Triskaidekaphobia--not!

6:37 p.m. Today's project was to take advantage of a day many, many Americans fear: Friday the 13th! A message from a Mary Kay top director pointed out that multiple millions of dollars of productivity are lost in this country annually by employees afraid to leave their beds, follow their normal routines or do anything else for fear of--exactly what?

That's superstition in action, or rather, inaction!

Mary Kay independent beauty consultants and directors have a different outlook, one of pumping millions into the economy this auspicious day. I found out that the company was founded on Friday, September 13, 1963, because Mary Kay Ash decided she'd make her own luck, thank you very much. And billions and billions of dollars later, I think she may have had the right idea! (And passed her inspiration and work ethic down to us and all women who want to achieve the American dream of owning your own successful business). Corporate headquarters in Dallas has 13 floors--compare that to the typical hotel or public building that skips from the 12th to the 14th floor!

Some ideas many of us implemented were: write down 13 things I'm grateful for; pray for someone for 13 minutes; hand out 13 business cards; call 13 customers (I called many more, of course); walk 1.3 miles (easily done with my stairs at home and trips back and forth to the car to get just the products my friends needed); get 13 appointments on our books (in progress); and have a $13 sale on popular items like mascara, lip gloss, and lipstick. I added a men's item, eyeshadow trios and fragrances to my decorated basket and went to Upper Echelon, the salon I frequent. Made some good sales there, and handed out at least half of my cards and a catalog the beauticians can share. I gave out my cards and a catalog at an "Extra Mile" store on the way home. After my successful booking calls ( a party and two other appointments), I drove down the Canyon Crest hill in a downpour. The young women working at the UPS store where I got my Boutique Here Today sign blown up into giant letters, received cards 12 and 13 and a catalog as well.  And no, I don't know which one got my wonderfully special 13th card for any who might be worried!

Superstitions seem ridiculously laughable to many of us in our society, because the people who refused to leave their homes today only missed out on something productive they could have been doing, and risk being an office laughingstock on Monday. But in some ignorant parts of the world, superstitions too numerous to count leave people starving while the rats people worship, freely eat and defile their food; cows are worshiped in primitive societies, so life-giving sources of protein walk amidst starving humans. An infant born with some mark on them might be considered unlucky and killed; another infant, a girl born with a special marking, now 6 years old, is worshiped as a regional goddess in Southest Asia!  Superstition and idolatry, the works of the devil, are the causes of millions of deaths worldwide.

The Apostle Paul confronted superstition in Athens, the great center of learning in the Greco-Roman world. In Acts 17:15-33 he met with the philosophers in the gathering placed known as the Areopagus(v.21-25),

For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent there time in nothing else but either to tell or hear some new thing. 

Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:

TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

He then explained who the one and only God, who made heaven and earth and all things therein, truly is.

While preparing for the "Glitz, Glam, Gifts & Goodies" Spring Boutique at my house tomorrow, I had wonderful, helpful interactions with believers, such as my daughter's father-in-law, who not only brought over his wood creations to sell, but set up an extra table. While calling my customers, I had wonderful times of fellowship and had the privilege of praying for a friend.

Christians need not be afraid of days, dates, times or positions of the stars! This Friday the 13th was a most blessed and very auspicious day, as is every day when we trust and rely on Jesus Christ our Lord!