Walking with Jesus

Perhaps you’re not part of the growing minority? Perhaps you didn’t know that Halloween isn’t something followers of Jesus should associate with? Perhaps you didn’t know that... ...Jack-o-lanterns represent a wandering soul so evil that *atan wouldn’t let him into Hell? ...Halloween Costumes were originally worn to commit crimes without being recognized by demons? ...Trick-or-Treat was about buying protection from thugs who would kill your horse, rape your wife, or burn down your barn if you didn’t pay them? ...Dozens of children are sacrificed each year on Halloween by satanic cults in the a United States? ...The Bible specifically forbids God’s people from participating in the worship of the very demons who are celebrated on Halloween? ...The Founding Fathers of our country did not celebrate Halloween? ...Light and Dark should have nothing to do with each other? ...Halloween provides *atan with avenues of access into the souls of our children? ...Sometimes our kids NEED ...

As some of you may remember, Oct. 31st is a big deal in our home, but not because we think it’s a good (or even mildly okay!) celebration. The following post represents a fair and compassionate testimony of one family’s decision to skip Halloween from now on. The author clearly presents the choice before us. As believers, we are free to do whatever we want with this day, but WHY we do what we do is important to consider. Please read the following article and feel free to write Mrs. Gowen a note of thanks. You might also thank Olivia since she is the one who shared this post with me to begin with. (Thanks, sweet girl!) https://faithit.com/why-were-not-celebrating-halloween-this-year-brie-gowen/

Sometimes I do things with the best of intentions, and find myself in sin. Often, this is because I get excited and don't stop to think and pray before I do them. What do I do when this happens? How do I respond? Do I defend myself? Do I make excuses? Do I hide behind my great intentions? Or, do I recognize the injury I have caused and do what I can to repair it? I hope I do the later. I wrote a blog about Halloween a little while ago. In it, I offered an argument for why Christians should not participate in this holiday, even as an opportunity for evangelism. I feel very strongly about this issue. This practice among our churches is a burden that brings me great sadness, and I believe the church's response to the spiritual realities associated with this particular day of the year are critical to who we are as a body. However, it is not enough for me to speak the truth (or at least my understanding of it). I must remind myself that "if I do not have love, I am ...

Ok. It's time. I was reading my cousin's blog , where she wrote a very insightful article about child labor and the chocolate industry. I started following links, uncovering the dark side of the largest American chocolatiers and learning more about the situation, when a burden came upon me that this was the day to confront Halloween... again. After all, halloween is chocolate's big season. I know that some people think I'm a little strange to spend so much space fighting against a holiday that the National Retail Federation says 7 out of 10 Americans will participate in this year. I'm sure even most people who fall into the 3 out of 10 think I'm going overboard. Well, grab your life vest, because here we go... Remember, halloween is a 'holiday' (holy day). It is a religious event. It is a day of worship gods who are not YHWH. [ Ephessians 6:12 ] Children are ritually sacrificed (today!) as part of some satanic rituals connected to halloween. Trad...

. It isn't those who don't know any better who frustrate me. It isn't the non-believers; they just make me sad. It isn't even believers who don't know any better; they just need to hear the truth. It's those who do know better and still refuse to abstain. It's those who know Halloween is wrong and still participate. They create alternatives . Why? If you really think Haloween is ok, why do you need to create an alternative option? What is the purpose of a Fall Festival, or a Trunk-or-Treat at church? (We don't have Spring Festivals, do we?) It is to provide an alternative for something we know is wrong . But, that is still participation. We want the pleassure without the guilt. Is it really so much to ask that we simply opt out? Of course, I'd love it if we all really took a stand for God and shared the truth about Halloween, but at the very least we could do nothing. But, we make up excuses for our self-gratification, a self-gratification on ...

. I think this is a good quesiton for us to ask ourselves, and one most Christians have never considered: Does Jesus celebrate Halloween? Does he see it as just a fun thing to do? Or, does he have reject it because of it's false religious roots ? Notice, this is not just a theorhetical exercise! According to the Bible and the Christian Faith, Jesus is alive today, and he has a real opinion about Halloween . The question is not " would he?" but " does he?". The reality of Halloween's origins are not hard to find . But, most of us simply do not bother. Why is this? Are we really convinced that it is an innocent celebration, or do we simply want to do things our way without feeling guilty if Halloween isn't something God would have us participate in. Even The History Channel recognizes that Halloween is a "blended" holiday, a compromise between the Catholic church and the pagan, Celtic world. Why won't so many Jesus followers see at lea...

. Ephesians 6:11-13: "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Ok, let's get this straight. I believe in the inspiration of the Bible and this has certain necessary consequences. One of these consequences is belief in a certain story of history: God created the world (including humanity) as described. God destroyed the world in a global flood. God saved one family through that flood, Noah's. All of us, all over the world, come from Noah. So, if we all come from the same family, why are there so many religions? Well, obviously everyone on the boat knew who God was. Genesis 7:16 says   ...

There are some evils we choose, and there are some that sneak into our life because we get lazy, compromise, grow up with them, feel compelled by culture, or don't see life from God's point of view. 'Obviously' we should avoid the... well, 'obvious' ones such as adultery, gluttony, pride, living a homosexual lifestyle, and throwing a tire-iron at the lady who cut you off in traffic this morning. These are a no brainer. I'm not saying they are easy choices for everyone all the time (that car-lady lives in my town too!), just obvious ones. But, not all evils are obvious. . . I've been asked to preach on October 31st. I'm praying about what to bring, and God has been bringing the idea of evil (guilt), mercy, and reformation. For those who don't know, this date is not only Halloween, but Reformation Day, the anniversary of the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, calling for the Catholic Church to refor...

Sometimes our dreams tell us more than we can hear. Last night I had a dream that I'm sure had more in it than I can now recall. I had a wheeled crate full of discarded vines and I was working my way down a residential alley, a concrete drive between small houses. In front of most of the houses people were putting up fences, small yards which they were decorating for Halloween. People I knew and strangers alike were hauling in lumber, settting out friendly Jack-O-Lanterns, stacking stalks of corn against a wall, or preparing food for guests. I was like a school assignment all the parents were helping their kids with. The yards filled most of the alley, with paths leading to the homes and gates at regular intervals between opposing yards, as if to section off the alley into venues. I pushed my cart uphill through each gate, barely squeezing through, until I got to a large gate end of the alley. There, between two carts of watermelon against one of the gate doors, I found a place...

It’s no secret that I don’t like Halloween. I don’t dress up in October. I don’t carve pumpkins. I don’t hand out candy to children at my door. I don’t go to “church fall festivals”. I don’t watch Halloween movies. I don’t buy Halloween candy. I don’t do anything Halloween. But, why don’t I? I used to celebrate it. I used to dress us and go trick-or-treating. I used to sneak around in the dark with my friends and imagine all sorts of creatures lurking in the shadows. I used to be excited to hand out candy to the children who came to our door. Hey, we used to run a haunted house out of our garage! But, then, about the time I really started living for the Lord, I was exposed to some of the origins of Halloween and I began to grow in my understanding that any association with Halloween on my part is a compromise of my Christian faith. I’ve been looking for a site that will introduce you to some of the history behind our Halloween customs, and I think I’ve found three that you’d do well t...