A Scary Compromise for Christians?

This is the time of year that has often generated very interesting conversations with other Christians. A simple question of “What will your kids be for Halloween?” has led to great debates about how we should view this holiday as people of God.

According to the Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween) Halloween traces its roots from an Irish tradition that began as a harvest festival, innocently enough. Yet it quickly took a more insidious turn as the pagan (non-Christian) celebrants created bonfires to ward off the evil spirits that threatened to ruin their livestock and crops, donning costumes and masks to appease the demons. This practice later preceded All Saints’ Day (still celebrated in many places throughout the world), which is a European holy day of religious festivities. Falling the eve before All Saint’s Day, the true origin of the name Halloween comes from “All Hallow’s Even” (the night before All Hallow’s Day, which is All Saints’ Day).

Since the time my children were of the age to do so, we decided they would not participate in trick or treating or any other Halloween festivities. When questioned about this, we would always reply that there is nothing about Halloween that celebrates Christ, so there was no reason for us as Christians to celebrate the holiday. In recent years, many churches and Christian organizations have introduced “Hallelujah Parties” in lieu of Halloween celebrations. My family’s stance has remained steadfast, because even a watered-down version of this holiday is unacceptable. I’ve heard the protest of many other Christians:

“Oh, let your children be children and have some fun like the other kids!”
“Forget the history, now it’s all about dressing up and eating candy!”
“I’m a Christian, too, so my kids don’t dress up as anything scary or demonic. They get to be angels and princesses!”

The Bible tells us in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer 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—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” In my opinion, compromising ourselves to celebrate things that are not of God couldn’t possibly be His good, pleasing and perfect will.

What are your thoughts on Halloween? Leave a comment!

Quality, Quantity, Quickly

In my early days of advertising, I had a Creative Director who displayed a sign in his office that read, “Quality. Quantity. Quickly.” He explained that you could always have one of those three variables. Sometimes you were lucky enough to get two. But it was very rarely that you would ever get all three.

I have seen over the years how this truth has played out in various areas of life. Things that are created very fast and by the truckload are not usually of great quality. It takes great care and lots of time to create items of great value. For example, cars that are built one-by-one in a lengthy, painstaking process are worth far more than the thousands that fly off the factory line.

Take a look at your local bookstore. Authors who have works that were written with fine attention to detail and who, perhaps, have only a few titles to their names tend to be regarded as literary giants. Yet, writers who swiftly crank out volume after volume in their genre usually provide a couple of good reads, but work that is rarely considered classic.

Re-read the first chapter of Genesis when you get a chance. When we reflect on how wonderfully He created everything in the world and how fast He did it, we realize that only an awesome God could produce such quality in great quantity so quickly.

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment!

Do the Right Thing...at the Right Time

I once heard a powerful sermon preached by Rev. William D. Watley, Ph. D. of St. James A.M.E. Church in Newark, NJ. He really hit close to home when he declared, “If you do what you have to do when you have to do it, then you can do what you want to do when you want to do it.”

Many of us find ourselves inundated with the “have to dos.” We have to do the laundry. We have to get the car inspected. We have to finish that next chapter of the novel. The list goes on. And too often, we find ourselves putting off these things until later. Then we wonder why we often feel so overwhelmed, stressed out, and pressed for time.

The truth is, there is a time for everything, as a popular passage tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1–8. Remember—whenever we put off a responsibility, we may lose out on an opportunity for ourselves or miss a chance to be a blessing to someone else.

I’m going to do what I have to do when I have to do it, so I can do what I want to do when I want to do it.