Friday the 13th: Fact or Myth? Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky ...

Friday the 13th: Fact or Myth? Legend has it that: (1). If 13 people sit down to dinner together, one will die within the year. The Turks so disliked the number 13 that it was practically expunged from their vocabulary (Brewer, 1894). Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue. Many buildings don't have a 13th floor. If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck (Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names). There are 13 witches in a coven. Legend also has it that: (2). Never change your bed on Friday; it will bring bad dreams. If you cut your nails on Friday, you cut them for sorrow. Don't start a trip on Friday or you will encounter misfortune. Ships that set sail on a Friday will have bad luck, as in the tale of H.M.S. Friday. One hundred years ago, the British government sought to quell the longstanding superstition among seamen that setting sail on Fridays was unlucky. A special ship was commissioned and given the name "H.M.S. Friday." They laid her keel on a Friday, launched her on a Friday, selected her crew on a Friday, and hired a man named Jim Friday to be her captain. To top it off, H.M.S. Friday embarked on her maiden voyage on a Friday and was never seen or heard from again. Last year January, Friday the 13th, 2012, the Costa Concordia, a cruise ship carrying more than 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew, hit a rock and sank in the shallow waters off the Italian island of Giglio. Concordia had just started the first leg of a seven-day cruise out of Rome’s port of Civitavecchia. According to Costa officials, most of the passengers were evacuated, but at least three people were killed and dozens more injured. Reports are unclear on the number of missing. Costa Cruises, which is owned by Carnival Corporation confirmed the evacuation of roughly 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members from ship. The Costa Concordia reportedly hit a sandbar near the Italian island of Giglio as passengers were having dinner. Passengers quoted in press reports state that there was a panic among passengers as the ship began to list heavily to one side. Most people reached land by lifeboats but some swam ashore and others were rescued by helicopters. The 114,500-ton Costa Concordia is the largest ship ever to sink. NOTE: Indeed last year when I posted this very article on my wall sometime in the morning of Friday, January 13, 2012, little did I know that the Costa Concordia cruise ship was going to sink that very evening of the coast of Italy! It wasn't until the following morning when I heard the news on BBC World Service and I said to my self Wow! So I have updated the piece and re-posted it for your reading pleasure. Hmmmm, so today is Friday the 13th again! Are you one of those scared of the figure 13 or the date Friday the 13th? ...

Short Exholtation: God Loves You!

God loves You! Everyone in the world is searching for love. We say, "we love to eat, we love our pets, we love to make money." But, that kind of love doesn't last for very long. The good news is that there is another kind of love; the love that comes from God. God's love lasts forever. God's love asks for nothing in return. He loves you just the way you are. The great news is that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. 1. God Loves You! The Bible says, "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16). 2. But the problem is that, all of us have done, said or thought things that are wrong. This is called sin, and our sins have separated us from God. The Bible says "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." God is perfect and holy, and our sins separate us from God forever. The Bible says "The wages of sin is death." (Rom 3:23; 6:23). 3. The good news is that, about 2,000 years ago, God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. Jesus is the Son of God. He lived a sinless life and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. "God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." (Rom 5:8). Jesus rose from the dead and now He lives in heaven with God His Father. He offers us the gift of eternal life - of living forever with Him in heaven if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me." (John 14:6) God reaches out in love to you and wants you to be His child. "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name." You can choose to ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and come in to your life as your Lord and Savior. (John 1:12). 4. If you want to accept Christ as Savior and turn from your sins, you can ask Him to be your Savior and Lord by praying a prayer like this: "Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. I ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior. I want to serve you always." Did you pray this prayer? ...