Light the Night!

It was clear early on that Halloween was doomed to lousy weather.  Rain and gusty winds would challenge even the most courageous candy collecting costumed kids. How surprised they were to stumble across beacons of light, heat and hot treats! If you had the privilege to visit a Light the Night location chances are you heard two phrases repeated from six until eight o’clock:  “Why are you guys doing this?” and “Thanks for the hotdogs and cider!” 

Twelve teams prepared garages and canopies to host well lit parties in Lansing, Holt and Mason. Armed with a thousand hotdogs and buns, two thousand candy bags, and hot cider, each team welcomed friends, neighbors and strangers alike.  The goals were simple: to meet and bless their neighbors. Here are some of the highlights:

“One young man visited us and ate several hotdogs. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast because his parents had been fighting all day. Later that night he returned for hotdogs and we invited him to The Flood on Wednesday nights!” 

“A couple from a known drug house visited, and a number of homeless people came over and we were able to feed them.”

“We invited our small group over to help run the station and we ended up needing everybody! We gave away 195 candy bags and 120 hotdogs.”

“It was very well received and it did allow me to have a couple conversations about South and why we were doing it.” 

“Around 7:00, a couple from down the road showed up with a guitar. After helping hand out hotdogs to kids, he belted out a couple tunes live from the garage!”

Farwell Church of Christ hosted a Light the Night event. They had over 400 visitors and made some great connections in their community!

The purpose of Light the Night was to help families meet and bless their neighbors. Why?  Because Jesus made it clear that loving God and loving neighbors are absolutely vital. Light the Night simply put families in a place where their neighbors were. What a wild success! Neighbors were met, blessed, talked to, and laughed with. Thank you for making this event not just a great success but a lot of fun!

Christians, Candy Corn and Controversy

There's a warmth to all those autumn evenings my family spent Trick or Treating many years ago. Decked out as a pirate, I'd join a motley crew and travel door to door demanding candy! Parents would oblige us and by the end of the night, my siblings and I would begin the anticipated candy trade. We swapped Sixlets for Skittles and Peanut Butter cups for Pay Days until my parents ended the bartering and "checked" our candy for safety while we tromped off to bed.

Years later, the roles have changed and I have a son who cannot wait to don his racing pants, red Honda shirt and racing helmet on October 31st! I want to be excited for him, but my desire to participate in Halloween diminishes by the minute when I scan the costume aisle: demonic clowns, devils, sharp toothed monsters and skulls too numerous to count. I don't want to celebrate that. I think that's where a lot of Christians find themselves. There's a tension between the festive and the freakish. Halloween has been a day of controversy for quite some time. Should the church protest or participate? Before you decide, take a moment and consider these numbers:

157 million Americans will celebrate Halloween
2 Billion dollars have been spent on candy each year for the last three years
2.8 Billion dollars are spent on kids' & adults' costumes
78% of 18-24 year olds will participate
Last year, consumers spent 7.4 Billion dollars on Halloween

It's clear that a lot of people celebrate Halloween. What does this mean for the us? It means that just about all of us will have parents and kids crowding our streets on October 31st. Can you think of a better time to meet your neighbors? Instead of choosing to protest or participate, you can choose to Light The Night! Transform your front yard into a welcoming place to meet your neighbors, feed them treats and most importantly, engage them in conversation.  

To learn more about how you can Light the Night, click here.
To host a Light the Night in your neighborhood, click here.

Getting Hooked?

My son wanted to watch as I sifted through an arsenal of fishing tackle on the garage floor. He watched curiously as Rapala crank baits gathered in one Plano organizer and sharpened octopus hooks were placed in another. Without warning, he said "Daddy, I think there's a hook in my finger." Like lightning, my eyes darted over to him, just an arm's length away. Did I leave a hook on the floor? Will I be able to remove it? Is the barb embedded in his finger? Investigating his hand and tugging at a small piece of metal, I became suddenly aware that he might be seriously hurt. Almost instantaneously, he held up the object and asked if it was a hook. I was relieved to see not a hook, but a sharp metal shaving from a damaged wheel stud. Though I've taken him fishing before, I need to be incredibly careful and thorough when sorting tackle. He's young enough to enjoy reeling in a fish, but not mature or aware enough to be trusted unsupervised around hooks.

Any parent would be heartbroken if their child got into the sharps drawer at home and wound up injured. Cutting shears, steak knives and utility blades are hidden in places well beyond the reach of children. Why? Because parents want their kids safe and are well aware of the dangers of such sharp objects.    

As a dad of a young son and infant daughter, I'm finding that there are hidden dangers in the technology I carry around in my pocket. The answer of course, is not to throw away my phone, gather the villagers and run mobile technology out of town with pitchforks and torches. The solution is to become aware of the dangers and then set up boundaries in my life and home. Just as I wouldn't leave treble hooks, lead sinkers or crank baits on the floor for my son to toy with, I won't allow him unsupervised access to my phone. Here's 5 reasons why:
1.) It's addictive. Too much screen time is bad for the brain.   
2.) It's too easy to access pornography.    
3.) If he's posting pictures on Instagram, stalkers can find him.
4.) If he's on Facebook or Instagram, he has unrestricted access to the internet.
5.) I want him to thrive in genuine relationships, not wither in social media.

Just a few weeks ago, we hosted the Reveal Seminar with guest speakers Joshua Straub and Dan Lohrmann. We discussed how the internet is an accelerator (for business, blogs, books, you name it) and that as parents, we need to find the brakes! Our goal is to help you and your children live out your faith online and navigate social media and the digital age with integrity. 

Here are some resources to help in your journey:
Joshua Straub: Author, blogger & healthy family builder
iParent.tv  A website devoted to helping parents understand apps & hidden dangers
Covenant Eyes  Internet accountability & filtering software
Center for Parent & Youth Understanding  An accurate assessment of everything from video games to the MTv Music Video Awards.