Words from the Heart

Every October, it seems like Christian parents start asking the same question: What do we do with Halloween? Do we trick-or-treat? Do we dress up? Are pumpkins okay? What about witches, ghosts, skeletons, haunted houses, and all the darker things that seem to come with this time of year? As a first-time mom, this is one of those things I’m realizing I actually have to think through now. Before having a child, Halloween was just Halloween. I didn’t spend nearly as much time thinking about what we would participate in, what we wouldn’t, or how we would explain those decisions. But becoming a parent has made me look at a lot of things differently. Now I find myself thinking less about what I am comfortable with and more about what I want my daughter to grow up understanding. What do I want her to associate with this season? What do I want to teach her about things that are dark or scary? And how do I teach her to recognize what honors God without making her afraid of the world around her? I also know that faithful Christian families land in different places here. Some families don’t participate in Halloween at all. Some go to a church harvest festival. Some let their children dress up and trick-or-treat but stay away from the darker parts of the holiday. I don’t think the answer necessarily has to look exactly the same in every Christian home. But I do think we should be intentional. Instead of simply asking, “Can Christians celebrate Halloween?” maybe a better question is: How can we enjoy the good and beautiful parts of this season without letting the culture around us decide what our family celebrates? That’s the question I’m trying to think through for my own family. 1. We Don't Have to Be Afraid of the Dark One thing I know I don't want to teach my daughter is that Christians should be afraid of darkness. There is plenty about Halloween that intentionally tries to make darkness feel powerful—ghosts, demons, witches, death, fear, and all kinds of scary imagery. But that isn't the story Scripture tells us. John 1:5 says: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” I love that verse, especially as a parent. I want my daughter to know that evil is real, but I don't want her growing up thinking Christians need to be terrified of it. I want her to know that Jesus is greater. There is a difference between telling our children, “Stay away from that because it's scary,” and teaching them, “We don't celebrate that because we belong to Jesus.” One comes from fear. The other comes from knowing who we belong to. As I think through how we'll handle Halloween as she gets older, that's the foundation I want to come back to: we don't have to fear the darkness because we know the Light. 2. Not Everything About October Belongs to Halloween This might be one of my favorite things I've realized while thinking about all of this: Halloween doesn't own October. Pumpkins, apples, changing leaves, crisp mornings, pumpkin patches, hayrides, bonfires, harvests, and evenings outside with family are all part of God's creation. Sometimes, especially as Christians, we can become so focused on avoiding what is wrong that we accidentally miss everything beautiful that God has given us to enjoy. And there is so much beauty in fall. I want my daughter to grow up going to pumpkin patches, playing in leaves, baking fall treats with me, spending time outside, and noticing the changing seasons. Even something as simple as a pumpkin can become an opportunity to point her back to God. A pumpkin doesn't belong to Halloween. It belongs to God. He made the seed, the soil, the rain, the sunshine, and the harvest. I love thinking about it that way. The world doesn't get to claim something God created just because it has become associated with a holiday. We can enjoy the season and still be thoughtful about what we choose to celebrate within it. 3. We Can Make Different Choices Without Condemning Each Other This is another part of the conversation that can get complicated quickly because Christians have some very strong opinions about Halloween. There are families who feel very convicted not to participate at all. There are other families who see no problem with letting their children dress like a princess or superhero and walk around the neighborhood collecting candy. I don't think my role is to tell every Christian family exactly where that line should be, especially because I'm still figuring out where some of those lines will be in our own home. What I do think matters is that we're actually thinking about them. Are we doing something simply because everyone else does it? Does anything we're participating in celebrate something Scripture tells us to stay away from? What are our children learning from it? Can we participate with a clear conscience before God? Those are the kinds of questions I want to keep asking as my daughter gets older. Romans 14 also reminds me that Christians can have different convictions about disputable matters while still seeking to honor the Lord. So maybe one family trick-or-treats, another goes to a church fall festival, and another orders pizza, stays home, and has a family movie night. I don't think our goal should be making every Christian family look identical. Our goal should be raising children who know how to follow Jesus even when the culture around them is doing something different. 4. I Want to Explain Our “No's” This is probably something I'm going to have to learn as a mom over and over again. I don't want my daughter to grow up hearing only, No. We don't do that. That's bad. Christians don't do that. I want her to understand why. Of course, when she's very little, those explanations will be simple. Maybe it's, “We aren't afraid of witches. We just don't celebrate witchcraft.” Or, “We don't need scary things to have fun.” Or simply, “We don't celebrate evil because we belong to Jesus.” I don't want to make darkness fascinating by constantly talking about it, and I don't want to make it terrifying either. I just want to calmly teach her, little by little, that our family doesn't have to participate in everything the world celebrates. As she gets older, those conversations can get deeper. Ultimately, I don't just want to raise a child who knows our family's rules. I want to raise a child who eventually knows how to discern for herself what honors God and what doesn't. 5. Use the Season to Talk About Light This may be the part of the season I love most because light and darkness are concepts even really little children can understand. You can actually show them. Turn off the lights in a room and let it get completely dark. Then turn on one little light. Everything changes. That simple picture makes John 1:5 feel so tangible: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” It’s also one reason I love having the Iam the Lamb® Night Light in a child’s room. It’s practical, of course, but I love that it can also become a visual reminder of something much bigger. At bedtime, when the room is dark and that little lamb light is glowing, it creates such a natural opening to talk about Jesus as the Light and to remind our children that darkness is never stronger than Him. This month, we're also offering a free Iam the Lamb® Night Light with any purchase of $49 or more through October 31. If you’re already shopping for Christmas gifts, books, or something meaningful for a little one, you can add the Night Light to your cart and the discount will be applied automatically. More than anything, though, I love the idea of using something so simple in an everyday routine to reinforce truth. Jesus tells His followers: “You are the light of the world.” — Matthew 5:14 And a few verses later: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” — Matthew 5:16 As my daughter grows, I want to use moments like that to explain what it actually means to shine the light of Jesus. It can look like telling the truth, being kind to someone who feels left out, forgiving, helping, sharing, praying for someone, or choosing what is right even when other people aren't. One little light really does make a difference. And especially during a season when there is so much imagery surrounding darkness, what a beautiful opportunity we have to point our children to the Light instead. So, Can Christians Celebrate Halloween? This is one of those parenting questions I'm going to keep working through as my daughter gets older. I don't think we have to have every answer figured out immediately. And I don't think there is one answer that every Christian family has to follow. Scripture gives us clear boundaries around evil, but Christian families may come to different convictions about things like costumes and trick-or-treating. What matters is that we make those choices prayerfully and intentionally, with our focus on honoring Christ. I want my family to be thoughtful about what we celebrate. I want us to enjoy what is good, be willing to say no to what isn't, and make those decisions from conviction rather than fear. So go to the pumpkin patch. Bake the pumpkin bread. Enjoy the cool weather. Dress up in a fun costume if that's something your family feels comfortable with. Or choose not to participate in Halloween at all. Whatever your family decides, I think the bigger opportunity is to use these moments to help our children learn something they will need for the rest of their lives: how to live in the world without simply following everything the world does, how to recognize darkness without being afraid of it, and how to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus. I'm still learning what all of that looks like as a first time mom. But this is one truth I know I can keep coming back to: We don't need to fear the darkness. We don't need to imitate it either. We can simply shine the Light. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” — John 1:5 At Iam the Lamb®, our heart has always been to help plant little seeds of faith in the everyday moments of childhood. And I'm learning as a mom that sometimes those moments aren't the big, perfectly planned Bible lessons. Sometimes they're conversations in the car, a question at the store, a pumpkin on the front porch, or one little light glowing in a dark room. And maybe those ordinary moments are some of the best opportunities we have to point our children back to Jesus.

There is no shortage of adorable baby shower gifts. Tiny outfits, blankets, toys, and nursery decor are everywhere—and I love all of those things too. But when I’m shopping for a Christian family, I love finding something with a little more meaning behind it. Something the baby won’t simply outgrow in three months, but that can become part of their childhood and, hopefully, point them toward Jesus as they grow. As a mom and Christian children’s book author, these are some of the Christian baby shower gifts I find especially meaningful. 1. A Children’s Bible A beautiful children’s Bible is one of those gifts a family can use for years. You definitely don’t have to wait until a child is old enough to understand the stories to start reading them. We read from a storybook Bible with our 14-month-old now. Does she understand everything we’re saying? Of course not. Most of the time, she’s much more interested in turning the pages than listening to the story. But that’s okay. She’s hearing the names. She’s seeing the pictures. She’s becoming familiar with the stories. And most importantly, reading about Jesus is simply becoming a normal part of life in our home. Look for a children’s Bible with beautiful illustrations and simple storytelling that parents will actually enjoy reading again and again. 2. Christian Children’s Books I will always advocate for giving books at a baby shower. Clothes are adorable, but babies outgrow them unbelievably fast. A good book can sit on their shelf for years. For a Christian family, I especially love books that introduce biblical truths in a way even very young children can begin interacting with. That is a huge part of why our family created the Iam the Lamb® children’s books. We wanted to create beautiful, engaging stories that help parents introduce their little ones to Jesus, Scripture, and the biblical meaning behind things like Christmas, Easter, and Psalm 23. We read all of our Iam the Lamb® books to our own daughter, too. Right now, they’re simply books Mommy and Daddy read to her. But as she gets older, my hope is that the truths inside them become things she understands and carries with her. One of my favorite touches when gifting a book is writing a little note inside the cover. Suddenly, it isn’t just another book on the shelf—it becomes a keepsake. 3. A Lovey or Stuffed Animal With Meaning Behind It Most babies end up with plenty of stuffed animals, but I especially love when there’s meaning behind one. A lamb is such a sweet gift for a Christian baby because the imagery of sheep and shepherds is woven throughout Scripture. As little ones grow, something as simple as a stuffed lamb can become a tangible way to begin explaining that Jesus is our Shepherd and that we are His sheep. Pairing an Iam the Lamb® Lovey or stuffed lamb with a book about Psalm 23 makes such a sweet gift because it gives them something they can cuddle now, with a meaning they can understand more deeply later. And realistically, the lovey may just become the thing they drag around the house everywhere for the next three years—which I think makes the meaning behind it even sweeter. 4. A Personalized or Keepsake Bible For something that can truly last a lifetime, consider giving the baby a Bible with their name engraved on the cover. I especially love the idea of writing something inside it—a prayer for their life, a meaningful Scripture, the date of the baby shower, or a short letter from whoever is giving the gift. The baby obviously won’t appreciate it yet. But imagine them opening that same Bible years later and reading a prayer someone wrote over their life before they could even talk. That’s the kind of gift that becomes more meaningful with time. 5. Scripture for the Nursery This one is personal for me because I love surrounding our daughter with little reminders of who she is and, more importantly, Whose she is. We have three canvas signs hanging in her room: “You are a child of God.” — John 1:12 “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.” — Psalm 139:14 “You are loved beyond measure.” — John 3:16 She obviously can’t read them yet. But I find myself looking at them before I put her to bed and reciting each of those truths over her as I lay her down in her crib. I love knowing that these are words she will grow up seeing on the walls of her room. They’re not just decorations to me. They’re little reminders of the truths I want spoken over her childhood. A beautiful piece of Scripture art is an easy baby shower gift to overlook, but it can be incredibly meaningful—especially if you choose a verse or message that the child can grow up seeing every day. Psalm 23:1, Psalm 139:14, Numbers 6:24–26, and Mark 10:14 are all beautiful places to start. 6. A Prayer Journal for Mom I also love the idea of giving something specifically to the new mom. A prayer journal gives her a place to write down prayers for her baby through all the different seasons ahead—prayers for their health, faith, friendships, character, future spouse, and all the things we can’t possibly know yet. I actually started a prayer journal for my daughter while I was pregnant with her, and I’ve continued writing in it as she grows. My hope is to give it to her one day so she can look back and read the prayers I was praying over her life before she was even born. That’s why I think this can be such a meaningful gift for a new mom. Pair it with a nice pen and a handwritten note, and you have something deeply personal that isn’t dependent on nursery colors, clothing sizes, or what baby gear they’ve already registered for. 7. A Christ-Centered Bedtime Basket This might be my favorite idea because you can combine several smaller gifts into something the family will actually use. Bedtime is one of the easiest places to start creating little rhythms of faith with babies and toddlers. In our home, I pray with our daughter every night while I nurse her before bed. She doesn’t understand what all of those words mean yet, but she’s growing up with prayer as a normal part of ending the day. For a baby shower, you could put together a little Christ-centered bedtime basket with: A children’s Bible or Christian bedtime book A soft lamb or lovey A cozy blanket An Iam the Lamb® Night Light A handwritten prayer or Scripture for the baby The nightlight is especially sweet because it’s something that can stay in the nursery as the child grows, giving them a soft light at bedtime while also serving as another little reminder of Jesus and His love for them. If the parents want to start building these rhythms from the beginning, our guide to creating a Christ-centered bedtime routine with babies and toddlers has more simple ideas. The Best Gifts Grow With Them The most meaningful Christian baby shower gift doesn’t have to be expensive or elaborate. Sometimes it’s a book. Sometimes it’s a verse hanging on the nursery wall. Sometimes it’s a little lamb tucked under their arm every night. The baby receiving it may have absolutely no idea why it’s special—and that’s okay. So much of what we do in those early years is planting seeds before our children are old enough to understand what we’re planting. A children’s Bible can eventually become their Bible. A book can become a favorite story. A piece of Scripture on the wall can become words they know by heart. A stuffed lamb can help them understand why Jesus is called our Shepherd. Those are the baby gifts I love most. Not just something they’ll use as a baby, but something that can help point them toward Jesus as they grow.

If you’ve ever tried to pray with a squirmy toddler or read a Bible story while they’re busy turning three pages at once, you might wonder: Are they actually getting anything out of this? I think the answer is yes—even if it doesn’t look like it yet. Our daughter is 14 months old, and she certainly doesn’t understand everything I tell her about Jesus. But I’ve come to realize that helping our children know Jesus doesn’t begin when they’re old enough to understand a theology lesson. It begins by making faith a familiar, natural part of everyday life. The goal right now isn’t perfect comprehension. It’s planting little seeds that, Lord willing, will grow as our children do. Here are a few simple ways we’re doing that in our own home. 1. Pray With Them—Even Before They Understand Every night before bed, I nurse my daughter and pray with her. Right now, she has no idea what the words I’m mumbling over her actually signify. She doesn’t understand that I’m talking to Jesus or why I’m thanking Him for our day, asking Him to protect her, or praying for the people we love. But someday, she will. For now, she’s learning something much simpler: this is something we do every day. My hope is that prayer becomes as familiar to her as brushing her teeth before bed or sitting down at the table for dinner. As she grows, I can explain what those prayers mean and eventually encourage her to pray herself. You don’t need a special toddler prayer or a perfectly structured routine. Just let your child hear you talk to Jesus. And if you’re looking for more ideas for making faith part of the end of the day, our Christ-centered bedtime routine for little ones shares some of the simple rhythms we use in our family. 2. Read Bible Stories Together Toddlers learn through repetition, pictures, stories, and hearing our voices, which makes this such a sweet age to begin introducing Scripture. We read from a storybook Bible with our daughter, and I don’t worry about whether she understands every detail. Sometimes she listens. Sometimes she wants to flip the pages. Sometimes we make it through very little of the actual story! That’s okay. At this age, simply making Bible stories part of your normal reading routine is meaningful. Over time, names like Jesus, David, Moses, Noah, and Mary become familiar. Eventually, the stories will too. Try keeping a children’s Bible somewhere you naturally reach for books—beside the rocking chair, in the playroom, or with the bedtime books—rather than treating it like something reserved only for Sunday. 3. Choose Books That Reinforce Biblical Truth Children’s books are another easy way to weave faith into everyday life. Of course, we read all of our Iam the Lamb® children’s books with our daughter. One of the reasons our family created these books in the first place was to give young children something engaging and age-appropriate that points them back to Jesus and Scripture. For little ones, tangible things can help make abstract concepts more understandable. A child may not fully understand what it means when Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is my shepherd,” but they can begin learning about sheep, shepherds, love, protection, and care. If you want to explore this idea more, I wrote a simple guide on how to teach Psalm 23 to children and help little ones begin understanding what it means to have the Lord as their Shepherd. As they grow, we can continue connecting those simple ideas to the deeper truth behind them. 4. Talk About Jesus During Ordinary Moments Helping your children know Jesus doesn’t have to happen during a designated “Bible lesson.” In fact, some of the most natural opportunities happen in ordinary life. When you’re outside, talk about the things God created. When something beautiful happens, thank God for it out loud. When your child is scared, remind them that Jesus is with them. When someone is hurting, tell your toddler that you can pray for them. These little comments may seem insignificant, but they teach our children that faith isn’t something we only practice at church. Jesus is part of our everyday lives. 5. Let Them See Your Faith This might be the most important one. Our children are constantly watching us. As they grow, they’ll notice whether we pray when life is hard, whether we open our Bibles, whether we worship, whether we forgive, whether we serve others, and whether the things we say we believe actually shape the way we live. We won’t model any of this perfectly. But our children don’t need a perfect performance of Christianity. They need to see a real relationship with Jesus lived out in front of them. Start Small If your child is still a baby or toddler, you don’t need an elaborate devotional routine. Start with one Bible story. Say a simple prayer before bed. Play a worship song in the kitchen. Point out something God made on your walk. Read a book that teaches them about Jesus. The little things we repeat today can become the rhythms our children remember tomorrow. My 14-month-old may not understand the prayers I whisper while I nurse her to sleep yet. But one day, I hope she will understand exactly Who I’ve been talking to all these years. And more than anything, I pray that she’ll want to talk to Him too.