Easter Bunny and Happy Easter 2020 April 12, 2020 bizadmin It’s a known fact across the United States that the egg-laying Easter Bunny goes hand in hand with Easter Sunday. Every year, eager children rush to their Easter baskets (likely a great DIY Easter basket idea) to see what kinds of treats, chocolate bunnies, and other special fillers the furry, mythical creature left behind for them. But, just like Santa Claus and Christmas, the mysterious hare has no obvious connections to the Christian significance of this post-Lent holy day. So, what are the Easter bunny’s origins, and why has it become such a prevalent symbol? đ°đđ§ [abc] What does a rabbit have to do with Easter? One theory of the Easter Bunny’s origins is that it stemmed from early pagan celebrations around the vernal equinox, says Time. Pagans celebrated the springtime renewal of life as well as the goddess of dawn and fertility, Eostre, who was often represented by the hare or an egg. As Christianity spread throughout Europe, the celebrations around the vernal equinox may have merged with the observance of Christ’s resurrection, since they both occurred around the same time. Missionaries were said to blend pagan traditions with Christian holidays to make the transition smoother, so it is possible that the celebrations of Eostre and the resurrection of Christ became one. đ¸đđ [abc]
Happy Good Friday 2020 April 11, 2020 bizadmin Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, and Black Friday. Members of many Christian denominations, including the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Oriental Orthodox, and Reformed traditions, observe Good Friday with fasting and church services. The date of Good Friday varies from one year to the next on both the Gregorian and Julian calendars. Eastern and Western Christianity disagree over the computation of the date of Easter and therefore of Good Friday. Good Friday is a widely instituted legal holiday around the world, including in most Western countries and 12 U.S. states. Some countries, such as Germany, have laws prohibiting certain acts, such as dancing and horse racing, that are seen as profaning the solemn nature of the day. [abc] According to the accounts in the Gospels, the royal soldiers, guided by Jesus’ disciple Judas Iscariot, arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas received money (30 pieces of silver) (Matthew 26:14â16) for betraying Jesus and told the guards that whomever he kisses is the one they are to arrest. Following his arrest, Jesus was taken to the house of Annas, the father-in-law of the high priest, Caiaphas. There he was interrogated with little result and sent bound to Caiaphas the high priest where the Sanhedrin had assembled (John 18:1â24). Personal Views It started with Maundy Thursday, followed by Good Friday and today is Holy Saturday. Tomorrow will be Easter Sunday, where for the first time, all Christians, if not most of them, will celebrate this beautiful day at home due to the lockdown of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. It is postulated to be a year of recession, according to the Singapore Government. This will last for quite some time, maybe up to next year, and many companies are closing down due to no income and money to roll and to tide over during this challenging period. So, in the meantime, for most of us staying put in the comfort of our home, let’s keep occupied by reading, learning a new course, and stay sane and happy. Be Safe and Be Happy! [abc]
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat – An Andrew Llyod Webber’s Musical April 10, 2020 bizadmin Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a musical comedy with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The story is based on the “coat of many colors” story of Joseph from the Bible’s Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly in 2005. Look out for Joan Collins as the seductive Mrs. Potiphar in this 1 hour 20 minutes long musical. Donny Osmond stars as Joseph. Act I Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is based on the story of Joseph from the Bibleâs Book of Genesis. [abc] A Narrator opens the show by introducing Joseph, the dreamer (“Prologue – Any Dream Will Do) . The Narrator then draws the audienceâs attention to Josephâs father and his 12 sons (“Jacob and Sons”). Jacob has given Joseph, his youngest and favorite son, a multi-colored coat and his brothers are envious of him (“Joseph’s Coat”). The brothersâ jealousy is compounded by Joseph’s dreams, which suggests that he is destined to rule over them (“Joseph’s Dreams”). To stop this from happening they try to kill him, before changing their minds and selling him as a slave to some passing Ishmaelites (“Poor, Poor Joseph”). To hide what they have done, Josephâs brothers and their wives tell Jacob that his beloved son has been killed by a wild animal. As proof, they show Josephâs coat, which they have torn to pieces and covered in goatâs blood (“One More Angel in Heaven”). When the devastated Jacob exits, the brothers and wives cheerfully celebrate Josephâs departure (âHoedownâ). Meanwhile, Joseph is taken to Egypt (âJourney to Egyptâ). There he is bought as a slave by the wealthy Potiphar. He works hard and is promoted, eventually running the household. Joseph catches the eye of Mrs. Potiphar and although he turns down her advances, Potiphar sees them together and jumps to the wrong conclusion (“Potiphar”). Furious, he throws Joseph in jail. A miserable Joseph laments his situation (“Close Every Door”), but things look up when two prisoners, both former servants of the Pharaoh, are put in his cell. Joseph interprets their strange dreams and predicts the Butler will return to Pharaohâs service, while the Baker will be executed. On hearing his prophecies, the other prisoners encourage Joseph to follow his own dreams (“Go, Go, Go, Joseph”). [abc] Act II The Narrator opens the second act with news that thereâs a glimmer of light for Joseph in jail: Pharaoh himself had a run of crazy dreams and nobody can interpret them (âPharaoh Storyâ). Pharaohâs (now freed) Butler tells him of Josephâs skills deciphering dreams (“Poor, Poor Pharaoh”). Pharaoh has Joseph brought to him and describes his dream involving seven fat cows, seven skinny cows and seven healthy ears of corn, and seven dead ears of corn (“Song of the King”). Joseph deduces that there will be seven plentiful years of crops followed by seven years of famine (“Pharaoh’s Dreams Explained”). Impressed with what he hears, Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of preparations for the famine and the former slave becomes the second most powerful man in Egypt, Pharaohâs right-hand man (“Stone the Crows”). Meanwhile, Josephâs family back home is struggling due to the famine, with his brothers regretting what they did to him and how they lied to their father (“Those Canaan Days”). Hearing that Egypt still has food, they travel there to beg for supplies (“The Brothers Come to Egypt”). In Egypt, the brothers request food from Joseph, not realizing who he is (“Grovel, Grovel”). Joseph gives them sacks of food but puts a golden cup in the one belonging to Benjamin, his youngest brother, whom he has never met. When the brothers attempt to depart, Joseph stops them, accusing them of theft. Each brother empties his sack (“Who’s the Thief?â) and when the cup is found in Benjaminâs sack Joseph accuses him of stealing. The other brothers beg Joseph to take them, prisoner, instead and let Benjamin go free (“Benjamin Calypso”). Joseph sees that his brothers have changed and reveals who he really is (“Joseph All the Time”). Joseph sends for his father and the pair are reunited (“Jacob in Egypt”). Joseph wears his colored coat again (“Any Dream Will Doâ/ âClose Every Doorâ). [abc]
Power From Jesusâ Body To Yours April 4, 2020 bizadmin ⌠âTake, eat; this is My body.â Matthew 26:26 POWER FROM JESUSâ BODY TO YOURS Can you imagine the Lord sick, nursing a cold or fever while He walked on earth? No, our Lord Jesus was never sick! He was vibrant, full of life and full of health. When He told His disciples, âTake, eat; this is My body,â they could practically visualize what it meant because they had lived and walked with this Man. They had seen people without hands or feet made whole when they touched His body (see Matthew 15:30â31). Even His clothes were soaked with His health! A woman who had a bleeding condition for 12 yearsâno doctor could cure herâwas healed immediately when she touched the hem of His garment. If the hem of His garment was soaked with His health, vibrancy, energy and divine radiance, how much more His body! You know, some of the most encouraging verses in the Gospels are these: âAnd as many as touched Him were made wellâ (Mark 6:56), for âpower went out from Him and healed them allâ (Luke 6:19). I love those verses! That is our Jesus! [abc] The Bible says that they put sick people along the streets, and Jesus walked around, touched them and healed them. Now, you see movie stars doing this: They run here and there, they slap their fansâ hands, but nobody gets healed. But wherever Jesus walked, whoever He touched, He healed. Picture this: A trail of people. Those in front of Jesus are lying down, but those behind Him whom He has touched are leaping with joy and following Him! That is how Jesus healed the sick. So that night, when He said, âTake, eat; this is My body,â He broke the bread and gave it to His disciples to eat, they knew what it meant. They were probably thinking, âWe are going to ingest His health into our bodies! Hallelujah!â That is what you must believe when you partake of the Holy Communion. It is not just a ritual or symbolic act. No, you must believe that He is the true bread from heaven who took your cancer, diabetes and heart disease so that you can have His supernatural health! And when you eat of His broken body with this revelation, you will have life in abundance and the health of the Lord! -Joseph Prince [abc]
Confessing Your Righteousness Pleases God March 28, 2020 bizadmin …the righteousness of faith speaks… Romans 10:6 CONFESSING YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS PLEASES GOD Every time you confess, âI am the righteousness of God in Christ,â God the Father is pleased. When you confess that you are the righteousness of God in Christ, it reminds Him of what His Son has done for you to become righteous. Also, by making you righteous, God is showing Himself righteousââto demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesusâ (Romans 3:26). Each time Jesus hears you confess, âI am the righteousness of God in Christ,â it brings much pleasure to His heart too, because you are laying hold of what He suffered and died to give you. [abc] The Holy Spirit, who now indwells you to convict you of righteousness (see John 16:10), also rejoices when you confess, âI am the righteousness of God in Christ.â He is pleased when you flow with Him. The delight of the Godhead is not the only thing you gain when you declare, âI am the righteousness of God in Christ.â The Bible tells us that when you âseek first the kingdom of God and His righteousnessâŚall these things shall be added to youâ (Matthew 6:33). Whether it is food, clothing or other necessities in life, âall these thingsâ will be added to you. They will not just be given to you but added to you as your inheritance when you seek first His righteousness. You donât need to use your faith for every single need in life. You just need to use your faith for one thingâto believe that you are the righteousness of God in Christ, and it will cause all the blessings you seek to come after you and overtake you! -Joseph Prince [abc]
Coronavirus Christian Resources March 26, 2020 bizadmin I received an email from my friend and former sponsor as a FlyBy Promotions Blogger for bibles, and Christian literature. Below is her email that I received today. As a favor to her, I decided to post this here for your spiritual enlightenment. Hence, I hope the Coronavirus Christian Resources will help you during the lockdown here at everyone staying at home due to the curfew. So what to do? For a start, it is good to feed the mind with uplifting resources such as clicking on the link above for more information. *********************************************************************************** Hello, My Friends! How are you all doing? We are doing fine here in Illinois but wish the weather would be nicer to go outside. School break has been extended so I will be schooling my son from home, as many will be doing. I’m going to confess, I am NOT a teacher. That is not a talent of mine. So this will be interesting and I’m a little concerned his brain will shrink!! LOL! He and I had a good laugh about that the other day. Thankfully the teachers are putting together information to help đ We all need a little help these days. Can I get an AMEN!? I have something that I hope will help. There is a link below I have for you to share with your readers who may have questions about all that is going on in the world. My sister has asked us questions and people in our community have asked my husband (who is a pastor) if this pandemic is biblical. Telling Ministries; What Christians Want To Know has put together a pretty good informational page for you to share with readers, who may be asking these same questions. [abc] Or what you maybe even be asking? There is also at the end of the post a 24/7 prayer line from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Can I just tell you that the BGEA is AMAZING! Samaritans Purse is part of the BGEA and they have been in Italy helping all those people and their hospitals with the sick. They are first responders in my book and are ready to go where needed fast. I canât say enough about them đ Please check it out and share it on your blogs if youâd like, using the link below. No need to get back to me đ https://whatchristianswanttoknow.com/coronavirus-resources/ Thank you all much and stay safe and healthy! Deanna [abc] ****************************************************************************
Michael Jackson’s Beat It Parody – in the Wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic March 18, 2020 bizadmin Now people are rushing to buy packets of toilet rolls in the light of the coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic as declared by WHO (World Health Organization). Many were seen queuing in long lines just for this precious commodity. Well, we women need the toilet rolls more than the men for obvious reasons. Because it is seen as a feminine thingy and urgent need, see the funny picture below with a whopping expensive cost of toilet roll that comes with a carat diamond ring! [abc] Now, who in their right mind would want to pay $3999 for just a toilet roll? Unless of course, it comes with a “FREE” one-carat diamond ring! LOL. This is just a breather from the serious kinds of stuff of the recent deaths of thousands of people worldwide due to COVID-19, which supposedly originated from Wuhan? or from the U.S. military biological warfare weapon? On a positive side, videos are produced by doctors to debunk the myths of coronavirus and to educate the public on how to kill the virus in the body. This news above may be a little late by a few days with the latest updated ones as published by The Star, featuring the COVID-19 deaths worldwide. The picture below shows what happens when someone in the plane sneezes! Just for Laughs! This is certainly hilarious to find people balancing themselves outside the plane while taking off in the air! When someone sneezes inside, provided! Don’t you find it funny as I do? The picture is certainly exaggerated but definitely speaks volumes of the danger of getting COVID-19. But fear not, here is the wisdom of the Dalai Lama! See the video to the end below: [abc]
How Do You See God? March 13, 2020 bizadmin When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, âI say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!â Luke 7:9 HOW DO YOU SEE GOD? The way you see Jesus, the revelation that you have of Him, will not affect Godâs acceptance of you. But it will affect your acceptance of what God has for you. It will affect how you receive from Him. Consider the Roman centurion who told Jesus, âYou donât have to come to my house. Just speak the word and my servant at home will be healedâ (see Luke 7:6â7). Compare him with Jairus, the ruler of a synagogue, who told Jesus, âMy daughter is dying. Please come to my house and lay Your hands on her, and she shall liveâ (see Mark 5:22â23). Do you know that Jesus does not have to go to your house to heal you? So why did Jesus follow Jairus to his house? Jesus had to come down to Jairusâ level of faith. Jairus believed that his daughter could be healed, but only if Jesus came and laid His hands on her. [abc] The centurion was different. He said, âLord, You donât have to come to my house. I know who You are.â This centurion believed that Jesus did not have to come to his house for his servant to be healed. He believed that Jesus only needed to speak the word. He said to Jesus, âJust speak the word and my servant at home will be healed.â Do you know who Jesus is? The centurion had a greater understanding of who Jesus is than Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, and he wasnât even a Jew! Jesus asked his disciples, âWhy are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?â (Mark 4:40). He even remarked, âO you of little faithâ (Matthew 6:30). But to the woman whose daughter was demon-possessed, He said, âO woman, great is your faith!â (Matthew 15:28). And to the centurion, He declared, âI have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!â My desire is for you to have an accurate understanding of who Jesus is because when your revelation of Jesus is big, you will know what has been freely given to you. And when you know what is yours in Christ Jesus, you will be rich in all things! -Joseph Prince [abc]