Happy New Year! - New Years Around The World

New Years Around The World

In ancient Egypt, New Year was celebrated at the time the River Nile flooded, which was near the end of September. The flooding of the Nile was very important because without it, the people would not have been able to grow crops in the dry desert. At New Year, statues of the god, Amon and his wife and son were taken up the Nile by boat. Singing, dancing, and feasting was done for a month, and then the statues were taken back to the temple.
In Russia, children who live in the city of Moscow will see a huge fir tree called the New Year Tree. The tree is decorated with countless colored lights. Children might also see a fairy-tale play and get gifts from Grandfather Frost and his helper the Snow Maiden.
People in Sweden, attend church services in the morning. Then comes a big family dinner, much like the one at Christmas.
The Muslim calendar is based on the movements of the moon, so the date of New Year is eleven days earlier each year.
Iran is a Muslim country which used to be called Persia. The people celebrate New Year on March 21, and a few weeks before this date, people put grains of wheat or barley in a little dish to grow. By the time of New Year, the grains have produced shoots, and this reminds the people of spring and a new year of life.
Most Hindus live in India, but they don't all celebrate the New Year in the same way or at the same time.
The people of West Bengal, in northern India, like to wear flowers at New Year, and they use flowers in the colors of pink, red, purple, or white. Women like to wear yellow, which is the color of Spring.
In Kerala, in southern India, mothers put food, flowers, and little gifts on a special tray. On New Year's morning, the children have to keep their eyes closed until they have been led to the tray.
In central India, orange flags are flown from buildings on New Year's Day. In Gujarat, in western India, New Year is celebrated at the end of October, and it is celebrated at the same time as the Indian festival of Diwali. At the time of Diwali, small oil lights are lit all along the roofs of buildings. At New Year, Hindus think particularly of the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi.
In Vietnam, the New Year is called Tet Nguyen Dan or Tet for short. It begins between January 21 and February 19, and the exact day changes from year to year. They believe that there is a god in every home, and at the New Year this god travels to heaven. There he will say how good or bad each member of the family has been in the past year. They used to believe that the god traveled on the back of a fish called a carp, and today, they sometimes buy a live carp, and then let it go free in a river or pond. They also believe that the first person to enter their house at New Year will bring either good or bad luck.
In Japan, New Year is celebrated on January 1, but the Japanese also keep some beliefs from their religion, which is called Shinto. To keep out evil spirits, they hang a rope of straw across the front of their houses, and this stands for happiness and good luck. The moment the New Year begins, the Japanese people begin to laugh, and this is supposed to bring them good luck in the new year. China, The origin of the Chinese New Year is itself centuries old - in fact, too old to actually be traced. It is popularly recognized as the Spring Festival and celebrations last 15 days. Preparations tend to begin a month from the date of the Chinese New Year (similar to a Western Christmas), when people start buying presents, decoration materials, food and clothing. A huge clean-up gets underway days before the New Year, when Chinese houses are cleaned from top to bottom, to sweep away any traces of bad luck, and doors and windowpanes are given a new coat of paint, usually red. The doors and windows are then decorated with paper cuts and couplets with themes such as happiness, wealth and longevity printed on them. The eve of the New Year is perhaps the most exciting part of the event, as anticipation creeps in. Here, traditions and rituals are very carefully observed in everything from food to clothing. Dinner is usually a feast of seafood and dumplings, signifying different good wishes. Delicacies include prawns, for liveliness and happiness, dried oysters (or ho xi), for all things good, raw fish salad or yu sheng to bring good luck and prosperity, Fai-hai (Angel Hair), an edible hair-like seaweed to bring prosperity, and dumplings boiled in water (Jiaozi) signifying a long-lost good wish for a family. It's usual to wear something red as this color is meant to ward off evil spirits - but black and white are out, as these are associated with mourning. After dinner, the family sit up for the night playing cards, board games or watching TV programs dedicated to the occasion. At midnight, the sky is lit up by fireworks. On the day itself, an ancient custom called Hong Bao, meaning Red Packet, takes place. This involves married couples giving children and unmarried adults money in red envelopes. Then the family begins to say greetings from door to door, first to their relatives and then their neighbors. Like the Western saying "let bygones be bygones," at Chinese New Year, grudges are very easily cast aside. The end of the New Year is marked by the Festival of Lanterns, which is a celebration with singing, dancing and lantern shows. The Chinese New Year is celebrated some time between January 17 and February 19, at the time of the new moon, and it is called Yuan Tan. It is celebrated by Chinese people all over the world, and street processions are an exciting part of their New Year. The Festival of Lanterns is the street processions, and thousands of lanterns are used to light the way for the New Year The Chinese people believe that there are evil spirits around at New Year, so they let off firecrackers to frighten the spirits away. Sometimes they seal their windows and doors with paper to keep the evil spirits out.
In Europe, New Year was often a time for superstition and fortune-telling, and in some parts of Switzerland and Austria, people dress up to celebrate Saint Sylvester's Eve. In AD 314, there was a Pope called Saint Sylvester, and people believed that he captured a terrible sea monster. It was thought that in the year 1000, this sea monster would escape and destroy the world, but since it didn't happen, the people were delighted. Since then, in parts of Austria and Switzerland, this story is remembered at New Year, and people dress up in fantastic costumes, and are called Sylvesterklauses.
In Greece, New Year's Day is also the Festival of Saint Basil. Saint Basil was famous for his kindness, and Greek children leave their shoes by the fire on New Year's Day with the hope that he will come and fill the shoes with gifts.
In Scotland, New Year is called Hogmanay, and in some villages barrels of tar are set alight and rolled through the streets. Thus, the old year is burned up and the new one allowed to enter. Scottish people believe that the first person to enter your house in the New Year will bring good or bad luck, and it is very good luck if the visitor is a dark-haired man bringing a gift. This custom is called first-footing. The song, Auld Lang Syne is sung at midnight on New Year's Eve, and this custom is now celebrated all over the world.
In British Columbia, Canada, there is the traditional polar bear swim. People of all ages put on their bathing suits, and plunge into the icy cold water which surrounds Vancouver during the winter.
In Calgary, Alberta, Canada, we stay in doors watching the snow rabbits outside run around and TV inside. As for jumping into the Bow River, that is the last thing, that you would want to do!
The United States rings in the New Year with it's largest celebration since 1908, the dropping of the ball in New York's Time Square. Then on New Year's Day it celebrates with the Tournement of Roses Parade, held for over 100 years in Pasadena, California, by decorating floats with thousands of flowers, seeds and other plant materials. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania they have the Mummers' Parade.

Say Happy New Year in any language!
Afghanistan - Saale Nao Mubbarak
South Africa - Afrikaans Gelukkige nuwe jaar
Albania - Gezuar Vitin e Ri
Arabia - Antum salimoun
Bengal - Shuvo Nabo Barsho
China - Chu Shen Tan
Corsica - Pace e Salute
Welsh - Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
Czech Republic - Scastny Novy Rok
Denmark - Godt Nytår
Dutch - GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR!
Inuit - Kiortame pivdluaritlo
Estonia - Head uut aastat!
Finland - Onnellista Uutta Vuotta
France - Bonne Annee
Gaelic - Bliadhna mhath ur
Germany - Prosit Neujahr
Greece - Kenourios Chronos
Hawaii - Hauoli Makahiki Hou
Hebrew - L'Shannah Tovah
Hindi - Nahi varsh ka shub kamna
Indonesia - Selamat Tahun Baru
Iraq - Sanah Jadidah
Ireland - Bliain nua fe mhaise dhuit
Italy - Felice anno nuovo
Laotia - Sabai dee pee mai
Nepal - Nawa Barsha ko Shuvakamana
Norway - Godt Nyttår
Papua New Guinea - Nupela yia i go long yu
Philippines - Manigong Bagong Taon
Poland - Szczesliwego Nowego Roku
Portugal - Feliz Ano Novo
Punjabi - Nave sal di mubarak
Romania - AN NOU FERICIT
Russia - Novim Godom
Serbia - Sretna nova godina
Sindhi - Nayou Saal Mubbarak Hoje
Singhalese - Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Slovakia - A stastlivy Novy Rok
Somali - Iyo Sanad Cusub Oo Fiican!
Spain - Feliz Ano ~Nuevo
Swahili Heri Za Mwaka Mpya
Sudan - Warsa Enggal
Tamil - Eniya Puthandu Nalvazhthukkal
Thailand - Sawadee Pee Mai
Turkey - Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrain - Shchastlyvoho Novoho Roku
Urdu - Naya Saal Mubbarak Ho
Vietnam - Chuc Mung Tan Nien
Happy New Year!
From,
Sir Richard...

Oíche Chiúin - (Silent Night)

The Blessing Tree

I read about a young couple whose business had failed, and they had little money to spend at Christmas. They were going to have to move out of their house after the new year. But they didn’t want their holiday season to be spoiled because of it. So they decided to throw a party. When the guests arrived, they saw a cedar tree decorated with one string of lights and small rolled-up pieces of paper tied to the limbs with ribbon.

“Welcome to our ‘blessing tree’!” they said, beaming. “In spite of hard times, God has blessed us in so many ways that we decided to dedicate our tree to Him. Each piece of paper describes a blessing He has given us this year.”

This couple has faced more trials since then, but they have chosen to stay focused on the Lord. They often remark that the Christmas with the “blessing tree” was one of their most beautiful, because they could testify as Mary did: “My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. . . . He who is mighty has done great things for me” (Luke 1:47-49).

Whatever your difficulties, they needn’t spoil Christmas, for nothing can spoil Christ! Stay focused on Jesus and seek ways to share His blessings with others—perhaps through your own “blessing tree.”

By Joanie Yoder

***To give meaning to Christmas, give Christ first place.***

For I pray, a "Merry Christmas" to All and to All, a Good Night!

Sir Richard...

A Charlie Brown Christmas

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"
That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

Merry Christmas From Sir Richard...

The Little Drummer Boy

Away In A Manger

O Holy Night

Happy Christmas

River

For my good friend Jannel and the band Clementine.
from,

Sir Richard...

A Belief in God?

We all have a basic belief in God.
Whether this is the God, of the Old and New Testament.
Or the worship of God, for a different Faith.
We sometimes even worship material things as if they,
were God in our lives.
The use of talismans, or our own good luck,

could be considered as a form of worship.
Even the expendature of effort to not believe in any God at all,
one may consider that as a belief.
For as a belief, is it not in itself, a form of denial

and really the worship, of an anti God?
I would rather believe in God and find out I was wrong,
than Not Believe in God and find out I was wrong.

Again, it’s one thing to know there is a God;

it’s quite another to know the God who is!
Vaya Con Dios!

From Sir Richard...

For These Times

For These Times

-In these times in which we live

Where the worst of what we live

Is laid out for all the world on the front page

And the sound of someone's heartbreak

Is a soundbite at the news break

With a close shot of the tears rollin' down their face

Blessed be the child who turns a loving eye

And stops to pray

For these times in which we live

-In these most uncertain hours

Where the balance of power

Is a fight that is fought every day

And freedom is a word

Some cry out and some whisper

And some are just too quick to give away

Blessed be the one who stands by the one

On the battle line

For these times in which we live

-Well give me a heart full of tender mercy

And arms I will open wide

-For these times in which we live

Seems like the only answer is

Givin' up on findin' one at all

And we hide behind unsure

Pull the blinds and lock the doors

And hang a pleasant picture on the wall

Blessed is the believer who knows love is our redeemer

And the only breath of life

For these times in which we live

-Well give me a heart full of tender mercy

And arms I will open wide

Yeah give me words full of loving kindness

And hands ready to hold up a light

For these times in which we live

For these times in which we live

Posted for you by

Sir Richard...

I Remember John F. Kennedy - November 22nd 1963

John F. Kennedy
May 29th, 1917 – November 22nd, 1963
http://picasaweb.google.com/The.Bayohunter/NightmareOnElmStreet?authkey=Gv1sRgCNK8npmVi6rqjgE#slideshow/5267959356129264642
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 has 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 do 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,
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.
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 as the Iraq War was to happened the next day.
So close yet, so far and the muffled drums for JFK, I can still hear, to this day...

Written by Sir Richard...
http://bayo-hunter.blogspot.ca/*********************************************
Quotes from John F. Kennedy

From John F. Kennedy he spoke to the Irish Parliament in June 1963.
He took these lines from Bernard Shaws, “Back to Methuselah”
“You see things; and you say ‘Why?’
But I dream things that never were and I say, Why not?”
*********************************************
Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.
-John F. Kennedy
*********************************************
Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet.
We all breathe the same air.
We all cherish our children's future
and we are all mortal.

-John F. Kennedy
*********************************************

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate,
contrived and dishonest but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.
-John F. Kennedy
*********************************************
The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics
whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities.
We need men who can dream of things that never were.

-John F. Kennedy
*********************************************
The world is very different now.
For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty,
and all forms of human life.
-John F. Kennedy
*********************************************
War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys
the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today.
-John F. Kennedy

*********************************************
When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations.
When power narrows the area of man's concern,
poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence.
When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.
-John F. Kennedy

*********************************************
And so, my fellow Americans:
ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you,
but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
-John F. Kennedy
*********************************************

"Now For Some Strange Facts About Abraham Lincoln's
& John F. Kennedy's Assassinations"
Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.

John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

*

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.

John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

*

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.

Both wives lost a child while living in the WhiteHouse.

*

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.

Both Presidents were shot in the head.

*

Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.

Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln.

*

Both were assassinated by Southerners.

Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.

*

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808

Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908

*

Both assassins were known by their three names.
John Wilkes Booth
Lee Harvey Oswald

Both names are composed of fifteen letters.

*

Lincoln was shot at the theater named "Ford."

Kennedy was shot in a car called "Lincoln" made by "Ford."

*

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

*

Lincoln was shot in a theater and the assassin ran to a warehouse.

Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and the assassin ran to a theater.

Enough

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

Amazing Grace My Chains Are Gone

William Wilberforce (24 August 1759–29 July 1833) was a British politician and philanthropist. A native of Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780 and became Member of Parliament for Yorkshire (1784–1812), and independent supporter of the Tory party. A close friend of Prime Minister William Pitt, in 1785 he underwent a conversion experience and became an evangelical Christian. In 1787 he came into contact with Thomas Clarkson and a group of anti-slave trade activists, including Granville Sharp, Beilby Porteus and Hannah More and Lord Middleton.
At their suggestion he was persuaded to take on the cause, and became one of the leading English abolitionists, heading the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade, which he saw through to the eventual passage of the Slave Trade Act in 1807.
Wilberforce also championed many other causes and campaigns, including the Reformation of manners and the Society for the Suppression of Vice, Charity schools, the introduction of Christianity to India, the foundation of the Church Mission Society and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
In later years he supported the campaign for complete abolition, which eventually led to the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833, paving the way for the gradual abolition of internal/indigenous slavery in all British colonies. A tireless campaigner for the abolition of slavery, Wilberforce died just three days after hearing of the passage of the Act through Parliament. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to his friend William Pitt.

This F.Y.I. was posted for you by,

Sir Richard...

Bravery, like Custer's last stand?

Warriors are strong (or valiant), the word of God lives in them, as they overcome the Evil One. Winston Churchill and Theodore Roosevelt, both believed that courage was the foremost of all virtues, because they saw that all other virtues depend on it. It takes courage to love, because we all know loving means you will be hurt and sometimes repeatedly. It takes courage to have faith, because we all know that your faith will be sorely tested. It takes courage to be honest, and so on, there are several types of bravery—physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Read any biographical account of battlefield heroes, or heroes of any kind, and what stands out is their physical bravery. Hal Moore as the first to step on, and the last to step off, the field in the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam. The firemen who ran up the stairs of the World Trade Center while everyone else was running down. Physical bravery is cultivated in great part by adventure, and sports, by intentionally putting yourself in dangerous situations. Emotional bravery is developed in most cases of physical bravery, for he will have to master fear, but it is also formed when a young man takes risks in relationships. It might mean risking embarrassment by making a speech in front of a class. It might mean risking rejection by making a new friend, or confronting a good friend on some issue. It will require him to leave a party when the kids start doing things they shouldn’t be doing. He will need emotional bravery in large measure when he enters into marriage, for a man does sometimes, when he finds himself involved with the mysteries of a woman’s soul.

The important thing in cultivating emotional bravery is helping the boy learn not to quit, teaching him to rise above setbacks and heartbreaks. Spiritual bravery is cultivated when we take risks of faith. This is the greatest bravery, as far as I’m concerned. Think of the many martyrs, like Polycarp going to his execution. He had been warned in a vision that he would be burned at the stake, but he would not let fear seize him. Refusing to confess Caesar as Lord, the old saint went to his death willingly, even to the point of telling his tormentors it would not be necessary to nail him to the stake, that he would remain there by the grace of God. For he heard a voice from heaven say, “Play the man,” and play the man he did.

So to take a stand in life, is truly an act of bravery, for when we do, I believe that not only are we helping ouselves, we help others by showing the way.
By guiding them to see us as we display a real test of faith and now they know that they can also do the same.
The only warning that I have, is to not make your stand without much prayer (listen to God) and reflect about His words with much thought.
For no one wants to make their test of faith, like Custer's last stand.

Evil can not win every Day!!

Today I see evil all around.
In the midst of this, brave souls who have also, stood their ground.
Displaying bravery, as the Hero's of which they are.
Reaching people in need, near and far.

Evil works not through, the dreamed up catalyst of monster lore.
Evil usually, has 2 legs and walks right through your front door.
Man and women equally, if your keeping score, it matters not.
Of who is used for Evil purpose, from this lot.

Now back. to whom I consider God's chosen, that is why I am talking.
About the people who have experienced the nightmare of Evil in their lives,
no mistaking!
These Hero's, who through their own pain, tears, and gut wrench of loss.
Now use their horror of the past,
to help some of us.

Today I still see Evil all around.
In the midst of this, I know brave souls who have also, stood their ground.
Balancing the teeter totter of life, against Evil's ways.
For thankfully, these Hero's amongst us, I know of HOPE
and that Evil can not win every Day!

To my Friends & Hero's, I Thank You.
A poorly written poem of gratitude from,
Sir Richard...

Preventing a Parental Re-Abduction

After I recovered my daughter, my ex-wife telephoned wanting to talk with Jessica. She had just been let out of jail on her own recognisance, and had a bond posted against her to appear in Court. She also had a "No Contact Order", with Jessica unless her visit was supervised by a social worker. I did not find out about this order until much later.

A month later Jessica talked to me about what her mother had said to her. I was unaware of the details of the conversation, as I did not supervise the telephone call to allow them privacy. It was a very silly move on my part. I would advise any parent to have all communication between the other parent and your child monitored.

Jessica: Dad I have good news and bad news for you.

Richard: Amused that a 4 year old would use this expression, I first asked her what's the good news? Thinking that it would be something trivial or childish, I did not think I would get the response I got.

Jessica: I made a new friend at my babysitter's house today.

Richard: That's good. What's the friend's name?

Jessica: I forgot, no, his name's Jamie.

Richard: Jamie, well that's good. So Jessica, what's the bad news?

Jessica: Remember when mom phoned me at Grandma's, and she said that she was going to steal me away from you.

Richard: Well Jessica, what do you think of that?

Jessica: I don't want to go, do I have to go?

Richard: No, never, don't worry!

I learned the hard way to make sure that my child was not re-abducted and to this day I advise parents after they have a recovery to do the following:

While there may be no way to know for sure that a specific parent will re-abduct his or her child, parents who have threatened to abduct again or abducted previously should be taken seriously. If it happened once it could happen again, is what you are always thinking.

In my case I did the following:

- Make sure that all caregivers have copies of all Custody Orders and that you have the original copies safe but easily accessible. If the non-custodial parent lives out of State/Province file a custody decree where the non-custodial parent lives

- Inform all caregivers/teachers/school administration of what is happening. Make sure that they all know who are the only people to take your child out of their care. Reinforce this with them as many times as needed. In my opinion it is better to sound over protective rather than be an “Oops, I forgot about that!” victim.

- When my child was abducted, I could not find a recent picture of her so now I took lots of pictures. It is great for the family album if nothing happens, but useful if needed! This is necessary as kids grow up and change so fast.

- Keep a complete written description of your child including the way they act, talk, and their likes and dislikes.

- Have your child fingerprinted with a recent picture and make copies of your child’s Social Insurance Number and Birth certificate etc. You have already been through one abduction and you do not want to be groping for this information the second time.

- Make sure that you child is supervised with his or her playmates at all times and also make sure that the parents of these friends know about what you are going through. Have your child escorted to and from school and after school care centers. My child was almost taken via a snatch and grab from a car. Only the quick thinking of her older sister (from a previous marriage) saved that day.

- Inform the Police immediately of any suspicious cars or people in your neighborhood. You will keep you child safe and at the same time inadvertently help out in any local Block Watch programs.

- Make sure that you be careful when you answer all telephone calls, doors bells and if need be today, all email for the younger children. Remember, that you do not have to open the door EVER to anyone while you are home.

- If you think that you are being watched keep your curtains closed. Change your comings and going times from time to time as well.

- Teach your child to use the telephone and how to call you, long distance collect. Have a code word that only you and your child know. This will stop any attempts to abduct by the “your Mom or Dad said you’re to come with me!” storyline. Your child will then ask for the code word and that will be the end of that. Teach your child to run to a safe place such as a nearby house. If your child is grabbed teach them to kick and scream to get people’s attention.

- Treat child support and visitation as separate issues. If you have to get supervised visitation for your child and the other parent and their relatives then do so! They abducted once, they could do it again and their family, will probably help out.

By Sir Richard...

Remembrance Day 2007 Last Post & Reveille

O Eternal God,
Who has set us in this beautiful land of Canada, we remember everyday.
With grateful hearts, the men and women of this nation, who have died and are currently serving on peace missions, so we might
enjoy this land in peace, with freedom and justice for all.
We remember their deeds of courage, their acts of valor and their willing sacrifice, though engaged in wars not of their own making.
We remember that they counted the loss of their own lives to be a reasonable price
To pay for the principles by which we live today.
For this their sacrifice,
for the peace they won,
for the remembrance of their lives,
we give thanks.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen
****************************
The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God

and no torment will ever touch them.
In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died and their departure was thought to be an affliction and their going from us to be their destruction;

but they are now at peace.
For though in the sight of men they were punished,

their hope is full of immortality.
Having been disciplined a little,

they will receive great good,

because God tested them and found them worthy of Himself;

like gold in the furnace.

He tried them and like a sacrificial burnt
offering, He accepted them.
In the time of their visitation they will shine forth,

and will run like sparks through the stubble.
They will govern nations and rule over peoples

and the Lord will reign over them forever.
Those who trust in Him will understand truth,

and the faithful will abide with Him in love,

because grace and mercy are upon His elect,

as He watches over His holy ones.

- May God Hear Our Prayers

Sky Pilot - Writings in Dust

In the Military,
a Chaplain is referred to as a
Sky Pilot...

Writings in Dust

Somedays, sometimes,
I do not feel that I should be allowed to even keep company, compared with all of you.
For throughout my life, to barely to meet the mark, is all that I seem able to do.
Grandeur and fame for others is their blessing but for me, it is mostly housed within my brain.
May God Forgive me, for when I am gone,
I fear writings in dust, is all that will become of my name.

Selfish thoughts these are, I know, it is only I who is to blame.
What you are before God, is how one should measure their earthly fame.
Yet, compared to others all that I do would be best described, as simply tame.
May God Forgive me, for when I am gone,
I fear writings in dust, is all that will become of my name.

Love, hope, charity and faith and a well listened ear.
Is how I try to wipe away, others many, many earthly tears.
Then as today, is tomorrow, each day that I live, sometimes is a repeat of the same.
May God Forgive me, for when I am gone,
I fear writings in dust, is all that will become of my name.

For even once in awhile a pseudo saint, can become blue.
Today I am just venting, as I have written this more for myself, then to worry you.
His grace continually shared with others, is what will bring us all, ever lasting fame.
May God Forgive me, for when I am gone,
I will become dust,
for He is my salvation,
and I shall be written in His book of names.

by Sir Richard...

A Volunteer Chaplain with the BGEA Rapid Response Team, Samaritan’s Purse Canada
Also a knight in thy service of the King of Kings.

Christmas in the Trenches = Christmas 1914

Oh my name is Francis Tolliver, I come from Liverpool.

Two years ago the war was waiting, for me after school.

From Belgium and to Flanders,

Germany to here, I fought for King and country I love dear.

'Twas Christmas in the trenches and the frost so bitter hung.

The frozen fields of France were still, no songs of peace were sung.

Our families back in England, were toasting us that day.

Their brave and glorious lads so far away...

I was lying with me messmates, on the cold and rocky ground.

When across the lines of battle came, a most peculiar sound.

Says I, "Now listen up, me boys!" each soldier strained to hear,

As one young German voice sang out so clear...

"He's singing bloody well, you know!" my partner says to me.

Soon, one by one, each German voice, joined in, in harmony.

The cannons rested silent and the gas clouds rolled no more.

As Christmas brought us respite, from the war...

As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent.

"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" struck up some lads from Kent.

Ah the next they sang was "Stille Nacht."

"Tis 'Silent Night'," says I

And in two tongues, one song filled up that sky.

"There's someone coming towards us now!" the front line sentry cried.

All sights were fixed on one long figure, trudging from their side.

His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shown on that plain so bright.

As he, bravely, trudged unarmed into the night.

Then one by one on either side, walked into No Man's Land.

With neither gun nor bayonet, we met there hand to hand.

We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well

And in a flare-lit football game, we gave 'em hell.

We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home.

These sons and fathers far away, from families of their own.

Tom Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin.

This curious and unlikely band of men...

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more.

With sad farewells we each began, to settle back to war.

But the question haunted every heart, that lived that wonderous night.

"Whose family have I fixed within my sights?"

'Twas Christmas in the trenches and the frost, so bitter hung.

The frozen fields of France were warmed, as songs of peace were sung.

For the walls they'd kept between us, to exact the work of war.

Had been crumbled and were gone for evermore...

Oh my name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell.

Each Christmas come, since World War One.

I've learned its lessons well.

For the ones who call the shots, won't be among the dead and lame

And on each end of the rifle we're the same...

************

May God protect us all!

Sir Richard...

A Pittance of Time

A Pittance Of Time

They fought and some died for their homeland.
They fought and some died, now it's our land.
Look at his little child; there's no fear in her eyes.
Could he not show respect for other dads who have died?
Take two minutes, would you mind?
It's a pittance of time,
For the boys and the girls who went over.
In peace may they rest, may we never
forget why they died.
It's a pittance of time.

God forgive me for wanting to strike him.
Give me strength so as not to be like him.
My heart pounds in my breast, fingers pressed to my lips,
My throat wants to bawl out, my tongue barely resists.

But two minutes I will bide.
It's a pittance of time,
For the boys and the girls who went over.
In peace may they rest.
May we never forget why they died.
It's a pittance of time.

Read the letters and poems of the heroes at home.
They have casualties, battles, and fears of their own.
There's a price to be paid if you go, if you stay.
Freedom's fought for and won in numerous ways.

Take two minutes, would you mind?
It's a pittance of time,
For the boys and the girls all over.
May we never forget, our young become vets.
At the end of the line,
It's a pittance of time.

It takes courage to fight in your own war.
It takes courage to fight someone else's war.
Our peacekeepers tell of their own living hell.
They bring hope to foreign lands that hate mongers can't kill.

Take two minutes, would you mind?
It's a pittance of time,
For the boys and the girls who go over.
In peacetime our best still don battle dress
And lay their lives on the line.
It's a pittance of time

In peace may they rest,
Lest we forget why they died.
Take a pittance of time.
************************
On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a Shoppers Drug Mart store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the store's PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us. Terry was impressed with the store's leadership role in adopting the Legion's "two minutes of silence" initiative. He felt that the store's contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable. When eleven o'clock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the "two minutes of silence" to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect. Terry's anger towards the father for trying to engage the store's clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was later channelled into a beautiful piece of work called, "A Pittance of Time".

Posted for all of our Veterens!
by
Sir Richard
A knight in thy service of the King of Kings...

Remembrance Day Sunday, November 11th, 2007.

Lest we Forget!

I firmly believe that it is important to acknowledge not only those who served and those who lost their lives for our country in times of war but also those who serve now, so that we may have the freedom we enjoy today!

- Sir Richard...

Remembrance Day Sunday, November 11th, 2007.

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.

World War I:
1. 628,736 Canadians served.

2. 66,573 died and 138,166 were wounded.

3. 2,818 were taken prisoner of war.

4. 175 merchant seamen died by enemy action.

World War II:
1. 1,031,902 Canadian men and 49,963 Canadian women served.

2. 44,927 died and 43,145 were wounded.

3. 8,271 were taken prisoner of war.

4. 1,146 merchant seamen died by enemy action.

Korean War:
1. 26,791 Canadians served.

2. 516 died and 1,558 were wounded.

3. 33 were taken prisoner of war.

The Gulf War:
1. 3,837 Canadian men and 237 Canadian women served.

2. There were no Canadian casualties or prisoners of war during the Gulf War.

The Afghanistan War:
Since 2002, 71 Canadian Soldiers and 1 Diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan
There are more than 15,000 Canadian troops have participated in this mission thus far.
2500 Canadian soldiers are now serving in Afghanistan.

http://www.icasualties.org/oef/byNationality.aspx?hndQry=Canada

REMEMBER TO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!
*****************************
They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old.

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

V for Vendetta - "V" = Happy Guy Fawkes Night

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent
To blow up King and Parliament.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England's overthrow;
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

Evey: Who are you?

V: Who? Who is but the form…following the function of “what”, and what I am is…a man in a mask

Evey: Well I can see that.

V: Of course you can. I’m not questioning… your powers of observation, I’m merely remarking on the paradox… of asking a masked man… who he is.

Evey: Oh…right.

V: But on this most auspicious of nights, permit me then, in lieu of the more commonplace soubriquet, to suggest the character…of this dramatis persona.
Voila! In view a humble vaudevillian veteran cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation, of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified…and has vowed to vanquish…these venal and virulent…vermin van-guarding vice…and vouchsafing… the violently vicious…and veracious violation…of violition!
The only verdict is vengeance…a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such… shall one day vindicate…the vigilant…and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage…veers most verbose, so let me simply add…that it is my very good honor to meet you…and you may call me "V".

Evey: Are you like a crazy person?

V: I’m quite sure the will say so. But to whom I might ask am I speaking?

Evey: I’m Evey

V: Evey? E.V. Of course you are.

*********

Posted for you by,

Sir Richard...

To my Grandaughters - With God You Are Never Alone!

"Never Alone"

I waited for you today

But you didn't show

No no no

I needed You today

So where did You go?

You told me to call

Said You'd be there

And though I haven't seen You

Are You still there?

[Chorus:]

I cried out with no reply

And I can't feel You by my side

So I'll hold tight to what I know

You're here and I"m never alone

--And though I can, not see You

And I can't explain why

Such a deep, deep reassurance

You've placed in my life

We cannot separate'

Cause You're part of me

And though You're invisible

I'll trust the unseen...

[Chorus]
I cried out with no reply

And I can't feel You by my side

So I'll hold tight to what I know

You're here and I"m never alone

--We cannot separate

You're part of me

And though You're invisible

I'll trust the unseen...

[Chorus]
I cried out with no reply

And I can't feel You by my side

So I'll hold tight to what I know

You're here and I"m never alone

May you be blessed

May you be blessed with all things good.
May your joys, like the stars at night, be too numerous to count.
May your victories be more abundant
than all the grains of sand on all the beaches,
on all the oceans in all the world.

May lack and struggle be always
absent from your life and may beauty order and abundance
be your constant companions.
May every pathway you choose lead to that which is pure and good and lovely.
May every doubt and fear
be replaced by a deep abiding trust
as you behold evidence of God's Power
all around you.
And when there is only darkness
and the storms of life are closing in
May the light at the core of your being illuminate the world.

May you always be aware you are loved beyond measure
and may you be willing to love unconditionally in return.
May you always feel protected and cradled in the arms of God,
like the cherished child you are.
And when you are tempted to judge may you be reminded that we are all ONE
and that every thought you think
reverberates across the universe,
touching everyone and everything.
And when you are tempted to hold back,
may you remember that love flows best when
it flows freely and it is in giving that we receive the greatest gift.

May you always have music and laughter
and may a rainbow follow every storm
May gladness wash away every disappointment
may joy dissolve every sorrow and my love ease every pain.

May every wound bring wisdom
and every trial bring triumph and with each passing day
may you live more abundantly than the day before.
May you be blessed
And may others be blessed by you.
This is my heartfelt wish for you.
May you be blessed.

The Winning Side

The Evil One lied to us about where true life was found . . . and we believed him.

God gave us the wondrous world as our playground, and he told us to enjoy it fully and freely.
Yet despite His extravagant generosity, we had to reach for the one forbidden thing.

And at that moment something in our hearts shifted.
We reached, and in our reaching we fell from grace.
Something has gone wrong with the human race, and we know it.
Better said, something has gone wrong within the human race.
It doesn’t take a theologian or a psychologist to tell you that.

Read a newspaper, spend a weekend with your relatives, pay attention to the movements of your own heart in a single day.
Most of the misery we suffer on this planet is the fruit of the human heart gone bad.
This glorious treasure has been stained, marred, infected.
Sin enters the story and spreads like a computer virus.

By the sixth chapter of Genesis, our downward spiral had reached the point where God himself couldn’t bear it any longer.

The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.
The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. (Genesis 6:5–6)
Any honest person knows this.
We know we are not what we were meant to be.

Rescuing the human heart is the hardest mission in the world.

The dilemma of the human race is this: we don’t know if we want to be rescued!
We are so enamored with our small stories and our false gods, we are so bound up in our addictions and our self-centeredness and take it for granted unbelief that we don’t even know how to cry out for help.
The Evil One has no intention of letting his captives walk away scot-free.
He seduces us, deceives us, assaults us and does whatever it takes to keep us in darkness.

Like a woman bound to an affair from which she cannot get free, like a man so corrupted he no longer knows his own name, the human race is captive in the worst way possible, we are captives of the heart.

Their hearts are always going astray. (Hebrews 3:10)

The challenge God faces is rescuing a people who have no idea how captive they are; no real idea how desperate they are.
We know we long for Eden, but we hesitate to give ourselves back to God in abandoned trust.
We are captivated by the lies of our Enemy.

But God has something up his sleeve.

The Bible clearly acknowledges the presence of invisible but very real spiritual beings, or powers.
In Ephesians 6:11-12, Paul declared that our primary warfare is against an army of rebellious angels headed by Satan.
The bad news is that they are more intelligent and powerful than we are.
The good news is that Jesus defeated them by His death on the cross: "Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them" (Col. 2:15).
There are many things beyond our control, but we need not fear.

We who have placed our trust in Jesus, are on the winning side!

Dulaman by the Celtic Women

A 'níon mhín ó, sin anall na fir shúirí

A mháithairin mhín ó, cuir na roithléan go dtí mé

[Curfá:]

Dúlamán na binne buí, dúlamán Gaelach

Dúlamán na farraige, b'fhearr a bhí in

ÉirinnTá ceann buí óir ar an dúlamán gaelach

Tá dhá chluais mhaol ar an dúlamán maorach

Bróga breaca dubha ar an dúlamán gaelach

Tá bearéad agus triús ar an dúlamán maorach

[Curfá 2x]

Góide a thug na tíre thú? arsa an dúlamán gaelach

Ag súirí le do níon, arsa an dúlamán maorach

Rachaimid chun Niúir leis an dúlamán gaelach

Ceannóimid bróga daora ar an dúlamán maorach

[Curfá]

Ó chuir mé scéala chuici, go gceannóinn cíor dí'

Sé'n scéal a chuir sí chugam, go raibh a ceann cíortha

[Curfá]

Cha bhfaigheann tú mo 'níon, arsa an dúlamán gaelach

Bheul, fuadóidh mé liom í, arsa an dúlamán maorach

Dúlamán na binne buí, dúlamán Gaelach

[Curfá]

Dúlamán na binne buí, dúlamán Gaelach

Dúlamán na farraige, b'fhearr a bhí, b'fhearr a bhí

Dúlamán na binne buí, dúlamán Gaelach

Dúlamán na farraige, b'fhearr a bhí, b'fhearr a bhí

B'fhearr a bhí in Éirinn

[English translation:]

Oh gentle daughter, here come the wooing men

Oh gentle mother, put the wheels in motion for me

[Chorus:]

Seaweed from the yellow cliff, Irish seaweed

Seaweed from the ocean, the best in all of Ireland

There is a yellow gold head on the Gaelic seaweed

There are two blunt ears on the stately seaweed

The Irish seaweed has beautiful black shoes

The stately seaweed has a beret and trousers

[Chorus 2x]

"What are you doing here?" says the Irish seaweed"

At courting with your daughter," says the stately seaweedI would go to Niúir with the Irish seaweed"

I would buy expensive shoes," said the Irish seaweed

[Chorus]

I spent time telling her the story that I would buy a comb for her

The story she told back to me, that she is well-groomed

"Oh where are you taking my daughter?" says the Irish seaweed

"Well, I'd take her with me," says the stately seaweedSeaweed from the yellow cliff, Irish seaweed

[Chorus]

Seaweed from the yellow cliff, Irish seaweed

Seaweed from the ocean, the best, the best

Seaweed from the yellow cliff, Irish seaweed

Seaweed from the ocean, the best, the best

The best in all of Ireland

For you from,

Sir Richard...

Ghostbusters Music Video

Posted for you by

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, to them I 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

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 ...

Today is my Christian Birthday! :)

Today is my Christian Birthday, that is today is the day that I was reborn in the name of Jesus Christ.
So to mark this years event, I am blogging the following story:

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study one day and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

"Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once."
Also Remember: "That the will of God will never take you, where the Grace of God will not protect you!"

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