So the talk around town is all about Halloween!  There is of course the controversy with celebrating this "Satanic" holiday within the Church.  There are so many articles all across the board from Christians around the world voicing their opinions on this topic. From pastors to theologians, to seminary students and the average joe Christian on the street, there are a lot of opinions on this topic. There are also now tons of alternatives to the traditional Halloween celebrations including Trunk of Treat, Hallelujah Night, and instead of the Haunted House try Heaven's Gates & Hell's Flames.

I remember growing up in the Bible Belt in a very conservative denomination where Halloween was not celebrated. My grandfather being a pastor in this denomination made things even more taboo to dress up and participate in the trick or treating going on in the neighborhood. Now my memories (which could be wrong and often are) tell me that we were not allowed to dress up and participate but I also have seen pictures of me wearing a witches costume with some friends. I am not exactly sure how that happened because surely if my parents were going to dress me up for any sort of participation, they would have dressed me as the angel I already was, certainly not a witch. But there are pictures to prove it! Hopefully my grandfather has never seen them, I mean he disowned me and said I was going to Hell for getting my ears pierced when I was 13 (he has since changed his mind about this). 

I vaguely recall going to some fall festivals at my elementary school, playing fair-type games of bobbing for apples, dunking booths and ring tosses for prizes and candy. I also recall when our church decided to "embrace" the idea and started hosting a Hallelujah Night, very similar to the fall festivals of my childhood. We dressed up but by this time I was in High School and was working the booths so I just dressed as people I already was, mostly a cheerleader. 

I would have to say that my fondest memories of Halloween though, are turning all the lights off in the house, heading to the basement where there were no windows and watching The Great Pumpkin and fun cartoons like that with my family. Even to this day, for Halloween, while my roommates are headed to parties and going door-to-door hoping someone will take pity on the adults with no children wanting candy, I find myself turning off the lights and watching Charlie Brown.  

Pastor Travis Johnson posted on his Twitter & Facebook the following thoughts.

My Top 5 thoughts about Christians on Halloween: 

1. Party all the time! Look for excuses to laugh and make memories.
2. Leverage every moment to show Gospel hospitality...as in a well lit porch and heaping piles of candy for the kids.
3. This is the one-day of the year where the whole community comes to your door. So, drop in a church invite in their bag too!
4. Have fun with your kids whether you choose to take them trick-or-treating or not (I am).
5. Hi-jack every pagan holiday every chance you get!...including holidays like Easter!

Travis is the Lead Pastor at LifePoint Church in Homestead, FL. I went to Lee University with Travis. You can follow his journey at http://www.travisjohnson.net/.

So what are your thoughts on Halloween?

What are your Halloween traditions? Do you go trick or treating? Do you hand out candy? 

I would love to hear about it.

The Summer of 2011, our Mission Adventures students with YWAM San Diego/Baja helped to create a wonderful outdoor garden for local church, fb church of chula vista. This place will be a haven for those needing solace during a hectic week or just needing to talk to someone. Thanks to all our students who helped make this HUGE daunting project come to life. We conquered it and prevailed! Thanks to First Covenant Church in Eureka, CA; Living Hope CRC from Abbotsford, BC Canada; South Bay Community Church from Torrence, CA and a HUGE thank you and acknowledgement to The King's Academy in West Palm Beach, FL for financing the project!! You guys all ROCK!!    

Have you taken on a large project recently? How has God been revealed in the process?      

Do you have a haven for those times when you need solace? Where is that place for you?

Rachel is a former student of mine in Mission Adventures.  She came through our MA ministry as part of her home church of Shelter Cove Community Church in Modesto, CA.  This church, you may recall, very generously gave me a computer last year after learning that mine had been stolen several years ago.  I am not going to lie, this church is and has been one of my all time favorite churches to come through our ministry since I moved here 5 years ago.  Their youth pastor reminds me so much of my own, Kevin Kelley, and the leaders and students and overall atmosphere makes me miss the good ole days of Metro Teens Alive and Shake it UP, SHOCKWave, leading countless hours of drama rehearsals, road trips and who can forget the missions trips.  These trips are why I am a full-time missionary now and I am so happy that Shelter Cove is creating an environment where their students can get outside of themselves and serve others and experience all that God has for them around the world.  This is where memories are made and lives are changed. This is where missionaries are born.  Rachel is one of them!  Here is her story from this past summer when she was able to come down to help run Mission Adventures in Ensenada. 

I have had the chance to travel down to Ensenada, Mexico with my youth group every summer when I was in high school. This year, I’ve had an even greater opportunity to serve as a short-term missionary at the same base with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). I have been able to experience the joys of seeing a child’s face light up because of a simple balloon animal, a family of five living in a trailer and receiving a new home which I had the blessing of being able to assist in building, and a weeping mother, rather than asking for food itself, asking for prayer that God would provide the food. I’ve never seen such faith or contentment and joy than I have while working in the different parts of Ensenada. My stories and life-changing experiences could go on and on.

But even more than this, I have been able to grow in my faith with the Lord and take it to a new level. I have never prayed, wept, sang, or heard God’s voice so much (or so very clearly!) as I did in those three months. I have been able to understand why I love to serve and God has opened my eyes to new perspectives and a deeper love for Him, people, and his creation. There is something wonderful that happens when you are removed from the routines of everyday life and the consumerism and chaos many of us know so well. 

Rachel is more than just a gifted author but she is an extremely talented photographer as well.  Check out her pictures and follow her on this journey here. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the life of teenagers like Rachel.  Because of your continued support I am able to speak into the lives of students like Mikey, Nick & Rachel and potentially help them realize their destiny in God.

What new perspectives is God showing you? I would love to hear what God is doing in your life!