The real Day of the Dead: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." ` 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17

It's Thursday, October 31, 2019, and it's Candy Day for kids of all ages. You know. For so many, it will be Trick or Treat and all the other stuff that goes with Halloween. For local baseball fans, well, we have no choice but to sing the chorus to 'Wait Until Next Year!' Someone told me there are area cemeteries that will be allowing Day of the Dead celebrations on their grounds this year. This is a special Mexican celebration and has now been transported to many Hispanic communities here in the United States. I found this overview: "On October 31, All Hallows Eve, the children make a children's altar to invite the angelitos (spirits of dead children) to come back for a visit. November 1 is All Saints Day, and the adult spirits will come to visit. November 2 is All Souls Day, when families go to the cemetery to decorate the graves and tombs of their relatives. The three-day fiesta is filled with marigolds, the flowers of the dead; muertos (the bread of the dead); sugar skulls; cardboard skeletons; tissue paper decorations; fruit and nuts; incense, and other traditional foods and decorations." — Frances Ann Day, Latina and Latino Voices in Literature. Disney actually made an animated film, 'Coco' that featured this celebration. I think I will stick with what God says about death. For believers, "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8) For unbelievers, "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Jesus speaking, Matthew 25:46) This makes clear that having a party at the graveside of a loved one will not alter their eternal destiny. It's only in this life where we can be made right with God. Amen.

Outhouse laid on its side.

As a kid growing up, we celebrated Halloween. We had to come up with our own costumes and then we would travel around knocking on doors and picking up treats. As far as I can remember we never dwelt on the dark side of the celebration. For us, witches and goblins were fictional characters in the same way of dressing up as a cowboy or soldier. The older kids may have done some pranks. I always get a little fuzzy when it involves my participation in stuff that may have been less than appropriate. I had a lot of pressure on me as a kid. When I was caught in the middle of something less than appropriate (a term I came up with to spare any incriminating details), the teacher or the adult would say something like this, "These other boys I can understand, but you? I never thought I would see the day you would be involved in something like this." Yikes. I was supposed to be the good kid. That expectation pretty much dogged my steps and made it very hard for me to be a party to something less than appropriate. That is unless I was pretty sure I wouldn't be caught. Do you have any idea how tough it is to hear folks name their suspects in your presence, leaving you out with you knowing you were one of the ring leaders? What's a kid to do? Nod in agreement and move on. I didn't say I was proud of it, but, life could get complicated even in our little version of Mayberry.

I've mentioned many times about what I know to be my large volume of suppressed memories. There are some I wish I could add to that book. While many might say kids will be kids, I was raised up with a strong influence of right is right and wrong is wrong. Taking something that doesn't belong to you can't be spoken away by saying it was just kids having fun. I knew that back then and I still know it today. However, as the Prophet Jeremiah assessed the human condition, he counseled, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9) That's why we need the forgiveness God provided through the death of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The song I've heard throughout my entire life comes to mind, "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus". Why is it that I often feel like when I've written my blog that I must have done so from the confessional booth, and, while I've never been in one of those, I have had, in my sojourn on the planet, plenty to confess. Yep. Sure have. There's even some good news for that: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) That was written to believers. And, I am first in line to say I need His cleansing power each and every day as I continue my journey. What about you? Amen. ....More later.