Stepping on my soapbox...

In just a few short hours, the streets will be decked to the hilt with laughing kiddos raking in the sugar. Churches and other venues with be filled with all the fun surrounding these fall festivities. Though there is debate about Christians celebrating a pagan holiday, I firmly believe that every family has to make their unique decision of how to celebrate this cultural carnival of candy and costumes.

Jellybeans: Halloween '07:

As for my family, we enjoy dress-up! I don't personally morph into another character, but my girls sure do love it. Ever since they could say "pink" they have been one princess or another or any number of story book characters. Not a day has passed that they haven't pretended to be someone/something else.

And they are oh, so creative! Yesterday they stripped the sheets from their bed and transformed themselves into Nutcracker mice. Recently they stuffed a leotard with baby blankets and called themselves "nesting penguins in a rookery."

These silly kids enjoy this simplicity of childhood and allow their imaginations--and a few pieces of fabric--to take them places that are inaccessible to adults.

Spring and Winter Fairies: Halloween '05:

I'm excited that our church is hosting a fall festival where we can be around others who party like my girls. I've spent hours sewing the right costume for what they want to be this year. Yet I'm concerned for the number of Christians who use this fun day of dress-up to portray the darker side of reality.

Perplexing is the number of active Christians who use their blogs and Facebook statuses to sing their praises to the Lord...except for the days leading up to Halloween. On those days, they post pictures of themselves or their children spookily dressed as ghosts, vampires or dead people, display all sorts of creative, but ghoulish, crafts or they relay their tasty recipes for ghostly treats.

Please, consider what you, as a Christian, are communicating to an unsaved world! Never should a true Christian celebrate the disaster of death--Our Redeemer conquered the grave! We need to be purposeful in the way to live our life--every day. We should be focused on all things that are pure, trustworthy, holy. And our costumes, food concoctions, crafts and actions need to reflect our Savior, the Light of the world.

Don't get so carried away in the festivities that you find yourself unintentionally paying homage to evil. Anything dark and evil and hideous is very real. We as Christians fight a spiritual battle of good and evil every single day. Even if it is only for a night and all in the name of fun, don't trade your steadfast armor of God for the horrific armor of Satan.

I'm off my soapbox now.