History of Halloween Re-Posted

I have been asked by a church member to post the history of Halloween. I wrote an article on this topic last year, so I am simply re-posting that article for my readers today. Enjoy!


Inevitably, every year I will get asked why I enjoy Halloween so much. I will get supported by some who say "Halloween is a Christian holiday in origin" and spurned by some who say "Halloween is satanic in origin." Perhaps I can briefly help here.

The church, at least in Baptist circles, have typically made one of two mistakes.
1) Claiming that Halloween is completely Christian in nature and boldly sites "All Saints Day" for their support.
2) Claiming that Halloween is Satanic in origin and boldly sites "The Lord of the Dead" for their support.

The fact is that neither of these assertions holds much water. What follows is an incredibly brief account of the history of the holiday, but my intentions are really just to focus on the two mistakes noted above.

Also, I want to note from the beginning that this post is not really intended to support or refute the holiday. I have some good friends who refuse to have anything to do with Halloween because of their convictions, and I respect that. It is important to know the accurate history of anything we do, but not as a tool to bash anyone who does not celebrate or respond in the same way we do.

So, with that being said, Halloween traces its roots back to the Celtic people of Ireland (The UK) and northern France. They celebrated a festival called Samhain, which is pronounced Sow-in. Samhain was a time that signified the end of the summer and harvest months and the beginning of the cold, dark winter months. This was celebrated on November 1st, and the day before the "new year", October 31st, was believed by Celts to be a magical time where the lines between the living and the dead were not so clear. Celtic priests, called Druids (a quick nod to Spinal Tap here), would light huge bonfires where the village people would come and allow the druidic priests to make predictions, sometimes called divination, about the future of the winter months. Tradition says that these Celts would dress up in wild costumes in order to confuse and scare away the spirits that would be looking for a nice, warm body to inhabit. Other Celtic tradition speaks of the priests burning humans at the stake to make a peace offering the wandering spirits. However, any serious Celtic study of history debunks these stories as myths.

The most important, and completely overlooked by most "church literature" on Halloween is the nature of Samhain. Walk into any Christian bookstore and pick up the pamphlet on Halloween and you will read this: Samhain -- The Lord of the Dead. The concept of Samhain being some kind of god or lord of the dead is the foundation for the satanic element of the origin of Halloween. The problem is that it is completely false. No where in historical records or archeology has there been any account for a god of this nature for the Celts. Rather, Samhain was the term given for the end of summer and the beginning of winter, a celebration to recognize the transition.

Rome and Greece also had their own versions of celebration during this time of the year, which I won't go into here. But, when Emperor Constantine declared Christianity a legal religion, everything began to change. Christianity started spreading around the world and once it met with the Celtic people, something interesting happened. The Christians knew they could not just "do away" with all the Celtic tradition, but they wanted to make it more "Christian." Ultimately, in the 9th century, the Church recognized November 1st as "All Saints Day" or "All Hallows Day" and therefore October 31st became "All Hallows Eve." This was a time to recognize the saints that had died the previous year. You can see how close this was related to the Celtic traditions of old. However, to say that the holiday began with this Christian idea of "All Saints Day" just isn't accurate. There were centuries of tradition that came well before the church had anything to do with it.

Finally, in the 19th century, the potato famine in Ireland brought thousands upon thousands of Irish immigrants to the borders of the United States. With them came their traditions. The holiday was tweaked more for children than anything, offering a night of "trick or treating" to take the place of "souling" that was found in Europe. However, in the last 20 years, Halloween has been claimed by adults. The money generated each year by this holiday is really unbelievable. You can't even go into a drug store without seeing isles and isles of Halloween decor, much of an adult nature.

So, what about celebrating it? Well, when you understand the history and what it is today, you have to ultimately ask yourself, am I comfortable participating in this holiday? It is absolutely true that Halloween is a holiday used by wiccans and other groups who use divination and rely on the spiritual realm, sometimes a dark realm, to fulfill their purposes. For me, Halloween is a wonderful time where the weather is changing from fall to winter, where the atmosphere is so wonderful and where both children and adults can enjoy dressing up, having fun and maybe even getting scared. I will never use Halloween as an opportunity to "scare" people into salvation, and I am completely opposed to "Judgment Houses" that churches offer. Let the holiday just be what it is, a fun time to dress up, enjoy the kids, go to a party, watch a horror movie and carve a pumpkin.

Happy Halloween

I havne't been able to blog about and enjoy this Halloween season as I usually do, primarily due to the business of school, but I hope everyone has a spooky great day!

Helping Teenagers Gouge Out Their Eyes

This is the column I wrote for our church newsletter. I wanted to share this particular month's entry with the Lair readers.

By the time you read this today, our teenagers, and possibly your child, have already experienced multiple attacks by their daily battle with temptation and the evil one. These attacks lurk on the computer desk where the internet is a click away, at the after school get-together in a home without an adult, and in the seemingly innocent, but time destroying game console in your living room. What are adults and parents to do with the alarming number of temptations our teenagers face in a given day?

First, I am absolutely convinced that revival in the church begins with revival in the family. That connection is one I will address another day, but for now the need is imminent for families to worship together. We all fail in this regard. Whether it be an apparent lack of time or the embarrassment of never doing it before, we simply do not meet together in the home with our families to read Scripture, discuss our day, and pray together. The consequences of the absence of family worship are deadly. Start tonight. Call me or stop me in the hall and ask me about resources for family worship. I have a few resources I highly recommend that will get you started.

Second, do not be afraid to help them gouge out their eyes. The reference is of course from Matthew 5 and the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is speaking in hyperbole and provides instruction in eliminating the potentiality of sin, namely, by cutting off the source of that sin. As crazy as this may sound, your teenager is not entitled to their cell phone, computer, or car. As a parent or guardian, we have a Scriptural admonition to raise our children in the ways that please God. This might very well mean removing some things from your teenager that is causing them to stumble. This should be done with conversation and love. The great English theologian John Owen wrote a small book called “Mortification of Sin.” He describes part of the process of “killing sin” as the determination to identify the steps that eventually lead up to that sin and begin removing or changing those.

Lastly, this is not to suggest that we lock our teenagers in a room so that they can never be tempted. Part of responsibility, growing, and development comes from the experiences teenagers must be allowed to freely go through. Just like us, they will sometimes fail. Our focus here is that we remain in close contact with our teenager so that we are able to discern the areas of need and, when necessary, help them to remove some of the stumbling blocks that might be in their way. All for the Glory of God!

Long Drives, Heavy Metal, Term Papers, and Old Friends

Those words explain what has been happening with me the last few days. Judah First performed two shows over the weekend in east TN. It was our first time in several months back on stage and boy did it feel good. Just being on stage in front of crazy kids with my ol' faithful Gibson Explorer strapped around my neck and my best bud James Aaron next to me is worth the 5 hour drive in the middle of the night. What follows below is a detailed trip report of the weekend. If you do not want the nauseating details, you may want to stop reading here. Just know that it was a great time, great time.

Judah First Trip Report

The most difficult part of this trip was saying goodbye to Andi. I hate that. I wish she could have come with me, but she was unable to get off work. I jumped in Judah One and made my way toward the interstate. As I pulled onto the highway, I big grin came across my face. It was good to be back in Judah One! I started reminiscing about old trips and funny stories. Since 2004, this band has seen a lot and experienced an infinite amount of memories. Thinking back on all these things, I couldn't help it. . .I had to put in "The Drain." As soon as the cd slipped into the player, I was singing to the top of my lungs and appreciating the greatest worst lyrics ever written and recorded. I was laughing so hard I was crying.

Big Blue Barry aka Triple B aka Barry aka (as I like to call him) Triple Threat was on his way from Nashville. He called me when he hit Knoxville and I realized he was going to beat me to Kingsport by about an hour or two. He was going to head on over to the venue and begin setting up the kit. We were in luck, this performance we were actually able to set up the kit the night before the show. That is a luxury.

As I approached the classic 417 exit on I-40, I realized something that was not good. I was out of gas. So, I took the exit ramp and by the time I reached the bottom of the ramp, Judah One died. I couldn't believe it, I was literally 200 yards from a gas station. I waiting a moment and tried to start her back up. After a few attempts, she managed to start for me and I was able to give it one more thrust of the gas which coasted me into the gas station. After running in to grab a Dew, I was back on the road and getting closer to Kingsport.

As I was making my way toward the venue, just about a mile away, James Aaron (JA) called me and asked if I could run over to Greg's aka Bonesaw aka "the sound guy" to pick some stuff up. I said sure, and as I pulled into the venue, I saw JA on the phone in the parking lot. I pulled in, jumped out, and gave him a big hug. As I entered into the venue, there was the entire band. Greg was there, hanging out, Keyth was on stage tuning his bass and Triple Threat was looking over his drums. Judah First was in the house!!

It was at this point that I made the worst decision of my life. We were playing in a skate park complete with ramps, half-pipes, etc. JA's friend Brittany was riding a skateboard so I asked her if I could see it. I just don't know what I was thinking here, but I grabbed the skateboard and went to the top of a ramp (the smallest I could find). I can't even ride a skateboard on the ground, but for whatever reason I decided to give it a shot. All I remember is being on the ground of the skate church in a little pain. Triple Threat got a great video of the crash. I actually took a pretty mean fall, cut my face, and had some decent swelling. A note to self-don't do that again!

After running over to Greg's to pick up some more gear, we went back to the venue and began to work on a soundcheck. Greg had brought subs this go around and they were so loud and huge it was stupid. I ran outside, across the street and could hear the building itself rattling from the bass. The JF fans were going to get destroyed on stage the next night. We ran through a few songs and were feeling pretty good about everything. Keyth jumped in his car after the sound check and took off. He doesn't have a license, so I called to ask why he was driving. He let me know that everything was fine because he also wasn't wearing his seatbelt. JA, Triple Threat, and myself went to IHOP where we spent a good two hours waiting on service and food. But, we had nothing better to do, so we just hung out and enjoyed our food. From there we made our way to the EFWC (JA' church) and crashed hard in the basement. It is so dark down there, I love it! I borrowed Triple Threat's toothpaste (which I still have) and he went upstairs for some reason, which was a mistake, because he was scared to death by a ladies hat that was strategically propped up. Funny.

After rising up early, eating a granola bar and doing some jogging, JA and I noticed that Triple Threat was gone. We remember him saying something about getting an oil change, so I took off toward JA's place to take a shower and JA went looking for Triple Threat at Wal-Mart. We also thought Rosenstone might be lost in there, or possibly asleep at the candy isle. After I showered, I took off to Morrell Music to buy a $10 pack of strings, and finally met the guys back at the venue. From there, we took off to the world's greatest restaurant, La Carreta. This was Triple Threat's first experience with La Carreta, so we took our time. The food was amazing! From there we went to the mall to say hi to Greg. We noticed he was talking to the Law, so we decided to not bother him and went in Spencer Gifts instead. I bought some make-shift boas since I forgot the legendary JF boas at home (first time I have ever done that.) Back to the cookie company (where Greg works) we went and I bought us some cookies and a couple of drinks. Greg overcharged me, but I didn't say anything.

Well, finally it came close to show time. The band went to the dressing room and got ready. We love this part of the show and it always gets our hearts racing. Once we got on stage, we simply did what we do best. RAWK. The audience was not as active as normal, and we had kind of a strange lighting thing going on, but that didn't stop us. I began the set with Speak to Me and absolutely played it as hard as we ever have. I was going so hard that I kicked all of Keyth's pedals over. It didn't really matter to him though because he never heard a thing all night. James Aaron was being classic JA and Triple Threat is an absolute monster behind the kit. He headbangs harder than any of us! This was Greg and Keyth's first time hearing Barry play and they were impressed with his ability to pick up the songs, as was the rest of the audience. After the third song "Own", I told JA, "I am going to puke, just keep going." I was feeling it, but thankfully I never threw up. We actually had a dude in a wheelchair moshing. It was great. After the performance, I spent some time talking to a fan while the other guys hung out and broke down the stage.

Earlier in the day, JA and I had talked to our long time friend Jason. We were all inseparable in high school and Jason was off work tonight and was able to hang out with us. I was so excited. He said he would come out after the show (he has a 2 year old to play with) and when he walked in, I jumped off the stage from rolling cables and gave him a big hug! Wow, it was good to see him. We hung out literally all night, renting a movie at Video Magic (after a failed Blockbuster attempt), eating at IHOP, and going back to the church to watch "28 Weeks Later." I had such a good time with him and I am making it a point to make sure that I do not go so long without seeing him again. He has a beautiful family, just good stuff.

The next morning, after jogging and a banana, JA and Triple Threat drove to Bristol to begin setting up and I stayed behind to pick up Greg and Keyth. We would find out later that the PA was so large that we really needed another couple of people to run it. Once I showed up with Greg and Keyth to the performance, I couldn't believe my eyes. We were playing on the Bristol, TN Country Stage!!! The act before us was a soft-rock, jazz, country thing. They were great, but not really what JF is used to playing with. The average age in the audience was like 60 years old. I thought we were going to offend a bunch of people and maybe even get shot. JA had a great attitude the entire time and was excited about playing. I knew once we got on stage I would have fun, but I seriously thought these people were going to hate us. When we got there, we pulled directly in front of the stage to unload our gear. I didn't really realize that the first band was about to start, so that was kind of rude of us I guess. But, they were super cool about everything and I think we met some good friends. JA, Keyth, and I went to the bathroom to change. JA took the stall and Keyth and I laid down a diaper changing station and put our stuff on there. Due to the fact that my stage pants are too small for me now, I was playing in jeans for this show. I actually kind of liked the look.

Once we got on stage, it was unbelievable. First of all, this was a huge stage, so it lent itself well to our kind of performance. But once we started, the people actually hung around. We began to hear yelling, applause, and people having a good time. Once again, we were playing so hard it was amazing. At one point in the show, I started handing out glow sticks and people were coming up to get them, and then they stayed up front to rock with us. I was pulling every move I have out of the hat, even dancing and waving to cars that were passing by (did I mention we were on an outside stage?) At one point, JA's mike went out (probably because he was flinging it around by the cable), but he just grabbed mine and kept on rocking. There was a guy there named Cody and Greg informed me that he was by far the "crazy of the night", an award that JA typically gives out. After the show, we were able to talk with so many people who were thanking us for the show. There was a "stage hand" there who was hilarious, and Keyth commented on the stage cover by saying, "I like that shape."

Back to Kingsport we went and we said our goodbyes. JA and I went to taco bell for a quick recap of the weekend, which we always try to do. We agreed that it was amazing to play together once again and we talked strategy for 2008. It was midnight and I had a 5 hour drive ahead of me, just in time to make it to church. So, off I went. It was a great weekend with great memories.

Memorable Quotes of the Trip:

JA - "Greg, shutup!!"
Beast - "Greg, shutup!!"
Keyth - "Greg, shutup!!"
JA - "I tell ya there's nothing like playing in Bristol, TN!!"
Keyth - "That's it, I'm shooting somebody."
Keyth - (commenting on the stage cover) "I like that shape."
Keyth - "grab something and shake it"
JA - (after turning out the basement light) "Boys, I can't see the couch."
Beast: "That probably was not the smartest thing I have ever done."

Well, I have three major papers due this week and next, so my blogging time will be limited. Have a blessed week!

Heading to Nashville

Andi and I are getting ready to drive to Nashville for her 10 year High School reunion. I will be away until later in the weekend.

During our "Focus" bible study time this past Wednesday, a young man with whom I have been sharing the gospel professed faith in Christ. It was one of those moments in youth ministry where all the pieces fit together. Those moments do not happen often, so I had myself a nice little worship service right there in my office. This teenager, whose name is Michael, has been asking me tough questions for several months. He was curious to know why Islam, or any other religion, was not just as valid as Christianity. He had been heavily influenced by a few of his friends and even a high school teacher who subtly "made fun" of religion from the classroom.

So what are we to do with a person like Michael? Well, before we set out to disprove all the other religions and develop a cool and sleek 30 day guide to purpose in Christ, we should preach and teach the Word! At the end of the day, the only way that Michael, or anyone, is going to grasp their need of Christ and truly believe His claims is if God opens their eyes to their need. The best "defense" of Christianity through the best apologetics book will never guarantee a decision for Christ.

I praise God for Michael's salvation. This will be the 4th teenager I will have had the privilege to baptize in just a couple of months. Wow.

After that incredible moment in my office, I was taking a teenager home from church and was involved in a car accident. We were both fine, but isn't that pretty typical? After something so great, something not so great will try to distract us. Well, my focus today is that God is working and active and doing great things with the teenagers at Graefenburg Baptist Church.

Quick Review of HHN 2007

I wish I had more time to write, but here is a quick synopsis of my crazy two day adventure to HHN (Halloween Horror Nights) at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL. Much more from this year's HHN event will soon be available to read at RexandtheBeast.com.

In addition to the HHN event itself, Rex and I were going to be filming the sequel to our smashing 2006 success "Mission: IOA." This time around we decided to bring in some help, so Barry from over at Inn Of The Last Home stepped up to the plate. He gave a wonderful boost to the entire project and was responsible for some of the funnier scenes in the movie. We filmed most of the day on Thursday and Friday morning till about 11:30. Of course, Thursday and Friday night Rex and I attended HHN and we also made time to experience "Terror in Orlando" on I-Drive. Somehow in the middle of all this we worked in the time to overdub voice audio, take "rating pictures" of every ride in IOA and watch a little of the ALDS.

Concerning HHN 2007 "Carnival of Carnage." This year's event was noticeably lacking from previous years but not due to the houses themselves. I actually thought the overall house production was as solid or perhaps even better than usual. This goes to the heart of the RexandtheBeast.com experience. No one single element of an event, park, etc. can make that specific event excellent. It is a package deal. In the case of HHN 2007, the lack of Scarezones this year really brought the overall "feel" or "atmosfear" down a level. Additionally, the "Bill and Ted's" show was not as powerful this year and the "Carnival of Carnage" show was mediocre at best. Now, having said all that, the simple fact is that HHN remains the greatest Halloween event I have yet to experience. Even when pointing out its weaknesses, we are still talking about a powerhouse of a good time. (I hopefully will be taking in what "Knott's Scary Farm" and "Tampa's Hall-O-Scream" have to offer next year). My favorite house this year was "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Flesh Wounds."

Memorable Quotes from this trip:

Rex: What kind of a slide was that? Even if he would have been safe he would have been out.

Rex: He's going down. And he's going down hard.

Beast: I don't think I should have drank that Muscle Milk.

Barry: Was that a ricochet or a raptor in the bushes?

Rex: I think I saw Captain America back there eating a burger.

Rex: (in the queue at E.T.) Come on, come on, keep coming.

Beast: (in the queue at E.T.) Things would be fine if E.T's dad would shut up.


Favorite Houses from HHN 2007

1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
2. Psychoscareapy
3. A Nightmare on Elm Street
4. The Curse of Mary Shaw
5. Jack's Funhouse in Clownovision
6. Vampyr
7. The Thing: Assimilation
8. Friday the 13th: Camp Blood

HHN 2007

Today I leave for a quick "there and back" trip to Orlando, FL for our annual Halloween Horror Nights experience. By "our" I mean me and my brother Rex. Andi is flying down with me to spend some time with her best friend who lives in Orlando, so it is nice to be able to be together on the flight down. Andi is about the last person in the world who would want to visit Halloween Horror Nights, so she will definitely not be going into the park, but she is so understanding of my love for Halloween. Bless her heart. After the first half of this semester I could use about 7 days down there. I will be sure and provide a good review of this year's event when I return. Of course, it won't be long until you are reading all about our quick trips over at RexandtheBeast.com

Unless I am able to sneak in a quick post during my trip down, the Lair will be in hibernation until Monday of next week.

Blessings to all!

I've Never Seen The Beat

That is what my mom would always say and it certainly applies in this scenario.

I just updated my address on our car insurance. We have moved a total of about 3 miles, same state, same city, same county, even same area. We have moved to a safer environment for our vehicles. Based on this update in our information, our premium increased $78.

I've never seen the beat.

How can SBC Associations Help Youth Ministry?

How effective are the local associations within the various state conventions of the SBC in addressing the needs of student ministry? The topic certainly could be broadened to include other ministries within the church, but for now lets stay with student ministry (7th-12th grades).

From my experience, the local associations have spent the majority of their student ministry efforts in the area of rally-oriented ministry. Whether it be a back to school rally, see you at the pole rally, or as I was emailed today, a BMX Gospel Truth rally, the focus has been for our associational churches to unite youth groups and get excited about rallies.

This is not all bad. Youth rallies are not inherently evil and provide an opportunity for the youth groups in a region to fellowship with other teenagers outside their own comfortable church walls. Also, the majority of these rallies are evangelism-centered and anytime the Gospel is proclaimed, something good is happening.

I schedule typically two, maybe three "rallies" or "conferences" a year. Although I will get emails, calls, and promotional posters for the next "big thing" in youth conferences, I will usually not break my schedule to squeeze in yet another rally. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Although there are several effective models for student ministry, "Rally-jumping" is not one of them. Rally-jumping is the term I have used in the past to describe a student ministry model that survives by scheduling one youth rally after another, simply seeing where the next conference, speaker, or worship band is and planning the youth calendar accordingly. Rally-jumping feeds off the "mountaintop experience" of students and frantically tries to schedule the next rally before the teenagers "crash" from their elevated spiritual status. More often than not, this sense in the teenagers of being "on fire" for God is more emotional than spiritual and the rally-jumping model just fuels emotion with no substance to the ministry.

2. Teenagers must not dictate the schedule in student ministry. I see this mistake so often in youth ministry. Leaders should not be asking the teenagers questions like, "what do you think we should study?" and "what should we do this year?" As crazy as this may sound, student leaders should prayerfully consider the teaching plan and calendar for their ministry and then based on God's direction, plan the calendar. That is of course not to say that the teenagers never have a voice, they absolutely should be heard and considered, but never as the deciding factor in the spiritual planning and development of the teaching and overall ministry. If you leave it up to your teenagers to decide, rally-jumping will be your model.

3. An overabundance of youth rallies damages the understanding of the reality that obedient Christian living happens in the boring times as well as the exciting. I have said many times that when my teenagers are thinking about and working on their relationship with God on Tuesday evening at 4:00 when absolutely nothing is happening, we are making progress. Not just when an eloquent youth speaker is making them feel invincible. Sometimes youth ministry should be "boring." Not in the sense of yawning with nothing to do, but without all the thrills, loudness, games, and attention. Amazingly, the models that work hard on the "boring" elements of youth ministry are the churches that are seeing the greatest growth. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of craziness in my youth ministry. But my most crowded service is the Focus Bible Study when I take roll, have prayer, and teach verse by verse through a book in the Bible.

4. To much focus on youth rallies tends to weaken the local church's responsibility to effectively do evangelism. It can become very easy to "let the other guy" share the Gospel. That is why outreach is our very first key word in the GBC covenant statement. I want us to have an effective evangelism strategy right in the youth ministry itself. Part of that strategy can absolutely be to utilize youth rallies, but not to rely on them for our evangelism. There is still much work to be done here.

So, with those few things in mind, how can our associations help youth ministry? I received a call a couple of days ago from an area volunteer youth minister who was brought to tears on the phone. She was so stressed at the basic question, "how do I do youth ministry?" I spent an hour on the phone with her and will be meeting with her in the weeks ahead to help set up a strategy for her church. By the grace of God, she had heard about our program and wanted to know what the "secret" was. She was trying to plan lots of cool trips and let the teenagers at her church see that "big things" were happening. She was trying to rally-jump. Her intentions are so pure, but she needs help.

I am thankful that local state associations plan youth rallies and conferences. They do them well and they are certainly needed. But I see an immediate need for our associations to get to the churches and ask the question, "how can we help you and your teenagers right here in your youth ministry." Not to just throw Purpose Driven Youth Ministry at them, but to engage in dialogue, get an understanding of their situation, and help churches to implement an effective model for their particular congregation. Most church youth groups do not have a full time, trained youth minister who is capable of these kinds of things. They need help. To their credit, some associations offer leadership training, but again this is typically a "you come to us" and is not specific to any one church's particular needs. That kind of help can only go so far.

So yes, keep the youth rallies coming. They are important and should be done with quality. But it seems we can expand our efforts.

Now, here is where the problem lies. Most leaders in associations who handle the youth ministry do so as a volunteer. So, it is very difficult to do this kind of detailed work with any consistency and I am sensitive to that fact. There is only so much one person can do, so I am thankful for what they are able to accomplish. I just wonder if we have the cart before the horse.

2 Years

Andi and I celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary today. Although I could write a book here about our relationship and how blessed I am, I will suffice it to say that the best part of everyday is seeing her in the evening after class or work.

If you would like to see how romantic I am, here is the email anniversary card I sent Andi today. I think you will agree that I know how to pull the heart strings:

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE ANNIVERSARY CARD I SENT TO ANDI.