October 24, 2023 • 23 mins
Are you ready to light up your neighborhood with the love of Jesus this fall season? We promise you this episode is the perfect guide to embrace this time of the year as an opportunity to shower God's love and mercy on those around us. From using the occasion of Halloween to exhibit generosity, even if it scares you, to finding creative ways to foster community by welcoming new neighbors with gifts and notes. We delve into the joy of resetting, venturing out, and connecting with the people around us.
As we journey together to make our neighborhoods shine with God's love, we share practical ways of showing mercy, love, and care to those in our path this season. Trick-or-treating with our kids, setting up shop in our driveways, or even having a simple conversation on our porch, every action matters and is a part of building relationships. Most importantly, we highlight the significance of trusting God with the results of our steps of faith. So, join us and be the beacon of light in your community this fall season.
Find the Chili Recipe we talk in this episode on Called to Shine Instagram this week.
SOCIAL MEDIA: @called_toshine Instagram.
Follow us on Instagram and enjoy the community as we spur each other on through inspiration, encouragement, and equipping.
And always you can find resources to help you connect to the people around you at NBS2GO! (nbs2go.com)
— A ministry of NBS2GO: Neighbor Bible Studies to Go and Cru
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jesslyn Adams (00:07):
Hello.
Pam McCune (00:08):
Jesslyn here and Pam , welcome to the community where
we explore how Jesus is ourlight.
Jesslyn Adams (00:14):
And we are here to spur each other on to love
God and others, right where welive.
We are called to shine.
Pam McCune (00:22):
In the universe which stars shine the brightest?
Those that are closest.
Proximity is everything,whether the sun, it is not the
biggest star, but it is theclosest to the Earth and because
of its proximity it gives usthe most light and warmth.
In the same way, god uses whowe are and where we live, work
(00:42):
and hang out to be a light andgive warmth to those around us.
We get to shine God's love andmercy to those in our path.
Jesslyn Adams (00:51):
And what better time to shine out to people than
in the fall?
Not only does fall usher in newcolors and cooler temperatures
praise God it can also usher innew attitudes and openness.
Some of us need a reset toremember.
Oh yeah, we can go outsideagain.
I love the things that fallushers in.
My husband may think I overdoit at times and he may be right.
(01:13):
Things like pumpkin spice latte, apple spice candle, the
changing colors on the leavesand eating fall foods, baking
everything pumpkin from pie tobread to muffins, and drinking
apple cider, or even eatingchili.
Pam, what are your favoriteparts of the fall season?
Pam McCune (01:29):
I love the colors of fall and I love pumpkins.
I've been known to go a littleoverboard with my collection
because I don't want just theregular pumpkins, I want the
Cinderella, I want the greenones, I want the pink ones.
This year I was in Houston withmy daughter and we took the
two-year-old and thetwo-month-old my grand little to
the grocery store because itwas 90 degrees outside.
(01:52):
Who wants to go to a pumpkinpatch?
And we bonded with the pumpkins.
Hazel touched each one of them.
She found out which ones wereher favorite Justine.
There was one that was biggerthan her.
The title of it was the Big MacPumpkin.
That is our family.
My husband's nick names are BigMac and J-Mac, my son is C-Mac
and we're the Macs.
(02:12):
I did not buy the $70 pumpkin,but I took a picture of Hazel
with it and we did our ownpumpkin patch in the grocery
store.
We had a great photo op timeinside the air conditioning and
I only bought a few.
You would be so proud of mebecause they all fit in the car
this time and we didn't have tocome back in a truck.
Jesslyn Adams (02:32):
Pam, I love that you took advantage of a photo op
in the air conditioning, andI'm thinking that is the new
pumpkin patch of Texas, so I'mgonna have to do that this year.
Well, for those that haven'texperienced any of those fall
signs yet, feel free to turnyour air conditioner on to make
the house fallish, light thepumpkin smells and drink
something hot and snuggle into afuzzy blanket.
(02:52):
As we lean into two areas, wecan be a light this fall season
to the people in your proximity,lighting up the fall and
lighting up the fun.
As we give several ideas, weencourage you to listen for one
or two that work for you in yourgifting and capacity.
The fall can be tricky.
As we get to October 31st andwhat to do about this cultural
(03:12):
holiday, we are told to not beovercome by evil, but overcome
evil with good.
In this season we have anopportunity to shine the light
of God in the midst of thingsthat can be considered evil.
God, who is able to redeem allthings, can even redeem October
31st.
We recognize there aredifferent convictions around
Halloween and trick-or-treating,but one thing that we believe
(03:35):
we can embrace about is anopportunity to be generous.
Pam, you know a little bitabout this topic, as you
co-authored a book about it.
Redeeming Halloween.
Pam McCune (03:45):
I did.
That shows the power of Godjust one, because I am a math
person, not an English person,as only God can do.
He let me become friends withan incredible English major who
loved to write.
We co-authored a book aboutChristmas how to Redeem this
Season.
Our publisher came and said hey, we know what we want you to do
next.
(04:05):
We want you to redeem Halloween.
We looked at each other andsaid oh, that's funny, because
neither one of us do Halloween.
When Kim and I dove in, could weredeem Halloween?
We researched and, as we soughtGod about what to do, we landed
at the same place together,confident that on October 31st
(04:26):
it truly was an opportunityknocking when our neighbors come
to us and knock on our door.
It's an opportunity forrelationships and to be a light.
Jesus said it best when he saidlet your light shine, don't put
it under a basket.
And we decided turning down ourlights and hiding felt like
(04:47):
putting our light under a basketwhen neighbors or strangers are
knocking on our doors.
Let's be a light in thedarkness.
Let's light up the fun.
I mean really.
Let's literally light up ourhouses and our apartments and
say welcome.
Let's be the brightest house onthe block.
Cheerful and happy decorate ifyou enjoy that and have capacity
(05:09):
.
But at the least let's be themost generous givers.
Let's give the good candy.
Maybe that means get a greatbig chocolate bar.
Have some options for thosethat can't have chocolate, can't
have sugar.
Get the glow sticks.
I like to put them in a bag Ifyou want to put a fun tag on it
and say taste and see that theLord is good.
(05:31):
Or how about it's a treat tohave you as a neighbor?
Sure, you can put a gospeltrack that's friendly to kids,
or a good news glove, maybe theJesus film for kids.
But if you do, please don'tforget to add the candy as well.
Remember every good and perfectgift comes from God, and that
can be a candy treat.
(05:52):
In October.
It is wonderful as people knockon our doors, engage them to
start a relationship or godeeper in a relationship and to
give them a treat.
Be known as the generous house,not, oh, those are the people
that don't believe in candybecause they're Christians.
But don't forget the parents aswell, as they're walking around
with their kids.
(06:12):
How about have a drink tableoutside, cold water bottles for
where it's hot, or hot cider andhot chocolate and to go cups
for where it's cold.
When Romans 15:2, paulencourages the Romans, saying
Each of us should please ourneighbors for their good to
(06:32):
build them up.
How can we please our neighborsfor their good to build them up?
What common ground can we findon October 31st, on Halloween,
for me, as I'm driving in andout of my neighborhood, I like
to ask God to show me what willbuild my neighbors up, what are
each of their needs and how canI actually help meet that need?
(06:54):
And then I try to have big eyesto watch for when God shows me
a need and when it happens andI'm like, oh Lord, please, not
right now, I don't have capacity, then I pivot and say, lord,
thanks for showing me this need.
Could you give me the capacity,the time and the energy to help
meet that need?
Now, on Halloween, as I greetmy neighbors at the door, I'm
(07:17):
probably not going to go througha four-point gospel
presentation, but I am going towatch for how I can please my
neighbors and encourage themverbally.
It may simply be a conversationto say I'm so glad you came by
my house, you have the cutestoutfit and find something with
common ground and begin andstart a relationship and build
them up, even with sugar.
Jesslyn Adams (07:38):
I love those ideas, pam.
In fact I want to cometrick-or-treating at your house.
And those glow sticks Wonderfulidea.
Just had a dear friend in townwho left some goodie bags for
our boys in the glow sticks forthe party.
That never stopped until theydied out.
Wonderful idea for all ages.
Maybe you're that person,though, on Halloween and you
don't like hearing the doorbellring over and over or have to
(07:59):
get up from the couch.
Maybe you could just sitoutside with some candy and
greet the people as they come.
In fact, pam mentioned hey,check out the cute costumes.
I'm going to brag Our first boy.
He was nine months old he'sclearly not going to go
trick-or-treating and we got inthe cutest baby Yoda costume we
have ever seen.
So basically, we put him outlike eye candy on my lap.
(08:20):
Everybody loved him, everybodywas drawn to him.
They didn't care what kind ofcandy we had in our bucket and
we loved it.
And then, when it was hisbedtime of course I didn't want
the doorbell ringing I sat outthere and Dad put him to bed.
It was awesome and I got to seepeople and talk to them.
We were actually pleasantlysurprised how easy and fun that
was.
Also, you could throw a partybefore trick-or-treating.
(08:41):
Parents and their children needsustenance to carry all that
candy home.
This year we're going to dosomething similar.
We are going to be hosting ourfriends from our small group
Bible study and we're not doingnormal Bible study.
We're like man.
We got to be outside and bearound people in our neighbors
with an opportunity.
We're going to invite them overplay some yard games out in the
front yard.
Pam McCune (09:01):
Do you have any idea what kind of yard games you're
going to do?
Jesslyn Adams (09:04):
I have a tendency to want to pull out too many my
beloved pickleball, a smallerversion of it, cornhole,
possibly some canned jam,something for little kids going
fishing, for something in alittle bowl of water.
We basically want to be theparty in the front yard, not the
backyard.
That way we can hosttrick-or-treaters and they can
stay and play in our yard gamesand get a drink, whatever they
(09:25):
may need for fuel before thesugar rush.
Get some pizza or somethinglike that, and we'll have people
chip in for that, and we'llalso have some friends bring
some candy to hand out.
So it's not so much just forour host home.
Maybe we'll get creative andhave a photo-op station with
pumpkins or offer some dogtreats in a water bowl, but
either way, we're going to betogether and it's going to be
fun.
Pam McCune (09:43):
It sounds fun.
I actually want to go Now.
Will your kids gotrick-or-treating in the midst
of this as well?
Jesslyn Adams (09:50):
Oh yes, heaven forbid, they would be so sad if
we didn't go and we also seethat as a fun opportunity to
kind of divide and conquer asparents.
So what we do is we have someparents stay back hand out
treats to the kids that come byour house, and then the other
half we go trick-or-treatingwith our kids and it's fun the
conversations that we have as wego from house to house and our
(10:11):
kids are trucking along with us.
We meet new neighbors, we meetold neighbors.
It's actually a pretty funparty, if I do say so myself.
People are providing the goodsand we're just partaking and
having fun.
Pam McCune (10:22):
I think it's one of the best neighborhoods, social
that none of us actually had toplan too much.
I mean, you're going to planyour party.
None of us have to say, hey,let's have a treat day on
October 31.
It's already set up.
We just all get to jump in andbe a party.
Since the pandemic.
Jesslyn Adams (10:38):
I've noticed Halloween people are setting up
shop out in their driveway.
People are seeing this as anopportunity to hang out and have
community, no matter what yourspiritual background is.
And so you're right, theparty's already out there.
Go join in.
No publicity involved.
And, as Chip and Joanna say,teamwork makes the dream work.
So what would that look like atyour house?
Maybe inviting a friend over?
(10:59):
Who knows?
Pam McCune (10:59):
Just like we don't have many trick-or-treaters in
our neighborhood.
But this year one of the newerneighbors has organized a
special event Ride on the HangRide from house to house that is
available to Z-Nite to give outcandy, and I'm so excited to
finally have littles coming toour house.
I can't wait to see who comes.
I love to greet them and tofind common ground.
(11:22):
I love to encourage the bottomline.
I want to try to bond over afun social night that brings
everyone outside to be together.
Whatever you do, please don'tleave a note on your door saying
we are Christians, thus wedon't celebrate Halloween, even
if your conviction is.
I cannot embrace Halloween.
You can still be a treater.
(11:43):
Fall is a great time to thinkthrough new neighbors to welcome
.
Maybe you assemble a fall giftbag with simple ideas.
Maybe it's a candle that has aseasonal pumpkin smell.
Mrs Meyer's cleaning supplies,go ahead and put a real pumpkin
in there.
Maybe some gourmet popcorn witha fall flavor.
It doesn't have to be thecutest basket.
(12:03):
Something is better thannothing.
Don't be paralyzed.
I have to put it all togetherperfectly.
I personally forego the basketand I'd get a big clear bag from
Dollar Tree and put a seasonalribbon on it with a card In the
note.
I might say it's a treat havingyou as a neighbor.
Maybe I'll go out on a limb andsay pop on over anytime and
(12:24):
leave my name and my number.
Giving a gift without an agendaother than to be welcoming and
show care can build trust andcreate opportunities down the
road.
But beware if you give a giftand invite them to come over at
any time, they might come.
My husband and I did giftbaskets during the pandemic for
all those that had moved in andmy husband went and delivered
(12:47):
them.
One neighbor wasn't home whenhe dropped it off, but 20
minutes later they had found itand they were so excited to have
been welcome that they got ontheir bikes and they came over
ringing my doorbell.
Now I personally was still inmy flannel PJs and was not
expecting guests.
We had the best conversation onthe porch, getting to know them
(13:09):
and saying come, as you are soglad to get to know you.
Now, what I say in my note maynot fit what you would say.
This is not a one size fit allfor me.
I'm trying to convey gladyou're here.
Let me know if I can help makeyour entry to the neighborhood
any easier.
Whatever your personality andcapacity, the heart is to say
(13:30):
welcome to the neighborhood.
Something is better thannothing.
I had a friend move in onewinter and a center of tech
saying I'm so excited thatyou're in our neighborhood.
And then I got busy.
I had a family emergency and itsix months went by and I had
never invited them over and Ihave to tell you I felt a lot of
guilt and shame that I hadn'twelcomed them more.
(13:50):
But you know what?
It's never too late to do theright thing and try to tell
somebody you're glad you'rethere.
The heart of a gift or a note isto begin a relationship with a
new neighbor and for us to tryand take the first step to say
hi.
I've missed so manyopportunities over the years.
It's not that I can be bestfriends with everyone or even
(14:11):
available to everyone that movesin, but I will never forget
moving to Nacogdoches 36 yearsago and trying to find my place.
I was busy in college ministryand loved my college students
who were kindred spirits butcouldn't find my place with
peers.
It seemed like everyone hadtheir friends and their
schedules were full and theydidn't need anymore.
One of my teammates and I said,hey, we need to watch for who
(14:34):
moves out of Nacogdoches and seewho their friends were and see
if they want to become friendswith us.
We wanted to be known.
Reaching out to a new neighboris not committing your life to
be there for all their needs.
It is taking a step of faithand saying God as I'm praying
for those who move into myneighborhood.
I trust you brought them here.
Don't let me miss what you'recalling me to.
(14:56):
In their life, most people arebusy and are not looking for new
best friends.
But even in each of ourbusyness many are lonely in a
five minute conversation wherewe are curious about them.
Listen and show care speaksvolumes, pam.
Jesslyn Adams (15:13):
I love the idea that we can all be a treater,
and one other way to be atreater is maybe to volunteer at
your kid's school.
I know my boy's school.
There's always an opportunity,even since they've been in
preschool, to come help out witha class party or to bring
treats and volunteering andbeing the one to pick out the
non-scary plates or fun Justjump into it, enjoy it, use the
(15:34):
opportunity to get to know otherparents or your child's
teachers or their friends.
That's the best place.
Pam McCune (15:40):
Another way to be a treater is to be a tricky
treater.
You can do random acts ofkindness throughout this month
to encourage different people.
One time, when we were workingwith fifth and sixth grade girls
, we took them on an adventureone evening to leave treats to
three different people that weregoing through hard times.
We made signs, wrote a note,gave a little gift and we went
(16:03):
up to their door and left thosetreats.
Now, in today's day, I mightencourage you to call the
parents ahead of time and letthem know that you're sneaking
around the front yard leavingtreats.
But our girls love getting tobe tricky treaters.
Elizabeth Hasselhoff she doessomething called pump up
pumpkins.
She says buy one of thoselittle pumpkins, think of
(16:23):
someone you would like toencourage and write them a short
note or a word.
Go leave it at their desk atwork or on their porch, at their
house or maybe by their car,and say I want to pump you up.
It is the thought that counts.
It doesn't have to take a lotof money or a lot of time, but
just saying to people I see youand I care about you.
Jesslyn Adams (16:42):
I love that, pam.
I think that's something I cando, since I don't love to bake.
You know what else we can do inthe fall?
We can host an event, becauseyou know what?
The fall weather is awesome andeverybody's dying to get
outside, and pumpkin decoratingis a great option for this
season.
If hosting a big group feelsoverwhelming, you can have a few
kids over.
Less can be more.
Last year I had this opportunitywith my neighbor.
(17:03):
I wasn't planning on havinganybody over, but I went to the
grocery store, saw the minipumpkins, thought those are so
cute.
I'm going to be that crafty momand we're just going to paint
them.
I don't want to deal withcarving them, that's messy,
we'll just paint.
I got them.
I came back home and as wepulled into the driveway I see
our neighbors playing out in thefront yard and she said what
are you all up to?
And I said painting pumpkins.
(17:24):
Why don't you come over?
And it was so fun and it wassuper and quick and easy.
To be honest, one of ourteammates of Pam and I have done
this for three years in a row.
She is convinced it ispropelled relationships with her
neighbors from.
I don't know you at all too.
I enjoy you.
I can see myself visiting youin your home.
It has been a success withfamilies and kids of all ages.
(17:45):
There are lots of ways you cando this to make it work for you
providing a miniature pumpkin,some paints, stickers, ribbons,
and let the kids have at it.
The kids love it and theparents will be uber-thinkful
for you providing thisexperience, and it's just plain
fun.
Older kids can even do thepumpkin carving.
Other follow-ups can be anoutdoor movie night or any other
(18:07):
kind of neighborhood social.
Not too long ago, my family andI decided to host a grill and
chill.
I mentioned earlier I love yardgames.
We brought our grill outside inthe front yard.
My husband grilled hamburgersand hot dogs.
We asked every neighbor if theycould come bring a camping
chair and a side, and we had somuch food.
People were eager to come and Iasked a couple of friends to
(18:27):
help out so I could mingle.
As a host, we sat in the frontyard.
People easily engage with oneanother.
There is just something specialabout sharing a meal with one
another.
People feel connected.
Feel free to invite even justone person, or a family, or many
People are dying to connectrelationally and that grill and
chill changed the dynamic on ourstreet and opened the door to
(18:50):
new friendships.
Pam McCune (18:51):
Jess, and I love that.
That was something you feltreally comfortable with Grilling
, having people over in thefront yard and then letting
other people be apart.
For some of us, we might haveone special recipe we like to
make.
Do that Bottom line is it's notabout the specific food, it's
more about we all need to eat,so let's get together and have
(19:12):
some relationships.
We have a great chili recipethat we'll share on the
Kaltesheim Instagram.
Now, for everyone that doesn'tlike chili, this is the chili
that when we serve it, peoplesay I love your chili.
It is simple, it is gluten-freeand it's easy to serve.
You can heat up the day beforein the crock pot and it gets
(19:33):
better over time.
Now one other idea.
We've also hosted a junior highparty.
That was a lot of fun.
We called it the Fear Not Partybecause we embraced this is not
a season that you have to fear,and we hosted it with another
family.
We had a large bonfire andaround it we told them they were
going to come and hear scarystories and we told some of the
(19:55):
original Halloween stories whenAll Saints Day was put on a
calendar and 24 hours ahead ofthat was Aholo's Eve and it was
the day to remember those thathad actually been martyred for
their faith in Christ and howthey had stood strong and said I
will not recant my faith, Ibelieve in Jesus.
And we told some of the storiesaround the bonfire and, as we
(20:18):
told Polycarp and differentstories, we told them about why
these people were faithful toChrist and they did not fear
death.
They feared not having God.
There are a lot of scary thingsaround this tricky season of
Halloween, but the thing youdon't have to fear is being in
relationship with God andknowing He'll be with you always
(20:40):
.
We also did a costume contestwhere they paraded across the
porch in their costumes to musicand we played flashlight tag.
The kids laughed, the kidsplayed, they felt like this was
fun and it was a bonding time.
Jesslyn Adams (20:54):
That does sound fun.
My kids would love that and mykids love talking about scary
things.
I say, why not talk about it ifeverybody else is?
Now, if these ideas seem alittle overwhelming to you in
this season in your capacity, noworries.
Let us suggest one simple ideaGet outside.
That's all you need to do thisfall.
(21:14):
Hang out in your yard, go for awalk, move the party from the
backyard to the front yard.
Ask God to give you anopportunity to say hi to someone
you can begin a friendship withor go deeper with, and then
watch out for the opportunity,because I believe it'll come.
Remember, stars shine brightestwhen they are the closest.
Stop and consider who isclosest to you.
How can you share your lightand warmth to those around you?
(21:37):
By simply being kind, givingtreats and beginning, as well as
going deeper in friendship.
Ask God to nudge you when he'scalling you, to step out and
show care, and remember he is incharge of the results.
Pam McCune (21:50):
Benjamin Franklin wanted to interest the people in
Philadelphia in street lighting.
He did not organize a townmeeting, nor did he try to
persuade the people by talkingabout it.
He acted upon what heconsidered a good idea.
He hung a beautiful lantern ona long bracket in front of his
house.
He kept the glass polished andhe carefully trimmed and lit the
(22:12):
wick every evening at theapproach of dusk.
The lamp helped the people seethe pavement ahead and made them
feel more secure at night.
Others began placing lights infront of their houses.
Soon Philadelphia recognizedthe need for street lights.
Today we can be the one tolight up our neighborhoods with
(22:33):
the light of life.
We can let God's love, his care, his warmth shine to those in
our path by showing mercy andlove, and then we can trust God
with the results and see how helights up our neighborhoods and
our city.
Jesslyn Adams (22:50):
We have so much more to explore together, so be
sure to subscribe to our podcast, and if today is inspired or
encouraged you, you can helpothers find us by taking a
moment to give us a review onyour favorite podcast streaming
site.
Pam McCune (23:02):
As our thanks for joining us here, we invite you
to follow us on Instagram atcalled2shine and find out how to
enter to win a pair of AppleAirPods.
As part of our called2shineInstagram community, you will
get encouragement and ideas tohelp you connect to the people
around you.
Jesslyn Adams (23:19):
As always, you can find resources to help you
shine the light of Jesus atnbs2gocom neighbor Bible studies
to go In our next episode.
Stars shine brightest when it'sdarkest.
Who is going through a darktime?
That you can shine God's lightand warmth with simply your
presence and just showing up.
Pam McCune (23:37):
Thanks for joining us.
We are called2shine.
Hello.
Pam McCune (00:08):
Jesslyn here and Pam , welcome to the community where
we explore how Jesus is ourlight.
Jesslyn Adams (00:14):
And we are here to spur each other on to love
God and others, right where welive.
We are called to shine.
Pam McCune (00:22):
In the universe which stars shine the brightest?
Those that are closest.
Proximity is everything,whether the sun, it is not the
biggest star, but it is theclosest to the Earth and because
of its proximity it gives usthe most light and warmth.
In the same way, god uses whowe are and where we live, work
(00:42):
and hang out to be a light andgive warmth to those around us.
We get to shine God's love andmercy to those in our path.
Jesslyn Adams (00:51):
And what better time to shine out to people than
in the fall?
Not only does fall usher in newcolors and cooler temperatures
praise God it can also usher innew attitudes and openness.
Some of us need a reset toremember.
Oh yeah, we can go outsideagain.
I love the things that fallushers in.
My husband may think I overdoit at times and he may be right.
(01:13):
Things like pumpkin spice latte, apple spice candle, the
changing colors on the leavesand eating fall foods, baking
everything pumpkin from pie tobread to muffins, and drinking
apple cider, or even eatingchili.
Pam, what are your favoriteparts of the fall season?
Pam McCune (01:29):
I love the colors of fall and I love pumpkins.
I've been known to go a littleoverboard with my collection
because I don't want just theregular pumpkins, I want the
Cinderella, I want the greenones, I want the pink ones.
This year I was in Houston withmy daughter and we took the
two-year-old and thetwo-month-old my grand little to
the grocery store because itwas 90 degrees outside.
(01:52):
Who wants to go to a pumpkinpatch?
And we bonded with the pumpkins.
Hazel touched each one of them.
She found out which ones wereher favorite Justine.
There was one that was biggerthan her.
The title of it was the Big MacPumpkin.
That is our family.
My husband's nick names are BigMac and J-Mac, my son is C-Mac
and we're the Macs.
(02:12):
I did not buy the $70 pumpkin,but I took a picture of Hazel
with it and we did our ownpumpkin patch in the grocery
store.
We had a great photo op timeinside the air conditioning and
I only bought a few.
You would be so proud of mebecause they all fit in the car
this time and we didn't have tocome back in a truck.
Jesslyn Adams (02:32):
Pam, I love that you took advantage of a photo op
in the air conditioning, andI'm thinking that is the new
pumpkin patch of Texas, so I'mgonna have to do that this year.
Well, for those that haven'texperienced any of those fall
signs yet, feel free to turnyour air conditioner on to make
the house fallish, light thepumpkin smells and drink
something hot and snuggle into afuzzy blanket.
(02:52):
As we lean into two areas, wecan be a light this fall season
to the people in your proximity,lighting up the fall and
lighting up the fun.
As we give several ideas, weencourage you to listen for one
or two that work for you in yourgifting and capacity.
The fall can be tricky.
As we get to October 31st andwhat to do about this cultural
(03:12):
holiday, we are told to not beovercome by evil, but overcome
evil with good.
In this season we have anopportunity to shine the light
of God in the midst of thingsthat can be considered evil.
God, who is able to redeem allthings, can even redeem October
31st.
We recognize there aredifferent convictions around
Halloween and trick-or-treating,but one thing that we believe
(03:35):
we can embrace about is anopportunity to be generous.
Pam, you know a little bitabout this topic, as you
co-authored a book about it.
Redeeming Halloween.
Pam McCune (03:45):
I did.
That shows the power of Godjust one, because I am a math
person, not an English person,as only God can do.
He let me become friends withan incredible English major who
loved to write.
We co-authored a book aboutChristmas how to Redeem this
Season.
Our publisher came and said hey, we know what we want you to do
next.
(04:05):
We want you to redeem Halloween.
We looked at each other andsaid oh, that's funny, because
neither one of us do Halloween.
When Kim and I dove in, could weredeem Halloween?
We researched and, as we soughtGod about what to do, we landed
at the same place together,confident that on October 31st
(04:26):
it truly was an opportunityknocking when our neighbors come
to us and knock on our door.
It's an opportunity forrelationships and to be a light.
Jesus said it best when he saidlet your light shine, don't put
it under a basket.
And we decided turning down ourlights and hiding felt like
(04:47):
putting our light under a basketwhen neighbors or strangers are
knocking on our doors.
Let's be a light in thedarkness.
Let's light up the fun.
I mean really.
Let's literally light up ourhouses and our apartments and
say welcome.
Let's be the brightest house onthe block.
Cheerful and happy decorate ifyou enjoy that and have capacity
(05:09):
.
But at the least let's be themost generous givers.
Let's give the good candy.
Maybe that means get a greatbig chocolate bar.
Have some options for thosethat can't have chocolate, can't
have sugar.
Get the glow sticks.
I like to put them in a bag Ifyou want to put a fun tag on it
and say taste and see that theLord is good.
(05:31):
Or how about it's a treat tohave you as a neighbor?
Sure, you can put a gospeltrack that's friendly to kids,
or a good news glove, maybe theJesus film for kids.
But if you do, please don'tforget to add the candy as well.
Remember every good and perfectgift comes from God, and that
can be a candy treat.
(05:52):
In October.
It is wonderful as people knockon our doors, engage them to
start a relationship or godeeper in a relationship and to
give them a treat.
Be known as the generous house,not, oh, those are the people
that don't believe in candybecause they're Christians.
But don't forget the parents aswell, as they're walking around
with their kids.
(06:12):
How about have a drink tableoutside, cold water bottles for
where it's hot, or hot cider andhot chocolate and to go cups
for where it's cold.
When Romans 15:2, paulencourages the Romans, saying
Each of us should please ourneighbors for their good to
(06:32):
build them up.
How can we please our neighborsfor their good to build them up?
What common ground can we findon October 31st, on Halloween,
for me, as I'm driving in andout of my neighborhood, I like
to ask God to show me what willbuild my neighbors up, what are
each of their needs and how canI actually help meet that need?
(06:54):
And then I try to have big eyesto watch for when God shows me
a need and when it happens andI'm like, oh Lord, please, not
right now, I don't have capacity, then I pivot and say, lord,
thanks for showing me this need.
Could you give me the capacity,the time and the energy to help
meet that need?
Now, on Halloween, as I greetmy neighbors at the door, I'm
(07:17):
probably not going to go througha four-point gospel
presentation, but I am going towatch for how I can please my
neighbors and encourage themverbally.
It may simply be a conversationto say I'm so glad you came by
my house, you have the cutestoutfit and find something with
common ground and begin andstart a relationship and build
them up, even with sugar.
Jesslyn Adams (07:38):
I love those ideas, pam.
In fact I want to cometrick-or-treating at your house.
And those glow sticks Wonderfulidea.
Just had a dear friend in townwho left some goodie bags for
our boys in the glow sticks forthe party.
That never stopped until theydied out.
Wonderful idea for all ages.
Maybe you're that person,though, on Halloween and you
don't like hearing the doorbellring over and over or have to
(07:59):
get up from the couch.
Maybe you could just sitoutside with some candy and
greet the people as they come.
In fact, pam mentioned hey,check out the cute costumes.
I'm going to brag Our first boy.
He was nine months old he'sclearly not going to go
trick-or-treating and we got inthe cutest baby Yoda costume we
have ever seen.
So basically, we put him outlike eye candy on my lap.
(08:20):
Everybody loved him, everybodywas drawn to him.
They didn't care what kind ofcandy we had in our bucket and
we loved it.
And then, when it was hisbedtime of course I didn't want
the doorbell ringing I sat outthere and Dad put him to bed.
It was awesome and I got to seepeople and talk to them.
We were actually pleasantlysurprised how easy and fun that
was.
Also, you could throw a partybefore trick-or-treating.
(08:41):
Parents and their children needsustenance to carry all that
candy home.
This year we're going to dosomething similar.
We are going to be hosting ourfriends from our small group
Bible study and we're not doingnormal Bible study.
We're like man.
We got to be outside and bearound people in our neighbors
with an opportunity.
We're going to invite them overplay some yard games out in the
front yard.
Pam McCune (09:01):
Do you have any idea what kind of yard games you're
going to do?
Jesslyn Adams (09:04):
I have a tendency to want to pull out too many my
beloved pickleball, a smallerversion of it, cornhole,
possibly some canned jam,something for little kids going
fishing, for something in alittle bowl of water.
We basically want to be theparty in the front yard, not the
backyard.
That way we can hosttrick-or-treaters and they can
stay and play in our yard gamesand get a drink, whatever they
(09:25):
may need for fuel before thesugar rush.
Get some pizza or somethinglike that, and we'll have people
chip in for that, and we'llalso have some friends bring
some candy to hand out.
So it's not so much just forour host home.
Maybe we'll get creative andhave a photo-op station with
pumpkins or offer some dogtreats in a water bowl, but
either way, we're going to betogether and it's going to be
fun.
Pam McCune (09:43):
It sounds fun.
I actually want to go Now.
Will your kids gotrick-or-treating in the midst
of this as well?
Jesslyn Adams (09:50):
Oh yes, heaven forbid, they would be so sad if
we didn't go and we also seethat as a fun opportunity to
kind of divide and conquer asparents.
So what we do is we have someparents stay back hand out
treats to the kids that come byour house, and then the other
half we go trick-or-treatingwith our kids and it's fun the
conversations that we have as wego from house to house and our
(10:11):
kids are trucking along with us.
We meet new neighbors, we meetold neighbors.
It's actually a pretty funparty, if I do say so myself.
People are providing the goodsand we're just partaking and
having fun.
Pam McCune (10:22):
I think it's one of the best neighborhoods, social
that none of us actually had toplan too much.
I mean, you're going to planyour party.
None of us have to say, hey,let's have a treat day on
October 31.
It's already set up.
We just all get to jump in andbe a party.
Since the pandemic.
Jesslyn Adams (10:38):
I've noticed Halloween people are setting up
shop out in their driveway.
People are seeing this as anopportunity to hang out and have
community, no matter what yourspiritual background is.
And so you're right, theparty's already out there.
Go join in.
No publicity involved.
And, as Chip and Joanna say,teamwork makes the dream work.
So what would that look like atyour house?
Maybe inviting a friend over?
(10:59):
Who knows?
Pam McCune (10:59):
Just like we don't have many trick-or-treaters in
our neighborhood.
But this year one of the newerneighbors has organized a
special event Ride on the HangRide from house to house that is
available to Z-Nite to give outcandy, and I'm so excited to
finally have littles coming toour house.
I can't wait to see who comes.
I love to greet them and tofind common ground.
(11:22):
I love to encourage the bottomline.
I want to try to bond over afun social night that brings
everyone outside to be together.
Whatever you do, please don'tleave a note on your door saying
we are Christians, thus wedon't celebrate Halloween, even
if your conviction is.
I cannot embrace Halloween.
You can still be a treater.
(11:43):
Fall is a great time to thinkthrough new neighbors to welcome
.
Maybe you assemble a fall giftbag with simple ideas.
Maybe it's a candle that has aseasonal pumpkin smell.
Mrs Meyer's cleaning supplies,go ahead and put a real pumpkin
in there.
Maybe some gourmet popcorn witha fall flavor.
It doesn't have to be thecutest basket.
(12:03):
Something is better thannothing.
Don't be paralyzed.
I have to put it all togetherperfectly.
I personally forego the basketand I'd get a big clear bag from
Dollar Tree and put a seasonalribbon on it with a card In the
note.
I might say it's a treat havingyou as a neighbor.
Maybe I'll go out on a limb andsay pop on over anytime and
(12:24):
leave my name and my number.
Giving a gift without an agendaother than to be welcoming and
show care can build trust andcreate opportunities down the
road.
But beware if you give a giftand invite them to come over at
any time, they might come.
My husband and I did giftbaskets during the pandemic for
all those that had moved in andmy husband went and delivered
(12:47):
them.
One neighbor wasn't home whenhe dropped it off, but 20
minutes later they had found itand they were so excited to have
been welcome that they got ontheir bikes and they came over
ringing my doorbell.
Now I personally was still inmy flannel PJs and was not
expecting guests.
We had the best conversation onthe porch, getting to know them
(13:09):
and saying come, as you are soglad to get to know you.
Now, what I say in my note maynot fit what you would say.
This is not a one size fit allfor me.
I'm trying to convey gladyou're here.
Let me know if I can help makeyour entry to the neighborhood
any easier.
Whatever your personality andcapacity, the heart is to say
(13:30):
welcome to the neighborhood.
Something is better thannothing.
I had a friend move in onewinter and a center of tech
saying I'm so excited thatyou're in our neighborhood.
And then I got busy.
I had a family emergency and itsix months went by and I had
never invited them over and Ihave to tell you I felt a lot of
guilt and shame that I hadn'twelcomed them more.
(13:50):
But you know what?
It's never too late to do theright thing and try to tell
somebody you're glad you'rethere.
The heart of a gift or a note isto begin a relationship with a
new neighbor and for us to tryand take the first step to say
hi.
I've missed so manyopportunities over the years.
It's not that I can be bestfriends with everyone or even
(14:11):
available to everyone that movesin, but I will never forget
moving to Nacogdoches 36 yearsago and trying to find my place.
I was busy in college ministryand loved my college students
who were kindred spirits butcouldn't find my place with
peers.
It seemed like everyone hadtheir friends and their
schedules were full and theydidn't need anymore.
One of my teammates and I said,hey, we need to watch for who
(14:34):
moves out of Nacogdoches and seewho their friends were and see
if they want to become friendswith us.
We wanted to be known.
Reaching out to a new neighboris not committing your life to
be there for all their needs.
It is taking a step of faithand saying God as I'm praying
for those who move into myneighborhood.
I trust you brought them here.
Don't let me miss what you'recalling me to.
(14:56):
In their life, most people arebusy and are not looking for new
best friends.
But even in each of ourbusyness many are lonely in a
five minute conversation wherewe are curious about them.
Listen and show care speaksvolumes, pam.
Jesslyn Adams (15:13):
I love the idea that we can all be a treater,
and one other way to be atreater is maybe to volunteer at
your kid's school.
I know my boy's school.
There's always an opportunity,even since they've been in
preschool, to come help out witha class party or to bring
treats and volunteering andbeing the one to pick out the
non-scary plates or fun Justjump into it, enjoy it, use the
(15:34):
opportunity to get to know otherparents or your child's
teachers or their friends.
That's the best place.
Pam McCune (15:40):
Another way to be a treater is to be a tricky
treater.
You can do random acts ofkindness throughout this month
to encourage different people.
One time, when we were workingwith fifth and sixth grade girls
, we took them on an adventureone evening to leave treats to
three different people that weregoing through hard times.
We made signs, wrote a note,gave a little gift and we went
(16:03):
up to their door and left thosetreats.
Now, in today's day, I mightencourage you to call the
parents ahead of time and letthem know that you're sneaking
around the front yard leavingtreats.
But our girls love getting tobe tricky treaters.
Elizabeth Hasselhoff she doessomething called pump up
pumpkins.
She says buy one of thoselittle pumpkins, think of
(16:23):
someone you would like toencourage and write them a short
note or a word.
Go leave it at their desk atwork or on their porch, at their
house or maybe by their car,and say I want to pump you up.
It is the thought that counts.
It doesn't have to take a lotof money or a lot of time, but
just saying to people I see youand I care about you.
Jesslyn Adams (16:42):
I love that, pam.
I think that's something I cando, since I don't love to bake.
You know what else we can do inthe fall?
We can host an event, becauseyou know what?
The fall weather is awesome andeverybody's dying to get
outside, and pumpkin decoratingis a great option for this
season.
If hosting a big group feelsoverwhelming, you can have a few
kids over.
Less can be more.
Last year I had this opportunitywith my neighbor.
(17:03):
I wasn't planning on havinganybody over, but I went to the
grocery store, saw the minipumpkins, thought those are so
cute.
I'm going to be that crafty momand we're just going to paint
them.
I don't want to deal withcarving them, that's messy,
we'll just paint.
I got them.
I came back home and as wepulled into the driveway I see
our neighbors playing out in thefront yard and she said what
are you all up to?
And I said painting pumpkins.
(17:24):
Why don't you come over?
And it was so fun and it wassuper and quick and easy.
To be honest, one of ourteammates of Pam and I have done
this for three years in a row.
She is convinced it ispropelled relationships with her
neighbors from.
I don't know you at all too.
I enjoy you.
I can see myself visiting youin your home.
It has been a success withfamilies and kids of all ages.
(17:45):
There are lots of ways you cando this to make it work for you
providing a miniature pumpkin,some paints, stickers, ribbons,
and let the kids have at it.
The kids love it and theparents will be uber-thinkful
for you providing thisexperience, and it's just plain
fun.
Older kids can even do thepumpkin carving.
Other follow-ups can be anoutdoor movie night or any other
(18:07):
kind of neighborhood social.
Not too long ago, my family andI decided to host a grill and
chill.
I mentioned earlier I love yardgames.
We brought our grill outside inthe front yard.
My husband grilled hamburgersand hot dogs.
We asked every neighbor if theycould come bring a camping
chair and a side, and we had somuch food.
People were eager to come and Iasked a couple of friends to
(18:27):
help out so I could mingle.
As a host, we sat in the frontyard.
People easily engage with oneanother.
There is just something specialabout sharing a meal with one
another.
People feel connected.
Feel free to invite even justone person, or a family, or many
People are dying to connectrelationally and that grill and
chill changed the dynamic on ourstreet and opened the door to
(18:50):
new friendships.
Pam McCune (18:51):
Jess, and I love that.
That was something you feltreally comfortable with Grilling
, having people over in thefront yard and then letting
other people be apart.
For some of us, we might haveone special recipe we like to
make.
Do that Bottom line is it's notabout the specific food, it's
more about we all need to eat,so let's get together and have
(19:12):
some relationships.
We have a great chili recipethat we'll share on the
Kaltesheim Instagram.
Now, for everyone that doesn'tlike chili, this is the chili
that when we serve it, peoplesay I love your chili.
It is simple, it is gluten-freeand it's easy to serve.
You can heat up the day beforein the crock pot and it gets
(19:33):
better over time.
Now one other idea.
We've also hosted a junior highparty.
That was a lot of fun.
We called it the Fear Not Partybecause we embraced this is not
a season that you have to fear,and we hosted it with another
family.
We had a large bonfire andaround it we told them they were
going to come and hear scarystories and we told some of the
(19:55):
original Halloween stories whenAll Saints Day was put on a
calendar and 24 hours ahead ofthat was Aholo's Eve and it was
the day to remember those thathad actually been martyred for
their faith in Christ and howthey had stood strong and said I
will not recant my faith, Ibelieve in Jesus.
And we told some of the storiesaround the bonfire and, as we
(20:18):
told Polycarp and differentstories, we told them about why
these people were faithful toChrist and they did not fear
death.
They feared not having God.
There are a lot of scary thingsaround this tricky season of
Halloween, but the thing youdon't have to fear is being in
relationship with God andknowing He'll be with you always
(20:40):
.
We also did a costume contestwhere they paraded across the
porch in their costumes to musicand we played flashlight tag.
The kids laughed, the kidsplayed, they felt like this was
fun and it was a bonding time.
Jesslyn Adams (20:54):
That does sound fun.
My kids would love that and mykids love talking about scary
things.
I say, why not talk about it ifeverybody else is?
Now, if these ideas seem alittle overwhelming to you in
this season in your capacity, noworries.
Let us suggest one simple ideaGet outside.
That's all you need to do thisfall.
(21:14):
Hang out in your yard, go for awalk, move the party from the
backyard to the front yard.
Ask God to give you anopportunity to say hi to someone
you can begin a friendship withor go deeper with, and then
watch out for the opportunity,because I believe it'll come.
Remember, stars shine brightestwhen they are the closest.
Stop and consider who isclosest to you.
How can you share your lightand warmth to those around you?
(21:37):
By simply being kind, givingtreats and beginning, as well as
going deeper in friendship.
Ask God to nudge you when he'scalling you, to step out and
show care, and remember he is incharge of the results.
Pam McCune (21:50):
Benjamin Franklin wanted to interest the people in
Philadelphia in street lighting.
He did not organize a townmeeting, nor did he try to
persuade the people by talkingabout it.
He acted upon what heconsidered a good idea.
He hung a beautiful lantern ona long bracket in front of his
house.
He kept the glass polished andhe carefully trimmed and lit the
(22:12):
wick every evening at theapproach of dusk.
The lamp helped the people seethe pavement ahead and made them
feel more secure at night.
Others began placing lights infront of their houses.
Soon Philadelphia recognizedthe need for street lights.
Today we can be the one tolight up our neighborhoods with
(22:33):
the light of life.
We can let God's love, his care, his warmth shine to those in
our path by showing mercy andlove, and then we can trust God
with the results and see how helights up our neighborhoods and
our city.
Jesslyn Adams (22:50):
We have so much more to explore together, so be
sure to subscribe to our podcast, and if today is inspired or
encouraged you, you can helpothers find us by taking a
moment to give us a review onyour favorite podcast streaming
site.
Pam McCune (23:02):
As our thanks for joining us here, we invite you
to follow us on Instagram atcalled2shine and find out how to
enter to win a pair of AppleAirPods.
As part of our called2shineInstagram community, you will
get encouragement and ideas tohelp you connect to the people
around you.
Jesslyn Adams (23:19):
As always, you can find resources to help you
shine the light of Jesus atnbs2gocom neighbor Bible studies
to go In our next episode.
Stars shine brightest when it'sdarkest.
Who is going through a darktime?
That you can shine God's lightand warmth with simply your
presence and just showing up.
Pam McCune (23:37):
Thanks for joining us.
We are called2shine.
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