A new convert was reading his Bible when he called out, “Wow! Praise the Lord!” A liberal minister heard him, and asked him what the noise was about. The young Christian replied with great enthusiasm, “This is incredible. It says here that God performed a miracle of deliverance by opening up the Red Sea for the Jews to march through!”
The minister replied, “Owing to tidal patterns around that time of year, the Red Sea was a swamp that was only three-inches deep.”
Somewhat subdued, the young man continued reading, but soon exclaimed, “Wow! Praise the Lord!”
“What’s the matter now?” asked the minister.
To which the Christian replied, “God has just drowned the whole Egyptian army in three inches of water!”
Over 3,000 times, the Bible speaks of its inspiration by God. His Word is true, and you can believe every word of it.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Psalm 139
O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.
If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?
I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.
If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?
I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Time: 700 BC
written in 700 BC
about whom do you think this written:
Isaiah 53:1-12
Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of Jehovah revealed? (2) For He comes up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground; He has no form nor majesty that we should see Him, nor an appearance that we should desire Him. (3) He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as it were a hiding of faces from Him, He being despised, and we esteemed Him not. (4) Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (5) But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed. (6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, each one to his own way; and Jehovah has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (7) He was oppressed, and He was afflicted; yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. (8) He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of My people He was stricken. (9) And He put His grave with the wicked, and with a rich one in His death; although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. (10) Yet it pleased Jehovah to crush Him; to grieve Him; that He should put forth His soul as a guilt-offering. He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the will of Jehovah shall prosper in His hand. (11) He shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul. He shall be fully satisfied. By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify for many; and He shall bear their iniquities. (12) Therefore I will divide to Him with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He has poured out His soul to death; and He was counted among the transgressors; and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for transgressors.
now.... what are you going to do?
about whom do you think this written:
Isaiah 53:1-12
Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of Jehovah revealed? (2) For He comes up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground; He has no form nor majesty that we should see Him, nor an appearance that we should desire Him. (3) He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as it were a hiding of faces from Him, He being despised, and we esteemed Him not. (4) Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (5) But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed. (6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, each one to his own way; and Jehovah has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (7) He was oppressed, and He was afflicted; yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. (8) He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of My people He was stricken. (9) And He put His grave with the wicked, and with a rich one in His death; although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. (10) Yet it pleased Jehovah to crush Him; to grieve Him; that He should put forth His soul as a guilt-offering. He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the will of Jehovah shall prosper in His hand. (11) He shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul. He shall be fully satisfied. By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify for many; and He shall bear their iniquities. (12) Therefore I will divide to Him with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He has poured out His soul to death; and He was counted among the transgressors; and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for transgressors.
now.... what are you going to do?
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Suprised by Mankind
As we view mankind there are some things that can be noted:
[it seems as though the older we get and the more wiser we think we are, the more we show, we have not changed... it is the same behavior, just different surroundings]
We get bored with childhood.
We rush to grow up.
And then Long to be Children again.
We loose our health to make money...
And then loose our money to restore our health.
We become anxious about the future...
And forget about the present
So that we neither live in the present
Nor the future.
We live as if they will never die
And die as though we have never lived
You can never make someone love you
All you can do is let yourself be loved
Dont compare yourself with others
Practice forgiveness
Watch where your mouth goes,
It only takes a few seconds to open wounds
in those you love
A rich person is not one who has the most
but one who's needs are met.
For all the riches you have stored up here may be taken from you.
But that which you store in heaven will not
[it seems as though the older we get and the more wiser we think we are, the more we show, we have not changed... it is the same behavior, just different surroundings]
We get bored with childhood.
We rush to grow up.
And then Long to be Children again.
We loose our health to make money...
And then loose our money to restore our health.
We become anxious about the future...
And forget about the present
So that we neither live in the present
Nor the future.
We live as if they will never die
And die as though we have never lived
You can never make someone love you
All you can do is let yourself be loved
Dont compare yourself with others
Practice forgiveness
Watch where your mouth goes,
It only takes a few seconds to open wounds
in those you love
A rich person is not one who has the most
but one who's needs are met.
For all the riches you have stored up here may be taken from you.
But that which you store in heaven will not
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
how great thou art
When I think of all within this world...
I can only stand in amazement of how mighty God is...
calling out with but a whisper...
so that are focus will be on him...
And think of all we do within our life and how much of it we truly give to God... would you give a child a present if it meant they would ignore you and focus on the present...
But with every day we grow further and further away from our only salvation...
I quietly stand with head in hand and cry over the coming loss...
for one lone night I was stripped bare
of all I had brought upon myself... with all love he reached down to call my name...
you can never know how humbling it is too look at your life...
to see all you have done and he... he laid his life down for me.
to know there is nothing of me worth loving yet.... he still died for me...
who could ever say such a thing that they have done...
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
I can only stand in amazement of how mighty God is...
calling out with but a whisper...
so that are focus will be on him...
And think of all we do within our life and how much of it we truly give to God... would you give a child a present if it meant they would ignore you and focus on the present...
But with every day we grow further and further away from our only salvation...
I quietly stand with head in hand and cry over the coming loss...
for one lone night I was stripped bare
of all I had brought upon myself... with all love he reached down to call my name...
you can never know how humbling it is too look at your life...
to see all you have done and he... he laid his life down for me.
to know there is nothing of me worth loving yet.... he still died for me...
who could ever say such a thing that they have done...
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
now what
Christianity is not a pleasure cruiser. It is a rescue ship. This video is a must see. We are called to seek and save that which is lost. Not just play church and talk about reaching the lost.
So many think this is a game... what is the worst that could happen. (hell? sorry purgatory does not exist, there are only two lines mentioned in the bible and not a third line; those to the left and those to the right)
So... lets say you die... where will you go? heaven or hell?
simple question... so you think you are going to heaven... why?
because of good things you have done? what about the bad things? (lying, stealing, looking with lust, blasphemy, hatred, etc....)
will God just look past those things?
Isn't God just? and if he is just shouldn't people be punished for things they have done? what about Hitler?...
So you think God will forgive you just because you ask him to? where do you get that from (that is not in the Bible)
I spoke with someone recently who believed there was no such thing as hell... he then stopped and questioned himself when asked what about Hitler.
If you stand in a court room guilty of serious crimes can the Judge just let you go because you said you are sorry? (he will say you should be, these are very serious crimes)
Or what if you tell the Judge that stuff happened a long time ago and you wont do that again, will say "okay"?
Or I have done more good things than bad things... will that matter?
There is a fine that must be paid, you can't pay it... Jesus steps in and pays the fine, you are free to go... Repent (stop doing things that are offensive to God) and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ...
Grace will be given to you (Grace: unmerited gift, you cant earn it) but like any gift it will remain where it is unless you take it..
So many think this is a game... what is the worst that could happen. (hell? sorry purgatory does not exist, there are only two lines mentioned in the bible and not a third line; those to the left and those to the right)
So... lets say you die... where will you go? heaven or hell?
simple question... so you think you are going to heaven... why?
because of good things you have done? what about the bad things? (lying, stealing, looking with lust, blasphemy, hatred, etc....)
will God just look past those things?
Isn't God just? and if he is just shouldn't people be punished for things they have done? what about Hitler?...
So you think God will forgive you just because you ask him to? where do you get that from (that is not in the Bible)
I spoke with someone recently who believed there was no such thing as hell... he then stopped and questioned himself when asked what about Hitler.
If you stand in a court room guilty of serious crimes can the Judge just let you go because you said you are sorry? (he will say you should be, these are very serious crimes)
Or what if you tell the Judge that stuff happened a long time ago and you wont do that again, will say "okay"?
Or I have done more good things than bad things... will that matter?
There is a fine that must be paid, you can't pay it... Jesus steps in and pays the fine, you are free to go... Repent (stop doing things that are offensive to God) and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ...
Grace will be given to you (Grace: unmerited gift, you cant earn it) but like any gift it will remain where it is unless you take it..
Friday, November 14, 2008
Epilogue: Wrapping Up (Day 5 of 5)
Narrator: In November a ship from England, the Fortune, arrived unexpectedly and delivered 35 new colonists, which nearly doubled their numbers. Though they were delighted to see these fresh faces, some of which belonged to family members, the existing residents were sobered to realize that the new recruits had come without extra food, clothing, or other provisions.
Soon after the newcomers were assigned to families in the colony, the leaders met to plan for their survival. Governor Bradford and William Brewster reached the difficult decision. Everyone would go on half rations through the winter.
The abundant harvest of corn they had so recently stored for that second winter of 1621-1622 was now not nearly enough. They began that winter cautiously with everyone getting their half ration of corn hopeful that the men could find enough game and fish to see them through. Supplies dwindled quickly. Legend has it that at one point the food stores were so low that everyone was forced to a daily ration of only five kernels of corn. It's amazing to think that anyone could survive on so little food, yet no one died of starvation.
Once again at the height of their need, God provided deliverance. Another ship sailed into their harbor, and though it did not have food, the captain did have trading goods that he offered in exchange for beaver pelts. With the trading goods, the pilgrims bartered with the Indians for more corn. The extra corn enabled them to survive the second winter, although they were all considerably thinner.
When the spring of 1622 finally arrived, the colony was much weakened by hunger and sickness, and the famine was not over. The weary pilgrims went to the field to plant their common crops, but their enthusiasm was greatly reduced. However, they continued on with the life that God had given them. They had many dealings with their Indian friends, continued exploring the land, and obtained what sustenance they could by fishing, hunting, and bartering with the Indians.
Edward Winslow described their sad condition that spring saying that the bay and creeks were full of fish but their seines and netting were torn and rotten. He wrote that were it not for shellfish of different kinds that could be taken by hand, they would have perished.
Another colony was begun to the north, and other ships arrived in Cape Cod Bay several times that year, usually bringing colonists without supplies of any kind. Neither Bradford's journal nor the writings of other pilgrims record a Thanksgiving celebration in that second harvest season. Bradford did write …
William Bradford: The welcome time of harvest approached, but it arose but to a little, so it well appeared that famine must still ensue the next year also.
Narrator: Again, God saw them through the winter of 1622-23 by means of another ship, which brought trading goods they could use to barter for corn with the Indians.
Planting time was soon upon them in April of 1623, their needs were desperate. The pilgrims realized they had to plant double the previous year's crop to sustain them in the winter to come. This year it was decided they would seed a common cornfield for the whole colony, and then each family would be given a parcel of land to plant for its own use.
Everyone was enthusiastic, for they were eager to grow as much as possible to avoid another starving time. William Bradford observed …
William Bradford: This had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been. The women now went willingly to the field and took their little ones with them to help set corn.
Narrator: Soon after the plantings, however, the weather turned dry. As the weeks of drought went by, the pilgrims watched their precious summer crops wither and slowly die. The Indians said they'd never seen a dry spell like it. After 12 weeks the pilgrims realized they would face certain starvation in the coming winter if it did not rain soon. The colonists were losing hope.
They wondered if God, who had always gone before them, was against them. They began to pray. William Bradford asked everyone to participate in a day of fasting and prayer to ask the Lord for rain. All the pilgrims felt a deep sense of humility before God, and they sincerely sought His mercy. Edward Winslow described what happened.
Edward Winslow: That only the mercy of our God, who was as ready to hear as we were to ask, for though in the morning when we assembled together, the heavens were as clear and the drought as like to continue as it ever was, yet before our departure from the day of prayer and fasting, the weather was overcast, the clouds gathered on all sides. On the next morning, distilled such soft, sweet, and immoderate showers of rain continuing some 14 days. Such was the bounty and goodness of our God.
Narrator: Bradford wrote …
William Bradford: It came without either wind or thunder or any violence, and by degrees in that abundance as that the earth was thoroughly wet and soaked therewith, which did so apparently revive and quicken the decayed corn and other fruits as was wonderful to see and made the Indians astonished to behold.
Narrator: If the pilgrims were amazed at God's answer to their prayers and His great deliverance, imagine how wide-eyed with wonder the Indians were. They had no knowledge of the God of the pilgrims, a personal, benevolent God who cared about His people. God was displaying His wonders. Winslow concluded his description of this miraculous event with his thoughts on the Indians' response.
Edward Winslow: All of them admired the goodness of our God towards us, that brought so great a change in so short a time, showing the difference between their conjuration and our invocation on the name of God for rain – theirs being mixed with such storms and tempests as sometimes instead of doing them good, it layeth the corn flat on the ground to their prejudice, but ours in so gentle and seasonable a manner as they never observed the like. Praise the Lord, great things He hath done.
Narrator: The crops were saved. Another answer to prayer came about two weeks later. The ship, Anne, which was carrying many family members and friends to join the colony, had been reported lost at sea. But now it arrived safely at Plymouth Harbor. The newcomers, however, were shocked and dismayed at the condition of their friends and relatives. Bradford wrote that it was no wonder the newcomers were surprised. The pilgrims were thin and gaunt wearing ragged clothes, some little better than half naked. The only food they could offer in welcome was a lobster or piece of fish with no bread and nothing else but a cup of spring water.
Bradford concluded by saying …
William Bradford: But God gave them health and strength in good measure and showed them, by experience, the truth of the Word in Deuteronomy 8:3, that man lives not by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.
Narrator: That harvest season was an abundant one. There was even a surplus to trade with the Indians for what they needed that winter. They had much to celebrate. Another day of Thanksgiving was planned this year, probably in August or September. The Indians were again invited with their chief, Massasoit. It was a season of gratitude. They were grateful for the rain and the harvest; they were grateful for the safe arrival of their family members and friends; they were grateful for the marriage of their wise Governor Bradford to Alice Southworth, who had also arrived on the Anne.
Lastly, and most importantly they celebrated with grateful hearts God's goodness to them. Edward Winslow wrote that …
Edward Winslow: Having these many signs of God's favor and acceptance, we thought it would be a great ingratitude if secretly we should content ourselves with private Thanksgiving for that which, by private prayer, could not be obtained, and therefore another solemn day was set apart and appointed for that end. Wherein we returned glory, honor, and praise with all thankfulness to our God who dealt so graciously with us.
Narrator: As they expressed their gratitude and thanksgiving to God, they remembered the famine they had so recently experienced. No one would soon forget the meager rations they had lived on for nearly two years.
Soon after the newcomers were assigned to families in the colony, the leaders met to plan for their survival. Governor Bradford and William Brewster reached the difficult decision. Everyone would go on half rations through the winter.
The abundant harvest of corn they had so recently stored for that second winter of 1621-1622 was now not nearly enough. They began that winter cautiously with everyone getting their half ration of corn hopeful that the men could find enough game and fish to see them through. Supplies dwindled quickly. Legend has it that at one point the food stores were so low that everyone was forced to a daily ration of only five kernels of corn. It's amazing to think that anyone could survive on so little food, yet no one died of starvation.
Once again at the height of their need, God provided deliverance. Another ship sailed into their harbor, and though it did not have food, the captain did have trading goods that he offered in exchange for beaver pelts. With the trading goods, the pilgrims bartered with the Indians for more corn. The extra corn enabled them to survive the second winter, although they were all considerably thinner.
When the spring of 1622 finally arrived, the colony was much weakened by hunger and sickness, and the famine was not over. The weary pilgrims went to the field to plant their common crops, but their enthusiasm was greatly reduced. However, they continued on with the life that God had given them. They had many dealings with their Indian friends, continued exploring the land, and obtained what sustenance they could by fishing, hunting, and bartering with the Indians.
Edward Winslow described their sad condition that spring saying that the bay and creeks were full of fish but their seines and netting were torn and rotten. He wrote that were it not for shellfish of different kinds that could be taken by hand, they would have perished.
Another colony was begun to the north, and other ships arrived in Cape Cod Bay several times that year, usually bringing colonists without supplies of any kind. Neither Bradford's journal nor the writings of other pilgrims record a Thanksgiving celebration in that second harvest season. Bradford did write …
William Bradford: The welcome time of harvest approached, but it arose but to a little, so it well appeared that famine must still ensue the next year also.
Narrator: Again, God saw them through the winter of 1622-23 by means of another ship, which brought trading goods they could use to barter for corn with the Indians.
Planting time was soon upon them in April of 1623, their needs were desperate. The pilgrims realized they had to plant double the previous year's crop to sustain them in the winter to come. This year it was decided they would seed a common cornfield for the whole colony, and then each family would be given a parcel of land to plant for its own use.
Everyone was enthusiastic, for they were eager to grow as much as possible to avoid another starving time. William Bradford observed …
William Bradford: This had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been. The women now went willingly to the field and took their little ones with them to help set corn.
Narrator: Soon after the plantings, however, the weather turned dry. As the weeks of drought went by, the pilgrims watched their precious summer crops wither and slowly die. The Indians said they'd never seen a dry spell like it. After 12 weeks the pilgrims realized they would face certain starvation in the coming winter if it did not rain soon. The colonists were losing hope.
They wondered if God, who had always gone before them, was against them. They began to pray. William Bradford asked everyone to participate in a day of fasting and prayer to ask the Lord for rain. All the pilgrims felt a deep sense of humility before God, and they sincerely sought His mercy. Edward Winslow described what happened.
Edward Winslow: That only the mercy of our God, who was as ready to hear as we were to ask, for though in the morning when we assembled together, the heavens were as clear and the drought as like to continue as it ever was, yet before our departure from the day of prayer and fasting, the weather was overcast, the clouds gathered on all sides. On the next morning, distilled such soft, sweet, and immoderate showers of rain continuing some 14 days. Such was the bounty and goodness of our God.
Narrator: Bradford wrote …
William Bradford: It came without either wind or thunder or any violence, and by degrees in that abundance as that the earth was thoroughly wet and soaked therewith, which did so apparently revive and quicken the decayed corn and other fruits as was wonderful to see and made the Indians astonished to behold.
Narrator: If the pilgrims were amazed at God's answer to their prayers and His great deliverance, imagine how wide-eyed with wonder the Indians were. They had no knowledge of the God of the pilgrims, a personal, benevolent God who cared about His people. God was displaying His wonders. Winslow concluded his description of this miraculous event with his thoughts on the Indians' response.
Edward Winslow: All of them admired the goodness of our God towards us, that brought so great a change in so short a time, showing the difference between their conjuration and our invocation on the name of God for rain – theirs being mixed with such storms and tempests as sometimes instead of doing them good, it layeth the corn flat on the ground to their prejudice, but ours in so gentle and seasonable a manner as they never observed the like. Praise the Lord, great things He hath done.
Narrator: The crops were saved. Another answer to prayer came about two weeks later. The ship, Anne, which was carrying many family members and friends to join the colony, had been reported lost at sea. But now it arrived safely at Plymouth Harbor. The newcomers, however, were shocked and dismayed at the condition of their friends and relatives. Bradford wrote that it was no wonder the newcomers were surprised. The pilgrims were thin and gaunt wearing ragged clothes, some little better than half naked. The only food they could offer in welcome was a lobster or piece of fish with no bread and nothing else but a cup of spring water.
Bradford concluded by saying …
William Bradford: But God gave them health and strength in good measure and showed them, by experience, the truth of the Word in Deuteronomy 8:3, that man lives not by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.
Narrator: That harvest season was an abundant one. There was even a surplus to trade with the Indians for what they needed that winter. They had much to celebrate. Another day of Thanksgiving was planned this year, probably in August or September. The Indians were again invited with their chief, Massasoit. It was a season of gratitude. They were grateful for the rain and the harvest; they were grateful for the safe arrival of their family members and friends; they were grateful for the marriage of their wise Governor Bradford to Alice Southworth, who had also arrived on the Anne.
Lastly, and most importantly they celebrated with grateful hearts God's goodness to them. Edward Winslow wrote that …
Edward Winslow: Having these many signs of God's favor and acceptance, we thought it would be a great ingratitude if secretly we should content ourselves with private Thanksgiving for that which, by private prayer, could not be obtained, and therefore another solemn day was set apart and appointed for that end. Wherein we returned glory, honor, and praise with all thankfulness to our God who dealt so graciously with us.
Narrator: As they expressed their gratitude and thanksgiving to God, they remembered the famine they had so recently experienced. No one would soon forget the meager rations they had lived on for nearly two years.
Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving in Plymouth (Day 4 of 5)
Narrator: Hope began to grow again as temperatures rose slightly in early March. A few families began preparations for planting their crops, but the most memorable event in March, perhaps of the whole winter, was the arrival, on March the 16th, of a single, nearly naked Indian brave. Unlike other Indians who ran away when confronted, this man strode boldly to the door of the meeting house and, to the surprise of all, cried out, "Welcome," in English.
Stunned by his boldness and use of English, yet still wary of his intentions, the pilgrims hesitantly invited him in and offered him a plate of food and some brandy. The Indian ate and drank enthusiastically. After his meal, the Indian informed his hosts that he knew English food and customs through contacts with English fishermen. The settlers learned that his name was Samoset.
He was a chief the Algonquins, and his home tribe was further up the coast to the north in what is now Maine. He said that the Indians who had inhabited this area were called the Pawtuxets. They were a large Indian tribe who had murdered every white man who had ever landed in their territory. But four years before the pilgrims arrived, the tribe suffered a mysterious plague, and everyone had died.
Neighboring tribes were so surprised by the tribe's misfortune and total demise that they avoided the area, fearing they, too, would be killed by the plague. As a result, no one lived on the land, and no one owned it. It was another example of God's remarkable provision for the pilgrims. Samoset went on to explain about the other Indian tribes in the surrounding area.
The nearest Indians lived about 50 miles south of Plymouth. They were the Wampanoags, which means "people of the dawn." They were a friendly tribe headed by their chief, Ousamequin Massasoit. With Samoset's help, the pilgrims planned to make contact with braves from the Wampanoags to trade for animal skins. Near the end of March, with the weather improving and the worst of the influenza outbreak over, the surviving pilgrims assessed their winter losses.
Several entire families had perished in the epidemic, 15 of 19 women were dead, and only four couples had both spouses survived. The children had fared best. Of 10 girls, nine survived, and only eight of 23 boys died. Nearly half of those who had arrived on the Mayflower now lay in the shallow graves dug on a windswept hill beside the sea.
With the days lengthening and the temperatures warming, the pilgrims turned their attention to planting the crops desperately needed if they were to survive a second winter in America, but they were interrupted by the reappearance of their new friend, Samoset, who arrived at the settlement with five Indians.
Though the pilgrims didn't know it at the time, one of these Indians would play perhaps the largest role in the survival of New England. Bradford wrote of him that he was a special instrument sent of God for their good beyond their expectation. His name was Tesquantum, or "Squanto" for short. Squanto also spoke English because years earlier he had been captured by a treacherous sea captain and taken to Europe as a slave. Since Squanto had been away when the plague wiped out his tribe, he was the lone surviving Pawtuxet.
Because Squanto's English was quite good, he was asked to take the role of lead translator when the pilgrims met Massasoit. Within a week, a meeting was arranged where gifts were exchanged, a pipe smoked, and an agreement reached that guaranteed peace between the pilgrims and this Indian tribe. This peace pact would last for 50 years.
As the days passed, both Indians and pilgrims met frequently in the nearby woods without incident. The pilgrims rested more easily. Squanto stayed on in Plymouth and adopted these families as his own, "never leaving them until he died," Bradford wrote. It was clear they needed his help and his invaluable practical knowledge. He showed the pilgrims how to catch eels and fish at the river to use as fertilizer for their planting of corn. This crop would save their lives in the winter to come. He taught them how to plant pumpkins and tap the maple trees for syrup. And for their economic benefit, he introduced them to the trade of trapping beaver for their pelts. This skill, too, would be important for their future survival.
In early April, Captain Jones decided it was time to sail the Mayflower home to England. With the spring sunshine restoring the health of the colonists, he felt it was now safe to leave. Even after all the hardships and many deaths, every pilgrim in the colony elected to stay in Plymouth rather than return to the homeland.
With increasing hours of daylight and recovered strength, everyone in the colony soon enjoyed a pleasing weekly rhythm of work and worship. Six long days the pilgrims tilled, hunted, fished, mended, built, cooked, and washed. The only break in routine each week was on Sunday, when the group faithfully observed the Sabbath.
On this day ordinary work clothes were exchanged for more colorful attire. Unlike the somberly clothed Puritans who, in the years to come, would settle further to the north, the Plymouth colonists wore brightly colored dresses, suits, and hats and garments of blue, red, green, and violet and yellow. The congregation sang and prayed and listened to a rousing sermon by their elder, William Brewster.
Springtime turned the thoughts of some away from the grief of lost husbands and wives to new love. The first remarriage occurred in May between two of the widowed – Edward Winslow and Susannah White. The wedding reception gave everyone an opportunity to laugh, sing madrigals, and enjoy special food and drinks.
Another potential romance almost turned tragic. Two young men, both named Edward, fell in love with a beautiful 15-year-old girl named Constance. The rivalry became so intense that the two suitors decided a duel was the only way to decide who should win the girl. The two Edwards met on the beach and began to fight with daggers and swords. Both drew blood, but their shouts alerted other colonists. Several men came running and separated the two before either was killed. Apparently Constance was unimpressed. She chose not to marry either Ed.
In August, during some conflict among Indian tribes, the friend of the pilgrims, Squanto, was taken hostage and threatened with death. Under the leadership of Miles Standish, an armed detail left Plymouth to rescue him. In the middle of the night, the pilgrims burst into the village where Squanto was a hostage. After a brief fight in which several Indian braves suffered sword wounds, Squanto was rescued unharmed. This aggressive military action made such an impression on all of the area tribes that, within days, new peace treaties were agreed to by all parties.
By October 1621, the corn planted that spring was ready for harvest. The fields yielded a large crop that would keep the colony from starvation in the coming winter. Their hearts were full of gratitude for their renewed health, for the abundant harvest, and for the peace they enjoyed with the Indians.
William Bradford, who, at only 30 years of age, had been elected leader of the colony after the death of John Carver that summer, was thankful for the harvest. As the new governor, he declared that Plymouth should hold a Thanksgiving festival and invite the settlement's Indian friends as special guests. A date was set, and an invitation delivered to Chief Massasoit. To make sure there was adequate food, the pilgrim men went hunting and fishing. In just a day, enough wild turkeys, eels, geese, lobster, partridge, and shellfish were gathered to guarantee a great feast.
But when Massasoit arrived with 90 hungry braves all smeared with ceremonial bear grease, the pilgrims became worried. How could they feed that many people? And if they used too much of their previous stockpiled corn, would they have an adequate food supply to survive the winter? Fortunately, the Indians along the Atlantic coast also were accustomed to celebrating the harvest with what they called "the green corn dance." They thought the pilgrim festival must be the white man's version of this observance.
So when Massasoit and his men arrived at Plymouth, they, too, went to the woods and seashore to gather food. Soon five deer and more fish and seafood were presented for roasting. The pilgrims breathed a sigh of relief and began preparing the meal.
When it was time to eat, the menu was impressive – venison, goose, lobster, eel, oysters, clam chowder, parsnips, turnips, cucumbers, onions, carrots, cabbage, beets, radishes, and dried fruit that included gooseberries, strawberries, cherries, and plums. Some of the fruit was cooked inside dough to make a crude pie. The newly harvested corn was ground and served in the form of ash cakes, or hoecakes – a thin slice of bread baked in a fire on the plate of a hoe.
A special treat was supplied by the Indians. They placed corn on hot coals, and the kernels blew into white puffs – popcorn. The Indians dribbled maple syrup over the white snack and made popcorn balls. The beverage was a fresh wine made by the pilgrims from the summer's fruit crop. But before they began to eat, their spiritual leader offered a prayer to the God who had so clearly and miraculously led them to this place.
Though they had suffered much, their experience was remarkably better than others who had attempted to colonize on the American shores. Plymouth had lost 50 percent of its numbers, but Jamestown and Virginia had lost 90 percent. The Plymouth settlers had successfully built a little community and grown crops to provide for themselves while other colonies were totally dependent for supplies of the arrival of ships from England.
Yes, God had blessed them abundantly, and they sincerely offered Him their thanks and praise.
William Brewster: May we live by thee, live for thee, never be satisfied with Christian progress but only insomuch as we resemble Christ, and may conformity to His principles temper and conduct grow hourly in our lives. Amen.
Narrator: The feasting continued over a three-day period during which both Indians and pilgrims participated in games and exhibitions of shooting skill with bows and arrows and guns. The pilgrim boys joined the races and wrestling matches of the Indians and, in turn, the Indians learned how to play stool ball, a game resembling croquet played with a ball and wickets.
At night the Indians slept in nearby fields. The relationship between the settlers and Indians was now so solid and peaceful that the pilgrims no longer posted guards. When the fun and feasting ended, both Indians and colonists agreed they wanted to have a similar feast the following year.
Stunned by his boldness and use of English, yet still wary of his intentions, the pilgrims hesitantly invited him in and offered him a plate of food and some brandy. The Indian ate and drank enthusiastically. After his meal, the Indian informed his hosts that he knew English food and customs through contacts with English fishermen. The settlers learned that his name was Samoset.
He was a chief the Algonquins, and his home tribe was further up the coast to the north in what is now Maine. He said that the Indians who had inhabited this area were called the Pawtuxets. They were a large Indian tribe who had murdered every white man who had ever landed in their territory. But four years before the pilgrims arrived, the tribe suffered a mysterious plague, and everyone had died.
Neighboring tribes were so surprised by the tribe's misfortune and total demise that they avoided the area, fearing they, too, would be killed by the plague. As a result, no one lived on the land, and no one owned it. It was another example of God's remarkable provision for the pilgrims. Samoset went on to explain about the other Indian tribes in the surrounding area.
The nearest Indians lived about 50 miles south of Plymouth. They were the Wampanoags, which means "people of the dawn." They were a friendly tribe headed by their chief, Ousamequin Massasoit. With Samoset's help, the pilgrims planned to make contact with braves from the Wampanoags to trade for animal skins. Near the end of March, with the weather improving and the worst of the influenza outbreak over, the surviving pilgrims assessed their winter losses.
Several entire families had perished in the epidemic, 15 of 19 women were dead, and only four couples had both spouses survived. The children had fared best. Of 10 girls, nine survived, and only eight of 23 boys died. Nearly half of those who had arrived on the Mayflower now lay in the shallow graves dug on a windswept hill beside the sea.
With the days lengthening and the temperatures warming, the pilgrims turned their attention to planting the crops desperately needed if they were to survive a second winter in America, but they were interrupted by the reappearance of their new friend, Samoset, who arrived at the settlement with five Indians.
Though the pilgrims didn't know it at the time, one of these Indians would play perhaps the largest role in the survival of New England. Bradford wrote of him that he was a special instrument sent of God for their good beyond their expectation. His name was Tesquantum, or "Squanto" for short. Squanto also spoke English because years earlier he had been captured by a treacherous sea captain and taken to Europe as a slave. Since Squanto had been away when the plague wiped out his tribe, he was the lone surviving Pawtuxet.
Because Squanto's English was quite good, he was asked to take the role of lead translator when the pilgrims met Massasoit. Within a week, a meeting was arranged where gifts were exchanged, a pipe smoked, and an agreement reached that guaranteed peace between the pilgrims and this Indian tribe. This peace pact would last for 50 years.
As the days passed, both Indians and pilgrims met frequently in the nearby woods without incident. The pilgrims rested more easily. Squanto stayed on in Plymouth and adopted these families as his own, "never leaving them until he died," Bradford wrote. It was clear they needed his help and his invaluable practical knowledge. He showed the pilgrims how to catch eels and fish at the river to use as fertilizer for their planting of corn. This crop would save their lives in the winter to come. He taught them how to plant pumpkins and tap the maple trees for syrup. And for their economic benefit, he introduced them to the trade of trapping beaver for their pelts. This skill, too, would be important for their future survival.
In early April, Captain Jones decided it was time to sail the Mayflower home to England. With the spring sunshine restoring the health of the colonists, he felt it was now safe to leave. Even after all the hardships and many deaths, every pilgrim in the colony elected to stay in Plymouth rather than return to the homeland.
With increasing hours of daylight and recovered strength, everyone in the colony soon enjoyed a pleasing weekly rhythm of work and worship. Six long days the pilgrims tilled, hunted, fished, mended, built, cooked, and washed. The only break in routine each week was on Sunday, when the group faithfully observed the Sabbath.
On this day ordinary work clothes were exchanged for more colorful attire. Unlike the somberly clothed Puritans who, in the years to come, would settle further to the north, the Plymouth colonists wore brightly colored dresses, suits, and hats and garments of blue, red, green, and violet and yellow. The congregation sang and prayed and listened to a rousing sermon by their elder, William Brewster.
Springtime turned the thoughts of some away from the grief of lost husbands and wives to new love. The first remarriage occurred in May between two of the widowed – Edward Winslow and Susannah White. The wedding reception gave everyone an opportunity to laugh, sing madrigals, and enjoy special food and drinks.
Another potential romance almost turned tragic. Two young men, both named Edward, fell in love with a beautiful 15-year-old girl named Constance. The rivalry became so intense that the two suitors decided a duel was the only way to decide who should win the girl. The two Edwards met on the beach and began to fight with daggers and swords. Both drew blood, but their shouts alerted other colonists. Several men came running and separated the two before either was killed. Apparently Constance was unimpressed. She chose not to marry either Ed.
In August, during some conflict among Indian tribes, the friend of the pilgrims, Squanto, was taken hostage and threatened with death. Under the leadership of Miles Standish, an armed detail left Plymouth to rescue him. In the middle of the night, the pilgrims burst into the village where Squanto was a hostage. After a brief fight in which several Indian braves suffered sword wounds, Squanto was rescued unharmed. This aggressive military action made such an impression on all of the area tribes that, within days, new peace treaties were agreed to by all parties.
By October 1621, the corn planted that spring was ready for harvest. The fields yielded a large crop that would keep the colony from starvation in the coming winter. Their hearts were full of gratitude for their renewed health, for the abundant harvest, and for the peace they enjoyed with the Indians.
William Bradford, who, at only 30 years of age, had been elected leader of the colony after the death of John Carver that summer, was thankful for the harvest. As the new governor, he declared that Plymouth should hold a Thanksgiving festival and invite the settlement's Indian friends as special guests. A date was set, and an invitation delivered to Chief Massasoit. To make sure there was adequate food, the pilgrim men went hunting and fishing. In just a day, enough wild turkeys, eels, geese, lobster, partridge, and shellfish were gathered to guarantee a great feast.
But when Massasoit arrived with 90 hungry braves all smeared with ceremonial bear grease, the pilgrims became worried. How could they feed that many people? And if they used too much of their previous stockpiled corn, would they have an adequate food supply to survive the winter? Fortunately, the Indians along the Atlantic coast also were accustomed to celebrating the harvest with what they called "the green corn dance." They thought the pilgrim festival must be the white man's version of this observance.
So when Massasoit and his men arrived at Plymouth, they, too, went to the woods and seashore to gather food. Soon five deer and more fish and seafood were presented for roasting. The pilgrims breathed a sigh of relief and began preparing the meal.
When it was time to eat, the menu was impressive – venison, goose, lobster, eel, oysters, clam chowder, parsnips, turnips, cucumbers, onions, carrots, cabbage, beets, radishes, and dried fruit that included gooseberries, strawberries, cherries, and plums. Some of the fruit was cooked inside dough to make a crude pie. The newly harvested corn was ground and served in the form of ash cakes, or hoecakes – a thin slice of bread baked in a fire on the plate of a hoe.
A special treat was supplied by the Indians. They placed corn on hot coals, and the kernels blew into white puffs – popcorn. The Indians dribbled maple syrup over the white snack and made popcorn balls. The beverage was a fresh wine made by the pilgrims from the summer's fruit crop. But before they began to eat, their spiritual leader offered a prayer to the God who had so clearly and miraculously led them to this place.
Though they had suffered much, their experience was remarkably better than others who had attempted to colonize on the American shores. Plymouth had lost 50 percent of its numbers, but Jamestown and Virginia had lost 90 percent. The Plymouth settlers had successfully built a little community and grown crops to provide for themselves while other colonies were totally dependent for supplies of the arrival of ships from England.
Yes, God had blessed them abundantly, and they sincerely offered Him their thanks and praise.
William Brewster: May we live by thee, live for thee, never be satisfied with Christian progress but only insomuch as we resemble Christ, and may conformity to His principles temper and conduct grow hourly in our lives. Amen.
Narrator: The feasting continued over a three-day period during which both Indians and pilgrims participated in games and exhibitions of shooting skill with bows and arrows and guns. The pilgrim boys joined the races and wrestling matches of the Indians and, in turn, the Indians learned how to play stool ball, a game resembling croquet played with a ball and wickets.
At night the Indians slept in nearby fields. The relationship between the settlers and Indians was now so solid and peaceful that the pilgrims no longer posted guards. When the fun and feasting ended, both Indians and colonists agreed they wanted to have a similar feast the following year.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thanksgiving: Settling In (Day 3 of 5)
Narrator: With land clearly in sight, brownish bluffs and treetops on the horizon, the Mayflower sailed slowly up the coastline, staying out to sea far enough to avoid the treacherous shoals and rocks nearer shore. The passengers eagerly eyed what they could see of what is now the northern tip of Cape Cod.
Because of the difficult seas they had encountered, the pilgrims had made their landfall about 60 miles north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. The leaders on board wondered what to do. Should they sail back to the south where their charter with the Virginia Company would be in effect? Or should they find a suitable harbor and settle here? Had God, in His Providence, led them to this spot?
After much debate and prayer, they decided to stay and build their settlement in "New England." When all of the passengers heard of this decision, confusion and some dissension broke out. The bonded servants aboard argued that this plan changed the terms of their work agreement. Fear arose that these men would declare their independence and leave the pilgrims with a depleted labor supply. Something needed to be done to bring about unity.
For an entire day, November the 10th, 1620, a discussion went on in the main cabin of the Mayflower.
Pilgrim: Mr. Bradford, sir, this land we have come upon, Ship's Master Jones saith not to be in the Virginias at all.
William Bradford: True enough, Mr. Travor, we knoweth not with certainty what land God has set us upon, but we believe it to be a good land called "Plymouth," by the Cape of Cod.
Pilgrim: Best for us if it is a fat land, for our stores are well nigh eaten through already.
Pilgrim: And if our stores be depleted, we who must do the work are better served in the Virginias. We know but little of this land nor the people thereof nor whether our labors will be blessed here.
Pilgrim: Methinks you'll do the labor for which you have been indentured, as you have so signed in troth.
Pilgrim: We'll do no labor outside the king's protection, which we have not here in Plymouth.
William Bradford: Good men, good men, peace be among us all. Our quarrels must not divide us.
Pilgrim: Master Bradford, we have no quarrel with you, but that contract, which united us, is of no good effect without the king's awareness.
William Bradford: Thou hast given thy pledge for one year's service.
Pilgrim: Not outside the Virginias.
William Bradford: Good men, we must see that these issues, which divide us, will undo us. The land at the Hudson River hath eluded our grasp by the Providence of God. Is it not? The Lord has driven us by His power to this land of Plymouth. Therefore, being here, we must remain here at present for the winter is upon us, and whether we be of the saints or the strangers, we must make a new agreement.
Pilgrim: Under whose authority?
William Bradford: Under the authority we carry as Christian Englishmen, and with a clear conscience …
Narrator: As the ship worked its way around the tip of the Cape, searching for a coastal inlet to enter and drop anchor, the debate continued. Finally, several of the leaders drafted an agreement – the Mayflower Compact, which was to become one of the more important documents in American history.
The major points of the agreement were explained to the passengers, and all adult males were asked to sign the Compact before the ship dropped anchor.
Pilgrim: It is settled then? We covenant together one and all? Therefore, in the name of God …
Narrator: The key clauses contained these words – "Having undertaken for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, we do, by these present, solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and of one another covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid." With the Compact signed, a hedge against revolt was in place.
Next, the last bit of business was conducted – the election of John Carver as governor of the colony for a one-year term. By this time the Mayflower had sailed beyond the end of the Cape and turned into a bay. The pilgrims saw more clearly the landscape of sandhills and thickets of short piney woods.
At 10 a.m. Captain Jones ordered the anchor dropped. It was Saturday morning, November the 11th, 1620. William Bradford wrote later of this moment …
William Bradford: I cannot but stand half amazed at this poor people's present condition. Being thus passed the vast ocean and a sea of troubles, they have now no friends to welcome them nor inns to entertain or refresh their weatherbeaten bodies. What could have now sustained them but the spirit of God and His grace?
Narrator: Bradford also noted the custom of the pilgrims to honor God and give thanks in all things.
William Bradford: They fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element.
Narrator: A party of men armed with muskets and axes were sent ashore to explore the land and secure firewood, since they had none left on the ship. The group returned in the afternoon with juniper logs, which soon were burning in cooking fires on board. The pilgrims enjoyed their first hot meal in weeks.
Although everyone was eager to go ashore and begin construction of the settlement, because the next day was Sunday, all work stopped and the Sabbath was observed, as usual, with prayer, meditation, singing of Psalms, and a sermon by William Brewster. It was a custom they observed faithfully every week in all circumstances in allegiance to the Fourth Commandment.
In the days that followed several expeditions were made to explore the area to seek the best location for a settlement. Winter weather now made this effort miserable. The pilgrim men and the sailors who chose to go along, endured freezing rain and rough waves as they rode across the bay. One day they met Indians onshore without incident, but the next day were attacked. Though many arrows were shot at the men and musket fire was returned, no one was injured. Again, the pilgrims gave thanks to God for His protection and deliverance. They called the place "First Encounter," as it is still called to this day.
In spite of these difficulties the men were successful, having slowly made their way by land and by sea around the interior of the Cape, they eventually found an ideal spot on the mainland that had fertile soil, four spring-fed creeks, and a large section of ground already cleared and ready for planting. The men rejoiced at their discovery.
During these explorations, many colonists back on board the Mayflower became gravely ill, and a few died, including William Bradford's young wife, Dorothy May. There was little time for mourning and sadness. Their desperate condition demanded that they all work, especially the men, to establish the colony. It wasn't until December the 11th, a month after they had first dropped anchor, that a landing was made at what was to become the permanent settlement.
Plans had been made to first build a meeting house, and then 19 family dwellings, the unmarried men having been assigned to live with families. These buildings were to be simple, one-room, frame houses, about 18 by 14 feet in size with a fireplace and sleeping loft. There was no glass for the windows, and the roofs were made of thatch, which the settlers had used in England. Construction finally began in late December.
A disheartening setback occurred in mid-January when the thatch roof of the newly completed meeting house caught fire. Fortunately, the settlers put out the flames before the whole building burned. By the end of January, several family dwellings were partially built, but most of the pilgrims were still living in temporary quarters – in the meeting house and on the Mayflower.
Captain Jones had graciously agreed to delay his return with the Mayflower to England. He knew that the settlers needed its protection. Perhaps the pilgrims had felt that the worst was over when they finally set foot on solid ground again, but their relief was only momentary. Though they were hard workers, they couldn't build their dwellings quickly enough, and they could only endure the harsh winter weather without ill effect for so long.
As the weeks went by, the weather grew worse. In the coldest stretch of winter, after many had suffered long with head colds, a flu-like illness swept through the colony. This disease, called "the general sickness," had made much of the community desperately ill. Coughing and gasping for breath, most of the settlers were unable to leave their beds. Few were spared. William Bradford, Governor Carver, and other leaders fell sick, too.
During the worst of the epidemic, on any given day, only six or seven out of the 100 colonists might be strong enough to help tend the sick. The pilgrims began to die in alarming numbers, often two or three each day. The men strong enough to work carried the bodies out for burial at night. This was a tactic to hide the worsening situation in the colony from any Indians who might be spying from the nearby woods.
One of the men who remained healthy and tirelessly helped the others was the military leader, Captain Miles Standish. Even after his own wife, Rose, died on January the 21st, Standish continued to serve the others faithfully. The epidemic also struck the sailors on board the Mayflower. Those pilgrims still on their feet ministered to the sick sailors, too, prompting one of the sailors, a man who had ridiculed and cursed the God-fearing passengers during the sea crossing to say, "You, I now see, show your love like Christians, indeed, one to another. But we let one another lie and die like dogs."
February brought the worst of the weather and the sickness. Freezing rains pounded the crude dwellings, stripping much of the clay from the cracks between boards and allowing the wailing cold wind to penetrate the houses. Both the sick and healthy struggled to stay warm. Seventeen persons died during the month.
Indians were sighted on several occasions. Since the intentions of the native people were unknown, the colonists were very fearful. Under the leadership of Captain Standish, the men who were not too ill practiced military drills and shared guard duty at night.
Because of the difficult seas they had encountered, the pilgrims had made their landfall about 60 miles north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. The leaders on board wondered what to do. Should they sail back to the south where their charter with the Virginia Company would be in effect? Or should they find a suitable harbor and settle here? Had God, in His Providence, led them to this spot?
After much debate and prayer, they decided to stay and build their settlement in "New England." When all of the passengers heard of this decision, confusion and some dissension broke out. The bonded servants aboard argued that this plan changed the terms of their work agreement. Fear arose that these men would declare their independence and leave the pilgrims with a depleted labor supply. Something needed to be done to bring about unity.
For an entire day, November the 10th, 1620, a discussion went on in the main cabin of the Mayflower.
Pilgrim: Mr. Bradford, sir, this land we have come upon, Ship's Master Jones saith not to be in the Virginias at all.
William Bradford: True enough, Mr. Travor, we knoweth not with certainty what land God has set us upon, but we believe it to be a good land called "Plymouth," by the Cape of Cod.
Pilgrim: Best for us if it is a fat land, for our stores are well nigh eaten through already.
Pilgrim: And if our stores be depleted, we who must do the work are better served in the Virginias. We know but little of this land nor the people thereof nor whether our labors will be blessed here.
Pilgrim: Methinks you'll do the labor for which you have been indentured, as you have so signed in troth.
Pilgrim: We'll do no labor outside the king's protection, which we have not here in Plymouth.
William Bradford: Good men, good men, peace be among us all. Our quarrels must not divide us.
Pilgrim: Master Bradford, we have no quarrel with you, but that contract, which united us, is of no good effect without the king's awareness.
William Bradford: Thou hast given thy pledge for one year's service.
Pilgrim: Not outside the Virginias.
William Bradford: Good men, we must see that these issues, which divide us, will undo us. The land at the Hudson River hath eluded our grasp by the Providence of God. Is it not? The Lord has driven us by His power to this land of Plymouth. Therefore, being here, we must remain here at present for the winter is upon us, and whether we be of the saints or the strangers, we must make a new agreement.
Pilgrim: Under whose authority?
William Bradford: Under the authority we carry as Christian Englishmen, and with a clear conscience …
Narrator: As the ship worked its way around the tip of the Cape, searching for a coastal inlet to enter and drop anchor, the debate continued. Finally, several of the leaders drafted an agreement – the Mayflower Compact, which was to become one of the more important documents in American history.
The major points of the agreement were explained to the passengers, and all adult males were asked to sign the Compact before the ship dropped anchor.
Pilgrim: It is settled then? We covenant together one and all? Therefore, in the name of God …
Narrator: The key clauses contained these words – "Having undertaken for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, we do, by these present, solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and of one another covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid." With the Compact signed, a hedge against revolt was in place.
Next, the last bit of business was conducted – the election of John Carver as governor of the colony for a one-year term. By this time the Mayflower had sailed beyond the end of the Cape and turned into a bay. The pilgrims saw more clearly the landscape of sandhills and thickets of short piney woods.
At 10 a.m. Captain Jones ordered the anchor dropped. It was Saturday morning, November the 11th, 1620. William Bradford wrote later of this moment …
William Bradford: I cannot but stand half amazed at this poor people's present condition. Being thus passed the vast ocean and a sea of troubles, they have now no friends to welcome them nor inns to entertain or refresh their weatherbeaten bodies. What could have now sustained them but the spirit of God and His grace?
Narrator: Bradford also noted the custom of the pilgrims to honor God and give thanks in all things.
William Bradford: They fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element.
Narrator: A party of men armed with muskets and axes were sent ashore to explore the land and secure firewood, since they had none left on the ship. The group returned in the afternoon with juniper logs, which soon were burning in cooking fires on board. The pilgrims enjoyed their first hot meal in weeks.
Although everyone was eager to go ashore and begin construction of the settlement, because the next day was Sunday, all work stopped and the Sabbath was observed, as usual, with prayer, meditation, singing of Psalms, and a sermon by William Brewster. It was a custom they observed faithfully every week in all circumstances in allegiance to the Fourth Commandment.
In the days that followed several expeditions were made to explore the area to seek the best location for a settlement. Winter weather now made this effort miserable. The pilgrim men and the sailors who chose to go along, endured freezing rain and rough waves as they rode across the bay. One day they met Indians onshore without incident, but the next day were attacked. Though many arrows were shot at the men and musket fire was returned, no one was injured. Again, the pilgrims gave thanks to God for His protection and deliverance. They called the place "First Encounter," as it is still called to this day.
In spite of these difficulties the men were successful, having slowly made their way by land and by sea around the interior of the Cape, they eventually found an ideal spot on the mainland that had fertile soil, four spring-fed creeks, and a large section of ground already cleared and ready for planting. The men rejoiced at their discovery.
During these explorations, many colonists back on board the Mayflower became gravely ill, and a few died, including William Bradford's young wife, Dorothy May. There was little time for mourning and sadness. Their desperate condition demanded that they all work, especially the men, to establish the colony. It wasn't until December the 11th, a month after they had first dropped anchor, that a landing was made at what was to become the permanent settlement.
Plans had been made to first build a meeting house, and then 19 family dwellings, the unmarried men having been assigned to live with families. These buildings were to be simple, one-room, frame houses, about 18 by 14 feet in size with a fireplace and sleeping loft. There was no glass for the windows, and the roofs were made of thatch, which the settlers had used in England. Construction finally began in late December.
A disheartening setback occurred in mid-January when the thatch roof of the newly completed meeting house caught fire. Fortunately, the settlers put out the flames before the whole building burned. By the end of January, several family dwellings were partially built, but most of the pilgrims were still living in temporary quarters – in the meeting house and on the Mayflower.
Captain Jones had graciously agreed to delay his return with the Mayflower to England. He knew that the settlers needed its protection. Perhaps the pilgrims had felt that the worst was over when they finally set foot on solid ground again, but their relief was only momentary. Though they were hard workers, they couldn't build their dwellings quickly enough, and they could only endure the harsh winter weather without ill effect for so long.
As the weeks went by, the weather grew worse. In the coldest stretch of winter, after many had suffered long with head colds, a flu-like illness swept through the colony. This disease, called "the general sickness," had made much of the community desperately ill. Coughing and gasping for breath, most of the settlers were unable to leave their beds. Few were spared. William Bradford, Governor Carver, and other leaders fell sick, too.
During the worst of the epidemic, on any given day, only six or seven out of the 100 colonists might be strong enough to help tend the sick. The pilgrims began to die in alarming numbers, often two or three each day. The men strong enough to work carried the bodies out for burial at night. This was a tactic to hide the worsening situation in the colony from any Indians who might be spying from the nearby woods.
One of the men who remained healthy and tirelessly helped the others was the military leader, Captain Miles Standish. Even after his own wife, Rose, died on January the 21st, Standish continued to serve the others faithfully. The epidemic also struck the sailors on board the Mayflower. Those pilgrims still on their feet ministered to the sick sailors, too, prompting one of the sailors, a man who had ridiculed and cursed the God-fearing passengers during the sea crossing to say, "You, I now see, show your love like Christians, indeed, one to another. But we let one another lie and die like dogs."
February brought the worst of the weather and the sickness. Freezing rains pounded the crude dwellings, stripping much of the clay from the cracks between boards and allowing the wailing cold wind to penetrate the houses. Both the sick and healthy struggled to stay warm. Seventeen persons died during the month.
Indians were sighted on several occasions. Since the intentions of the native people were unknown, the colonists were very fearful. Under the leadership of Captain Standish, the men who were not too ill practiced military drills and shared guard duty at night.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Thanksgiving: The Ocean Crossing (Day 2 of 5)
Narrator: After 65 days at sea from Plymouth, a total of 97 days from the first launch at Southampton, the pilgrims caught a glimpse of their destination – the new land where God would be worshipped freely and, in time, where freedom would flourish. Shouting for joy and falling to their knees to pray, they celebrated by reading Psalm 100 – "Shout joyfully to the Lord all the earth, serve the Lord with gladness, come before Him with joyful singing, know that the Lord Himself is God, it is He who has made us and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name, for the Lord is good. His lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness to all generations."
Narrator: The pilgrim band of approximately 46 people first had to sail from Holland to England on a ship named the "Speedwell." After sad farewells on July the 22nd, 1620, the small ship headed across the English Channel to the seaport of Southampton. The Speedwell docked at the slip next to a ship painted brown and gold. It was the Mayflower.
Already on board this ship were Captain Jones, his crew, and 60 to 70 volunteers who had been recruited in England to give the new colony a larger population. Some of these volunteers desired religious freedom but most were more interested in finding success and fortune in the new land. Also on board were some servants hired to help the pilgrims from Leiden. One of the hired helpers was Captain Miles Standish, an ex-soldier who would play an important role in the months ahead.
Both the smaller Speedwell and the Mayflower sailed from Southampton on August the 5th, 1620. This was late in the summer to launch such a voyage. Even with a normal ocean crossing and no bad weather, the ships would not arrive until October – quite late to start building a settlement from the ground up.
The first days of the journey hinted at difficulties to come. The winds were unfavorable, and the ships could not make it out of the English Channel. The passengers, bounced to and fro by the rough waters, became seasick. Then the Speedwell began to leak. Seawater seeped through the hull and filled the belly of the ship. Both ships were forced to return to land, this time to the port of Dartmouth. After a week, repairs were completed on the Speedwell, and both ships sailed west.
After traveling about 300 miles into the Atlantic, the Speedwell again developed leaks. With great disappointment to everyone, the ships returned a second time to yet another port, Plymouth. More days of work and testing by shipbuilders passed before the Speedwell was labeled unseaworthy. The smaller Speedwell had been purchased by the colony to remain in America and be a means of transporting supplies, goods for sale, and passengers back and forth to Europe. But because the ship couldn't be repaired, the pilgrim leaders were forced to sell it.
This necessitated another decision. Since there wasn't enough room on the Mayflower for the combined passengers of both ships, 20 volunteers would have to stay behind. The passengers said the choice was not too difficult since by now they had spent much of the last month on board ship and had experienced considerable seasickness. The volunteers came forward.
William Bradford commented …
William Bradford: And thus, like Gideon's army, this small number was divided as if the Lord, by this work of His Providence, thought these few too many for the great work He had to do.
Narrator: When the Mayflower finally left England on the 6th of September, crowded on board were 102 passengers including 33 children. Most of the pilgrims on the ship were in their 20s and 30s. Surprisingly, at least 15 passengers were over 40 including William and Mary Brewster, who were both in their 50s.
Because of the delays the passengers and crew had already used much of the food and drink set aside for the voyage. This meant supplies intended for use after landing in America would be needed for the sea journey.
The food was terrible – brine-soaked beef, pork, and fish, and stale, hard biscuits, which often were full of insects. The rats living on board helped themselves to the same food supplies. The rooms for passengers were crowded and mainly below deck.
Conditions were miserable – cramped quarters, seasick people vomiting into pails, if they were able to find one in time; no sanitary toilets; the hatches were sealed off because of constant storms, and so the passengers were unable to get fresh air. A foul mixture of odors grew in such an environment.
Another problem was the attitude of the seamen sailing the Mayflower. These men did not like landlubbers, particularly religious ones, calling the pilgrims "Psalm-singing pukestockings," and worse. The sailors ridiculed their passengers for taking time each morning to recite or sing Psalms and pray. One young sailor was especially nasty, cursing the ones who were sick and telling them he looked forward to throwing them overboard if they died on the voyage.
About two weeks out to sea, this same sailor unexpectedly developed a raging fever. Within just one day he died of an unknown sickness, raving and cursing as he breathed his last. His shrouded body was buried at sea. This sobered the other seamen, a superstitious group even in normal circumstances. They wondered if their fellow crewman had died because of his treatment of the humble and God-fearing pilgrims. Not wanting to risk a similar fate, the more superstitious sailors no longer ridiculed their passengers.
The Mayflower was nearly halfway across the Atlantic when it met a ferocious storm. The wind wailed at 50 miles per hour, and waves towered 50 feet or higher. The waves' vicious pounding opened cracks in the ship's wooden hull. Icy cold seawater soaked the sailors and leaked into the passenger quarters below deck. The ship groaned and tossed from side to side that terrified pilgrims hanging onto anything solid, crying out to God to deliver them. The storm raged for days and became so intense that even the blasphemous sailors prayed.
The pilgrims continued to pray and sing Psalms, their voices barely heard above the thundering waves and howling wind. Without warning, one of the huge crossbeams supporting the main deck suddenly cracked due to the constant stress of the high winds. Now the sailors were as worried as the passengers, but, as always, the pilgrims took their concerns and fears to God, asking Him to deliver them and provide a way of escape.
Pilgrim: Oh, Lord, deliver us. Provide a way of escape.
Narrator: And He did.
Pilgrim: And protect our little ones.
Narrator: Their spiritual leader, William Brewster, remembered the large iron jackscrew the pilgrims had brought for lifting heavy beams when they would begin their building construction. Similar to the screw on his printing press, the jackscrew was located in the cargo hold and carried to the 'tween deck where the sailors used it to crank up the beam to its original position. The pilgrims gave God the praise.
One man, a servant of John Carver named John Howland, became frantic after being cooped up so long during the long storm. Though the worst of the storm was over, the main deck was still no place for passengers who were not used to rough seas. He disobeyed both the captain's and his master's orders and went up on deck for some fresh air. The waves were still huge and sprayed frigid water over the sides.
Suddenly, when the ship heeled over without warning, John fell overboard. As the young man slammed into the surface of the icy water and went under, he instinctively reached up with his arms, grasping for anything to hold onto. A rope was trailing over the side of the ship and, by God's amazing grace, it was there when John reached out.
A person can live in the North Atlantic in November for only about four minutes. No one knows exactly how long John was in that cold, salty water before the sailors were able to haul him on deck. His skin was blue, and he nearly drowned, but he did survive. There is no record that he ever disobeyed an order again.
Another young man, a servant by the name of William Button, became an example to all the other passengers on the importance of obeying the captain. It appears that William refused to follow the captain's and the ship's doctor's orders to drink a spoonful of lemon juice daily. He became sick and died – the only passenger to die on the voyage. His body was quickly buried at sea. The pilgrims, especially the children, took notice.
In the midst of tragic events and hardships on the long voyage, the pilgrims also knew times of rejoicing. A moment of joy came when one of the mothers gave birth in a smelly, crowded cabin to a baby boy. His proud father appropriately named the lad "Oceanus."
But after 10 week at sea, many passengers were falling ill and complaining of fever, chills, and swollen limbs. The situation was grave, and there was still no sign of land. The weather, however, had finally improved so that passengers could go on deck for exercise and fresh air.
Captain Miles Standish, in charge of security and military readiness for the colony, took this opportunity to drill the men on the basics of weaponry and tactics. On November the 9th, several children squealed with delight when they saw a seagull dive above the ship. Not long afterward, a sailor cried, "Land Ho." After 65 days at sea from Plymouth, a total of 97 days from the first launch at Southampton, the pilgrims caught a glimpse of their destination – the new land where God would be worshipped freely and, in time, where freedom would flourish.
Shouting for joy and falling to their knees to pray, they celebrated by reading Psalm 100 – "Shout joyfully to the Lord all the earth, serve the Lord with gladness, come before Him with joyful singing, know that the Lord Himself is God, it is He who has made us and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name, for the Lord is good. His lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness to all generations."
Narrator: The pilgrim band of approximately 46 people first had to sail from Holland to England on a ship named the "Speedwell." After sad farewells on July the 22nd, 1620, the small ship headed across the English Channel to the seaport of Southampton. The Speedwell docked at the slip next to a ship painted brown and gold. It was the Mayflower.
Already on board this ship were Captain Jones, his crew, and 60 to 70 volunteers who had been recruited in England to give the new colony a larger population. Some of these volunteers desired religious freedom but most were more interested in finding success and fortune in the new land. Also on board were some servants hired to help the pilgrims from Leiden. One of the hired helpers was Captain Miles Standish, an ex-soldier who would play an important role in the months ahead.
Both the smaller Speedwell and the Mayflower sailed from Southampton on August the 5th, 1620. This was late in the summer to launch such a voyage. Even with a normal ocean crossing and no bad weather, the ships would not arrive until October – quite late to start building a settlement from the ground up.
The first days of the journey hinted at difficulties to come. The winds were unfavorable, and the ships could not make it out of the English Channel. The passengers, bounced to and fro by the rough waters, became seasick. Then the Speedwell began to leak. Seawater seeped through the hull and filled the belly of the ship. Both ships were forced to return to land, this time to the port of Dartmouth. After a week, repairs were completed on the Speedwell, and both ships sailed west.
After traveling about 300 miles into the Atlantic, the Speedwell again developed leaks. With great disappointment to everyone, the ships returned a second time to yet another port, Plymouth. More days of work and testing by shipbuilders passed before the Speedwell was labeled unseaworthy. The smaller Speedwell had been purchased by the colony to remain in America and be a means of transporting supplies, goods for sale, and passengers back and forth to Europe. But because the ship couldn't be repaired, the pilgrim leaders were forced to sell it.
This necessitated another decision. Since there wasn't enough room on the Mayflower for the combined passengers of both ships, 20 volunteers would have to stay behind. The passengers said the choice was not too difficult since by now they had spent much of the last month on board ship and had experienced considerable seasickness. The volunteers came forward.
William Bradford commented …
William Bradford: And thus, like Gideon's army, this small number was divided as if the Lord, by this work of His Providence, thought these few too many for the great work He had to do.
Narrator: When the Mayflower finally left England on the 6th of September, crowded on board were 102 passengers including 33 children. Most of the pilgrims on the ship were in their 20s and 30s. Surprisingly, at least 15 passengers were over 40 including William and Mary Brewster, who were both in their 50s.
Because of the delays the passengers and crew had already used much of the food and drink set aside for the voyage. This meant supplies intended for use after landing in America would be needed for the sea journey.
The food was terrible – brine-soaked beef, pork, and fish, and stale, hard biscuits, which often were full of insects. The rats living on board helped themselves to the same food supplies. The rooms for passengers were crowded and mainly below deck.
Conditions were miserable – cramped quarters, seasick people vomiting into pails, if they were able to find one in time; no sanitary toilets; the hatches were sealed off because of constant storms, and so the passengers were unable to get fresh air. A foul mixture of odors grew in such an environment.
Another problem was the attitude of the seamen sailing the Mayflower. These men did not like landlubbers, particularly religious ones, calling the pilgrims "Psalm-singing pukestockings," and worse. The sailors ridiculed their passengers for taking time each morning to recite or sing Psalms and pray. One young sailor was especially nasty, cursing the ones who were sick and telling them he looked forward to throwing them overboard if they died on the voyage.
About two weeks out to sea, this same sailor unexpectedly developed a raging fever. Within just one day he died of an unknown sickness, raving and cursing as he breathed his last. His shrouded body was buried at sea. This sobered the other seamen, a superstitious group even in normal circumstances. They wondered if their fellow crewman had died because of his treatment of the humble and God-fearing pilgrims. Not wanting to risk a similar fate, the more superstitious sailors no longer ridiculed their passengers.
The Mayflower was nearly halfway across the Atlantic when it met a ferocious storm. The wind wailed at 50 miles per hour, and waves towered 50 feet or higher. The waves' vicious pounding opened cracks in the ship's wooden hull. Icy cold seawater soaked the sailors and leaked into the passenger quarters below deck. The ship groaned and tossed from side to side that terrified pilgrims hanging onto anything solid, crying out to God to deliver them. The storm raged for days and became so intense that even the blasphemous sailors prayed.
The pilgrims continued to pray and sing Psalms, their voices barely heard above the thundering waves and howling wind. Without warning, one of the huge crossbeams supporting the main deck suddenly cracked due to the constant stress of the high winds. Now the sailors were as worried as the passengers, but, as always, the pilgrims took their concerns and fears to God, asking Him to deliver them and provide a way of escape.
Pilgrim: Oh, Lord, deliver us. Provide a way of escape.
Narrator: And He did.
Pilgrim: And protect our little ones.
Narrator: Their spiritual leader, William Brewster, remembered the large iron jackscrew the pilgrims had brought for lifting heavy beams when they would begin their building construction. Similar to the screw on his printing press, the jackscrew was located in the cargo hold and carried to the 'tween deck where the sailors used it to crank up the beam to its original position. The pilgrims gave God the praise.
One man, a servant of John Carver named John Howland, became frantic after being cooped up so long during the long storm. Though the worst of the storm was over, the main deck was still no place for passengers who were not used to rough seas. He disobeyed both the captain's and his master's orders and went up on deck for some fresh air. The waves were still huge and sprayed frigid water over the sides.
Suddenly, when the ship heeled over without warning, John fell overboard. As the young man slammed into the surface of the icy water and went under, he instinctively reached up with his arms, grasping for anything to hold onto. A rope was trailing over the side of the ship and, by God's amazing grace, it was there when John reached out.
A person can live in the North Atlantic in November for only about four minutes. No one knows exactly how long John was in that cold, salty water before the sailors were able to haul him on deck. His skin was blue, and he nearly drowned, but he did survive. There is no record that he ever disobeyed an order again.
Another young man, a servant by the name of William Button, became an example to all the other passengers on the importance of obeying the captain. It appears that William refused to follow the captain's and the ship's doctor's orders to drink a spoonful of lemon juice daily. He became sick and died – the only passenger to die on the voyage. His body was quickly buried at sea. The pilgrims, especially the children, took notice.
In the midst of tragic events and hardships on the long voyage, the pilgrims also knew times of rejoicing. A moment of joy came when one of the mothers gave birth in a smelly, crowded cabin to a baby boy. His proud father appropriately named the lad "Oceanus."
But after 10 week at sea, many passengers were falling ill and complaining of fever, chills, and swollen limbs. The situation was grave, and there was still no sign of land. The weather, however, had finally improved so that passengers could go on deck for exercise and fresh air.
Captain Miles Standish, in charge of security and military readiness for the colony, took this opportunity to drill the men on the basics of weaponry and tactics. On November the 9th, several children squealed with delight when they saw a seagull dive above the ship. Not long afterward, a sailor cried, "Land Ho." After 65 days at sea from Plymouth, a total of 97 days from the first launch at Southampton, the pilgrims caught a glimpse of their destination – the new land where God would be worshipped freely and, in time, where freedom would flourish.
Shouting for joy and falling to their knees to pray, they celebrated by reading Psalm 100 – "Shout joyfully to the Lord all the earth, serve the Lord with gladness, come before Him with joyful singing, know that the Lord Himself is God, it is He who has made us and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name, for the Lord is good. His lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness to all generations."
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Thanksgiving: Preparations for the Journey [1 of 5]
The following is a naration taken from familylifetoday.com
Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember
something to remember when we think about all we have been given and continue to recieve and where our thanks should be directed. For God is great.
Narrator: The Mayflower, a small, wooden ship with billowing sails was the vessel God used to bring a group of Christian believers to an unseen land far over the Atlantic. These Christian men and women called "pilgrims" believed that God was leading them to establish a new community where they could worship freely. Americans celebrate Thanksgiving every year because of the profound faith and uncommon character of these English men and women.
They had no idea how God was going to use them to begin a new nation. They only knew God wanted them to go. So in September of 1620, after enduring many delays and difficulties, these pilgrims finally said their last goodbyes, boarded the Mayflower, and set sail for the New World.
Narrator: The roots of our Thanksgiving heritage are entwined with the history of England, growing deep into the rolling green hills of the English countryside. Nestled in those hills was a little village named Austerfield, and in that village in 1590, a child named William Bradford was born.
William's childhood was unhappy. While still a boy, he was orphaned, his father dying when he was a baby, his mother when he was seven. He was placed in the home of two uncles in Austerfield. Not long after his mother died, William suffered a prolonged illness that left him unable to work in the fields. As a result, he was allowed to be educated, and he learned to read the Bible on his own.
As a teenager, he walked every week to a nearby village called Scrooby, to learn more of the Christian faith and to worship God secretly in a personal and pure way with a small group of like-minded believers. Increasingly, William grew dissatisfied with the state-sponsored religion of the Church of England. Its worship seemed stale and cold compared to what he experienced with the believers in Scrooby.
Like many people of his time, William concluded that there wasn't much hope for spiritual life to return to the state church. Those who felt this way were called "Separatists" – individuals willing to risk the consequences of separating from the official church.
There was another group of people in the English church who became known as "Puritans." The Puritans also disagreed with the state church, but they wanted to stay in the church and try to purify or change it from within.
The authorities in the Church of England felt threatened by both of these growing movements toward religious freedom. They especially feared the Separatists, who were forming their own churches. So the governing House of Bishops sent spies and informers to many of these secret congregations, including the one at Scrooby. Many Separatist church leaders and some Puritans were fined, pressured, persecuted, arrested, or thrown in prison. Some were even executed with the approval of Queen Elizabeth I and later King James I, in hopes of squelching these rebellious believers.
After years of mounting stress caused by this harassment and persecution, many families in the Separatist church, including William, who was not yet 20, left their English homeland for exile in Leiden, Holland. The Separatists enjoyed their new religious freedom in Holland, but life again became increasingly difficult for them. In England, many of them had been landowners. In Holland, because they were foreigners, the men had to take whatever work was available.
William Bradford became a weaver, usually working 12- to 14-hour days, six days a week. The Separatists did not complain, however, because the ability to worship God as they saw fit was supremely important. They lived out the message of Hebrews 12:28 – "Since we receive a kingdom, which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe."
After nearly a decade on Dutch soil, a number of members of the church of Leiden began to explore the possibility of moving across the sea to the New World of America. Many of them once again wanted to own their own land, and because England was such a powerful country in Europe and in the world, they feared that the English might pressure the Dutch government to clamp down on the rebel church.
The Separatists also worried about the effect of a rather morally loose Dutch society on their own young people. But the challenges of life in the wild territory across the Atlantic were sobering. Other groups had settled in America with disastrous results. The Jamestown Colony in Virginia was a recent example. Of 1,200 settlers who had arrived in Jamestown in 1619, only 200 were still alive in 1620.
The congregation in Leiden debated the decision. Staying in Holland meant greater safety in a civilized land. Settling in America probably guaranteed religious liberty, but the physical risks were enormous, and the financial cost of the voyage would be high. America was an uncivilized frontier with a vicious climate in some regions. Would the farming techniques they knew work in this new land? What strange diseases might await them there? Perhaps, worst of all, the land was filled with savages about whom frightening stories were told by those who had sailed back from the New World.
In spite of this sobering outlook, the Leiden church chose to believe that God would grant them success if they sent a settling party to America. William Bradford later wrote –
William Bradford: They had a great hope and inward zeal of laying a good foundation for the propagating and advancing of the Kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world. Yea, though they should be but even as stepping-stones unto others.
Narrator: If God blessed their efforts then many others, including their pastor, John Robinson, probably would join them on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. William Bradford was one of those who decided to embark on the adventure. During the exile in Holland, he had met and married a young woman named Dorothy May. The couple later had a son named John, who was particularly precious to his mother.
Because of the anticipated hardships awaiting the Separatists in America, as well as the rigors of the ocean voyage, some decided to leave family members behind in Holland. They hoped that in the near future all could be reunited in the new land. This was true of the Bradfords, who sadly chose to leave five-year-old John in the care of others.
[woman sobbing]
William Bradford: Dorothy May, we must trust in the sovereign. Take it with hope and rest. 'Tis best for he and thee.
Dorothy Bradford: The boy is precious to my soul, William. Can the beckoning of a new land cause us to forgo our steadfast duty to our own son?
William Bradford: God's will be done, God's will be done.
Narrator: After all the discussion and agonizing decision-making and before departing from Holland, the church spent a day in fasting and prayer for the journey ahead. Then they gathered for a special service and to hear a sermon from their pastor. He chose as his Scripture text, Ezra 8:21 – "Then I proclaimed a fast that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions."
After Pastor Robinson had encouraged and prayed for the group of pilgrims, the entire Separatist congregation had a feast and sang Psalms. Edward Winslow, one of the church leaders who would be making the voyage wrote of the evening –
Edward Winslow: We refreshed ourselves after our tears with the singing of songs and, indeed, it was the sweetest melody that ever mine ears have heard.
Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember
something to remember when we think about all we have been given and continue to recieve and where our thanks should be directed. For God is great.
Narrator: The Mayflower, a small, wooden ship with billowing sails was the vessel God used to bring a group of Christian believers to an unseen land far over the Atlantic. These Christian men and women called "pilgrims" believed that God was leading them to establish a new community where they could worship freely. Americans celebrate Thanksgiving every year because of the profound faith and uncommon character of these English men and women.
They had no idea how God was going to use them to begin a new nation. They only knew God wanted them to go. So in September of 1620, after enduring many delays and difficulties, these pilgrims finally said their last goodbyes, boarded the Mayflower, and set sail for the New World.
Narrator: The roots of our Thanksgiving heritage are entwined with the history of England, growing deep into the rolling green hills of the English countryside. Nestled in those hills was a little village named Austerfield, and in that village in 1590, a child named William Bradford was born.
William's childhood was unhappy. While still a boy, he was orphaned, his father dying when he was a baby, his mother when he was seven. He was placed in the home of two uncles in Austerfield. Not long after his mother died, William suffered a prolonged illness that left him unable to work in the fields. As a result, he was allowed to be educated, and he learned to read the Bible on his own.
As a teenager, he walked every week to a nearby village called Scrooby, to learn more of the Christian faith and to worship God secretly in a personal and pure way with a small group of like-minded believers. Increasingly, William grew dissatisfied with the state-sponsored religion of the Church of England. Its worship seemed stale and cold compared to what he experienced with the believers in Scrooby.
Like many people of his time, William concluded that there wasn't much hope for spiritual life to return to the state church. Those who felt this way were called "Separatists" – individuals willing to risk the consequences of separating from the official church.
There was another group of people in the English church who became known as "Puritans." The Puritans also disagreed with the state church, but they wanted to stay in the church and try to purify or change it from within.
The authorities in the Church of England felt threatened by both of these growing movements toward religious freedom. They especially feared the Separatists, who were forming their own churches. So the governing House of Bishops sent spies and informers to many of these secret congregations, including the one at Scrooby. Many Separatist church leaders and some Puritans were fined, pressured, persecuted, arrested, or thrown in prison. Some were even executed with the approval of Queen Elizabeth I and later King James I, in hopes of squelching these rebellious believers.
After years of mounting stress caused by this harassment and persecution, many families in the Separatist church, including William, who was not yet 20, left their English homeland for exile in Leiden, Holland. The Separatists enjoyed their new religious freedom in Holland, but life again became increasingly difficult for them. In England, many of them had been landowners. In Holland, because they were foreigners, the men had to take whatever work was available.
William Bradford became a weaver, usually working 12- to 14-hour days, six days a week. The Separatists did not complain, however, because the ability to worship God as they saw fit was supremely important. They lived out the message of Hebrews 12:28 – "Since we receive a kingdom, which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe."
After nearly a decade on Dutch soil, a number of members of the church of Leiden began to explore the possibility of moving across the sea to the New World of America. Many of them once again wanted to own their own land, and because England was such a powerful country in Europe and in the world, they feared that the English might pressure the Dutch government to clamp down on the rebel church.
The Separatists also worried about the effect of a rather morally loose Dutch society on their own young people. But the challenges of life in the wild territory across the Atlantic were sobering. Other groups had settled in America with disastrous results. The Jamestown Colony in Virginia was a recent example. Of 1,200 settlers who had arrived in Jamestown in 1619, only 200 were still alive in 1620.
The congregation in Leiden debated the decision. Staying in Holland meant greater safety in a civilized land. Settling in America probably guaranteed religious liberty, but the physical risks were enormous, and the financial cost of the voyage would be high. America was an uncivilized frontier with a vicious climate in some regions. Would the farming techniques they knew work in this new land? What strange diseases might await them there? Perhaps, worst of all, the land was filled with savages about whom frightening stories were told by those who had sailed back from the New World.
In spite of this sobering outlook, the Leiden church chose to believe that God would grant them success if they sent a settling party to America. William Bradford later wrote –
William Bradford: They had a great hope and inward zeal of laying a good foundation for the propagating and advancing of the Kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world. Yea, though they should be but even as stepping-stones unto others.
Narrator: If God blessed their efforts then many others, including their pastor, John Robinson, probably would join them on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. William Bradford was one of those who decided to embark on the adventure. During the exile in Holland, he had met and married a young woman named Dorothy May. The couple later had a son named John, who was particularly precious to his mother.
Because of the anticipated hardships awaiting the Separatists in America, as well as the rigors of the ocean voyage, some decided to leave family members behind in Holland. They hoped that in the near future all could be reunited in the new land. This was true of the Bradfords, who sadly chose to leave five-year-old John in the care of others.
[woman sobbing]
William Bradford: Dorothy May, we must trust in the sovereign. Take it with hope and rest. 'Tis best for he and thee.
Dorothy Bradford: The boy is precious to my soul, William. Can the beckoning of a new land cause us to forgo our steadfast duty to our own son?
William Bradford: God's will be done, God's will be done.
Narrator: After all the discussion and agonizing decision-making and before departing from Holland, the church spent a day in fasting and prayer for the journey ahead. Then they gathered for a special service and to hear a sermon from their pastor. He chose as his Scripture text, Ezra 8:21 – "Then I proclaimed a fast that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions."
After Pastor Robinson had encouraged and prayed for the group of pilgrims, the entire Separatist congregation had a feast and sang Psalms. Edward Winslow, one of the church leaders who would be making the voyage wrote of the evening –
Edward Winslow: We refreshed ourselves after our tears with the singing of songs and, indeed, it was the sweetest melody that ever mine ears have heard.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Matthew 16:26
think of choices....
think of likes/dislikes....
think of change...
think of Wants....
to what end will all these things get you...
at what price are you willing to turn a blind eye or give in to the world and all of its desires...
oh... there is always a price.... it may not come in the immediate, but it will come...
think of likes/dislikes....
think of change...
think of Wants....
to what end will all these things get you...
at what price are you willing to turn a blind eye or give in to the world and all of its desires...
oh... there is always a price.... it may not come in the immediate, but it will come...
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
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