Have a "Hoppy" Friday, Friends!!

Well, after today, I will have some "quality" time with my kids. I can't wait! The fights. The arguments, the not wanting to get off the DS. The wanting to DAILY go to McDonald's (after swooning to me and pleading cases as to why they HAVE TO go to my personal hell).

Yes, friends, it is looming upon me and all of the city schools (but one, which an all-year-around school). SPRING BREAK!!!!

But today, it's volunteering day at school. I get to "hide" the eggs for the PC named "Spring Egg Hunt" and prep everything for the "Spring Break Party" later in the afternoon. Otherwise, it's an easy-peasy kinda day. Which usually is not an easy day, filled with reading groups, copying papers, and other fun things.

I enjoy it though. All of it. It makes me feel "hoppy". Get it? "Hoppy"??...Yeah okay. I may have lost you there.

Anywho, speaking of "hoppy", why don't you, my dear reader, join in on my Blog Hop/Link Up and add yourself to the linky tool list (BELOW)..Just follow the directions and have a wonderful day, my friends!

Trick Or Treating, Religious Convictions and "The Walking Dead"

Good morning post-Halloween, everyone! I hope that those that were able to, had a wonderful time trick-or-treating with their goblins and ghouls. It's one of the two favorite holidays of mine personally. The other being Christmas.

For most of my area here in Central Virginia (Lynchburg area), the children were able to Trick-Or-Treat on actual Halloween night. But there were a few areas that decided to either hold the holiday tradition on Saturday night, or wait until tonight (Monday) for them to go candy hunting due to Halloween falling on a Sunday this year.

Speaking of Trick-Or-Treating on an alternate night other than Halloween, I had become accustomed to the fact for a while when I had lived in Nevada "back in the day" of my late teens and early twenties. Nevada Day falls on Halloween. And so, being that there are many more tourists in town and also other big celebrations, along with parades, the state usually had them TOTing on the night before Halloween.

This year though, I had found out, thanks to my father that the children of (at least) their area were able to go candy collecting on the actual Halloween this year.

It should be this way everywhere. Personally, I do not see where a separate state or town should have ANY right to tell me and my kids that we cannot Trick-Or-Treat on Halloween if it falls on a Sunday. In other words, you are disgracing God by celebrating an "evil, Pagan ritualistic" holiday on the Lord's Day. And to a SMALL amount of people, it's not "right", so they want the date changed.

If YOUR Christian faith makes you feel convicted to not pass out goodies or let YOUR children Trick-r-Treat, then so be it. Do something more faith based or just keep your light off for the night and be a shut-in. But why ruin the evening for everyone else in your area by boo-hooing to City/County Counsel and force them to change for YOUR benefit of YOUR religious beliefs?

Whatever happened to "Separation of Church and State"? Does that not also apply to holidays where what may not be right for you, may just be okay with others around you? Personally, I think it is rather childish to cry foul over a freaking holiday. Just remember, Christmas is coming. And I can bet you, the ones that are "Jesus Freaks" to the fullest extent are gonna bitch to high heaven if a SMALL percentage of non-believers make a stink over the fact that religious symbols in a department store selling Christmas items.

You cannot have your cake and eat it too, people! Halloween, just like Christmas and Easter should be celebrated by the majority ON THE GIVEN DAY that it was intended to be celebrated. So what if it fell on a Sunday? Do you honestly think that God will think more of you for STILL celebrating that Pagan Holiday on any other day than Sunday? Wrong is still wrong when participating in "evil things" on ANY day of the week. Remember that.

Now, on to the next thing, seeing as I killed two birds with one stone. I feel like I'm on a roll today.

Let's talk about the new show on AMC (American Movie Classics channel). It's called "The Walking Dead". A deputy is shot and is in a coma for a chunk of time. When he wakes up, his world is completely different. In fact, deadly different. As in the walking dead different.

In the opening scene, a little girl is slowly walking as the deputy (post-hospital stint) sees her feet from under a vehicle, wearing bunny slippers. Her back is to him and when she turns around, you can see the severe bite mark on her face. She runs at him, hungry for flesh. He shoots her right in between the eyes and of course kills her for the final time.

As the show's premier episode kept on going, we got the back story of three (alive) characters and also we were able to view some pretty gruesome scenes of half or mostly eaten victims, including fellow zombies. Let's just say that all in all, NOTHING was really left to the imagination with this episode. Including the deputy's horse being torn apart and eaten by a hoard of ravishingly hungry walking poke-alongs.

As gruesome and grotesque as this show is, and knowing that it WILL GET much more graphic as the series moves along in it's rookie season, I personally do not feel that "The Walking Dead" should be on a channel such as American Movie Classics channel (AMC). It does not "fit" with the theme and feel of the channel its self. I see this show as more for the likes of HBO or Showtime. Mainly due to the show's EXTREMELY graphic nature.

"The Walking Dead" is most certainly not a television show for the faint of heart, nor for the squeamish of stomach. Some scenes even grossed ME out pretty bad. That's saying A LOT for me, if you know my taste in horror and thriller films.

So be warned my friends. If you cannot handle lots of blood, guts and gore, then I highly recommend that you do NOT watch "The Walking Dead".

The REAL and the TRUE meaning of the holiday, Easter.

It's once again that time. Spring is blooming all around. Life is becoming anew once more. Birds are singing, grass is greening, flowers (and trees) are blooming.

There is a primary, universal symbol of Spring that is on the horizon as well. Easter. For many families (especially with small children), the "Easter Bunny" will be coming to town to sneakingly leave candy-filled eggs, baskets filled with goodies and to mark his place in holiday history and folklore.

But, what about the TRUE meaning of Easter? It has sadly lost it's REAL meaning among the masses.

The simplest of answers is that Jesus rose from the grave to go to Heaven. It is to celebrate that day that He has arisen.

But, let's delve deeper in to that simplicity, shall we?

1 Corinthians 15:3-6 (via http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+COR.15&version=NIV)

 ³For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance^[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵and that he appeared to Peter,^[b] and then to the Twelve. ⁶After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

If you look carefully at the RED, highlighted areas, we will be primarily concentrating on those key points.

God spoke to Jesus as he went off and prayed for 40 days and 40 nights and said to Him that Jesus was to be the "Sacrificial Lamb" to save all of humanity. So, Jesus had done as His Heavenly Father bequeathed of His Holy Son and went off to prepare the others as to what was to come.

Hence the Last Supper. Jesus told the Disciples that night that one of them would betray Him. Of course, as we all know, that became to be Peter. He denied Christ. All to save his own skin and in the end, Jesus was caught, tried by Pontius Pilate and convicted of baring False Witness to the masses, "claiming" to be the true Son of God.  

After Pilate, ruler over the Roman empire at that time asked his subjects if Jesus should be spared, the crowd went wild and called for his execution, via being nailed to the cross. But SPARED the thief. All in the name of making Jesus an "example" of what happens to those that claim to be the Holy One of God.

Now, we all know what happened next. Jesus was nailed by His hands and His feet to a wooden cross. He was humiliated and had things thrown at Him. Finally, after HOURS upon the cross, He exclaimed, "It is finished!". Then, Jesus hung His head and gave His spirit to His Father.

 After His death, Jesus was removed from the cross. But not before the spear was driven through His side to confirm that indeed Jesus was dead. 

The next day was the Sabbath. So preparation and placing of the body had to be done quickly. For, no death preparations were to be made during Sabbath. Joseph pleaded to Pilate to let him have Jesus' remains. It was allowed.

Jesus then was taken to the tomb, accompanied by Nicodemus. There was brought myrrh, aloes, and other spices. His body was wrapped in fine linens. Then, He was anointed and the burial tomb was then sealed by a huge bolder that was rolled in front of the entrance.

When the two Marys came back to check on the tomb, to their amazement and disbelief, the tomb's entrance was uncovered, with the boulder setting off to the side. Someone somehow OPENED the tomb. As the Marys entered, they found no one there! Jesus was gone. They panicked. Simon Peter was told that Jesus was missing.

As Mary Magdalene wept, Jesus came to her and asked why she was weeping. Mary looked up, and to her amazement, saw Jesus Christ standing before her. The Lord then asked whom Mary was searching for. Being that Mary's back was turned, she did not realize it was Jesus standing by her. She turned and exclaimed "Teacher!" 

Christ told Mary He had not yet returned to the Father, and to not "hold Him". He then sent her forth to tell the Disciples that Christ the Lord has arisen and returned from the grave.

Jesus then appeared to them on the "evening of the first day of the week" and had shown His followers the marks of His hands and of His feet as proof that it was indeed the Living Christ.

Then, He appeared to Thomas, who had still not believed that indeed the Lord God had arisen from His death and tomb. So, Thomas was instructed to place his hand upon Jesus' side. Then, Thomas believed that Jesus spoke the truth.

Jesus stayed with His Disciples for a bit, until God had called Him home. Then, the following happened...

(Acts 1:6-11.. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+1&version=NIV)

 ⁶So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
 ⁷He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
 ⁹After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
 ¹⁰They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

So, as you can see, the TRUE and the REAL meaning of Easter is not in candy, eggs, or worldly gifts of the flesh. It is of the soul/spirit of us and the Saving Grace that was given to us. It is of Jesus Christ symbolizing an embodiment of love and sacrifice. He gave of Himself, at His Holy Father's request to be the ultimate Sacrifice for us. He triumphed over the powers of death.

The Lord, our God gave all for us and our well being. He gave us a way in to Heaven. He arose and had beaten physical death to give us everlasting spiritual life with Him and our Father.

This is the real meaning of Easter....