Today our country recognizes a holiday known as Halloween. I have to be honest, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love decorating my house, baking festive treats and planning costumes for the boys to wear when they go trick-or-treating. This year is no different. The young Henderson boys are going to be the cutest Batman and Robin duo EVER!

C’mon, who doesn’t like dressing up as something abnormal or, really, just plain different for one night? Furthermore, who doesn’t love filling their mouths and stomachs full of candy to the point of being miserable? There is just something about Halloween that captivates us all whether it is the décor, the thrill of an adrenaline high or the sheer joy of digging through buckets of yummy candy.

One thing I have learned since stepping into the role of Co-Student Pastor with David, however, is the opportunity Halloween itself has. The main goal, for young kids (and us parents who can’t wait for the kids to go to sleep so we can raid their sugar rich treasure) is to get candy. They see Halloween as a time to get something they want. That might be having the best costume or getting the biggest candy bars. It could even be going to every haunted house in Chattanooga to prove just how tough one is. But what if just like Christmas, Halloween became a time of giving? What if we thought backwards?

The students of Awaken will be handing out candy and information about Journey to random customers in the Hixson Wal-Mart shopping center for the second year in a row. We call it Backwards Halloween. The goal of this event is to have our students turn Halloween around and give something to others instead of seeking to get something for themselves. Halloween is known as a dark, horror filled holiday for most. Why not insert a little light into that darkness? By offering something young children will receive during this major holiday to people of all ages we hope to remind recipients that God is still present. God is always available.

As Christians we are to shine the light of Christ every day of the year. Halloween is one of the many days of the year. We can be a light in a world blanketed in times of darkness and fear. Each person you meet may not take the “baggie of treats” you offer instantly, but your kindness to them in that one moment might ignite a spark that is on its way to exploding into something amazing for God’s Kingdom.
How can you think backwards when it comes to something that is always done a certain way?

Happy Halloween!!