BGCT convention

While here in Amarillo visiting with my mom, I am also here for the convention. It should be a most interesting convention. I pray that cooler heads will rule. Will write more later.

Thoughts on Halloween

I can remember when I was a kid how much fun Halloween was. I looked forward to the cool costumes and especially the candy!!

It seems over the last 20-30 years well meaning people have decided to abandon this holiday altogether. My kids were asking me why. I told them that some 30 years ago a man by the name of Mike Warnke did a radio speech, talk whatever on the subject of Halloween. You see Mike claimed that he was saved from a life of Satanism. He said that at one point that he was a High Priest in Satanism and that made him an expert on Halloween. He spoke about how on Oct. 31st it was the big night for the Satanist. It was the day when they sacrificed animals and in some cases humans. He shared all about this stuff in great detail and it got lots and lots of airplay on Christian radio stations all over the country.

He was very persuasive in his arguments that Christians ought to have nothing whatever to do with this “satanic” holiday as he called it. I bought it hook, line and sinker. Yes, some of the stuff he talked about was right, yes, Halloween has pagan origins and all. But the large bulk of what he said was totally false.

Fast forward a few years and we find that Mike Warnke was a total fraud. Never was a Satanist and never was an expert. He was a very good talker and a smooth one at that. His testimony on his very, very popular albums was found to be made up.

 But still to this day I hear people practically quoting the guy as if he is an authority. Yes, Halloween has pagan backgrounds to it and all. But then so does lots of Christmas. It seems that many Christians today want to curse the darkness and run from it.

And yet there are many churches and Christians who choose instead to shine the “light” in the darkness. We can’t stick our heads in the sand and ignore the darkness and pray it goes away. It is part and parcel to living in this world. There is lots of darkness all around us, we can curse it, but that will not make it go away. Light repels darkness, Christ said for us not to hide our light, but to let it shine.

So in light of that, our little church is hosting a “Trunk or Treat” party. It is a safe environment for kids to come and get candy and play games.  We could curse the darkness or we can shine light on it, and that is what we choose to do. I realize there are some who still refuse to participate in Halloween,  that is thier choice. But they must be consistent with the philosophy of cursing the darkness and shun Christmas, Easter, and many other “pagan” holidays.  The only one that is NOT patently pagan in it’s origin is probably Thanksgiving.

We as Christians seem real good at telling people what we are against, I would rather tell what I am for. I am for taking Jesus into the “dark” places of this world. I am for letting God change people from the inside out and not worry about what they look like on the outside. I am for shining the light of Christ in our world. 

Anyway it’s my opinion.

I finally did it!

Howdy, I am new at this gig, so be patient with me. I have only recently been reading blogs and so decided to take the plunge and start my own. Not that I am profound or anything like that but just like to write stuff.

I am just a country preacher at a small country church in Texas. I was born and raised in Texas and along with that comes the cowboy hat and boots.  I like some country music, especially Rascal Flatts.

Anyway I just got this thing up and running and will see how it goes. Will write more later, lunch is calling.