October 29th, 2026
by Mark McAdow
by Mark McAdow
By Pastor Mark McAdow
As a kid, Halloween was one of greatest nights of the year. You got to “pretend” to be someone you’re not and get free candy, too! What could go wrong with that? It was simply fun and games for kids. Nothing sinister. Nothing too dark. Maybe a little extortion: “Trick or Treat, Trick or Treat, Give me something good to eat!” But over time, in some places, it morphed into something that gave people opportunity to be mean or even evil. I remember hearing as a child of someone who put razor blades into apples, or laced popcorn balls with a harmful substance or others who broke into homes or businesses while dressed in Halloween costumes. (In our first church in Spiro, OK, three people in costumes walked silently into our front room to our shock – they were members of the church!).
Today, Halloween has become big business! It’s the third-largest holiday after Christmas and Thanksgiving. But why? Why do people get excited about Halloween? What is it that causes adults to spend hundreds of dollars decorating their front porches and front yards to scare people? It has become a very dark event. Robin and I visited one of our members at a nice OKC Rehab Hospital yesterday and were “greeted” by 12-foot-high goblins. We have a home in our neighborhood with multiple skeletons with bright red eyes pulling an old-fashioned hearse. Creepy. All just for fun? I can’t wait for them to be taken down.
The spiritual realm is real. That’s why the Apostle Paul tells us to ”put on your spiritual armor” every day in Ephesians. Why? “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”- Ephs. 6:12. Satan is real, and his demonic forces are real, too. How do I know? Jesus addresses them specifically in the Bible, and I’ve experienced the presence of evil in this world – as you have.
Jesus calls us to be “children of The Light!” Jesus is The Light of The World and we are His kids. That’s why Willow View Church for well over a decade has hosted a Fall Festival on Halloween night, Oct. 31. That’s this Saturday evening from 5 to 7 p.m. (early entry for our families at the back door near our Youth Building at 4:45 p.m.).
Pray for this outreach and join us for some wholesome fun with our kids and the kids who come through our doors. It takes us all to do our part to make this happen! Mandie told me she could use some more donated baked goods. Like to bake? Bring some cookies or cakes ahead of time for the cause. Let’s be a Light in Enid this Halloween and support our efforts to be a true alternative to Halloween!
Love you,
Pastor Mark
Our Willow View Welcome lunch is this Sunday, Nov. 1, at 12:15 p.m. for prospective members. Also, be sure to set your clocks back one hour Saturday night! Fall Back, don’t you love it? See you this Sunday for All Saints Day and Holy Communion.
As a kid, Halloween was one of greatest nights of the year. You got to “pretend” to be someone you’re not and get free candy, too! What could go wrong with that? It was simply fun and games for kids. Nothing sinister. Nothing too dark. Maybe a little extortion: “Trick or Treat, Trick or Treat, Give me something good to eat!” But over time, in some places, it morphed into something that gave people opportunity to be mean or even evil. I remember hearing as a child of someone who put razor blades into apples, or laced popcorn balls with a harmful substance or others who broke into homes or businesses while dressed in Halloween costumes. (In our first church in Spiro, OK, three people in costumes walked silently into our front room to our shock – they were members of the church!).
Today, Halloween has become big business! It’s the third-largest holiday after Christmas and Thanksgiving. But why? Why do people get excited about Halloween? What is it that causes adults to spend hundreds of dollars decorating their front porches and front yards to scare people? It has become a very dark event. Robin and I visited one of our members at a nice OKC Rehab Hospital yesterday and were “greeted” by 12-foot-high goblins. We have a home in our neighborhood with multiple skeletons with bright red eyes pulling an old-fashioned hearse. Creepy. All just for fun? I can’t wait for them to be taken down.
The spiritual realm is real. That’s why the Apostle Paul tells us to ”put on your spiritual armor” every day in Ephesians. Why? “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”- Ephs. 6:12. Satan is real, and his demonic forces are real, too. How do I know? Jesus addresses them specifically in the Bible, and I’ve experienced the presence of evil in this world – as you have.
Jesus calls us to be “children of The Light!” Jesus is The Light of The World and we are His kids. That’s why Willow View Church for well over a decade has hosted a Fall Festival on Halloween night, Oct. 31. That’s this Saturday evening from 5 to 7 p.m. (early entry for our families at the back door near our Youth Building at 4:45 p.m.).
Pray for this outreach and join us for some wholesome fun with our kids and the kids who come through our doors. It takes us all to do our part to make this happen! Mandie told me she could use some more donated baked goods. Like to bake? Bring some cookies or cakes ahead of time for the cause. Let’s be a Light in Enid this Halloween and support our efforts to be a true alternative to Halloween!
Love you,
Pastor Mark
Our Willow View Welcome lunch is this Sunday, Nov. 1, at 12:15 p.m. for prospective members. Also, be sure to set your clocks back one hour Saturday night! Fall Back, don’t you love it? See you this Sunday for All Saints Day and Holy Communion.
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