Christians hold differing viewpoints on this divisive issue.  Some protest that we are being duped into celebrating a pagan holiday.  Some feel that it is decidedly Satanist in nature.  Others see no problem with it at all.  In between the extremes are those who orchestrate the celebration so as to honor God, or at least not honor anything that is anti-God.  So what is the truth, and how should we as Christians be dealing with this popular tradition?

As are many other holidays, Halloween has grown out of the traditions of several cultures.  The ancient Celts are the first culture to record celebrating on this day.  They called it Samhain which, roughly translated, means ‘summers end’.  It was their new year; they celebrated the end of the ‘lighter half’ of the year, and the beginning of the ‘darker half’.  It was a time of gathering in crops, butchering meat, and preparing for the winter ahead.  In many villages all hearth fires were extinguished at sunset and a communal bonfire was lit to begin the festival.  Then individual hearth fires were re-lit from the communal one, thus cementing the feeling of community.  Ancient Britons had a similar festival called Calan Gaeaf, which was basically a harvest festival.

The Celts believed that the border between this world and the spirit world became thin on this night, allowing spirits to pass through.  Each family placed tokens on the doorsteps to honor their ancestors and welcome them home for one night.  Turnips and rutabagas were carved into lanterns and placed in windows to ward off unfriendly spirits, who were believed to be there as well.  It is believed that this led to the Festival of the Dead, practiced in ancient Ireland, Scotland, and other countries.  People built huge bonfires and dressed as harmful spirits in order to ward off harm.  Sometimes spirits were impersonated by young men who would dress in white and wear masks or veils.

With the spread of the Roman Catholic Church, All Saints Day moved from May 13 to November 1 to supplant Samhaim with a Christian festival.  Venerated Christian saints and martyrs were celebrated, and alms of food and treats were given to the poor and needy.  In Ireland and Britain Samhaim became known as All Hallow’s Even, the eve of All Saints Day.  The practice of carved lanterns continued, while a single candle in a western-facing window lit the way for the spirits to return to their own world.

When America was young, the huge influx of Irish immigrants brought many of these traditions with them.  Pumpkins became more popular than turnips for carving.  Costumed parades and festivities both honored the dearly departed, and warded off harm from evil spirits.  Over time the holiday became more secular in nature.  During the early 1900’s the popular horror genre gave rise to costumes of Frankenstein, Dracula, and the like, and the practice of giving out candy from each home supplanted the communal bonfires and parades.

So there you have it – a rich mix of paganism, Christianity, and secular festivity celebrating movies and stories.  So back to the original question:  What should Christians do with this holiday?  Is there a biblical answer to be found?  Yes, believe it or not, there is.

An answer can be found in chapter 14 of the book of Romans.  Also read the book of First Corinthians, chapter 10.  Basically, the scriptures state that all things are lawful for the Christian, as long as there is no specific scripture disallowing it.  Halloween falls in this category.  As long as Christians are not celebrating Halloween as a satanic holiday there is no law preventing them from celebrating.  It is up to the individual’s conscience.

The apostle Paul states that in the case of things in this category, if you feel it is not sin, then it isn’t because you do it for the Lord.  If you feel it is sin and do it anyway, then it is sin, because you think it is in your heart.  We are warned not to go against our conscience.  We are also warned against being a stumbling block for others.  If you have a guest in you home and it offends them, then you should strive to not offend – not because God says it’s wrong, but because your guest may feel pressured to join you when he thinks it is sin.  In this case you have caused him to sin, because he thinks it is wrong.  

While that seems confusing, it really isn’t.  God wants us to use our heads and think things through.  Start with scripture – not tradition – and look for anything you feel would disallow such an activity.  If you find it, don’t do it.  If, after a careful search, you don’t find such a thing, then God has not disallowed it.  Go for it!  Find a way to do it safely, and have fun!  But remember that each person has both the right and the responsibility to judge for themselves.  It’s not our job to talk them into doing something they feel is wrong.  Respect their right to their belief.

Image by Zanastardust via Flickr

Carol M Creasey.

                          Can Any of Us Afford Christmas This Year?

What a year it has been. If you listen to the news, it’s all doom and gloom. This is the worst recession for over a decade we are told.  The housing market has collapsed, jobs have been lost, families struggle to buy food as the prices go up every week.  On top of that, Gas and Electric prices have gone up, and now the great British postmen have decided to strike, just at the time we are heading for Christmas, with all  the cards and greetings we want to send to people we may not be able to see at that time.

But retailers need Christmas to survive. It is their most important time of the year, so they will fill the windows with goodies to tempt us, put up bright decorations and Christmas trees, and do anything they can to encourage spending . The bigger stores, if there are any left now, will have Santa’s Grotto, just for the little children, and it will be hard for mum to say no to them, when they are captivated by the lure of pretty lights, and all the excitement  that goes with Christmas.

People who are still at work will say that they are not spending much this year, but at the last minute, out comes the plastic, as after all Christmas only comes once a year, and in one generous moment they will buy their loved ones something that they can’t really afford.

Those out of work have struggled all the year, but just for a couple of days they want to  treat themselves, so good luck to them. When you pay on plastic, it doesn’t seem real until the bill comes in. But 2010 will loom, quicker than we thought, and then it’s pay back time.

But Christmas shouldn’t be about what we spend, the most precious thing we have at Christmas is time, it doesn’t cost anything, and we should spend it wisely, with those we love. We don’t have to eat and drink ourselves silly. We just need to enjoy one another’s company.

Well it’s a good thought to hang onto, but let’s hope next year sees  a better economic future for all of us.

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

When  I was younger I loved the holiday because of the delicious foods that the family shared.  With 9 siblings  grandparents,  parents and other family and friends dropping by, it was the one day we never worried about eating enough.  As I got older, the holiday changed its meaning, because I thought I had a handle on what it truly means.  In the mid 20’s to mid 40’s it gradually grew to a rebellious stage.  It went from how can human celebrate the taking of a country to the stealing of a country. You see a free sample box may read “feel free to take one.”  Then you go in a store and see “anyone caught stealing will go to jail.” That’s how I felt about Thanksgiving for that period of time.  Then I read somewhere that the settlers came over because they could not worship in their country the way they wanted without being persecuted for it. I can relate to that because I also have a hard time worshipping now this day right here in my country the good ole USA.

Now I feel that it is a holiday that is made for us to come together and renew the family unit.  This holiday is designed for families to pray together and thank God Almighty for the year that coming to a close.  The family put on their best clothing, sit and eat at home then travel to other family members homes.  Some travel a short distance and some travel from the other side of the world. This country is very diverse with many cultures.  So many countries have adapted this traditional holiday and made it present in their country.  A holiday that brings families together from faraway lands has to be something good.  Although the date changes the day never change.  Always the last Thursday in November as long as I can remember.

Although you may have had a rocky year which is winding down, you can look forward to Thanksgiving to share with family that will make you think, what rocky roads?  Then you could have had a beautiful successful year that you cannot wait to share with family and friends.  It is like a year end family reunion.  Thanksgiving makes me feel  that no matter what I went through, look at all the family I have to love me.  No matter what I’m heading for I have family to share it with me.  I have been deprived of this feeling for five or more years.  Please know that I do not want to point fingers, please!

Some times we need reminding of what Thanksgiving could mean and not what it should mean.  Do you understand that train of thought?  You could be as grateful and thankful as you allow.  You can have an endless list of what you are thankful for or you can have family help you put your list together.  Just to help to remind you of the many blessing that we receive everyday and family is a major topper of the blessing list.

Do remember that the:

T- in Thanksgiving means Time

H – means Heaven sent

A – means from Above

N – means everyone is so Nice

K – means because we Know

S – means He is Sweet

G – means God our Creator

I – means even with no Inn

V – means He gave us the Victory

I -  means you and I

N -  means right Now

G – means all Great things

DO YOU REMEMBER THANSGIVING IS EVERY DAY!

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING

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Money has become the most popular commodity. It is considered the primary medium of exchange in our society today. You can get what you want if you have money. You can go to a lot of places and enjoy the comfort and pleasure of life if you have money. Everything is possible for money. But where is money? A lot would like to have money but only few have more than enough money.

Money comes from different sources, legal or illegal. But I suggest the legal way to avoid trouble. Money can derive from business, job or services. They come from different schedules and opportunities, but how to get money in the easiest way? Have you tried getting money from paranormal dimensions? Simple!

Money comes from different dimensions: past, present and future opportunities or sources. They are just there waiting to be called. As they are commanded, they will come out from different locations. They may come from different sources, venues,persons or opportunities. And they may arrive in different time. As they are called, they will move to come, maybe now, later, tomorrow or in the near future. They may come in huge amount or on little pennies. However, they will really come, as commanded.

This is the principle behind prosperity in life. Money and opportunities are just there, waiting to be called.

Hey! Does this sound a little weird? But try this process. First close your eyes and picture out money in different bills, floating in the air from afar. Be sure to have a vivid imagination of them. Aloud, command them to come by shouting, “Money! Come! Now”. As you command them to come, believe in your mind that they will really come. For sure they will come! Doesn’t that unbelievable?

I remember a story of former US President Franklin Roosevelt during his youthful days. His being the president of America just started from a single thought. And he stuck on it. Then, the rest was history for him.

Imagination will be transformed into reality when we believe on it. Think of money and it will come. Think of health you will have good health. Think of happiness and you will have a lot of laughter. Think of fortune and you will get rich. It may not be in material thing but for sure in relation, friendship and happiness you will be richer than to others. So what are you waiting for? “Money, come, now” slogan.

My mother once said that when man plans tomorrow, he never plans to die and at the end of the road, death is the only phenomena in life that we are absolutely certain will occur.  So can we cheat death? Can any man outwit nature? Does anyone know how to outfox destiny? Can we postpone our time when death calls our number up?

The Story

Even before I watched the Final destination sequels, my grandmother told me a story when I was a child about a man who Death was out to get him because his name was at the top of the list; which is Death’s list. Death arrived at his house on the night of his demise. My grandmother said that Death was tired because he had a long day at the wars in Vietnam and needed to rest. The man saw Death’s Fatigue and offered to give him food and a place of rest for the night.  The man waited until Death was comfortably asleep when he decided to take a peek at Death’s List. The man saw his name at the top of the list and knew that he was the next one to die. The man decided to take an eraser and remove his name from the top of the list to the bottom. 

Death woke up the next morning and peered at the man asleep on the bed and a wave of pity came over him.  He mused how the man was good to him and was a good human being over all. Death grabbed his list and clutched it to his heart without even glancing at the names and said towards the ground  “because he is such a good man, I will not start from the top today Hades, today I will begin from the bottom…so take the one from the bottom”

When our number is up…it is up!!!

As a child I thought the story did not end how I expected or wanted it to end. My grandmother said that “when your time comes, it comes and you can’t escape”.  She says that there are no guarantees in life and that many people assumed that because they were good, rich or powerful that Hades will overlook their mortality. She told me that good people die and bad people die. We cannot escape death because it is inevitable.

She told me that the reason why your legs died first (she said that when a person is dying their legs get cold before the rest of the body) was because Death knew that man would run and therefore death kills the legs first so that man could not run from him.  My grandmother was the typical folklore Jamaican grandmother with stories that entertained but also inform. I never tire of hearing her stories.

Death is the constant reminder of how frail our existence is. I once listened to a song that claims “we live as if we will never die and when we die, it is as if we never lived.  It rang true. When Michael Jackson died he was moaned for weeks and then people became consumed with their lives and the world moved on, because there were more important things  happening in the lives of those that are alive than those that are dead. 

One writer says that we are born to die, therefore why are we striving to live.  Tupac Shakur said “why am I trying to live if I am just living to die”.  But can we cheat death?

In my two decades of being on this earth, I have seen men go down the road of death only to be brought back by physicians. I believe that the medical profession, research cosmetics and innovative medicines all attest to the fact that mankind has been cheating death.  From life machines to vaccination man has vastly improve the standard of living. Imagine if it was the sixteen century and swine flu was ravishing the land. The mortality rate would have been innumerable and astounding. 

Man is cheating death through organ transplant surgery. A man who would have died without a new heart can receive someone else’s heart to live by.  A man who would have died otherwise if it was not for cardiac surgeons and the developments in cardiology and surgery.  We are inventing concoctions and machines designed to keep death at bay for another decade or two.

Mankind is discovering ways to stall death and to extend life. In reality mankind is outwitting Mother Nature. But Mother Nature always wins because at the end of the day. We are dead people.  Many men, who suffered from diagnosis of cancer and were, told that they had weeks to live and have lived years after their diagnosis been made.

We cheat death every day.  When we decide to drive with our seat belts on and adhere to the speed limits. When we make decisions that are in our best interest. When we decide to do weight loss surgery in order to counteract heart disease and other defects associated with obesity, we are telling death to hold off. We have a lot more living to do.

At the end of the day, we cannot always cheat death because death will be there waiting for us at the end of life’s journey.  We try not to think about it because it would overwhelm us to an extent that we would just vegetate.  I would not want to become a famous Jamaican writer because I will not live forever and I would be dead and forgotten. I would only want to live until I die. I would not waste my money studying because I could die in the middle of my studies like my friend who was studying medicine and died a week before his graduation and his parents collected his medical certificate. 

Death is lurking. We catch a glimpse of it when we are in a Jamaican taxi and the driver careen the corner missing the incoming trailer by several inches.  We face it when we are diagnosed with terminal illness that could go both ways.  We experience it when a love one dies and we realized that the nexus between life and death is very thin.

So we cannot cheat death because at the end of the day…death always wins!!!

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Halloween is a night were I like to play tricks, it’s the only night I get to let my inner child play, my children and I go all out with our fancy dress Halloween party, from decorating the house playing Halloween games. When it comes to the knock on the door for trick or treat, I am all for giving them a real treat or should I say trick.

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You see I do this every year, I love to trick the children into eating one of my chocolate delights. I would like you to imagine their little faces when they bite into.

Chocolate covered sprouts.

Cook the sprouts until slightly soft.

Leave until cold.

Melt some chocolate in a pan.

Put the sprouts in the chocolate roll round until completely covered.

Put the chocolate covered sprouts on a flat plate leave in fridge until set.

Chocolate covered carrots.

With the carrots you can slice or dice, them interesting shapes are more fun, and are made in the same way as the chocolate covered sprouts. I know I am terrible, I can not resist, doing it. I like to watch the ones that can’t wait till they get home to see what they have got as I give out a bag of real sweets, with them. The most common reactions is after feeling around in the bag and then popping of the trick sweets in their mouths is to stop and spit it out with yucky noises. I can never tell if it was the carrot or the sprout, but it’s funny to watch.

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The children are nearly always the same ones that call ever Halloween I think they like them on the sly he-he.

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For some, carving the Jack-O-Lantern is the most exciting part of Halloween.  Most of us just opt for the traditional face to avoid all the extra work.  If you are looking for something more original, check out these sites for some awesome ideas.

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/mpatterns.htm- This site has great designs, from Scooby-Doo to Blues Clues.  They have templates for aliens, bats, haunted houses, black cats, ghosts, owls, pirates, tombstones, skulls, spiders and even a Spongebob Squarepants design.

http://www.pumpkinglow.com/Patterns.htm- Here you will find patterns for pumpkins that are not even related to Halloween.  They have designs featuring celebrities, animals, christian signs, fantasy and medieval.

http://www.pumpkinglow.com/Patterns.htm- This site has some evil-looking design templates, including zombies, skulls, jokers and evil, grinning jack-o-lanterns.

http://www.extremepumpkins.com/- The name of this site says it all, they have “extreme pumpkins”.  You will find some very original ideas here that use pumpkins, gourds and other squash to create.  They will give you a free download of several templates you can print out and use for your jack-o-lantern.  Designs include alien, Batman, black cat, Harry Potter, a puking pumpkin, Spiderman and many more.  This has to be the best site for  carving patterns.  Be sure to check it out thoroughly, this guy is awesome!  

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

*Are you getting addicted to love?:

Are you one of those people whose love has become unhealthy for one reason or another? Don’t worry there’s a way to get rid of that unhealthy relationship and you’ll find there is healing. Many people become obsessed with a person they’re having a secret affair with. They’re not aware they’re in for total despair in their life. It starts to play games of jealousy with your mind and you begin to question everything your lover is doing and where they are. You start to question their love for you and you want to be with them on a continual basis. There are people who feel they cannot live a second without the person they’re in love with and they start to manipulate and connive to find reasons to be with them on a constant basis. 

This can cause you lots of problems and you had better get control of yourself because you’re love is causing you to inherit lots of bad habits. It can cause you to not be able to think about a thing but the one you love and love is starting to control your thoughts and causing you to do many foolish things. You’re having problems with your appetite, sleep, and love is causing you to obsess about your lover.

*You’ll find you’re in a state of havoc?:

If you’re one of these people, you’re only existing because you cannot function on a proper level for thinking of your lover. When you think of them, you begin to get sweaty palms, become clammy all over, and you long to hold them close against you and to tell them how much they love them. You’ll find yourself wanting to be alone with your thoughts and you do not want to be bothered. This type of situation happens a lot in people who are having secret romantic encounters and they cannot see each other as often as they want to…it can cause such a craving within your mind it becomes in total shock to your system.

You might not be aware of it, but those who are around you realize there is a major problem going on with you. The secret affair is causing you psychological and physical problems too. Your mind stays in a spin and your body is beginning to burn out because of the lack of sleep and no appetite. You wish you could just get a seconds relief from this constant torture on your mind…you want to escape, and be free, if for only a few seconds.

*Summation:

There are studies that have found people who have low self-esteem and they’re having a romantic love affair are more apt to fall into this dilemma. The person who is having the affair is building his/her self-esteem and self-worth by having the affair. He/she has been suffering several insecurities in the work atmosphere and other activities. There are people who are in high power jobs who start to have secret romantic trysts and find themselves in this same sort of a situation. They start a secret tryst because they’re suffering low self-esteem, uncertainties, self-value and they need a boost to their ego.

A secret love affairs may go on for sometime but the person having the affair will begin to suffer from depression because they begin to feel they’re sacrificing many things in their life by having this secret relationship and they’ll begin to asks themselves, “Is this worth it?” In most cases, people walk away from the affair and never stray again.    

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Part 2

In the first part I had discussed how people are ignorant about what is really involved in teaching. I mentioned teachers usually work 50 to 60 hours a week. Also, I mentioned why at times teachers could come home tired. I had a friend who loves to talk how teachers had a made. We got this and that and more of this. He stopped saying that ounce he became a substitute teacher.  That experience taught him exactly what is involved. It is not easy to be a teacher. It is not simple. It is not a cake walk or is it glamorous.

There are much more to talk about what a teacher deal with. Let’s talk about discipline problems. I had worked in different districts as a substitute and been a teacher in two different districts. Teaching in Redlands is so much different than teaching in Fontana. Why? Redlands have more money due to they have more big houses. Yes, people. Part of budget comes from housing taxes. The more houses a city has the more money that the schools have. If a city has a lot of apartment complexes that is less money. Simply put, an apartment complex count as one house. That is twenty or forty families in one complex. Where as a house is one family. You get the picture. More houses more money for schools. More apartment complexes and fewer houses mean less money for school districts. Now you have a discrepancy between one district and another district. Don’t worry. The state also provides money to districts. Now the money comes with strings. They give the money and it gives them the right to harass the district. That district will have to meet the desire of the state.

Here is a picture. Fontana has to teach a certain amount of Language Arts or they will be punishment by the state. Hours are counted and people are watching. There is more stress to meet the desire of the state. Otherwise Redlands do not have to meet the desire of the state. They simply make sure their students learn. They have more choices to help their students learn. More resource is available since they are not hurting for money. They could provide additional aides if the money is there. They could provide tutors before and after school. They could provide programs that had been proven to help students learn. There are fewer eyes on teachers. Just the principal is watching. No one from state or other organizations come into the classroom poking their noses everywhere. All in all there are less pressure and less stress. Most people do not know this fact. That is why they do not understand why a poorer district is less successful than a richer district. Also, most teachers before the recession would quickly leave the poorer district for greener pastures.  They know that it would be easier to teach in Redlands than it would be to teach in Fontana. Of course, right now teachers are not moving due to economic problems. That means teachers are in the place they do not like or want to be. The other place is not hiring. Too bad for them.

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     HOW TO SINK 100-FOOT PUTTS

     Number one (or numero uno, for those of you who speak Mexican), buy a lot of cheap putters. No, I don’t recommend throwing them in a creek, or in the woods, or breaking them over your knee when you don’t sink a putt–just give the putter a rest. It may be tired out from hitting so many shots. It needs to rehab. I usually carry three putters. This causes trouble when getting down to the 14-club limit when playing tournaments, but let’s forget about that for a second.

     Suppose you miss a two-foot putt and the ball fails to even touch the hole. Put away that putter. Go to another.

     Also, and now, this is really radical (something that might not be for everyone) try avoiding lining up putts from the West. I completely recommend getting a look at a putt from four sides, but you can save time by eliminating the West look. It has a Zen intensity to it. I argue it saves time—about 25%–but some guys claim I actually take more time imagining what the putt looks like from the West. So what. The hell with those guys.

     You can even pick North, or South, or East as the direction to omit. Whatever works for you—whatever’s lucky. Luck is the important thing.

     That’s why you go to church, right? For the luck. Of course you do.

     LUCKY SOCKS

     If thou art a baseball player, like yours truly (a senior men’s baseball player—we are so liberal, we opened up the league to women—this is America, isn’t it?) you are into luck.

     Most guys, when they get a hit in a game, won’t wash their uniform, shirt or socks. Guys with hitting steaks start to look really rough, and you might not want to sit near them on the bench.

     Any time I get a hit, or even just have a good game (get an outfield assist or something), I try to figure out why. Was it the socks? The sweatbands? I have an assortment of sweatbands. One black one with a skull and crossbones I like best. It has an inscription that says “Dead Men Tell No Tales.” I have two others that are “Napolean Dynamite” movie tie-ins.