Happy Halloween

Ok I'm switching gears just for a second.

For some reason this year I'm getting asked quite a bit on my stance on Halloween. How much do we avoid and what do we allow our children to do. Can they go to Halloween parties? Can they look at decorations? Will I buy them costumes? Will they watch any Halloween cartoons? Will they be going trick or treating this year?

Here's my take on Halloween. I don't cover my children's eyes when walking past decorations. I do try to avoid the really dark scary ones...though thanks to some of my neighbors decorations that's somewhat impossible. But no one has had any nightmares so that's good.

Nathan can only participate in select activities because of his cancer, so no we won't be going to any parties etc.

But do I celebrate Halloween? Seriously I've been asked this question quite a bit for some reason over the last two weeks. It seems to be a topic that divides Christians. We all know, or hopefully we know what the holiday really means. So no I do not celebrate it. But I do stand in my door and hand out candy.

Truthfully you'll never hear me getting into huge debates with people if they decided to let their children go trick or treating or not. I think there are bigger things out there to debate then whether I should let my child watch "The Great Pumpkin"

I feel as Christians that's the main day we should have our doors open. What other day do you have dozens of strangers knocking on your door? What a wonderful oppurtunity to witness!!! And the best part is they're coming willingly to you. I believe in giving out bags of candy with tracts in them. I highly recommend the children's tract "Best Friend". Last year Sam and I ordered 100 tracts and prepared 100 bags of candy and gave out ALL of them within the FIRST HOUR. And we only gave out 1 bag per person. That's how many people were coming to our home. I hated we hadn't ordered more.

Matthew 28:19 commands us saying "¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

We don't know who's coming to our homes. I just went to get glasses from JcPenny's yesterday and as I'm sitting in front of this sales lady it dawned on me, She has no idea I'm the mother of a child with cancer and I have no idea what she can be facing in her life right now. We don't know but God knows.

In this day and age we're hearing of children being bullied, committing suicide, cutting themselves, cursing, dressing seductively...sadly I could go on and on. They need to know about Christ.

I'm telling you the only reason I'm still standing in my situation is because I have hope and my hope rests not in my situation but in Christ alone. Everything about Nathan's situation is uncertain, it looks really good right now but it's still uncertain. But Christ is certain. Please let them know that God told us "that in this world there will be trouble, but that He has overcome this world." They need to know this and we have to tell them.

So open your doors! Give out candy with tracts! Set up a table and hand out Bibles! Be there in case a child needs to pray! Show them how they too can be saved! Pray for God to send someone to you! Pray for Him to give you the right words to say! Because really what good do you do anyone by closing your doors under the guise "we don't celebrate it"?