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Posts Tagged ‘religion’

Meaning of First Holy Communion

February 11th, 2010 No comments

The First Holy Communion is the entry into a new phase in the life of your child. You will definitely want to make it special for him/her. Those of you who do not know why a First Communion is performed; let us talk about this in brief. This ceremony is performed when the child is mature enough to understand the services of the church. The child first needs to be baptized by the priest before this significant ceremony.

This is an important occasion for Catholic families since it signifies the rite of passage into the body of the church. This is usually accompanied by a family gathering or a party. If this is your child’s first Holy Communion party, then you might have to make a lot of preparations for the event. There are a number of websites that offer first communion party supplies that consist of decors, jewelries and other items that are need to organize the party.

Celebrating the first Holy Communion can be done by either focusing on the decors or by highlighting your child’s interests and personality. This will not only make your child happy but also make him/her understand the significance of the event. You can even gift your child his very own first communion medals as a special memento to signify this special day.

Once the theme has been set, you might need to work on the invitations. These invitations can either be created by adding your child’s photo and decorating it with a cross, ribbons, lace, rosary and many more. If you are not the creative type, there are a number of online supply stores that offer customized invitations at affordable rates.

The wordings on the invitations can also be creative or simple depending on how you want to create the environment. If you lack creativity, you can always ask help from your elders or relatives who can guide you in selecting the appropriate words for the invites. In addition to this, if you have time, you can even look at the first communion party supplies, to get a few tips. Many would prefer a quite ceremony where after the church service, toasts and speeches are exchanged, whereas some might prefer a proper party where the room is filled with noise and laughter of guests and kids. You can even arrange for games or dances depending on the type of crowd you have at the party. There are a number of shops that prepare cakes and snacks just for the first communion event.

Different themes can be selected for the First Holy Communion, depending on the situation. Some people may plan a formal event consisting of speeches and toasts, while others may prefer to have a fun filled party in order to mark the significance of the occasion. Every occasion demands for snacks and a cake. You can even arrange for dances with a light music playing in the background.

The difficult task comes while choosing favor packs for the guests. If this is your first communion, you are in total dilemma so as to what to give away as first communion favors. Jars, photo frames, jewelries with a cross attached to it, a small bible and other items can be given to the guests, acknowledging their presence in the party. Kids can be given religious playing cards along with chocolates and cookies.

Sometimes, there is a lot of confusion regarding what type of gifts to be given to the occasion. Thanks to the advent of the internet, you can now browse through a number of online stores that deal with first communion favor packs at affordable prices. You can select from a number of unique and creative items for your guests.

With essential 1st Communion Supplies from firstcommunionsupplies.com, finding the best First Communion favors for your guests will be easy.

Why Didn’t God Answer Our Prayer?

February 11th, 2010 No comments

After graduating college, my husband Tim and I served as missionaries in Africa for a few years. Many times throughout my life I have reflected back to the experiences I had and the lessons that I learned during the time we were there.

In our youthful enthusiasm, Tim and I set out on a trip to visit our missionary friends. We followed what we had been taught as new missionaries in Zaire in 1974. We had our directions since there were no street signs or traffic lights on these dirt roads. There weren’t even any gas stations or other stores where we could stop to ask for help.

We had everything we needed in the car before we left – food, things to take to our friends, and plenty of gas to make the trip there and back. Not long after we left home, less than an hour into our trip, our car started having problems running properly.

Tim tinkered with the engine but it didn’t help. We prayed and asked the Lord for wisdom to know how to fix it so we could make it to our destination. We had really been looking forward to this trip. It became obvious that we couldn’t make it another hundred miles since the car would go no more than 25 miles per hour, so we turned around and limped home. I was confused and disappointed. Why God hadn’t answered our prayer?

When we returned home we had a mechanic at the missionary station who looked at the car for us. He was stunned by what he saw. He told us that the gas line was leaking directly onto the engine and that he had no idea how the engine kept from exploding. If we had continued the trip as we wanted, the engine certainly would have exploded and we probably would not have survived.

We were stunned! God knew what our need was even though we didn’t. He answered our prayer by making it impossible for us to continue our trip successfully, and by giving us the wisdom to turn around and head home. How thankful we were for His goodness!

Thank you God for protecting us, even when it is from our own desires. It blows me away that you know all of our needs and that you care enough to guide and protect us.

Following several years as a missionary, Dr. Ann Shorb began a career in counseling and is the founder of Christian Counseling & Educational Services in Hanover, PA. She provides a variety of services including pre-marital counseling and help with overcoming sexual addiction.

When Choosing To File A Religious Discrimination Lawsuit

February 11th, 2010 No comments

We live in an age when everyone is itching to sue somebody for one silly thing or another. Our courts are filled with ridiculous claims that can not possibly ever fix everything for everyone. Even though you can not please all of the people all of the time, there are ways you can try to avoid a Religious Discrimination Lawsuit.

People do not want to hear anything that does not approve of the way they live their lives. They care not that their lives may be shameful. We will not take responsibility for the wrong things we do. We blame it on our parents, our children, our pets, our circumstances and the way other people believe.

We all have a number of prejudices which are ingrained into us. Some of us do not like southerners, northerners, westerners and eastern folks. This means nothing except that we have a disagreement about a certain aspect of those people’s lives. It does not mean that we feel they do not have a say, we simply believe what we believe. Does this require the definition of discrimination?

Why is it considered religious prejudice if you simply disagree with another person? Most of the lawsuits I have seen are nothing but, simple disagreements. Disagreeing can allow you to debate with each other in a calm, reasonable manner. But, why are we so touchy about the religion term? Do we not search for the truth? Are we that afraid of being told we may be wrong? Are we that afraid of the truth?

If you really want to keep from getting sued in court for orthodox discrimination, then never speak about it. If you are asked any questions about your beliefs only speak in general terms. Do not bring any pamphlets, detailing anything about your religion. This is also used by some as a means to allow them to bring a lawsuit against you.

Many teaching establishments and factories will not allow you to talk about your religious practices. They feel this does nothing but, cause strife so it is not allowed. Follow whatever laws and codes that are set in place by the management. You do not want to get on the angry side of those who make the laws.

You can do nothing to get a religious discrimination lawsuit now. Simple conversational banter is all you need to ruin your life. Remember these words because they may come back to haunt you if you fail to heed them. Lawsuits, except in rare cases, are usually about money. Why do we do this to ourselves and our precious nation?

Find Religious Discrimination Attorneys Near You And Learn How To Properly File Religious Discrimination Lawsuits Today!