Trunk or Treat

This Sunday at Ember is our first public event (besides worship services). We're having a Trunk or Treat, which I've never done before. It's going to be a lot of fun, and I'm hoping we get a good response from our neighborhood. We hung over 500 door hangers in the homes around our neighborhood, so hopefully the word will get out a bit.

Hanging door hangers was an interesting experience for me. I felt like I was trespassing at every home I snuck up to and stealthily placed the door hanger over the front door knob. I felt as though I was violating a bit of my idealism, that we shouldn't have to "stoop" to door hangers or other such marketing devices to get the word out about Ember. But in the midst of it, I felt the Lord challenge me with this question: Are you willing to compromise your idealism in order to fulfill my mission? Ouch.

Because maybe it wasn't simply about my idealism; maybe it was about my pride and my fear. Maybe I thought that what we were doing at Ember was so overwhelmingly awesome that the word would just get out and the masses would flock to our church. And maybe I was so afraid of rejection that I didn't want to put myself or Ember on the line by doing any kind of marketing in the first place. Double ouch.

But God's question to me haunts me, and I suspect that it won't be the last time he asks me that particular question. Am I willing to compromise my idealism in order to fulfill God's mission? I am. Especially when my idealism is just a cover for my pride and fear.

Well, with all that introspection aside, we're having a Trunk or Treat Sunday afternoon at 4, right before our worship service. We're giving away free candy, and it's going to be a lot of fun. Also, I have an epic costume, though I haven't yet decided to preach in it. Come Sunday and find out. 4pm, 401 E. Schrock Rd.