Sunday, December 30, 2012
'Be intentional through the New Year to reflect on your blessings, spend meaningful time with loved ones and look for ways to break away from the rat-race.'
- OPINION
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Sunday, December 30, 2012
By Rev. Ben Black In the blink of an eye Christmas is over. For whatever reason, it always surprises me. I spend weeks planning for Christmas and no sooner is the house cleaned, the gifts bought and wrapped, and the food prepared that I realize Christmas is once again in the rearview mirror and New Year’s Day is on my doorstep. Have you experienced this phenomenon? It seems like the more time I spend in preparation and anticipation the faster it darts by. The day after Christmas always feels so anticlimactic. Sure, we might have another family get together or two … but they are usually shoehorned in around our increasingly busy schedules that have sprung back to life. The end result is that I am left feeling tired as the New Year dawns…
Sunday, December 23, 2012
'From a Christian perspective, it seems to me, the end of the world is actually a good thing.'
- OPINION
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Sunday, December 23, 2012
By Rev. Dai Morgan It looks like we made it! December 21, 2012 has come and gone and the end of the world has not occurred. You know what I’m talking about, the Mayan doomsday prophecy. Well actually, the Mayans never predicted that this would be the end of the world. That idea came from New Age interpreters. On the Mayan Long Count calendar, this date was regarded as the ending date of a 5,125-year-long cycle. However, there is no evidence to believe that they thought that this would result in any kind of cataclysm. The end of this epoch was certainly recognized as a significant moment by the Mayans. However, it is contemporary New Age thinking that added the apocalyptic element. New Age speculation ranged from the ideas that the people …
Monday, December 17, 2012
The Christmas giveaway brought smiles to many.
More than 200 Wilkinsburg children had Christmas come a little early when the Constables4Kids Christmas toy giveaway came to town over the weekend. To see the photos, go to our Pics & Clips Gallery. _______________________ Forest Hills-Regent Square Patch is on Facebook and on Twitter. Don't forget to sign up for our daily email newsletter by clicking here.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Rev. Dai Morgan of Living Spirit Ministry-Swissvale United Methodist Church explains the Christian calendar.
By Rev. Dai Morgan Last Sunday, church goers noticed a change in the worship setting. Purple has become the prominent color of the paraments and decorations in church sanctuaries and worship centers. A set of four candles will be prominently displayed and each week one will be lit progressively, until all four will shine their lights. Scripture lessons featuring John the Baptist will be read to the congregation. And as Christmas moves closer, Christmas trees and other ornamentation will most likely be added. This is the season of Advent. Today marks the second Sunday of Advent. It consists of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. In fact, Advent is the first season on the Church calendar. Since this is the beginning of the Church year…
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Have you trimmed your spending because of the economy or has good fortune enabled you to spend more?
Many of you might already be done with your holiday shopping. Still others might be waiting for even better deals that sometimes pop up prior to Christmas. But how does your spending compare to prior holiday seasons? Those who have lost jobs due to the economy, who feel their jobs might be threatened or who have suffered other setbacks might be a little tighter with the purse strings than someone who just got that promotion. With Black Friday and Small Business Saturday over, and Cyber Monday waiting for a business surge tomorrow, you should have a pretty good handle on your 2012 holiday budget. So how much do you plan to spend this holiday season? Let us know by voting in our poll. And tell us in the comments section why you are spending …
Monday, October 15, 2012
The prices will remain on hundreds of items through the holidays.
Giant Eagle, Inc. is locking low prices through the holidays on hundreds of the items customers purchase most. Even if costs go up, prices for these items will not change. "Increases in commodity costs for corn, wheat and soybeans continue to contribute to rising food prices, and are compounded by additional factors such as fluctuating energy costs and drought," said Giant Eagle Senior Vice President of Marketing Lisa Henriksen. "Our Low Price Lock program will help Giant Eagle customers manage through this uncertainty during the holiday season, and make it easier to plan gatherings and budget-friendly meals with prices on many popular everyday and seasonal items locked, or in some cases reduced. Our Low Price Lock is yet another way for …
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Happy holidays to you and yours.
Merry Christmas to the entire Forest Hills-Regent Square Patch community! How are you celebrating the season today? Feel free to share your best family traditions in the comments below. I hope everyone has a beautiful day with family and friends.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
We could have a turkey or ham, tasty side dishes and elaborate desserts to celebrate, but this simple, meatless one reminds us of our heritage.
When my grandmother came to the United States in 1907, she brought a steamer trunk with all her worldly possessions. She also brought traditions steeped in the Byzantine Catholic heritage that formed the center of life for the peasant farmers and herders in her small village in the Carpathian Mountains, along what is now the Slovakian border with Poland. One of those traditions is what our family calls “Big Supper,” the Christmas Eve Holy Supper celebrated by Carpatho-Rusyns (Ruthenians) and other eastern European nationalities. We don’t follow most of the feast’s religious customs today—fasting before the meal, wheat at the table, clean white tablecloth, holy water and garlic. Nor do we drink the shots of whiskey before the meal (even …
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Waverly's reverend explores this yearly battle.
- OPINION
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Sunday, December 18, 2011
By Rev. Beckie Hickok Every year around this time, someone decides to become offended over the use of the word holiday over Christmas. This year, it’s Fox News declaring war on Governor Chafee of Rhode Island who used the phrase “holiday tree lighting.” And yet, when Fox spends hours of its time ranting and railing about Governor Chafee’s seeming transgression, even publishing his phone number and encouraging people to call and complain, all that does is to serve as yet another distraction in a season full of them. A distraction that keeps us from seeing what God would have us see—a world in need of transformation. A world in need of a new beginning. A world in need of justice. A world in need of grace. Distractions. Sometimes they’re …
Sunday, December 4, 2011
This Christmas, remember what to be grateful for.
- OPINION
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Sunday, December 4, 2011
By Dr. Joey Hickok Some years ago, we had what I call a two-king Sunday in my church. As I admired the candles, greens and tree, I looked closer at the Nativity set; one of the three kings was missing. The chagrinned worship committee chairperson asked if we should just put it away. I got all theological. Most of us go into Advent and Christmas with one of our kings missing. Several years after my mother’s death, Christmas is still just not the same. But I certainly still celebrate. Christmas was a big deal in my childhood family and still is today. The idea that I would skip Christmas because my mother is gone would be ridiculous. Christmas is never the Currier and Ives tableau we think we remember or the one the advertisers want us to…
Daniel Santiago
10:13 am on Monday, December 17, 2012
What? There are 3 photos in there! This isn't even worthy of a story! You wrote 2 sentences! more ›