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It's been a while when I left blogging world for while, I've been dealing my personal problems which is until now I still don't know how to start. I am so thankful to my friends, sister in christ who always there in time of need. One those is Sis Liza of My Online Journal.

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:Be the kind of women that when your feet hit the floor each morning, The devil says "Oh Crap, She's Up. "Sister, life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Love the ones who don't just because you can. Believe in everything happens for a reason.I f you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Kiss slowly. Forgive quickly. God never said life would be easy. He just promise it would be worth it. Today is sister's day. To the cool women that have touched my life. this is for you.....LOVE U!!! Rules: Tag all your sisters, mothers, daughters, aunts, girlfriends, Including me if I am like one. If you get tag back seven times, you are loved. Happy sister's day! LOVE YA SISTA!!!Girlfriend and sisters WEEK. I am tagging the following Grace , Chie, Liza.

Thank you for all the prayers..

TODAY'S BIBLE READING

feed our soul with God's words everyday

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

– 2 Timothy 1:7

THE PAGAN ROOTS OF HALLOWEEN

(Excerpts from 700 Club Spiritual Bulletin)
Since Halloween itself originated in paganism, it is not surprising that its customs are related to pagan belief. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica,

In ancient Britain and Ireland, the Celtic Festival of Samhain was observed on October 31, at the end of summer…. The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on this day and the autumnal festival acquired sinister significance, with ghosts, witches, goblins, black cats, fairies and demons of all kinds said to be roaming about. It was the time to placate the supernatural powers controlling the processes of nature. In addition, Halloween was thought to be the most favorable time for divinations concerning marriage, luck, health, and death. It was the only day on which the help of the devil was invoked for such purposes.

Halloween symbols, customs, and practices undoubtedly have had a variety of influences upon Western culture throughout history. However, in early American history, Halloween was not celebrated due to America’s strong Christian heritage. It was not widely observed until the twentieth century. Initially, it was practiced only in small Irish Catholic settlements, until thousands of Irish migrated to America during the great potato famine and brought their customs with them. To some degree, our modern Halloween is an Irish holiday with early origins in the Celtic winter festival. Interestingly, in American culture, the rise in popularity of Halloween also coincides roughly with the national rise in spiritism that began in 1848.

Irish Holiday
Ireland is the only place in the world where Halloween is actually a national holiday (celebrated with fireworks); children are even released from school for the week.
Among the modern customs and practices of Halloween, we can note numerous probable or possible influences, some of which follow.

Where did the jack-o’-lantern originate?
The carved pumpkin may have originated with the witches’ use of a collection of skulls with a candle in each to light the way to coven meetings. But among the Irish, who, as noted, prompted the popularization of Halloween in America, the legend of “Irish Jack” explains the jack-o’-lantern. According to the legend, a stingy drunk named Jack tricked the devil into climbing an apple tree for an apple, but then cut the sign of a cross into the trunk of the tree to prevent the devil from coming down. Jack then forced the devil to swear he would never come after Jack’s soul. The devil reluctantly agreed.
Jack eventually died, but he was turned away at the gates of heaven because of his drunkenness and life of selfishness. He was sent to the devil, who also rejected him, keeping his promise. Since Jack had no place to go, he was condemned to wander the earth. As he was leaving hell (he happened to be eating a turnip), the devil threw a live coal at him. He put the coal inside the turnip and has since forever been roaming the earth with his “jack-o’-lantern” in search of a place to rest. Eventually, pumpkins replaced turnips since it was much easier to symbolize the devil’s coal inside a pumpkin.

How did the tradition of trick-or-treating begin?
There are several ancient practices that point to this tradition. One possibility is from the notion that ancient witches had to steal the materials needed for their festivals. The Druids may have believed that witches held this day to be special, something clearly true for modern witches.
The idea of trick-or-treating is further related to the ghosts of the dead in pagan, and even Catholic, history. For example, among the ancient Druids, “The ghosts that were thought to throng about the houses of the living were greeted with a banquet-laden table. At the end of the feast, masked and costumed villagers representing the souls of the dead paraded to the outskirts of town leading the ghosts away.”
As already noted, Halloween was thought to be a night when mischievous and evil spirits roamed freely. As in modern poltergeist lore, mischievous spirits could play tricks on the living—so it was advantageous to “hide” from them by wearing costumes. Masks and costumes were worn to either scare away the ghosts or to keep from being recognized by them:
In Ireland especially, people thought that ghosts and spirits roamed after dark on Halloween. They lit candles or lanterns to keep the spirits away, and if they had to go outside, they wore costumes and masks to frighten the spirits or to keep from being recognized by these unearthly beings.

Where did Halloween costumes originate?
Besides the reasons given above, Halloween masks and costumes were used to hide one’s attendance at pagan festivals or—as in traditional shamanism (mediated by a witch doctor or pagan priest) and other forms of animism—to change the personality of the wearer to allow for communication with the spirit world. Here, costumes could be worn to ward off evil spirits. On the other hand, the costume wearer might use a mask to try to attract and absorb the power of the animal represented by the mask and costume worn. According to this scenario, Halloween costumes may have originated with the Celtic Druid ceremonial participants, who wore animal heads and skins to acquire the strength of a particular animal.
An additional layer of tradition explaining the origin of Halloween costumes comes from the medieval Catholic practice of displaying the relics of saints on All Saints’ Day: “The poorer churches could not afford relics and so instituted a procession with parishioners dressed as the patron saints; the extras dressed as angels or devils and everyone paraded around the churchyard.”
Going from door to door seeking treats may result from the Druidic practice of begging material for the great bonfires. As we will see later, it is also related to the Catholic concept of purgatory and the custom of begging for a “soul cake.”
As for the “trick” custom of Halloween, this is related to the idea that ghosts and witches created mischief on this particular night. For example, if the living did not provide food, or “treats,” for the spirits, then the spirits would “trick” the living. People feared terrible things might happen to them if they did not honor the spirits. The Druids also believed that failure to worship their gods would bring dire consequences. If the gods were not treated properly in ritual, they would seek vengeance. This was therefore a day of fear. Further, some people soon realized that a mischievous sense of humor, or even malevolence, could be camouflaged—that they could perform practical jokes on or do harm to others and blame it on the ghosts or witches roaming about.

What’s the significance of fruits and nuts at Halloween?
Halloween traditions often involve fruit centerpieces, apples, and nuts. Three of the sacred fruits of the Celts were acorns, apples, and nuts, especially the hazelnut, considered a god, and the acorn, sacred from its association to the oak. Fruits and nuts also seem to be related to the Roman harvest feast of Pomona, apparently the goddess of fruit. For example, in ancient Rome, cider was drawn and the Romans bobbed for apples, which was part of a divination that supposedly helped a person discover their future marriage partner.


How did we get the tradition of telling ghost stories?
It became a natural expression of Halloween to tell ghost stories when dead souls were believed to be everywhere, and good, mischievous, and evil spirits roamed freely. These stories further originated as a personal expression of these beliefs.

Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.

– 1 Timothy 4:1

MYLIFESTORY XVI

Our love story is so funny because my husband was married for two times, and he is so honest about it, and base on his story all the ex wives are not good and they are the reason why their marriage don’t last. When I mention it to my office mate,  she told me that it’s a strange situation because any person especially if you are a Christian and you failed more two or three times, its seems like something wrong with his mind. At first I think about what she said to me, and I told her that I will believe him if he’s willing to fly 8,000 miles just to meet me and my family. SO our story continue, emails, many promises to each other, I promise simple things that I never thought that It will be a big issue for our divorce. I promise him that we will do the excursive together (by the way he is little bit fat that’s why) I promise him that I will love his parents like mine. And he promise me that he will gave me a good life, good life than what I have in my country. For me material things is nothing, I been there in that situation, I can buy whatever I want, I can book my vacation if I want, I can help my family all the way that’s my life in the Philippines. So when he promise me that he will gave me a good life better than what I have already is a bonus for me. After communicating for almost 4 months he decided to fly to the Philippines. Sept 17, 2006, I feel everything for his coming, I paid some immigration guard to guide him from the airplane until the waiting area where we stay with my family. The first time I saw him my heart beats so loud, and I feel that this is it,,, the feeling is so unexplainable. (he’s like a special person with escort from the plane) I don’t want him to experience the hardship passing the immigration check. But the only sad reason is the next morning from the hotel we will going to my house, he found out that he lost his phone so he feel so upset but after some calls to his ATT phone company in US everything is OK. So he start his vacation life in the Philippines…

MYLIFESTORY PART XV

APOLOGY FOR NOT UPDATING MY STORY, I WAS DEALING WITH THE BIG STORM OF MY LIFE AND I BARE ALL ON MY NEXT POST..

In 1990 patient bear fruit, finally I got my college diploma in Bachelor Degree of Accounting. After 3 months of looking for job I landed my first job. I don’t transfer job to job. After my first job I got a job interview call from Honda Cars , one of the prestigious company in the Philippines. I left my old job to accept the job offer. My job in Honda cars is the like a dream job for me, the management are so fair, they always see to it that they gave fair accommodation to all employees whether you are in managerial or rank and file. But after 6 months contract my employment was screwed up by our company doctor.. Anyway after Honda Cars I find another job which I stay almost 11 years. I transfer to a Korean Company which manufactured apparel for export. We manufactured all clothing for export, like GAP, WALMART, KMART, JC PENNY, BANANA REPUBLIC, OLD NAVY, CALVEIN CLEIN, etc I stay with job until I resigned last 2007. Im working in this company for almost 11 years and I almost have everything. Good life, good house, and I can help all my sibling to have good studies. But unfortunately in 2006, while surfing the net I meet this one GUY…. We meet in YAHOO PERSONAL…site. He thought that I am from NY because of the zipcode number I used on my profile was the zipcode of the next city where he lives in NY. Is it co incidence , I don’t think so,, for me maybe we meant to be LOL… Anyway we meet on this site and he email me right away asking for dinner and I laugh at first. I replied his mail and told him, I wish I can but I am 8,000 miles away from you. Next email I got from him is , Its ok I have car and I know your place … I laugh again and finally I told him to my next email that I am from Asia in Philippines. He don’t have any idea where is Philippines is. So he decided to search about my country.

THE FACT OF HALLOWEEN

(FROM CBN-700 CLUB post)
In ad 835, Pope Gregory IV designated November 1 as All Saints’ Day, or All Hallows’ Day (the term hallow refers to saints). The night before November 1, October 31, was known as All Hallows’ Evening. How did we get the term Halloween? Look at the name “All Hallows’ Evening.” If we drop the word “all,” the “s” on Hallows’, and the “v” and “ing” on evening, the result spells Halloween.


Long before the church gave this name to the evening before All Saints’ Day (a celebration in remembrance of saints and martyred saints), it had been celebrated in various ways in many places around the world. The book Every Day’s a Holiday accurately observes that Halloween “probably combines more folk customs the world around than will ever be sorted out, catalogued and traced to their sources.”

The Druids
It is generally agreed by historians that Halloween came to take the place of a special day celebrated by the ancient Druids. The Druids were the educated or priestly class of the Celtic religion. The Celts themselves were the first Aryan people who came from Asia to settle in Europe. In fact, we can see certain similarities between Druidism and the religion of India:
Celtic religion, presided over by the Druids (the priestly order) presents beliefs in various nature deities and certain ceremonies and practices that are similar to those in Indian religion. The insular Celts and the people of India also shared certain similarities of language and culture, thus indicating a common heritage.
For example, the Indian pagan gods Siva Pasupati (“lord of the animals”) and Savitr (“god of the sun”) are similar to the Celtic gods Cernunnos, a horned god who appears in the yoga position, and the god Lug, or Lugus (perhaps originally a sun god). “As in Hinduism, the Druids also believed in reincarnation, specifically in the transmigration of the soul, which teaches that people may be reborn as animals.”
The Celtic peoples lived in northern France, throughout the United Kingdom, and in Ireland. They engaged in occult arts, worshiped nature, and gave nature supernatural, animistic qualities. Certain trees or plants, such as oak trees and mistletoe, were given great spiritual significance. (According to Celtic authority Lewis Spence, the original meaning of the term Druid implies a priest of the oak cult.) Interestingly, it has been claimed that 90 percent of the world’s sometimes mysterious “crop circles” lie within the geographical proximity of the ancient and possibly Druidic ruins of Stonehenge. At least some of these phenomena may be considered supernatural.

What is the Occult?

Religious writers often use the word occult, but what does it mean? According to the Oxford American Dictionary, occult can be defined as:

1. secret, hidden except from those with more than ordinary knowledge.
2. involving the supernatural, occult powers. The occult [involves] the world of the supernatural, mystical or magical.

In everyday usage, occult usually is used to refer to spiritual practices that focus on secret knowledge gained through personal experience or attempts to communicate with spirits. The term is used in reference to everything from ancient earth religions to modern conversations about ghosts and hauntings.

The Celts worshiped the sun god Belenus, especially on Beltane, May 1, and they worshiped another god, apparently the lord of death, or the lord of the dead, on Samhain (pronounced “SOW-wen” by Wiccans), October 31. Beltane (“Fire of Bel”) was the time of the summer festival, while Samhain was the time of the winter festival. Human sacrifice was offered during both occasions. According to Julius Caesar in his Commentaries and other sources, the Celts believed they were descended from the god Dis, a tradition handed down from the Druids. Dis was the Roman name for the god of the dead.

Of the 400 names of Celtic gods known, Belenus is mentioned most often. Samhain as the specific name of the lord of death is uncertain, but it is possible that the lord of death was the chief Druid deity. We’ll follow the common practice of other authors on this issue and refer to this deity by the name Samhain.

Druidic festivals

The Celts and their Druid priests began their New Year on November 1, which marked the beginning of winter. They apparently believed that on October 31, the night before their New Year and the last day of the old year, Samhain gathered the souls of the evil dead who had been condemned to enter the bodies of animals. He then decided what animal form they would take for the next year. (The souls of the good dead were reincarnated as humans.) The Druids also believed that the punishment of the evil dead could be lightened by sacrifices, prayers, and gifts to Samhain.

Druid worshipers attempted to satisfy and please this deity because of his power over the souls of the dead, whether these souls were good or evil. For those who had died during the preceding 12 months, Samhain allowed their spirits to return to earth to their former places of habitation for a few hours to associate once again with their families.

As a result of this belief, the Celts taught that on their New Year’s Eve (our Halloween) ghosts, evil spirits, and witches roamed the earth. In order to honor the sun god (Belenus) and to frighten away evil spirits who allegedly feared fire, large bonfires were lit on hilltops. In Lewis Spence’s The History and Origins of Druidism we read,

The outstanding feature of Samhain was the burning of a great fire.…Samhain was also a festival of the dead, whose spirits at this season were thought of as scouring the countryside, causing dread to the folk at large. To expel them from the fields and the precincts of villages, lighted brands from the bonfire were carried around the district…Divinations for the fate of the individual throughout the new year were engaged in.

For several days before New Year’s Eve (October 31), young boys would travel the neighborhood begging for material to build these massive bonfires. The fires were believed to not only banish evil spirits but rejuvenate the sun. Until fairly recent times, the hilltop Halloween fires of the Scots were called Samhnagan, indicating the lingering influence of the ancient Celtic festival.

On this night, evil or frustrated ghosts were also believed to play tricks on humans and cause supernatural manifestations, just like poltergeists today. As part of the celebration, people dressed in grotesque masks and danced around the great bonfires, often pretending they were being pursued by evil spirits. In addition, food was put out to make the ghosts or souls of the good dead Samhain had released feel welcomed and at home. Because Samhain marked the beginning of a new year, an interest in divination (the magic art of interpreting the unknown by interpreting random patterns or symbols) and fortune-telling became an important part of this holiday.

For example, the Druids believed that the particular shape of various fruits and vegetables could help predict, or divine, the future. Victims of human sacrifice were used for the same purpose. When the Romans conquered Britain, some of their customs were added to the traditions of the Druids, while others, such as human sacrifice, were banned.

The Samhain celebration was not unique to the Druids. Many festivals worldwide celebrate a time when the dead return to mingle with the living. The Hindus call it a night of Holi. The Iroquois Native Americans celebrate a feast of the dead every 12 years, when all those who have died during the preceding 12 years are honored with prayers. A national holiday in Mexico, the Day of the Dead, begins on November 2 and lasts several days. In this gruesome festival, death becomes a kind of neighborly figure, appearing on candy, jewelry, toys, bread, cakes, and so on. This is the time when the souls of the dead return and when the living are to honor them. For example, doors are decorated with flowers to welcome the angelitos, the souls of dead children

FIVE FAITH -BUILDING STEPS TO A POWERFUL PRAYER LIFE

1. Endure: Don't lose heart. Keep praising God for His goodness. (James 1:1-4)

James encourages us to "consider it all joy" when we encounter trials that test our faith. That may sound difficult. But as we endure these trials, pressing on in faith and believing God has our best interests at heart, we will emerge from the experience "perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." Often, God allows us to go through difficult challenges because those very experiences shape us to receive the answer He has already prepared. Even in the midst of pain, if we can press on -- praying, standing on His Word, believing His promises -- we will see His goodness bring us to a better place.

2. Stop worrying: Ask God for wisdom concerning your situation. (James 1:5)
God gives wisdom to everyone who asks Him. He gives it generously. He doesn't think any less of us for asking. In fact, He loves it when we come to Him with our concerns. But the catch is, we have to ask for wisdom to get it. Too many of us reason out problems and come up with solutions on our own -- coming to God only as a last resort. God tells us in Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know." If we come to Him as soon as we encounter difficulties, He promises to give us His perspective on our situation. He can show us ways to deal with our trials that may never have occurred to us.

3. Deal with doubt: Come to God in faith -- and expect an answer! (James 1:6-8)

When you ask God for help, remember that He is faithful. When Jesus invited Peter to walk with Him on the water, Peter was able to do it -- as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus and focused on his circumstances -- looking at the waves around him and the water beneath him, he sank. When you ask God for help, focus on His Word and what He is speaking to your heart to believe for, rather than letting your faith be determined by your situation.

4 Remember: God is not limited by your circumstances. (James 1:9-11)

By the world's standards, wealthy people have the greatest range of opportunities because they have the resources to make their dreams come true. They can afford the best the world has to offer, and can gain power and influence through their wealth. In contrast, God is not impressed by a person's wealth, but rather by our willingness to believe Him and by obedience in what He has told us to do. If we are rich in faith, there are no limits to what God can accomplish through us!

5 Persevere: Keep your eyes on God, and thank Him for the victory! (James 1:12)

Through persevering in prayer in each trying situation, praising God and believing in His goodness, we will build the character we need in order to receive all that God has for us without being overwhelmed. And each situation we emerge from in triumph is a small picture of the victory that awaits all believers someday when we receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him!

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TODAY'S BIBLE READING

feed our soul with God's words everyday

Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer.

– 2 Thessalonians 3:2

TODAY'S BIBLE READING

Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed; the one who brings destruction.

– 2 Thessalonians 2:3

TODAY'S BIBLE READING

feed our soul with God's words everyday

And "don't sin by letting anger control you."* Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry,

– Ephesians 4:26