Do you DO Halloween Part II?
Halloween, Part II
I received such an overwhelming response to my journal from last week, "Do You DO Halloween?". So I decided to send a follow-up journal to share what I actually did do on Halloween night. As you read through how my night went, I hope you will extend grace where needed and keep the big picture in mind.
I had to come up with something that would shine the light of Jesus to children primarily ages 5 to 12 years old, in order to capture their attention as well as their hearts!
I hope you will enjoy reading what I can say was a very exciting evening for me.
I decided to dress as the Woman at the well from John chapter 4. Actually, I just wore a sign around my neck which said, "Woman at the Well". I'm into simplicity, so that was good enough for me. I set the stage (my porch) with a stool for me to sit on and the big tin bucket down by my feet filled with water bottles was my well. I also had a smaller bucket of candy that I held in my lap. My family prayed for the people we would see and asked God to shine through us that night. With the porch light on and the cool evening air on my face I sat and waited.
"Trick or Treat!"Hello! What are you dressed up as?
"I'm Elvis. I'm a gangster. I'm the Tin Man."
Wow. You guys look cool! Can you guess what I am?
I held up my sign for them to read.
"Woman at the well?"
Have you heard the story about the woman at the well?
"No, what is it?"
The woman at the well was a woman who did a lot of bad things and no one wanted to be her friend until a man named Jesus came along and told her about Living Water.
"Cool, I've never heard that before. Where I can I find that story?"
I'm glad you asked! You can read more about her story in the 4th chapter of John in the Bible. You can look it up on a website. This water bottle has a sticker with all the info on it.
Dropping the water bottle in their treat bags I'd tell them, "This water is good for your body, but Living Water is good for your soul!"
"Cool. Thanks. I'm going to look it up tonight."
I was overwhelmed with the response from the kids. Initially, they just waited for me to drop the candy in their bags after they've said those magic words, 'trick or treat'. Every one of them seemed a little caught off guard when I actually wanted to talk to them about their costumes and enjoy some fun dialogue before going into my "script." I made sure to keep it short since I thought they wouldn't be interested. I never expected for them to actually step back and take it all in! A lot of them actually interacted with me while I was sharing my story. The common interjection was, "Did she fall in the well?"
The teenagers were amazing, too. There was one group that I felt pressed to say a bit more. They were dressed in ugly and wicked costumes. The epitome of evil.
I asked them, "Do any of you even know why we dress up in costumes?" One of the teenagers answered, "Yeah, to scare away the evil spirits."
You're right! I answered and then continued, "...isn't that crazy to think that costumes would scare away evil when God is more powerful than all evil?" They had no response, but at least I planted a seed.
What an amazing night. The night was dark, but with each person who stepped off my porch it seemed as though the night brightened. I know my heart was glowing. Feeling the energy and enthusiasm one feels when being used by God. Many of the parents of these kids were personally affirming to me. Some of them gave me the thumbs up from the sidewalk. Even a few "God Bless You's" was heard as they walked away.
My mind goes out to the different people from that night. One little girl came running back and asked me if the Living Water was about Jesus. There was a teenage girl who came dressed as half angel and half devil she said she would look up the story that night. Then there was the teenage boy who shared that he was a Christian, but had never heard the story, he wanted to look it up, too. And then there was the mother who was talking on her cell phone on the driveway, hung up quickly and came up to ask me to repeat what I had shared with her kids. She listened, not necessarily affirming, but noticeably absorbing my words.
I passed out 51 water bottles that night. 51 kids met the woman at the well. 51 kids had their thirst quenched. Possibly 51 kids will read about the Living Water that only Jesus can provide. 51 kids came and heard the name of Jesus. The Name above all Names. 51 kids were prayed for.
You didn't think I was just going to give them candy, did you?
I hope this inspires you to consider your part in Halloween next year. The woman at the well will be back on my porch next year. How about yours?
WHAT DID THE STICKER ON THE BOTTLE SAY?
WOMAN AT THE WELL
and
LIVING WATER
John 4
Look it up! www.biblegateway.com
Always ask permission before using the internet.
I received such an overwhelming response to my journal from last week, "Do You DO Halloween?". So I decided to send a follow-up journal to share what I actually did do on Halloween night. As you read through how my night went, I hope you will extend grace where needed and keep the big picture in mind.
I had to come up with something that would shine the light of Jesus to children primarily ages 5 to 12 years old, in order to capture their attention as well as their hearts!
I hope you will enjoy reading what I can say was a very exciting evening for me.
I decided to dress as the Woman at the well from John chapter 4. Actually, I just wore a sign around my neck which said, "Woman at the Well". I'm into simplicity, so that was good enough for me. I set the stage (my porch) with a stool for me to sit on and the big tin bucket down by my feet filled with water bottles was my well. I also had a smaller bucket of candy that I held in my lap. My family prayed for the people we would see and asked God to shine through us that night. With the porch light on and the cool evening air on my face I sat and waited.
"Trick or Treat!"Hello! What are you dressed up as?
"I'm Elvis. I'm a gangster. I'm the Tin Man."
Wow. You guys look cool! Can you guess what I am?
I held up my sign for them to read.
"Woman at the well?"
Have you heard the story about the woman at the well?
"No, what is it?"
The woman at the well was a woman who did a lot of bad things and no one wanted to be her friend until a man named Jesus came along and told her about Living Water.
"Cool, I've never heard that before. Where I can I find that story?"
I'm glad you asked! You can read more about her story in the 4th chapter of John in the Bible. You can look it up on a website. This water bottle has a sticker with all the info on it.
Dropping the water bottle in their treat bags I'd tell them, "This water is good for your body, but Living Water is good for your soul!"
"Cool. Thanks. I'm going to look it up tonight."
I was overwhelmed with the response from the kids. Initially, they just waited for me to drop the candy in their bags after they've said those magic words, 'trick or treat'. Every one of them seemed a little caught off guard when I actually wanted to talk to them about their costumes and enjoy some fun dialogue before going into my "script." I made sure to keep it short since I thought they wouldn't be interested. I never expected for them to actually step back and take it all in! A lot of them actually interacted with me while I was sharing my story. The common interjection was, "Did she fall in the well?"
The teenagers were amazing, too. There was one group that I felt pressed to say a bit more. They were dressed in ugly and wicked costumes. The epitome of evil.
I asked them, "Do any of you even know why we dress up in costumes?" One of the teenagers answered, "Yeah, to scare away the evil spirits."
You're right! I answered and then continued, "...isn't that crazy to think that costumes would scare away evil when God is more powerful than all evil?" They had no response, but at least I planted a seed.
What an amazing night. The night was dark, but with each person who stepped off my porch it seemed as though the night brightened. I know my heart was glowing. Feeling the energy and enthusiasm one feels when being used by God. Many of the parents of these kids were personally affirming to me. Some of them gave me the thumbs up from the sidewalk. Even a few "God Bless You's" was heard as they walked away.
My mind goes out to the different people from that night. One little girl came running back and asked me if the Living Water was about Jesus. There was a teenage girl who came dressed as half angel and half devil she said she would look up the story that night. Then there was the teenage boy who shared that he was a Christian, but had never heard the story, he wanted to look it up, too. And then there was the mother who was talking on her cell phone on the driveway, hung up quickly and came up to ask me to repeat what I had shared with her kids. She listened, not necessarily affirming, but noticeably absorbing my words.
I passed out 51 water bottles that night. 51 kids met the woman at the well. 51 kids had their thirst quenched. Possibly 51 kids will read about the Living Water that only Jesus can provide. 51 kids came and heard the name of Jesus. The Name above all Names. 51 kids were prayed for.
You didn't think I was just going to give them candy, did you?
I hope this inspires you to consider your part in Halloween next year. The woman at the well will be back on my porch next year. How about yours?
WHAT DID THE STICKER ON THE BOTTLE SAY?
WOMAN AT THE WELL
and
LIVING WATER
John 4
Look it up! www.biblegateway.com
Always ask permission before using the internet.
posted by Gerhard Kramer | 3:35 PM
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