Wednesday, December 31, 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR


Lifes’s Door Ways

Your life is a series of many doors,
each leading into different rooms.
All are filled with, either new challenges,
good or bad and you may find, many pleasant surprises.

It is how you open each door that is important!
First, never fear to go forward.
Second, open each door slowly to making sure that you do not
barge into, or harm what is on the other side.

Third, announce your passage, as this will enable you to befriend many.
For you will need to live with whom ever you come across.
As you travel onto and through, your life’s next door.

Written by Sir Richard…

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

All Those Years Ago


May Your New Year Be Happy :)

But remember, that God loves you - past - present and future!

Posted for you by,

Sir Richard...

Thursday, December 25, 2008

What child is this


May God bless us all, each and every one...
Merry Christmas!

To you and yours.
from,

Sir Richard...

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

O Holy Night


Remember, that this is what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown!

The birth of Jesus Christ...

Merry Christmas to all of you from,

Sir Richard...

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Joy To The World


Merry Christmas!
from

Sir Richard & Family

Saturday, December 20, 2008

A Canadian Winter Poem

It is winter in Canada
and the gentle breezes blow.
Seventy miles an hour,
at thirty-five below.

Oh, how I love Canada,
when the snow's up to your butt.
When you take a breath of winter,
and your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful.
So I guess I'll hang around,
For I could never leave Canada,
cause I am frozen to the ground...

Merry Christmas!
from

Sir Richard & Family

Monday, December 15, 2008

Carol Of The Bells


Christmas, O Christmas,

Is my favorite time of the year.

Because of what it celebrates,
with all the warmth that it brings to myself and many.

Of all of the Christmas songs, this one
really strikes home.

Each bell of this song reminds me of each
day of the last year but in fast forward.

So Merry Christmas!

From,
Sir Richard...

Saturday, December 13, 2008

I was once a Drummer Boy


The Little Drummer Boy

Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
When we come.

Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.
***********
My favorite Christmas Song for you from,
Sir Richard

Friday, December 12, 2008

Christmas Canon


To my all of you.
May you all have a Very Merry Christmas!
from,

Sir Richard...

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Friday, December 5, 2008

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel


O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
To free your captive Israel.
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
O Israel, to you shall
come Emmanuel.

Veni, veni, Emanuel!
Captivum solve Israel!
Qui gemit in exilio,
Privatus Dei Filio.

Gaude, gaude, Emanuel
Nascetur pro te, Israel.

Gaude, gaude
Gaude, gaude
Gaude, gaude
Gaude, gaude

Gaude, gaude, Emanuel
Nascetur pro te, Israel.

Gaude, gaude, Emanuel
Nascetur pro te, Israel.

- Performed by Enya

Posted for you
by Sir Richard

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Silent Night


The Birth of Jesus Foretold:

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
****************
Merry Christmas!
from,

Sir Richard...

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Santa’s Helper and an adventure with Grandma


Santa’s Helper and an adventure with Grandma

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma.
For I was just a kid.
So, I tore across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb:
"There is no Santa Claus," she jeered.
"Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been.
I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me.
I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns.
I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so.
It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the cinnamon buns were still warm.
Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me.
"No Santa Claus!" she snorted. "Ridiculous!
Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad.
Now, put on your coat, and let's go."
"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked.

I hadn't even finished my second world-famous, cinnamon bun.
"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything.
As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars.
That was a bundle in those days.

"Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it”.
I'll wait for you in the car."
Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.
I was only eight years old.
I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself.
The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping.
For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten- dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for??

I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church.
I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker.
He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class.

Bobby Decker didn't have a coat.
I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter.
His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that,

Bobby Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat.
As I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement.
I decided that I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!
Then, I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it.
It looked real warm, and he would like that.

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.
"Yes," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."
The nice lady smiled at me.
I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus", on it.
Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy.

Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's Helpers.
Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.
Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open.

Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.
Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes.
That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: "Ridiculous".
Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team!

I still have the Bible, with the tag tucked inside: $19.95.
He who has no Christmas in his heart will never find Christmas under a tree.

Author Unknown.

*** From Sir Richard
I love this little story as little events like this can happen.
For myself, I celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth every year and I have the knowledge that through belief in Him, individually we all can be saved. I pray for those who do not, or will not know of Him. Maybe one day they can find redemption and safety in Him, as it is everyone’s choice!

Merry Christmas!
From,

Sir Richard…

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Snoopy's Christmas


MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND!
FROHE WEIHNACHTEN MEIN FREUND!
Sincerely from,

Sir Richard...

Sunday, November 23, 2008

I Was But Mid Dream

I Was But Mid Dream

Stopped breathing,
So I woke up last night.
As I caught back my breath, mid dream.
Such a nightmare, which caused me so much fright.
Wide eyed, I watched Satan work,
his evil ways.
Always unseen.

Family,
Friends,
Rich or Poor,
you know the scene...
Do a little bit of this.
Do a lot of that.
Your always in control,
Oh yes!
What's the matter with you?
For this is my life,
I can do what I like now,
you do not understand
and you are just being mean.

Satan takes control through you,
he is always pleased to help you.
For you don't believe in Santa.
So why would you know or believe this name?
But for those of you who can still think,
past the highs and self pride.
What may be puzzling you,
Is the true nature of his game?

As I watched Satan work,
his evil ways.
Always unseen.
In such a nightmare, that caused so much fright.
That night, I stopped breathing.
During this last high.
Caught dead,
Within my last breath,
I was but mid dream.

Written by Sir Richard...

So for those who struggle with addiction you are all in my prayers.
May you get the help you need with your struggle to overcome these addictions.

May the LORD bless you
and keep you;

May the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

May the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you His peace.
Amen...

From Sir Richard...
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Nightmare on Elm Street = 45yrs


November 22nd 1963...

My brother, sister and I are all at home this day with the mumps
and under the care of our Grandmother.
As my Mother is in the hospital waiting to give birth to our youngest brother.
It was around 11:30 AM Calgary time and we were watching a kids show called Romper Room.
Miss Doobee (the main character), was just about to use her Magic Mirror and as was the custom, went to a commercial break.
For this mirrors back would drop away after the commercial break and then Miss Doobee’s face would magically re-appear.
She would then mention all the kids names, who were having their birthdays that day.

As they cut back from commercial, Miss Doobee did re-appear on our RCA black and white TV set.
But minus the Magic Mirror and with a very strange look on her face?
Miss Doobee then began crying and blurted out “I’m sorry children as the President was shot!”
What the heck is this??

Now the picture went to the Indian Head test pattern screen that my brother
and I watched patiently every morning, for the TV broadcast to start that day.
My brother and I, at this time just sorta looked at each other????
As this was truly strange for an adult to do but especially for Miss Doobee, who seemed so friendly
and stoic, not at all like our mother for the last 9 months.
CBC news then came on and they in turn, switched to CBS and some guy named Walter Cronkite?
Both the man and the TV network we did not know,
as Canada only had 2 TV networks, CBC & CTV at that time.

I was riveted for the next 4 days and when my Dad came home that night from his work.
I noticed that he was a little dejected, as if some relative had passed away?
My brother and I watched it all, on through to the funeral that Monday.
We were so impressed with the formalities, that we found a large toy to use as
a make shift coffin and then did our own re-enactment of JFK's funeral, drums and all.
This of course only horrified our very Anglican Grandmother, who in turn threatened us with a spanking,
if we did not stop our dis-respectful funeral march game!!!

President John F. Kennedy's assassination has stayed in my memory all my life.
I almost got close enough to visit his grave site once, when I was on my first Team H.O.P.E. training in Alexandria VA.
For on one night, on my own time, I took a bus tour from my hotel to see Washington DC and it was when we visited the Iwo Jima flag monument.
That I could see JFK's grave site eternal flame flickering not that far way, in Arlington.
So close yet so far, as the bus was about to leave and at the same time, Arlington was being locked down for the night.
So close, yet so far and the muffled drums for JFK, I can still hear, to this day...

Written by Sir Richard...
http://picasaweb.google.com/The.Bayohunter/NightmareOnElmStreet?authkey=jtSoWVMnnlI#slideshow

Saturday, November 15, 2008

If we think


If we think

If we think that we have not much in common,
then we are both missing the message.

If we see not, what we can all see,
then we are just looking in different directions.

If our paths have just push passed each other,
through the deepest of snow,
then we are lost and know not where to go.

If we both believe in our differences,
then inside our hearts we know that for each, what is true.

If we can see, that we are as diverse as snow flakes,
then our individualities are assured for me and you.

If we think, each can not feel love, joy and pain,
or breath, drink the waters, plus live on this small planet.

Then we are each just hiding behind our own,
self made curtains of mistrust and shame.

If we think that we have not much in common,
then the words "mankind" are just hollow sounds,
as we will continue to hold each other and all in distain.

If we think...

Written by Sir Richard.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Understanding Does Not Equal Healing



Understanding Does Not Equal Healing

Understanding does not equal healing. Clarity does not equal restoration. Many men understand their wounds and can talk about them with great clarity. They know what happened, what life was like, once upon a time.

Yet, they remain unfinished men, haunted by the memories and still crippled by their wounds. The horrors remain, the fears remain, the lack of wholeness remains. By the way guys, it doesn’t take as and example, a major assault like sexual abuse or battlefield fatigue to create a broken heart.

Many men assume they haven’t any real brokenness within them because they haven’t endured the horrors they read about in the paper or watched on TV. Depending on the age or circumstances, it can be an embarrassing moment like stuttering in front of the class, or a harsh word from your caregiver, or as in my case my daughter was parentally abducted some 20 years ago.

Remember, that the human heart was designed to grow up in a world of love and security, a world where each of us are known and prized each and every day. A world very, very different from the world anyone actually grows up in, living now so far from what was once our Eden. The heart is a tender thing and easily broken, especially when we are young.

My religious belief says that God comes to heal the human heart but at times how that is done may be a deep mystery but I believe that it works something like this:

God will often arrange for some person to be His eyes and ears to guide you. Or He may make an event for you to feel, just as we did when we were boys. When our hearts were unbroken and feeling again what we felt then.

Perhaps as suddenly a memory surfaces, we have an opportunity not to push it away, or run to the refrigerator, or get angry at someone, however it is that we typically handle these emotions. Rather, we invite our belief system (or in my case God), to come to that broken place within us. For we then can ask, that He use His resources, to find that orphaned boy within and embrace him. We ask that He come and heal our broken hearts, to rescue this boy within and bring him home.

Posted for you by,

Sir Richard...

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Just Like The White Winged Dove



Let us pray that the world will one day heed the call to Peace!
Let us also be determined to heed it ourselves first,
whether others do, or not.


For all the peoples who walk on this planet, each in the name of thier God and Beliefs.
Will surely agree that sharing the gift of Peace, is best for all.

As we will walk in the name of the Lord our God, for ever and ever.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:

Amen.

Posted for you by,
Sir Richard...
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Canada's Rememberance Day 11/11/2008

In Affectionate Remembrance for Private William Broughton,
of Sydney, Cape Breton Canada. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEX9ppGTe_0 
Who died at the 18th General Hospital, France, on the 6th day of September, 1916, from wounds received at the Battle of Courcelette part of the battle of the Somme, in the 21st year of his age.
 
Private William Broughton
Name: BROUGHTON, WILLIAMInitials: W
Nationality: CanadianRank: PrivateRegiment/Service: Canadian Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regiment)Unit Text: 2nd Bn.
Service No: 469665Age: 21Date of Death: 06/09/1916 - Due to Grenade wounds, while just going into the
line for the Battle of Courcelette and due to a pre-battle trench raid.
British Term for this small daily event was Trench Wastage.

Battle: Battle of Courcelette September 15th, 1916.
 
http://pages.interlog.com/~fatjack/somme.htm
Courcelette, Battle of. This was an episode in the fighting in the Somme valley in France in the summer and autumn of 1916. On September 15, the Canadian Corps attacked the German trenches before the village of Courcelette, and before nightfall the village had been captured by the 22nd battalion (French Canadians of Montreal) and the 25th (Nova Scotians). The operation was notable as the first occasion on which the Canadians acted in conjunction with the newly-invented tanks. 

 http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=Memorials/ww1mem/Courcelette
Additional information: Son of Silvanus and Christena Broughton, of Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War DeadGrave/Memorial Reference: X. B. 19A.Rests in Cemetery:
ETAPLES MILITARY CEMETERYCountry: France

Location Information:
Etaples is a town about 27 kilometres south of Boulogne.
The Military Cemetery is to the north of the town, on the west side of the road to Boulogne.
Historical Information: During the First World War, the area around Etaples was the scene of immense concentrations of Commonwealth reinforcement camps and hospitals. It was remote from attack, except from aircraft, and accessible by railway from both the northern or the southern battlefields. In 1917, 100,000 troops were camped among the sand dunes and the hospitals, which included eleven general, one stationary, four Red Cross hospitals and a convalescent depot, could deal with 22,000 wounded or sick. In September 1919, ten months after the Armistice, three hospitals and the Q.M.A.A.C. convalescent depot remained. The cemetery contains 10,773 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, the earliest dating from May 1915. 35 of these burials are unidentified.
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=496986 http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=56500&mode=1

Canadian Book of Rememberance that is housed in Canada's Peace Tower
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/books/bww1/ww1list3
Pte. William Broughton is # 48 down on the left side. 

 http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/content/collections/books/bww1/ww1059.jpg
In Flanders Fields By:
Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place;
and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead.
Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved,
and now we lie In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw The torch;
be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
**********************
Posted in loving memory from William Broughton's great nephew,
Richard Abbenbroek...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqcSWOYUE-Q

At the going down of the sun
And in the morning
We will remember them...
May God give His grace to all!
Amen...

Saturday, November 1, 2008

And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda


When I was a young man, I carried me kack
And I lived, the free life of the rover.
From the Murray's Green Basin, to the Dusty Out Back.
I Waltzed my Matilda all over.

Then in 1915, my Country said Son.
It's time to stop ramblin, there's work to be done.
So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun
And they sent me away to the war.

And the band played Waltzing Matilda,
As our ship pulled away from the key.
And amid all the cheers, flag waving and tears.
We sailed off to Galipolli.

When I remember that terrible day,
When our blood, stained the sand and the water,
And how in that hell, that they called Suvla Bay.
We were butchered, like lambs at the slaughter.

Johnnie Turk he was ready, Oh he primed himself well.
He rained us with bullets and shot us with shell
And in five minutes flat, we were all blown to hell.
Nearly blew us back home to Australia.

But the band played Waltzing Matilda,
As we stuck to bury our slain.
We buried ours and the Turks buried theirs,
Then we started all over again...

Those who were living just tried to survive.
In a mad world of blood death and fire
And for ten weary weeks, I kept myself alive.
While around me the corpses piled higher.

Then a big Turkish shell, knocked me arse over head
And when I awoke, in me hospital bed.
I saw what it had done and I wished I were dead.
I never knew there were worse things than dying.


For I'll go no more Waltzing Matilda,
All round the green bush far and near.
For to hump tent and pegs, a man needs both legs.
No more Waltzing Matilda for me.

They collected the crippled, the wounded, the maimed
And they shipped us back home to Australia.
The armless, the legless, the blind, the insane,
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla.

And as our ship pulled into circular key
And I looked at the place where my legs used to be.
I thanked Christ, there was no one there waiting for me.
To grieve and to mourn, or to pity...

And the band played Waltzing Matilda.
As they carried us down the gangway.
But nobody cheered, they just stood there and stared
And they turned all their faces away...

So now every April, I sit on my porch
And I watch, the parade pass before me.
I see my old comrades, how proudly they march,
Renewing their dreams of past glory.

I see the old men, all tired, stiff and sore.
The weary old heroes, of a forgotten war
And the young people ask, what are they marching for
And I ask myself the same question...

And the band played Waltzing Matilda.
And the old men still answer the call.
But year after year, the numbers grow fewer.
Some day no one will march there at all...

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,
Who'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me?
And their ghosts may be heard, as you pass by the billabong.
Who'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me...
***********
At the going down of the sun
And in the morning
We will remember them...
May God give His grace to all!
Amen...

Posted in Rememberance
by Sir Richard.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Hotel California - For My Other Family


May God bless and protect you always.
Remember that you will always find a safe place in faith with Him.
Even at the darkest moments.
There is always His Light!
Vaya Con Dios!
From,

Sir Richard
A Canadian Cousin from our Hotel...
Also a knight in thy service of the King of Kings!

Happy Halloween!

Commander K'itchard of the Imperial Klingon Defence Force Orders You To Have A Happy Halloween!

So Happy Halloween!
From,

Sir Richard of Abbenbroek
Muzikayifani...

P.S. Remember:
"Halloween is just a bunch of people in costumes,
it is people who follow evil that make the world's horrors real"
Sir Richard ...
****************************
Halloween

Why Christians should embrace the devilish holiday with gusto—and laughter.

A few years back, our local Christian radio station ran a poll asking whether Halloween is spiritually harmful. The response from a predominantly evangelical audience here in Ohio was two-to-one against Halloween. This did not surprise me. It is now popular in some Christian circles to repudiate any celebration of All Hallows Eve—Halloween.

"We all know what day is coming," said a young woman in the choir of the Rhode Island church my wife and I attended when I was working on my doctorate. "And I think we need to be in prayer that the evil powers and principalities be held in check over this next weekend." Halloween fell on a Sunday that year, making the event seem all the more sinister. On the calendar of events for the Christian college where I teach, October 31 sits in a dark square with no acknowledgment that there is anything special about the date.

"It's Satan's Holiday, Dr. Rearick," affirmed one of my students. "Didn't you know?"
Well, no, I didn't know. And I am reluctant to give up what was one of the highlights of my childhood calendar to the Great Impostor and Chief of Liars for no reason except that some of his servants claim it as his.

Give up nothing!

I have always considered Halloween a day to celebrate the imagination, to become for a short time something wonderful and strange, smelling of grease paint, to taste sweets that are permissible only once a year. How wonderful to be with other children dressed up as what they might grow up to be, what they wished they could be, or even what they secretly feared. All of us, dreams and nightmares, were brought together on equal footing, going from door to door to be given treats and admired for our creativity. How delightful to go to parties with doughnuts, apples, brown cider, and pumpkin cakes—and to hear spine-tingling ghost stories and feel our hearts skip a beat when the teller grabbed for us.

Now some are pressuring us to give this all up, and they use what is for some of us the most difficult argument to answer: it's the "Christian" thing to do.

Some Christians shun make-believe. Such believers feel that a young Christian's mind should never long to be in lands where little men have fuzzy feet, dragons breathe fire, and horses have wings. Instead, they maintain that a Christian should be caught up in the here and now of the "real" world. Defending the reality of fiction and the value of fantasy requires an entirely different essay.

Christians certainly may be leery of sharing anything with modern pagans and Satanists who claim Halloween as theirs. But who gave these individuals the right to claim the holiday? If they are Druids, they are celebrating Samhain, which is not Halloween but an even older holiday. As for Satanists, their calendar is a perversion of Christian seasons—there would be no Satanists if there were no Christians. Let them claim all they want.

I give them nothing!!

"But look at the roots of Halloween," some may say. "Don't you see how evil it once was?" I do, but the operative word in that sentence is was. Samhain was once a time of fear and dread, but at one time so was Yule or Midvinterblot, as it was called in Sweden. Toward the time of the winter solstice, the days became shorter and colder. The land was laid waste. In pagan times, to keep the fire of the life-giving sun alight, people often made sacrifices before a great oak tree. Boniface is supposed to have stopped one such sacrifice and instituted the indoor Christmas tree at the same time. The burning of such logs in the midst of sacrifice has come down to us as the traditions of burning Yule logs and enjoying Christmas trees.

I'm not suggesting fir trees and Yule logs be banned from Christmas; I'm only demonstrating what has happened time and again in history. For our pagan ancestors, the holidays that marked the great seasonal changes were often fearful, terrible, and dark. But with the coming of Christ came a great light that reclaimed not only individuals but also the holidays they celebrated. In the case of Midvinterblot and Yule, the holidays that once marked the terrible price required to provide light instead began to express the joyous arrival of God's true light.

Laughing away our fears and foes...

What would a reclaimed Halloween express? In our culture, Halloween traditionally has allowed us to look at what frightens us—to experience it, to laugh at it, and to come through it. So at the end of October, we are visited by cute Caspers, laughing pumpkin heads, and goofy ghouls.

Should the forces of evil be mocked? Should Satan be laughed at? He most certainly should be. At the beginning of The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis includes two telling quotations, the first from Martin Luther: "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn."

The second comes from Thomas More: "The devil … the proud spirit cannot endure to be mocked."
The one thing Satan cannot bear is to be a source of laughter. His pride is undermined by his own knowledge that his infernal rebellion against God is in reality an absurd farce. Hating laughter, he demands to be taken seriously. Indeed, I would say that those Christians who spend the night of October 31 filled with concern over what evils might be (and sometimes are) taking place are doing the very thing Lucifer wants them to do. By giving him this respect, such believers are giving his authority credence.

Not all believers should celebrate Halloween. For those who have been redeemed from the occult, Halloween in its foolishness may contain what was for them deadly seriousness. While their souls were in deadly peril, however, what they experienced were lies and illusions.

It is understandable that they look with horror upon what once enslaved them. Such sensitivity may be appropriate for them, but it is not appropriate for the majority of Christians. Holding their opinions as appropriate for most believers is like having a former bulimic dictate how Christians should regard church hot-plate socials.

Christians should instead celebrate Halloween with gusto. If we follow the traditional formula of having a good time at his expense, Satan flees.

In any event, I doubt the anti-Halloween party will prevail. This tactic was tried before—with Christmas. In the 17th century, because of its pagan ancestry and because it was a Roman Catholic holiday (Christ-mass!), many Protestants decided that true believers should not recognize Christmas. In 1620 our pilgrim forefathers purposely started unloading the Mayflower on Christmas Day to make the point to the crew that they were not going to observe such an evil day.

I'm glad those believers—however well-intended—failed. How bleak and desolate would a winter's December be without Christmas! We could have lost our chance to celebrate Christ's first coming and a chance to witness to the world, as I fear those pilgrims lost a chance to witness to those sailors.

If we give up All Hallows Eve, we lose the delight of God's gift of imagination and we condemn the rest of society to a darker Halloween because our laughter will not be there to make the devil run.

By Anderson M. Rearick III

Friday, October 24, 2008

I draw closer and closer home


My heart is about to explode.
As thy humble knight draws closer to thine home.

Each day fully lived as only You would wish of thee.
I take in each second at a time, a minute, an hour,
a day, a month, a year,
of Your daily blessing to me.

My Love for all things, sunrise, sunset, a clear mountain stream,
my fellow man and woman.
A Love that only You can bestow on all of us.
A Love, that we can actually share,
as we rejoice in Your name Oh My Lord.

For in the future when thine moment draws near.
Thy humble knight in full but battered armour will repent, on bent knees.
So through You, I shall and have been,
made righteous, before His Holy Throne.

Thy humble knight's heart is about to explode.
As I draw closer and closer home.

Amen...

Written by,
Sir Richard
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Heroes Trail Calgary

Heroes Trail in Calgary:
http://coffee4ourtroops.com/

This is a petition to the City of Calgary to rename a portion of Macleod trail SE to Heroes Trail. We have lost several soldiers from the Calgary region, including Cpl Nathan Hornburg, Cpl. Mike Starker, and most recently Pte Chad Horn.Cpl. Mike Starker was given a procession through downtown Calgary which passed by city hall on Macleod Trail just before he was laid to his final resting place.

What a tribute it would be for all our soldiers who have been killed in duty in various operations throughout the world to have a section of road named in their honour. By signing the below petition you are stating that you agree with the above and requesting to the city of Calgary that this change be made.

No disrespect to any of the following but if celebrities can get streets named after them, birds (blue jay way in Toronto), Mike Myers in Scarborough, why not name a street in honour of our heroes that make the ultimate sacrifice every day.

Again I am not requesting that the entire street Macleod Trail be renamed, just the downtown portion by city hall. Col James MacLeod was a founding father of the city, served in the military and the North West Mounted Police, served active duty int he defense of Canada, and was an all around great Canadian. To take away his namesake, I believe, would be to gloss over the efforts, contributions and history of some one who definitely deserves it. I'm sure he would approve of sharing the street name with his fellow brothers and current soldiers who are serving on operations around the world. I created this and mean this in no disrespect to the Col James MacLeod or the MacLeod family.

To sign the petition click the following link:

Posted for you by,

Sir Richard...
Support Our Troops!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

I Love all of you but my first Love is God.

Albertan Sunrise by Sir Richard...
I love watching a herd of horses grazing in an open pasture, or running free across the wide, grasslands of Alberta. I used to love hiking in the foothills when the wildflowers are blooming, the purple lupine and the Indian paintbrush when it’s turning magenta. I love thunder clouds, massive ones. My family loves to sit outside on summer nights and watch the lightning, hear the thunder as a storm rolls in across Alberta. I love water too the ocean, streams, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, rain.

I Love all of you but my first Love is God.

Everything you love is what makes a life worth living. Take a moment, set down the book, and make a list of all the things you love. Don’t edit yourself, don’t worry about prioritizing or anything of that sort. Simply think of all the things you love. Whether it’s the people in your life or the things that bring you joy or the places that are dear to you or God, you could not love them if you did not have a heart. Loving requires a heart alive and awake and free. A life filled with loving is a life most like the one that God lives, which is life as it was meant to be
(Eph. 5:1–2).

I Love all of you but my first Love is God.

Of all the things that are required of us in this life, which is the most important? What is the real point of our existence? Jesus was confronted with the question point-blank one day, and he boiled it all down to two things: loving God and loving others. Do this, he said, and you will find the purpose of your life. Everything else will fall into place. Somewhere down inside we know it’s true, we know love is the point. We know if we could truly love, be loved, and never lose love, we would finally be happy.

I Love all of you but my first Love is God.

Posted for you by Sir Richard...

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Four Strong Winds

Picture by Sir Richard - an Albertan Marsh
Posted for you by,
Sir Richard...
A knight in thy service of the king of Kings!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Amazing Grace

Albertan Morning Dew by Sir Richard...

God bless all of you and if we somehow do not meet again soon.
I am certain that we will all meet in Heaven.
With Love from,

MuzikayiFani - Sir Richard
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings...

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Walking your way.

Lord, I am walking your way.
Let me in, for my body tires and my feet are sore.
My clothes are torn and ragged.

Look into my eyes Lord, as my sins will play out on them,
as on a screen.
From You I hide nothing, read them all.
I repent everything; forgive as only you my Lord, can.

Then send me back on my path, as I will walk on.
Until you Lord, call me home and bid me rest.

Amen

Posted for you by,
Sir Richard...
A knight in thy service of the king of Kings!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Jesus, Take The Wheel


Posted for you by Sir Richard/Muzikayifani...
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Eleanor Rigby


Posted for you by Sir Richard/Muzikayifani...

Sunday, September 28, 2008

- Pastor Martin Niemöller -


- Pastor Martin Niemöller -

In Germany they first came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me —
and by that time no one was left to speak up.
************
Posted by Sir Richard
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings!

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Real Love


Posted for you by Sir Richard...
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Classical Gas

Picture Taken By Sir Richard - South Africa Indian Ocean


Posted for you by Sir Richard/Muzikayifani...
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Constant Craving


Constant Craving :

Even through the darkest phase
Be it thick or thin
Always someone marches brave
Here beneath my skin

Constant craving
Has always been

Maybe a great magnet pulls
All souls towards truth
Or maybe it is life itself
That feeds wisdom
To its youth

Constant craving
Has always been

Craving
Ah ha
Constant craving
Has always been
Has always been
Has always been...
**********************

This song reminds me of two things
First, my constant craving to get closer to God.
An at the same time I once prayed to the Lord to fulfill my,
constant craving for a good wife.
I am blessed to this day, with Joyce.
Still, I am on a daily rock climb as my desire to be
closer to Him, has never diminished...

Posted for you by Sir Richard...
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

"TO SERVE"


"To Serve"

If you want to be important—wonderful.
If you want to be recognized—wonderful.
If you want to be great—wonderful.
But recognize, that he who is greatest among you, shall be your servant.
That's a new definition of greatness.

And this morning, the thing that I like about it:
by giving that definition of greatness,
it means,
that everybody can be great,
because everybody can serve.

You don't have to have a college degree, to serve.
You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree, to serve.
You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle, to serve.
You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity, to serve.
You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics, to serve.

You only need a heart full of grace,
a soul generated by love.
And you can be that servant!

**"To Serve" is an excerpt from
"The Drum Major Instinct" Sermon
Delivered by - Rev Martin Luther King Jr.
@ Ebenezer Baptist Church,
Atlanta, Georgia, February 4, 1968**
http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/sermons/680204.000_Drum_Major_Instinct.html
***************
Posted for you by Sir Richard...
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings.

It Is September The 11th, From Me To You


It is a crisp, cool, foggy fall day.
My walk with Tribble dog is now through.
It is September the 11th, from me to you.

Frantic emails from friends at work,
It’s on the net and radio, can you see this on your home TV?
A small plane crash, like Patsy Cline’s Mountain but is it all true?
It is September the 11th, from me to you.

The anchorwoman say’s that there is just a little bit of falling debris.
“Oh my God!” the whole freaking building is coming down, is what I see!
4 – 5 – 6 more planes are on the way?
No one has a clue…
It is September the 11th, from me to you.

My wife and I are now going to work, past the Calgary International Airport we go.
We see all the passenger planes parked wing tip to wing tip, row upon row.
No jet contrails, no aircraft sounds and for the first time in my life, only the birds flew.
It is September the 11th, from me to you.

Our minds are not on our work, as we are numb through this whole day.
For we hear stories of those who died, helping those who had to stay.
Later more stories of those who bravely stopped the evil that flew.
It is September the 11th, from me to you.

Entombed in the mountains of debris are up to 3,000 dead, what can one do?
To fight the evil of man, God has shown me, the same as you.
That we must help those who are down, troubled and stand up for love and what is true.
For from this hell we should have learned,

that this was our wake up call, that we all went through.
It is September the 11th, from me to you.

Written by Sir Richard
For September 11th

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Teach Your Children Well

Teach your Children

Rock N Roll Song


I came into town as a man of renown
A writer of songs about freedom and joy
A hall had been rented and I was presented
As the kind of a singer that all could enjoy
As I climbed up the stair to the stage that was there
It was obvious something was missing
I could tell by the vibes they wouldn't be bribed
They weren't in the mood to listen, they yelled out

Play me a rock 'n' roll song
Don't play me songs about freedom and joy
Play me a rock 'n' roll song
Or don't play me no song at all

I played them some songs about peace and contentment
Things that I've come to believe in
When I was through to a chorus of boo
Some track star yelled thank God he's leaving

Now someone play me a rock 'n' roll song
I've had it to here with your flowers and beads
Play me a rock 'n' roll song
Or don't play me no song at all

Well if I played you a rock 'n' roll song
It wouldn’t be fair 'cause my head isn't there
So I'll leave you with your rock 'n' roll songs
And make my way back to the country

Still I hear, play me a rock 'n' roll song
Don't give me music I don't want to hear
Play me a rock 'n' roll song
I should have stayed home with a big case of beer
Play me a rock 'n' roll song

Or don't play me no song at all

Written by Valdy
***************
Posted for you by Sir Richard...
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

I Was But Mid Dream


I Was But Mid Dream

Stopped breathing,
So I woke up last night.
As I caught back my breath, mid dream.
Such a nightmare, which caused me so much fright.
Wide eyed, I watched Satan work,
his evil ways.
Always unseen.

Family,
Friends,
Rich or Poor,
you know the scene...
Do a little bit of this.
Do a lot of that.
Your always in control,
Oh yes!
What's the matter with you?
For this is my life,
I can do what I like now,
you do not understand
and you are just being mean.

Satan takes control through you,
he is always pleased to help you.
For you don't believe in Santa.
So why would you know or believe this name?
But for those of you who can still think,
past the highs and self pride.
What may be puzzling you,
Is the true nature of his game?

As I watched Satan work,
his evil ways.
Always unseen.
In such a nightmare, that caused so much fright.
That night, I stopped breathing.
During this last high.
Caught dead,
Within my last breath,
I was but mid dream.

Written by Sir Richard

So for those who struggle with addiction you are all in my prayers.
May God help you with your struggle to overcome these addictions.
May God protect and keep you, may His countenance be upon you.
This I pray, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen...

From Sir Richard...
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Within You Without You / Tomorrow Never Knows



Another Child Recovered!

So I am dedicating this song to this GREAT event. :)

Once again, I truly feel blessed by God to have played, my small part in this success of another child, now safe.

Because of moments like this for me, there will always be Hope...

May God bless you all!

Sir Richard
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings

Monday, September 1, 2008

For Those Who Have Lost Loved Ones - The Dance


I pray that the Lord give you and your family comfort and strength, to see you all through this difficult time.
May God protect and keep you, may His countenance be upon you.
For this I pray, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen...

From Sir Richard...

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Where were you, in 62???



Duke of Earl

Duke,Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl

Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl

As I, walk through this world
Nothing can stop the Duke of Earl
And - a you, you are my girl
And no one can hurt you, oh no

Yes - a, I, oh I'm gonna love you, oh oh
Come on let me hold you darlin
Cause I'm the Duke of Earl
So hey yea yea yeah

And when I hold you
You'll be my Duchess, Duchess of Earl
We'll walk through my dukedom
And a paradise we will share

Yes - a, I, oh I'm gonna love you, oh oh
Nothing can stop me now
Cause I'm the Duke of Earl
So hey yeah yeah yeah

Well, I, oh I'm gonna love you, oh oh
Nothing can stop me now
Cause I'm the Duke of Earl
So hey yeah yeah yeah ---

***********
For my wife Joyce, whom I love! :)
From,

Sir Richard...
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings.
http://www.myspace.com/bayohunter

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Little Bits of Lightning


I have listen to the sound
Of a lonely night
Gone a thousand miles
Through a storm-filled sky
Looking for some light

Never dreamed of turning back
But faced the wind instead
’cause I knew somewhere
You’d be waiting there
Down the road ahead

All throught the longest night
Your burning light did shine
Like little bits of lightning
Lighting up the whole world with your flame
Every day to make it better
Strong enough to carry the weight
Your love became my saving grace
Like little bits of lightning
Shining through the rain

If I should ever lose my way
Find the strength in me is gone
I won’t worry what to do
’cause darlin’ I know you
Will come and take me home

All throught the longest night
Your burning light will shine
Like little bits of lightning
Lighting up the whole world with your flame
Every day to make it better
Strong enough to carry the weight
Your loves became my saving grace
Like little bits of lightning
Shining through the rain

Strong enough to carry the weight
Your love became my saving grace
The kind of feelin’ words can’t explain
Like little bits of lightning
Shining through the rain
Like little bits of lightning
Shining through the rain...
****************************

From Sir Richard...
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings.
http://www.myspace.com/bayohunter

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Go Ask Alice


Go Ask Alice

In this story we never learn her name. She's 15, the daughter of a college professor. She's given LSD at a party and loves it. She dives into the drug world, and soon begins selling to children to pay for her own drugs. She runs away and is again drawn into drugs. She returns home determined to stay clean, but takes drugs one night and hitchhikes to Colorado.

She drifts, sick and in a stoned fog for months, trading sex for drugs. A priest calls her parents and she returns home again, but the druggie students at her school torment her. One puts LSD into some candy and she has a horribly bad trip, ending up imprisoned in a mental hospital. Home again with no desire to return to drugs, she feels hopeful, but fears returning to school. Three weeks after ending her diary she dies of an overdose.

Go Ask Alice

One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all

Go ask Alice
When shes ten feet tall
And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know your going to fall

Tell them the hookah-Smoking caterpillar
has given you the call
Call Alice when she was just small
When the men on the chess board get up and tell you where to go

And you just have some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving slow
Go ask Alice
I think she'll know

When logic and proportion
Have fallen four feet
And the white knight's talking backwards
And the Red Queen Says off with her head
Remember what the dormouse said

Feed your head
Feed your head

By Jefferson Airplane
*********************************
Why shouldn't I use marijuana and other "recreational" drugs?

The negative consequences of using drugs "recreationally" far outweigh their short-term pleasures.

First are the physical effects. Marijuana, for instance, may have dangerous long-term effects, including cancers of the head and neck. Amphetamines and cocaine are highly addictive and cause rapid physical deterioration. Barbiturates depress the central nervous system and are so physically addictive that withdrawal can be fatal if someone dependent on them attempts to stop taking them without medical supervision. (Another peculiar danger of barbiturates is the ease with which a person can take a fatal overdose.) Alcohol, too, is highly addictive for persons with a genetic tendency towards alcoholism.

Most drugs that are used for "recreational" purposes are physically addictive to some degree. All of them are psychologically addictive. Because they chemically induce euphoria and an altered state of consciousness, they introduce what has been called the "pendulum effect." As the effect of the drug wears off, the user pays a price for the experience of a chemically induced "high." The user's emotional state following an artificial high is invariably worse than his original one. This produces an slightly greater dose of the drug is needed to duplicate the same effect. This pendulum effect often results in a vicious cycle of escalating drug use.

The term jaded has long been used to describe a person whose normal sensitivities have been dulled by obsessive pursuit of pleasure. Today there is serious concern that at least some artificial highs may cause permanent damage to the nervous system. Chemically induced highs especially in the case of such powerful drugs as cocaine may permanently diminish a person's capacity to experience physical and emotional pleasure. But even if artificial highs cause no permanent damage, they interfere with the development of our ability to experience the legitimate joys and pleasures that God designed to be part of daily living.

So for those who struggle with addiction you are all in my prayers.
May God help you with your struggle to overcome these addictions.
May God protect and keep you, may His countenance be upon you.
This I pray, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen...

From Sir Richard...
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Forgive Me

Forgive Me

For all the times I've failed You, Lord
Forgive me
For all the ways I've fallen short
Lord, forgive me now
God, I'm so in need of grace
I fall upon my face
Forgive me

You see the tears fall down my face
Forgive me
Take my fear, Lord, take my shame
Lord, forgive me now
Purify me, make me new
Like only You can do
Forgive me (Forgive me now)

Lord, we come to honour You
We are forgiven
We bring our love and thanks to You
We are forgiven now

God we praise You for Your grace
Before You we are raised
Forgiven
God we praise You for Your grace
Before You we are raised
Forgiven

Ohh
Forgiven

From Sir Richard...
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings.
http://bayo-hunter.blogspot.com/
Or
http://www.myspace.com/bayohunter

Monday, August 18, 2008

A Blue Bayou For Cassie


Blue Bayou

I feel so bad I got a worried mind
I'm so lonesome all the time
Since I left my baby behind
On Blue Bayou

Saving nickles saving dimes
Working til the sun don't shine
Looking forward to happier times
On Blue Bayou

I'm going back someday
Come what may
To Blue Bayou
Where the folks are fine
And the world is mine
On Blue Bayou
Where those fishing boats
With their sails afloat
If I could only see
That familiar sunrise
Through sleepy eyes
How happy I'd be

Gonna see my baby again
Gonna be with some of my friends
Maybe I'll feel better again
On Blue Bayou

Saving nickles saving dimes
Working til the sun don't shine
Looking forward to happier times
On Blue Bayou

I'm going back someday
Come what may
To Blue Bayou
Where the folks are fine
And the world is mine
On Blue Bayou
Where those fishing boats
With their sails afloat
If I could only see
That familiar sunrise
Through sleepy eyes
How happy I'd be

Oh that Girl of mine
By my side
The silver moon
And the evening tide
Oh some sweet day
Gonna take away
This hurting inside
Well I'll never be blue
My dreams come true
On Blue Bayou
******************

A long time ago when my first marriage collapsed, I had this fantasy that if we all moved out to Vancouver Island, then all would be well.
So I moved out there to start the process, to survive I did many, many, odd jobs for work and stayed with my buddy Jim in Sooke BC.
All the while, a nagging pain within me would come up periodically.
So one day I went to the local pub to try to drink my troubles away and as I put another quarter in the juke box, Blue Bayou by Linda Ronstadt would play.
With each quarter it played and played and played until someone pulled the power cord from the machine to shut me up.
I was left with only silence and then it came to me. What I was missing was my daughter Cassie as we were just to far to become connected.
The west coast dream was over, I had to finally admit and so, in the middle of winter I hitched hiked 600 miles to be back with my baby.
This song always makes me think of her and I have no regrets...

Posted by Sir Richard