Aboard at a Ship's Helm

Aboard, at a ship’s helm,
A young steersman, steering with care.
A bell through fog on a sea-coast dolefully ringing,
An ocean-bell—O a warning bell, rock’d by the waves.

O you give good notice indeed, you bell by the sea-reefs ringing,
Ringing, ringing, to warn the ship from its wreck-place.
For, as on the alert, O steersman, you mind the bell’s admonition,
The bows turn,—the freighted ship, tacking, speeds away under her gray sails,
The beautiful and noble ship, with all her precious wealth, speeds away gaily and safe.

But O the ship, the immortal ship! O ship aboard the ship!
O ship of the body—ship of the soul—voyaging, voyaging, voyaging.

by Walt Whitman

Dancing Christmas LIghts

Click on the title above for a great light show.

Merry Christmas

Meditations of a Voyage

Meditations of a Voyage
Unknown

The fish jumping in the morning light, like silver daggers flying.
The fluffy clouds in morning flight give way to another night dying.
The decks awash with salty spray, the sails are full and pulling.
Another sign of a tradewinds day and the "Morning Winds" keep going.
As the ocean reflects the Azure sky, and my long night's watch is past
The sailor asks the question why?
Why did I leave my loves to sail behind the mast?
This voyage around the world has taken me to unknown shores
God's greatness He has shown me, by opening my uncharted doors.

Satan's Judo

When I was a young child, my father told me about how police were trained in Judo to control violent people. One of the principles was that the one uses the weight and power of the other against them. The person’s own strength and weight was used against them to control them.

As I look at the church and those of us in the church, I see a similar thing happening. God has given us all strength and “weight” which I see as a person’s influence. Each of us has been given great gifts. But more often that I would like to believe, Satan causes gifted and influential people in his schemes to subvert Jesus’ church. We unwittingly exercise our strengths in a way, that brings the spiritual battle between us. We know we are in conflict with the Evil one and his minions, but the battle becomes even more diabolical when we fight each other. When Satan deceives believers (Rev. 20:10), this is often the result.

In order to put the battle back where it belongs, with the “powers and principalities” (Eph. 6:12), we need each other. We need to not use our strengths and influence against brothers and sisters in Christ, but in a way that helps us each of fight the spiritual battle (Eph. 6:11) that Satan brings to us in trying to bring down the church.

Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” While we have the confidence that the cosmic struggle between God and Satan is over, nevertheless, we fight a spiritual battle as the “gates of hell” try to prevail. Let’s not become ammunition for the enemy, let’s love one another and so prevail for Jesus in the ways of Jesus. Let’s turn the tables on Satan in not being “unaware of his schemes.”(2 Cor. 2:11) Being aware of his schemes allows us to use his power and influence against him, not fighting as the world fights, but through the “knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:5) to “take every thought captive” and not let Satan use our minds and actions against us.

“Fight the good fight of the faith”… not against God and not against each other.

Crossing the Bar

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound or foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell;
When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson