Dear Beloved,
I pray that this letter finds you feeling the warmth of The Heavenly Father’s Love all around you.
I’m saddened to tell you that due to rising postage costs, LOOP will be sending the monthly mailing only to those of you wishing to receive it.
Should you wish to continue receiving our monthly mailing, either you or a loved one can contact me, Jenny Eversole, via text/call at (614) 582-5139 or by email at Everjosh2000@yahoo.com.
I ask that you contact me no later than November 30, 2025.
This change will go into effect on January 1, 2026.
Thank you so much for your help with this.
Praying God’s Blessings over you,
Jenny Eversole
Executive Director
Tell Me a Story: Conquering Fear (an Ethiopian folk tale)
Staff Writer
October 2011; 2:00 am ET
Times Herald-Record
Once upon a time in an Ethiopian village, there lived a boy who was so shy and fearful of the world around him that his family called him Miobe, frightened one.
“Why do you call me that?” the boy asked his grandfather.
The old man laughed. “Because you are afraid,” he answered. The boy’s grandmother, his mother, his father and the neighbors said the same thing.
Miobe pondered these words and decided he must find a way to conquer fear, and that night when everyone was fast asleep, he packed a sack and set off into the world to find out what he feared and to conquer it.
That night he slept under the wide umbrella of sky and stared up at the darkness. Before drifting off, he whispered to himself, “I see you, but I will conquer you, fear.”
He fell asleep wrapped in his blanket, but at midnight the wolves began to howl.
The sound woke Miobe, but instead of running away, he walked toward the sound, saying aloud, “I will conquer you, fear.”
He walked until the sun began to rise, and when he saw its golden orb, he smiled with relief, for he had survived the first night. “I am becoming brave,” he said as he walked on. Soon he came to a village, and for a moment he thought, “I don’t know these people at all. They might be unkind to a stranger.”
But he straightened up and walked right into the village, saying aloud, “I will conquer you, fear.”
He walked into the village square, and there he found the village elders gathered, muttering among themselves. As Miobe came near, they looked up and sneered, “Who are you?”
“I’m traveling the world to become brave,” Miobe answered.
The elders laughed. “Fool! No one can find bravery where it does not exist.”
“What do you mean?” Miobe asked.
The elders sighed unhappily. “We are finished,” said one old man. “Our village is being threatened by a monster up on the mountain.”
Miobe followed the old man’s gaze to the top of the mountain.
“See him, there,” the old man said.
Miobe squinted. He did not want to insult the man, but he saw nothing there.
“Look,” said another man. “See? It has the head of a crocodile. A monstrous crocodile!”
“And his body is as horrible as a hippopotamus. A gigantic hippopotamus!”
“It’s like a dragon!” another man cried, “with fire shooting from its snout!”
Now Miobe began to see the monster. He began to see the smoke and fire, the wrinkled skin, the fiery eyes. “I see,” he said, but silently he promised himself he would not be afraid. So he walked away from the elders, into the village proper.
Everywhere people cowered. The little children hid inside, refusing to go to school. “If the children go outside,” the women said, “the monster will come down from the mountain and eat them. Everyone knows monsters eat children.”
The farmers hovered inside their doorways, hoes and rakes in hand; outside their horses stood unharnessed. “We cannot work,” they told Miobe. “If we go into the fields, the monster will come down and get us.”
Miobe saw wandering goats, sheep and cows out at the edge of the village, but no one came to milk the animals or tend to them. No one planted crops. Few left their homes, preferring to hide indoors.
“The monster is as big as 10 barges!” they whispered among themselves as Miobe listened. “The monster is going to destroy us!”
Finally Miobe decided it was up to him to destroy the monster. “I wish to conquer fear,” he announced, “and so I shall go slay the monster!”
“No, son, don’t do it!” the elders cried. Mothers gathered to try to shield the young man from harm. Fathers shook their heads and warned, “You will die.”
Miobe shivered and his heart fluttered, but he was determined. “I must conquer fear!” he said, and he set off.
At the base of the mountain, he looked up and felt a chill of fear run down his spine. That monster looked even bigger and fierier than any dragon, fiercer than a whole pack of wolves or a nest of snakes. He remembered the days when he had been afraid. He took a deep breath and began to climb.
As he climbed, he looked up, but now he saw the monster seemed to be growing smaller.
“How peculiar,” he said aloud. “My eyes are deceiving me.”
He continued to climb.
When he was halfway up, he looked again. He squinted, shielding his eyes, but the monster’s eyes no longer seemed so fierce, and the flames no longer shot from its snout.
“The closer I get, the smaller he looks,” Miobe said puzzlingly. He continued to climb, though now he pulled his dagger from his sack so that he would be prepared.
As he came around a bend in the path, he saw the summit before him. He gasped. The monster had disappeared.
Miobe turned and looked behind him. Surely the creature was going to sneak up from behind to attack. But when he turned, he saw nothing. He heard nothing. He held his breath. He looked left. He looked right.
He continued to climb.
At long last he reached the summit and all was empty and quiet. Nothing was there.
Suddenly he heard a sound at his feet. He looked down and saw a little creature, just like a toad with wrinkled skin and round, frightened eyes.
He bent down and picked it up. “Who are you?” he asked. “How did you become so small?” But the monster said nothing, and so he cradled it in his hand and walked down the mountain.
When he reached the village, the people cried, “He’s safe!” and they surrounded him.
Miobe held out his hand and showed them the tiny wrinkled toad. “This is the monster,” he said.
“What is your name?” asked the elder. The creature croaked, and the elder looked up at the crowd and said, “Miobe has brought us the monster. Its name is fear.”
Help is Near
We weren’t created to go through life carrying heavy burdens that weigh us down.
Thankfully, we don’t have to.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
When Jesus came to earth, He took our burdens onto Himself. Even though we were far from God, Jesus carried the punishment for our wrongdoing and bore our suffering. And because of that, we have a Savior who understands and has compassion on us.
This Savior meets us in our mess, and invites us to find rest in Him. This Savior is God with us.
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
Psalms 68:19 NIV
King David wrote that Psalm hundreds of years before Jesus’ arrival. Even then, God was illustrating to people that His character was constant, and He was trustworthy.
God watched over Noah when the earth was flooded (Genesis 8:1), and He made a covenant with Abraham to bless, protect, and multiply his descendants (Genesis 17:4-7). He took care of the Israelites when they wandered through the wilderness (Deuteronomy 2:7), and He comforted David when people were trying to kill him.
God has never stopped being true to who He is. He is our ever-present help in time of need. He is our constant source of strength. He is our comforter and our provider. The God that David praises in Psalm 68 is our God. He is the One who continually takes care of us, stooping down to meet us in our mess and carry us out of brokenness.
He daily bears our burdens.
Will we still endure hard times? Yes. But we will never have to go through them alone. The Savior of the world is near. God is with us.
Jack-o’-lanterns come from an Irish myth about a man named Stingy Jack.
No matter what face you carve into your Halloween pumpkin, it will probably be called the same thing: a jack-o’-lantern. But how did spooky illuminated squash get that name? Turns out, the term we use to describe glowing pumpkins comes from Stingy Jack, the main character in a centuries-old Irish myth.
Americans haven’t always carved pumpkins; it wasn’t until the mid-1800s that squash was used for holiday fun. About 200 years before, those celebrating the harvest season in Ireland were making their own lanterns from turnips, beets, and other root vegetables as a way to ward off Stingy Jack, a phantom who roamed the countryside around the harvest. According to Irish lore, Stingy Jack (sometimes called Flakey Jack) was a swindler who took up drinking with the devil, though when the tab came due, he didn’t want to pay his share. After convincing the devil to turn into a coin, Jack trapped his drinking partner in his pocket, releasing him only with the agreement that Jack’s soul would stay free of the underworld. However, as in all folktales, there was a catch (and a warning about immoral behavior): At the end of his life, Jack’s trickster soul wasn’t accepted into heaven or hell, leaving him to wander the earth with naught but a coal (provided by the devil himself) inside a turnip-turned-lantern. By the story’s end, Stingy Jack became “Jack of the Lantern,” which eventually morphed into “Jack O’Lantern.”
Irish immigrants brought the Stingy Jack story to America, though the name and practice of jack-o’-lantern carving took some time to catch on. It particularly picked up following the Civil War, when a grief-struck nation became fascinated by spirits and ghost stories, and it’s a tradition that’s been a fixture of autumn in America ever since.
TRICK OR TREATED
We tend to think that if many people are following someone, that person must be the right person to follow. We can probably all relate to this in some way because it’s not possible to follow a person with perfect motives. Sin can trick us into thinking that doing bad things is fine. Other people can trick us. Many people have different ideas about what is right and what is wrong. That is why the Lord Jesus Christ tells us, “Let no man deceive you with vain empty words” (Eph 5:6).
Many people couldn’t care less about the condition of the world, the state of the church, the destruction of human lives, the breakdown of marriage and family, etc. Some people try to tell themselves, “It doesn’t matter what I believe, just so ‘I’ believe something.” That may sound nice, but it’s a trick and will lead you down the wrong paths! Don’t be tricked and try to escape from reality through constant indulgence in petty pleasure of the world. At times life feels like a game of trick or treat. Job issues, addiction, life difficulties tempt us to take cover and to retreat from the pain. With the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us and knowing that God is always present we can allow God to guide our lives; and trusting God is about having faith: that no matter what your circumstances; God’s word is true, and we can put our problems into perspective when we focus on praising God. We can trick or treat.
Roman 12:2 says, do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is. God welcomes us when we’re hurt, lonely and afraid, or just don’t know what to do- -we can trust in God’s word in any painful situation. However great our pain may be and problems or how difficult our past may be or how our present is, Jesus Christ has the power to restore us to new life. God values everyone equally; there is no distinction in His eyes. In reality we are all in desperate need of Jesus Christ’s love and forgiveness. In our journey of faith, “how can we finish the race well and press on toward the goal to win the price for which God has called us heavenward in Jesus Christ?” Will you be tricked by the ways of the world’s pleasure or will you let God treat you?
God promised Abraham He would have a multitude of descendants (Gen 15:4-5), so he faced a huge obstacle-he was old and he was childless. When Abraham and Sarah got tired of waiting for God to make good on His promise, they tried to overcome that obstacle on their own and got tricked. Nothing Abraham did in his own strength worked. But ultimately he became known as a man of tremendous faith. As a Christian follower of Jesus Christ I know Satan has many tricks and treats to rob us of a devotion to Christ; just like Samson was tricked by the devil through a prostitute named Delilah to rob Samson of his power and strength; despite Samson’s wanton action and indulged himself in the passion and lust of the world’s forbidden pleasure; living a life totally separate unto God as he judged Israel. Samson began to love the easy life and not care or worry about the safety of Israel or the welfare of the widows and orphaned boys and girls. The devil has tricked many people following Jesus Christ today. They’re telling themselves, oh a little pornography indulging themselves won’t hurt, and these ‘R’-rated movies won’t take away my spiritual life. Samson’s tragedy wasn’t his fornication with Delilah, though that sin was grievous enough to disqualify him from God’s service. Like Abraham and Sarah, the Lord’s promise was no longer the most important thing to him. This once-mighty man of God now took the
Lord’s power and blessing in his life completely for granted. Brothers and sisters do not be tricked by Satan’s lies by breaking fellowship with God makes us ineffective as believers, who have been designed to experience God’s goodness, love and to glorify Him in all we do. In fact, Satan’s skill at deceiving mankind will one day be so powerful that this antichrist will sit in the temple of God, and many people will truly believe that He is a God. The job of Satan and his antichrist demons is to keep you and me from experiencing the abundant life God has in store for you and me.
When we read the Bible, we’ll find countless stories of God’s faithfulness. For example, the apostle Paul lived through hardship, persecution, and pain, and all kinds of terrible circumstances, and yet he was able to make the bold declaration that God weaves it all together for the good of His followers (Rom 8:28). This testifies to the fact that for those who trust in God, God turns every difficulty, loss, and separation into something good. Whatever we read in Scripture, whether a story about Abraham, or Samson, David, Job, Isaiah, and Jonah, John, Paul, or Jacob, or any others, we see God’s constant love and care for His people. God’s word is a lamp that will guide us clearly when circumstances are bleak. It offers the best direction we will every find. When we meditate upon it, pray over it, grapple with is, and incorporate it into our life, God’s light chases away all darkness. God, the sovereign ruler of this universe, is in control of your life.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, the worldly pleasure forces us to examine ourselves and take notice of the weak areas of our life. This helps us to discover who we really are and avoid the trickery of Satan’s lies. If we as a Christian fail to listen, our potential for mental, emotional and spiritual growth is limited. When we meditate upon God’s words and incorporate it into our life, we can’t be tricked into thinking God isn’t in control; simply because He does not operate according to your will and schedule. Throughout the entire world many people believing in Jesus Christ must recognize that our enemy is very real. The scriptures 2 Timothy 2:3 and Ephesians 6:12-13 reveal that Satan and a whole empire of evil spirits oppose God and His kingdom. However, the enemies are fallen angels who oppose of God as sovereign ruler of the universe. We as Christians shouldn’t underestimate their abilities and we must not be tricked into thinking of their power as greater than it actually is. Satan’s empire is not a match for God.
When we read the New Testament of Matthew, Luke, Mark, and John where Jesus rebuked the demonic evil forces that were causing torment in people’s lives, they were forced to obey. Jesus gave His disciples authority over these evil demonic forces (Luke 10:17-20), and He gives the same to His followers today, you and me. In 1 John 4:4 says, that through the Holy Spirit we have already overcome the enemy, because “greater is He who is in the believer than he who is in the world”. Brothers and sisters, if we fail to take up our position as followers in Christ, we will feel overwhelmed and defeated. Which one will you choose; to be tricked by Satan’s lies or be treated by God’s grace? Though Satan cannot have our souls, Satan will try to disable us. When we give into temptation, Satan may say, “You’re a weak, unworthy sinner who will never be able to really serve God”. If we believe Satan’s such trickery accusation, we run the double risk of ceasing to listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice within us. It is hard to avoid deception when we are not aware of the adversary schemes. When we mistrust God’s word, we set ourselves up to be knocked down repeatedly by Satan’s trickery, lies, and you give Satan a foothold over your life so that he can distract you to drag you and me away from what is most important in our life to seek the kingdom of God first and His righteousness. In Matthew 6:33, Satan doesn’t use just
blatantly sinful or superficial things to divert us from abiding in Jesus Christ-Satan will even use your own family members, friends and co-workers to subtly build up a wall around you so that you will gradually stop listening to the Holy Spirit of God’s little voice inside you. Jesus Christ called Satan “the father of lies” (John 8:44). To be tricked by Satan means we doubt God’s heart and character as our God, the creator of the universe. “Don’t hide behind the grace of God and continue to live in secret sin.”
Today there are many people in society who believe or boast, “I am a Christian; God loves me; I fear no evil; and yet we do all kinds of evil.” When we choose love instead of hate, we are showing our relationship with God and reflecting of God’s radiance to the world around us. In Matthew 4:1-11, the devil tries to trick Jesus Christ be offering Him the pleasures of the world. That is why God tells us, “Let no man deceive you with vain [empty] words” (Eph 5:6). It is high time for God’s people to awake from their sloth and sleep slumber and strip themselves from their love of the world and love of self, and from the deceit, shame and hypocrisy of their shallow professions, and to turn to the Lord with all their hearts. The devil is at work little by little of chiseling away the love of God from the heart of God’s people which have cooled off our love for Jesus Christ and our passion for lost souls and dulled our spiritual ears so we cannot hear the voice of the Lord, and dimmed our spiritual sight so we have lost the vision of the world ripe for spiritual harvest. Brothers and sisters how greatly we all need a spiritual house cleaning and some of us will find we have not put God first in our lives but rather we have given place to personal ambition, carnal comforts and have fielded to the demand of friends and family and relatives and made God second. Many of us believers has sinned directly toward God by rebelling against His known will and stopped ours ears to His call to lay down our lives in His service. In today’s society we are a lot of the uncrucified self-life, and self-will and self-pleasing, and self-glorifying and selfseeking, self-pity and self-confident and selfish affection peoples which all grieve the Holy Spirit and unfit us for the kingdom of God. There are still among many of Christians an unforgiving spirit, and jealousy, anger and envy, gossip, backbiting, tale bearing, all of these which God hates. They close God’s door of blessing in our life and hinder His answer to our prayers for ourselves, our homes, our families and for our community and our nation and the world (Isa 59:1-4). Therefore, it is of vast importance to Christian believers that we leave no stone unturned in ourselves and meeting conditions in our heart and seeking the face of God in repentance and in faith. Don’t be tricked by Satan (Jeremiah 17:9). Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
I pray that we pray today about the evils and dangers all about us and seek God’s mercies to us in this day and time. Thank you for letting me share this message.
Written by Brother Willie Watson on January 17, 2017.