This year I read a book and could not believe my eyes... I had been duped! I had always thought that a certain percentage of my candy that I collected at Halloween was tainted with razor blades, anthrax, or needles. Haven't you? Well, here is the truth behind the story and I thought it would be fun for you to read before tonight. This came out of the book Made to Stick by Heath & Heath.

Hey parents, if you still want to tell your kids you must "sample" every piece for their safety I won't tell!

Joe


"In the 1960s and 1970s, the tradition of Halloween trick-or-treating came under attack. Rumors circulated about Halloween sadists who put razor blades in apples and booby-trapped pieces of candy. The rumors affected the Halloween tradition nationwide. Parents carefully examined their children's candy bags. Schools opened their doors at night so that kids could trick-or-treat in a safe environment. Hospitals volunteered to X-ray candy bags.

In 1985, an ABC News poll showed that 60 % of parents worried that their children might be victimized. To this day, many parents warn their children not to eat any snacks that aren't prepackaged. This is a sad story: a family holiday sullied by bad people who inexplicably, wish to harm children. But in 1985 the story took a strange twist. Researchers discovered something shocking about the candy-tampering epidemic: It was a myth.

The researchers, sociologist Joel Best and Gerald Horiuchi, studied every reported Halloween incident since 1958. They found no instances where strangers caused children life-threatening harm on Halloween by tampering with their candy.

Two children did die on Halloween, but their deaths weren't caused by strangers. A 5 year old boy found his uncle's heroin stash and overdosed. His relatives initially tried to cover their tracks by sprinkling heroin on his candy. In another case, a father, hoping to collect on an insurance settlement, caused the death of his own son by contaminating his candy with cyanide.

In other words, the best social science evidence reveals that taking candy from strangers is perfectly okay. It's your family you should worry about."

As a boy I loved Halloween! It took me a long time to get out of the practice of knocking on doors, yelling "Trick or Treat", and filling up my pillow case with the goods from my willing neighbors. My costumes were more and more lame the older I got, but the smell of fall in the air, the hopes of giant candy bars at the next house, and the competition of beating my sisters in quantity of bounty was too strong of a pull for me to give up even into my early teens!

Once I started following God I was disappointed to hear that God didn't want me, or my children in the future, to play any part in Halloween. If I were a good Christian and wanted to be pleasing to God, I was told I would turn my porch light off, head over to church for the "Harvest Festival", and do all that I could to convince my unsuspecting neighbors to boycott the overtly demonic celebration called Halloween.

Well, I wanted (and still do desperately) to be both pleasing to God and honoring to Him in every way! So I did turn my light out, head to the harvest festival, and ask my neighbors to come with me for a period of time. But to be honest, there was always a part of me that wanted to dress up in a lame costume, grab my pillow case, and knock on the doors of all my neighbors who went out of there way to buy delicious delectables for me! However, I was willing to suffer for Jesus if that was the right thing to do.

Then one day in the fall I read an article about why I should abstain from Halloween and something spoke up inside of me, "Is it really wrong?" So I began to take a closer look at the modern day practice of the holiday, at the arguments for abstinence, and reconsider my conviction.

Before we go any further you probably know where this is going. If we disagree on this issue that is okay with me and I hope it is okay with you. In other words, I hope we can still be friends. I respect your position and trust you to live it out in grace towards others.

Now back to my story. First, the modern day practice of Halloween. I wondered if there was evil intent in a child's heart when they dressed up like a princess or a perhaps even a ghost made from an old white sheet? Are parents really practicing the ancient Celtic rituals or supporting them in any way (do they even know them) when they go from house to house collecting Baby Ruths from Mrs. Ruth's house? I concluded no. Roughly 99.9% of anyone I have ever met or heard of participates in Halloween for fun, not for religion. So I concluded that much like Christmas with trees and Easter with eggs, the American celebration of the holiday has little to nothing to do with the demons, the dead, or spirituality.

Second, I thought that maybe I should still abstain even though others were clueless. After all, even though they aren't tuned in, God and the spiritual world certainly are. Right? Agreed! I am not saying that popular opinion is the deciding factor for any decision. However, my thought process went something like this. Does God care? Does He care if I celebrate in my neighborhood or at my church? And I decided yes. He does care! He cares about my neighbors and my interaction with them. He does care about how they view me and how they view Him. When thinking this way I began to ask this question, "When do my neighbors within a mile radius come to my house willingly, spend a few seconds to a few minutes interacting with me, and allow me to come to their door and ask them for free gifts other than on Halloween? The answer is never! So then does it make more sense for God's people to be available and interactive during this unique time of the year or to have all the people of grace hold up in a building doing the same activities that are going on in the neighbors, but without neighbors and friends? It is for you to decide, but it seems to me that God would rather have me with my porch light on or behind my kid dressed as Spiderman or Bob The Builder on my neighbors porch.

These, and other considerations, have lead Christie and I to do a few things at Halloween. First, buy the best candy we can afford! I want our house to be memorable and a topic of discussion at "the great counting of the candy" later on that night in homes across the neighborhood. Second, we give out lots of candy - handfuls! We do this to spread lots of joy and because that is how we want our children to receive candy when they go out. Third, we let our kids dress up and hit the streets with one of us at their heels. We say hi to neighbors and chat as long as we can. We figure by just being out and about we are more available to make friends and be useful. Fourth, we tell people who ask us (cause they do) that God does not hate them for letting their kids dress up and walk the hood.

Again, you need to come to your own conviction and wherever you fall on the issue thanks for reading and have a great night!

Joe

Have you ever wondered about where Halloween came from? Have you ever asked if it is wrong for Christians to celebrate Halloween or maybe heard somebody say that it is wrong? Have you ever wondered if your kids were going to bite into a razor blade while trying to bite into their mini candy bar?

Well, over the next 3 days we are going to tackle these questions and maybe a few more. I am by no means a "Halloween Expert" so feel free to chime in with your own thoughts or opinions. Keep it civil or we are going to have to come and smash your pumpkins on your street!

Below is a pretty good summary of the history behind Halloween. I pulled it from
http://www.history.com/minisites/halloween if you want to check it out yourself.

Stay tuned for the 2nd and 3rd parts to this post over the next few days

Joe


"Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.

The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-Hallows or All-Hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-Hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas."

Free bible software for blackberry.

http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/2008/10/07/bibleappfortheblackberry/

Over the next few months we are going to take special days for the leadership to express themselves. Hopefully you will get to know those who serve you at Journey a little better. I get to start since, well, it is my birthday. Today I turn 36 years old and hopefully you just said, "I thought you were much older than that because you are soooo wise!" or "I thought you were much younger than that cause you are sooo young looking!" However, my guess is you said "That's it!" or "You certainly don't act your age!"

However you see it I can't believe I am 36. Not because I feel like I am really old or anything like that. After all, I am now exactly half the age of our oldest elder R.L. Brown (sorry to throw you under the bus friend)!

I am pensive about my age today because it marks a milestone for me. You see I started following God when I was 18 years old. That means my life is now exactly split in half. I have lived half my life with Christ and half my life without Him, although he has certainly been near me all my days.

I can't imagine where I would be without Christ or what my life would be like. I am so grateful for His grace in my life to cover my sin! I am so grateful for His generosity in my life to bless me with an awesome wife, great kids, and a wonderful church! I am so grateful for His purpose in my life to give me a chance to live for Him these last 18 years!

As I look back I begin to look forward and ask, "What does the next 18 years hold?" Since I do not know what tomorrow holds for I am but grass, here today and gone tomorrow, I offer this prayer:

"God as long as I have breath in my lungs may I declare of your mercy! God as long as I have strength in my bones may I work hard for your glory! God as long as I have feeling in my soul may I love deeply those you place in my path! Amen."

Joe

Today at Journey we talked about our relationships with others. Recently I picked up a copy of a book recommended to me by one of my mentors. I have never read anything by Joseph Myers, but I thought anyone with a name like Joe can't be all that bad right?

In this thought provoking book Myers challenges us to consider thinking of our relationships in reference to 4 spaces. There is the public space which is 12 feet or greater, the social space which happens in settings from 4 to 12 feet, there is the personal space which takes place in 18 inches to 4 feet, and finally the intimate space that is within 18 inches of ourselves.

His point is that we all have relationships with people inside of these spaces at work, home, in the hood, and with our spouse or friends. Obviously the feet and inches are not hard and fast, but the concept is very helpful.

Here are a few learnings from the book that I found helpful. If it interests you maybe you should pick it up and read it.

Connecting in all 4 spaces:
"The secret is to see all connections as significant. All of these spaces are important, real, and authentic in people's lives. We need to validate what people themselves count as valid. When we validate the space where they are, we greatly increase our ability to bring help to their lives." pg 63

Trading Spaces:
"It is important to recognize that no relationship survives in one space for the entire life of the relationship. We move among the four spaces throughout the life of all relationships. Many times we do so unconsciously and without effort." pg 89

Belonging Can't Be "Processed":
"The four relational spaces are not a process for grouping healthy connections. Healthy community comes when we hold harmony among spaces. Likewise, a congregation is healthy when it promotes significant belonging in all four spaces and help people grow in each space. Assembly line processing through the space in not healthy."

"Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet
there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending,
ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the
journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and
glory of the climb."

Sir Winston Churchill

The Arizona State Fair has been up and running for this whole month,but tonight Journey and friends of Journey will be storming the gates with free tickets. No, there is not a Christian concert tonight. No, there is not a new "Christian" ride being unveiled (what would that be anyway? Heaven's Fun House, Purgatory The New House of Mirrors, or

The Hand Shaking Booth). The reason then? Because events like the State Fair provide a great opportunity to connect with neighbors, friends, and relatives. 

It should be no surprise to us that God uses the genuine and loving relationships that we build with others to reveal Himself. When I am in trouble, in need of guidance, or want to get some bit of advice for life I often turn to the people I trust and that value me as a

person. In other words, I turn to people who I have a relationship with and who have a relationship with me. This is not only true for me, but for you and your friends as well and that is one reason we tried hard to get free tickets to the State Fair... to help you in

your attempt to be a good neighbor and friend to those God has brought into your life!

So enjoy your time tonight! Eat something fried, something way too sweet, and then puke it up on the Tilt-A-Whirl! Praying for you to have a great time being a great friend.

Joe

Maybe you did or didn't know that there is such a thing as the "Christian Calendar". This widely accepted calendar helps Christians around the world celebrate certain obviously significant spiritual events like Christmas, Easter, the Advent Season. This calendar also marks the celebration of some less than obvious, but none the less, significant events such as Reformation Day, Feast of Baptism, My Birthday (just kidding), and Creation Day.

Did you know that we know the exact day God created the world?! Okay we don't, but a guy named Bishop James Ussher (1581 - 1656) did not have the opportunity to watch Seinfeld reruns so he decided to try and pinpoint the day of creation. Here is how he did this...

"Calculation of the date of the flood based on literal interpretation of the old testament has been a scholarly activity for two millennia. The seventeenth century estimate of the Irish Bishop James Ussher has been accepted among many of the devout. The calculation is undertaken by adding the genealogies beginning in Genesis 11:10. This is the account of Shem: Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became father of Arphaxad. Arphaxad is then designated father to Shelah, Shelah to Eber, Eber to Pelg, and so on until Abram and his successors which eventually brings one to the division of the kingdom at the death of Solomon. In this way, Bishop Ussher computed that the earth had been created in 4004 BC and that the flood occurred in 2350 BC"

Is this the date? To be honest I don't know and I lean towards probably not. Why? Mostly because the genealogies in the Bible were not necessarily written with the type of precision needed to make this claim. Just check out Matthew's genealogy and you will see what I mean.

There has been a bunch written about the creation of the world in recent days. How about you take this day to reread the creation account in Genesis 1 and write your own guess as to when God rolled up His sleeves and got His hands dirty making mankind!

Happy Creation Day,

Joe

ps. I don't think Seinfeld reruns are more important than Ussher's work... but if he had them he might have liked them :)

The Shack

Wrapping your head around the Trinity can be overwhelming to say the least. The fact that God has existed for eternity, never changes and is infinite in His knowledge is enough to send your mind spinning. Jesus' willingness to give up His power as God and come to Earth to live among us and as one of us seems impossible. And the Holy Spirit indwelling in us and advising our conscience seems unthinkable. Each one beyond our full understanding and yet craving us to understand them and know them fully.

Would it help if we could sit down and talk to each of them face to face? Would it help if they showed themselves to us in a way that we could see them in human bodies, hear their voices and have an open dialogue? Yes, Jesus did do this for us when He came to Earth but unfortunately most of us were born too late to see Him. Fortunately He did leave His story behind for us in the Bible. But what if we could take a walk in a garden with the Holy Spirit? What if we could enjoy a cup of coffee and a conversation with God? What if we could sit across from Jesus at the dinner table and look directly in His eyes as we thank Him for our food.

In the Shack the main character is given the opportunity to see God in a whole new way. Through tragic circumstances he comes face to face with God Himself. And what follows is an incredible and unusual tale of a weekend with God.

I have to admit that I did not devour this book in the same way many others have. To tell the truth, about half way through I put it down and didn't want to pick it back up. I may even have rolled my eyes as I was challenged to view God in entirely different and unusual ways. But then because I've never not finished a book I started (except for Cape Fear) and because I knew I had to write this review I put my cynicism aside and finished it. And guess what? I began to enjoy it again. And even more than that it opened my mind and heart to the reality of what our relationship with God could look like. Through this book I realized that if we set aside our desired vision of what God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are like we may get to know them on a deeper level and understand their role in our lives more clearly. God isn't trying to fit anyone's mold. And I know I've created many that I try to stuff Him in. The Shack brings up many points to ponder that may lead to a fresh look at God's plan for our lives and our response to life in general. For example, when we keep making the same mistakes we tend to get frustrated with ourselves and with God's plan for us. But God knows how many times we are going to fail before we finally get it right. How liberating to be able to view our failures as one step closer to success.

Another challenge addressed in the book is our insistence that we are able to exhibit our own independence from God. He was gracious enough to allow us free will. So then why do we complain when other's independent choices affect us negatively? We only want our own way. We don't like the fact that others are allowed to make their own choices, right or wrong, because their wrong choices may affect us in a negative way. An example: you want the freedom to decide which house to buy. That seems like a good choice. But what about that person who uses his free will to decide to break into your home while you are at work. Not a great choice. But both choices were made because God did not create us to be puppets but instead to make our own decisions. Why should your rights to exercise your free will be held above someone else's?

If there is any hesitation in reading a Christian novel that mixes theology with fiction it is that we as readers may make those same mix ups. The Shack is a great catalyst in raising some interesting questions. Hopefully it will lead us to rethinking the ways we relate to God and what it is that He expects from us. And hopefully it will do that by causing us to run to the Word. The conversations that take place in the Shack did not actually happen. But the conversations that take place in the Word did. And it is in those conversations that we can be drawn into the true fellowship that God desires with us. It is in those conversations that we can hear God's voice and see His face.

Jennifer Stratman

Have you ever prayed for a miracle? Why didn’t it happen? One of my greatest disappointments with God has come from unanswered prayer. When I pray, I expect God to respond. I think that’s what faith in God does. Yet, I’ve prayed for a sick baby in a jungle village in Peru to be healed, thinking of all the amazing possibilities such a great demonstration of God’s power would accomplish. The baby remained sick. Nothing happened. Countless other times, I’ve sought God for miracles without any visible result. Is something wrong with me? Am I missing a special formula? Do I lack faith? Is there sin in my life preventing my prayer from being heard? What is it?

While libraries are filled with writings on these and other aspects of prayer, let me simply offer a response God has put in my heart, which I hope will be helpful.

We are often unaware of the reasons God allows and causes pain and suffering. The Bible seems to focus more upon our response to the pain than understanding its cause or claiming a guaranteed deliverance from it. I’m not suggesting we sit around and thank God for our mental, emotional and physical anguish, as if we could fake Him out. We hate disease and disaster. They don’t seem fair. We want God to heal our bodies, mend broken relationships, and free us from all the baggage we carry around. Like the widow in Luke 18:1-8, we are encouraged by Jesus to pray and not give up; for we show God our seriousness by our persistence. And He is often moved by His mercy to act accordingly. However, we must always keep in mind our troubles cause us to grow in depth of faith as children of God when we respond in trust, holding firm to God’s goodness in the midst of excruciating pain. Read II Corinthians 4:8-18. There the Apostle Paul reminds us “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Why, therefore, would we want to take away such a critical component of our growth?! In prison from Philippi Paul reminds us, “Now I want you to know brothers and sisters that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel….and it has been granted to you, on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.” When we cling to Christ in our suffering, we experience and display the value and worth of Christ in a way that would otherwise be impossible to know or show.

For this reasons we practice fervent prayer, targeting root issues when we know what they are. We expect God to respond to our fervent prayers with healing and liberation for our joy and His glory. And we also practice humble prayer, considering our limited knowledge and God’s good use of pain in our lives and the lives of those around us. Therefore, you will often hear us pray, “Your will be done, oh God” as a reminder to ourselves and all who hear that we want God to heal, but we know His plans often allow and cause us suffering, which are disguised graces for us, achieving eternal glory! “Your will be done” is not a copout, but a deep confession of faith, “God you know best! Have your way!”

Joel Thurston

Often times I get asked what Bible version should be used for study, for devotionals, or in the church service. My take is simply the same one! I know, my intellect is staggering. Truth is most of the modern day versions have great scholarly work behind them in the translation arena that you should have great confidence in their accuracy.

Some of you are lost at this point. Let me try to clarify. The Bible was written in two main languages (Hebrew & Greek) and has traces of a third (Aramaic). In the early days there was a Latin Version (Vulgate), but that was just a translation of the originals into Latin.

Since most of us don't read Greek or Hebrew (except for Joel and my Greek friend Vaughn) we need to have the Bible translated into modern day English. This has been the case for year even back to good old King James era when he had the Bible translated into Old English (this translation is known as the King James Version).

If you have ever translated something from another language you know you also have to interpret what you are translating because phrases don't just roll over word for word into our language and neither do all the thoughts. This is where the various versions of translations come in. Some are more word for word (NASB, ESV, RSV, NKJV, etc) and some are more thought for thought (NIV, NLT, The Message, etc).

At Journey we use the New International Version (NIV) because it is right in the middle of word for word and thought for thought. I have found it to be easy to read and understand while at the same time remaining true to the original text.

To learn more about the various translations click here 

Remember, no matter which version you use, be sure to put it into practice!

John 13:17

Joe

Recently a friend of mine asked me what our church did when 911 hit, when Columbine happened, when Katrina hit land, or when we went to war in Iraq. That's easy. I remember clearly that we asked our church to pray, counseled people who were effected by the tragedy, and even reached out to those in need around us. Then he drove his point home by asking, "What are you doing in light of these crazy economic times that we are experiencing these days?" 

After thinking about it we are doing somethings. We offered a seminar on how to deal with the mortgage challenges (you can still listen to that on our website on our calendar page), we have been praying for those effected by the down turn, we offer free financial and budget advice to anyone who asks (email me and I will get you hooked up), and we have encouraged people in our sermons to turn to God for help. However, we have never given a short and clear explanation of how to weather this time in our history. Well, until now. Hope this helps somebody.

To thrive in these days I want to encourage all of us to pray to God, promote generosity, purposefully spend, praise God for what you have..

PRAY first and foremost. Jesus in Matthew 6 gives us the best advice for anytime in our lives, especially when things are challenging. "Seek for the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you!" These things are our basic material needs. We have to, of course, do this in faith. We have to have faith that God knows what is good for us, he knows what we need and he is actively going to provide for us tomorrow even though we don't know how. Fear is the enemy of faith. Better yet, fear is faith that the enemy is more powerful than God and will thwart God's plan to provide for us. Take courage! This is not true! Have faith, God will provide tomorrow so seek Him with all you have! Are you praying?

PROMOTE GENEROSITY every chance you get. This is a shining moment for the church! Which means this is a shining moment for you - the church! Throughout history God's people have expressed God's love to the world through charity and generosity. We start hospitals, we comfort those who are dying, and we feed those in need. We do what Jesus did for we are his body! While the world is holding back, taking care of numero uno, we should be looking for and taking every opportunity we can to love those who are in need, offer practical help and counsel, and be what we were intended to be - people of love! So how about it? Are you generous?

PURPOSEFULLY SPEND the resources God has given us. When times are good it is easy, really easy to be exact, to spend like there is no tomorrow. We have all been there and probably more than we want to admit. The good thing about times like this is it forces us look carefully at our spending. Great question to ask yourself before you buy something is, "Do I really need this?" Actually a way better question is, "Does this fit into my budget?" Of course you have to have a budget first. Do you?

PRAISE GOD for what you have. Be thankful in all things Paul tell us. Learn to live in good times and in bad, with lots of things and without anything, for you can do all things through Christ! A thankful heart is a lot more content than a greedy heart. Greed never lets you rest, it puffs up unsettled emotions and tells you that you are empty or short something. Truth is you have all you need in God even if you having nothing here on earth. This is a great moment in your history to learn the joy of being completely and truly content with the God who made you, who fills you with his Spirit, and who is simply and surely ENOUGH. May I suggest you read Philippians 4:4-13 this week and ask God for that heart. It might even be helpful to make a list of all the things in life you have been given by God already and then sing his praises!

Well, hope this helps. If nothing else it helps remind me of where I need to place my hope and faith. 

On the journey with you,

Joe Darago

Lead Pastor

Thanks for checking out our new Journey Church blog.  Blog is a funny word that has come to mean something to the internet world.  For our purposes we will be using this blog to have a conversation around things that are important to Journey.  We will have people from within Journey contributing, posting articles and thoughts from others in the faith community that we appreciate, and review different books that we are reading or want you to read.

So bookmark this page and check back every day.  There will be a new post every day and look forward to your comments and feedback!

Thanks again for being a part of the conversation.

On the journey,

Joe Darago

Lead Pastor