Don't tell anyone but I really kinda like Halloween.  No, I do not approve or condone evil actions on any day.  No, I will not allow my kids to dress up in anything remotely violent.  No, I do not do satanic or other weird stuff for the holiday.  No, my church will not being marking the actual day but we do offer alternatives.  My enjoyment of Halloween is about old movies that try to scare you.  Again, my personal preference has no room for violence or gore in any fashion.  But what I do enjoy are the classic old movies that can still put a fright in you.  Now all we seem to get are movies that try to make our stomachs turn from the visuals without any thought to plot or story.

Some fear is a good thing to have.  What happens to far too many is that fear becomes a device for protecting self rather than taking a risk.  We may even be afraid of what God may do if we act on His word.  Scary is the idea of the person who talks of a trust in God while never taking any chances to obey Him.  People often are critical of those who participate in behavior outside narrow or legalistic views.  Part of following Jesus means we may be asked to do the radical.  This scares us when we don't really trust God to keep up with His end of our choices.  So it becomes safer to just stay comfortable than honestly obedient.

Church life loses much when people spend more time criticizing those who do believe God no matter how odd it may seem.  We end up pulling back rather than pushing forward.  Stones may be thrown by those who are fearful of anyone being different.  Scary is a lot of different things.  We should not fear being bold in our relationship with God.  Don't let anyone get in the way of your growth.  You can be better than the monsters that just do not understand.

Bro. Trey