Valerie Hess

I was in a conversation the other day and I would be curious to get your feedback: which is more important, Jesus the Christ or the Scriptures?

For those Christ-followers who feel conflicted about Halloween, here is a new way to think about it. This used to be a major Church festival. November 1st is All Saints’ Day, when the Church remembers those who have died in the Lord. All Hallow’s Eve (now called Halloween) was to All Saint’s what Christmas Eve is to Christmas. Costumes could be based on favorite Biblical characters or on family members who now live in the Church Triumphant. The focus could be on fun and fellowship based on the Resurrection of Jesus and what that means for his followers. There is a third way between not celebrating at all or embracing the evil that so many seem to do around this time of the year. We can reclaim this festival as a Church holiday. Happy All Hallow’s Eve!

My co-author, Lane Arnold, and I shipped our manuscript off to the publisher last night. It was my birthday and what a gift to end the day with that completed. The book will come out, God willing, sometime in the spring. We are dealing with the question of physical health and its relationship to spiritual formation. At its most basic, we are tackling a modern rebuttal to the ancient Gnostic heresy.

Now, I am turning my attention to the beginning of the online class I teach for Spring Arbor University’s MSFL program. This is an online masters degree in Spiritual Formation and Leadership. I will also be doing the November Renovare conversation on November 12th. Go to www.renovare.org and sign up to come. I will be talking about one of my great interests, the Church Year calendar with an emphasis on Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. It should be a good discussion.

I have not been posting much here as I am putting all of my writing energies into a third book. I will be back with more after I finish the manuscript in a couple of weeks.