu.be/NF7Y_E9Nz7k?si=i1WMVE9FEhw8pNcT
1 Corinthians 15:55-56 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
Dreams by Starlight (The Dream series Book 1) by Staci Stallings Christian romance. Loved it, again.
Reunion (The Dream series Book 2) by Staci Stallings Christian romance. The two books are really one book, with a 10-year break in the middle. Loved it!
Sharing dinner with friends
Lunch with my sister
Blessed rain
Visiting with a friend
Worship with fellow believers
New books by favorite authors
God's grace
Visual Melodies shared an hour of Discipline Over Comfort
Epic Motivational Music for Power and Focus
https://youtu.be/Q0H6X3opNuY?si=1NgpfnVGWh3oIChw
1 Corinthians 15:53-54 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
