I had some business in the church late this morning. I was in a hurry, I had things to do and I needed to get back
to the tasks at hand.
I met a parishioner in the gathering area and found myself engaged in long conversation. When I finally got into the church the lights were all dimmed.
It was peaceful.
I bowed and sat for a moment.
The natural light coming through the skylight softly illuminated the crucifix above the altar and cast two shadows of the cross, one to left and one to the right of the crucifix. A subtle image of Calvary coinciding with yesterdays Gospel reading. Luke 23:35-43
I think a lot lately about the apostles and what it means to be a disciple. This gospel really struck me yesterday and today I see this image of Calvary.
Think about it, this unnamed man (the repentant theif) hanging on a cross next to Jesus got it 53 days before the apostles! (Pentacost)
Peter had just denied even knowing Jesus not once but three times and we all know what it took for Thomas to finally get it.
I pray this evening that my faith will never falter
will continue to grow and eventually lead me one day to be a disciple
worthy to walk side by side with this repentant thief in paradise.
I hear it as a small journey – at times haunting, romantic, melancholy, triumphant. I love the unspoken communication between the accordion player and Gilberto Gil.
From: ” A Diary of Daily Pray” by John Baillie (no relation to me)
Morning Day 9
Here am I, O God, of little power and of mean estate, yet lifting up heart and voice to You before whom all created things are as dust and a vapor. You are hidden behind the curtain of sense, incomprehensible in Your greatness, mysterious in Your almighty power; yet here I speak with You familiarly as a child to parent, as friend to friend.
If I could not thus speak to You, then were I indeed without hope in the world. For it is little that I have power to do or to ordain. Not of my own will am I here, not of my own will shall I soon pass hence. Of all that shall come to me this day, very little will be such as I have chosen for myself. It is You, O hidden One, who appoints my lot and determines the bounds of my habitation. It is You who has put power in my hand to do one work and have withheld the skill to do another. It is You who keeps in Your grasp the threads of this day’s life and who alone knows what lies before me to do or to suffer.
But because You are my Father, I am not afraid. Because it is Your own Spirit that stirs within my spirit’s inmost room, I know that all is well. What I desire for myself I cannot attain, but what You desire in me You can attain for me. The good that I would I do not, but the good that You will in me, that You can give me power to do.
Dear Father, take this day’s life into Your own keeping. Control all my thoughts and feelings. Direct all my energies. Instruct my mind. Sustain my will. Take my hands and make them skillful to serve You. Take my feet and make them swift to do Your bidding. Take my eyes and keep them fixed on Your everlasting beauty. Take my mouth and make it eloquent in testimony to Your love. Make this day a day of obedience, a day of spiritual joy and peace. Make this day*s work a little part of the work of the Kingdom of my Lord Christ, in whose name these my prayers are said. Amen.
I came across the following list on Answers.yahoo.com
The attributes are shown below–not exactly in priority order, although those listed first may be deemed more important than those listed later–because for the most part they are integral to the boat and couldn’t be added by later if they wanted.
Affordable. Can you afford to buy and maintain this boat without borrowing or overextending ourselves financially?
Good survey. Sound condition and structure, and a dry boat. No need to keep everything wrapped in plastic.
Good ventilation without air conditioning
Heavy displacement cruiser, best with with a full keel and attached rudder. Able to take care of you in bad weather while you hunker down below.
Inboard diesel engine powered at not less than 3 hp/ton. Sufficient power to make your way motoring or motor-sailing when necessary, or to power up and get out of a tight spot.
Plenty of accessible and well-ventilated storage. This is your home, so you need enough room for books ( and other comforts, plus all the spares, tools, etc. for blue-water cruising.
6″ Bulwarks with scuppers. Good solid footing while walking around the deck, and good drainage in downpours or shipping green water.
8 strong through-bolted deck cleats. Strong attachments for docklines and anchor snubber.
Squared off coach roof/cabin top. Strongest configuration for a knockdown.
Dual bow anchors, one with minimum of 200′ chain. Second anchor for storm conditions, and plenty of chain for normal conditions.
100 gallon fuel tank. Enough to give a range of at least 500 nmiles under power.
2 50-gallon water tanks. Enough to last 3-4 weeks without rain catching, or backup in case one tank gets contaminated or emptied.
Small aft cockpit with 4 drains and strong padeyes for attachment. Comfortable and safe for whoever’s on watch, and safe in a seaway, with ability to drain fast if much water is shipped.
Aluminum keel-stepped mast. Minimal maintenance and more support than deck-stepped.
Good handholds and footspace on deck for moving around. Essential for safety.
Good handholds and headroom below. Headroom for a 6′ person, and solid handholds for moving around below when the seas are up.
Manual windlass. A bit more work for anchoring, but no likelihood of sticking in a dangerous situation.
Dodger, splash cloths, and bimini. Dodger with easy visibility forward to keep the wind out of the cockpit, and along with splash cloths keep crew in the cockpit dry when water is shipped, and Bimini to shade you from the tropical sun.
V-berth with double bed on one side, all berths accomodating 6′. Good space to snuggle, and comfort for tall crew.
Manual bilge pump in cockpit and below as backup to the automatic bilge pump. Ability to manually empty the bilges from the cockpit.
Starting battery separate from house batteries with a battery monitoring system.
Enough electrical storage to light and cool the boat, plus run basic electrical equipment without excessive recharging requirements.
Easy way to tell the condition of the batteries (input, output, voltage, status)
Autopilot. To relieve the helmsman when under power.
Windvane. To relieve the helmsman while sailing without draining the battery.
Swim ladder An easy to drop and retrieve swim ladder on the side of the boat.
3-burner propane stove with oven. Able to cook pretty much whatever you want.
Cabin heater. Keep you warm in cold nights or in the winter.
Liferaft, MOB module, flares, fire blanket, propane and CO detectors, and fire extinguishers. Essential safety equipment.
Manual and sea water pump in galley. Ability to pump fresh water if the electric pump fails, or seawater to minimize fresh water use.
Radios–marine SSB with ham bands and GMDSS VHF. Essential communication equipment.
Dinghy with motor. Ability to get around when at anchor.
Radar. Essential for navigation at night when near land, or in shipping areas, or of course in fog. Also a tremendous assist when approaching an unfamiliar harbour with a hard-to-find entrance, or entering or leaving an anchorage at night.
Wind instruments (vane and speed) and depth sounder.
Bug screens on portholes, hatches and dorades. Let the air in, and keep the buggers out.
Perhaps the most critical component is the crew. If the crew is sound, they will know how to sail offshore and also if the boat is suited to the trip.
Source:
Book by John Vigor “The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat: A Guide to Essential Features, Handling and Gear.” At the front of this book, there is a really neat 100-question test/quiz which gives you a quick determination of the blue-water seaworthiness of you and your boat.
Our Cape Dory 28 s/v Mirage meets enough of the requirements to be eligible for a circumnavigation with some modifications and extensive provisioning. But after six years of ownership Mirage falls short for me in a number of areas. I’d prefer a cutter rig to a sloop, more tankage, more storage, a little more length, beam and weight.
I have exchanged a few emails with Fred Bickum the former owner of s/v Fenix also a Cape Dory 28. Fred customize it and sailed it around the globe. When he returned he sold it and purchased a 36′ S2 fixed it up and sailed it across the Pacific. Fred is a single hander and told me it was a significantly better experience crossing the Pacific in the larger boat. So I sail Mirage and keep her up while keeping my eye out for a boat that could take me around the world.
“A young girl in a parking lot was preaching to a crowd, singing sacred songs and reading from the Bible. Well I told her I was lost and she told me about the Pentecost and I seen that girl as the rood to my survival”
Paul Simon “Duncan”
I Loved this song as a young man but I didn’t take the time to read about Pentecost. I had heard of Pentecost and knew a couple of the bullet points about the event, but in truth I missed that class in Sunday School.
So what happened to Duncan? He got lucky (in that mano e mano sense). Ah the fire of passion. Is there another force as strong? Remember the first time you felt passion?
Imagine the Twelve Apostles on this life changing day. Even if you are you are not a Christian take a moment to reflect on the force and power of passion.
These twelve men were lost. They were scared. Their life was in danger. Jesus had been killed fifty days earlier and people were now hunting for his band of associates. Remember, there were no legions of Christians to come to their defense. There were NO Christians yet.
The apostles were having a difficult time explaining what had transpired with Jesus of Nazareth. (Remember: “Nothing good ever came out of Nazareth“) “Jesus? Jesus of Nazareth? Jesus the carpenter, Jesus the son of Joseph the carpenter? What are you out of your freaking mind? You want us to believe the he is the Messiah? You want us to put our lives and our family’s lives in peril and live in hiding like you and your band of nuts? No way! Leave us alone and get away from me!!! Now!!! or I will point you out to the authorities.” and that tirade came from a loving family member…
Passion. I have felt like I could scale the highest mountains and all was possible when a wave of passion covered me. On top of the world, and everyone sees the glow. Chores get easier and the world is somehow a better place and I was unstoppable.
The twelve apostles were empowered on the Pentecost and the world would never be the same. Passion can be a fleeting thing but when infused with Love it will endure. So here we are almost 2000 years later* and the world is still experiencing effects of the Love and Passion that these twelve brave men shared with the world.
As always I must address my friends and loved ones who do not believe in Jesus.
I know about the horrors inflicted on the world in the name of Christianity but like all things it is a matter of focus and perspective and examining the good and bad in individuals and by interpolation organized groups of people. The good that Jesus brought to the world far out weighs the bad that has been done “in his name” and the bad really has nothing to do with Jesus or his teachings. The “evils” of Christianity? These are lessons on how people are used and manipulated by men of power. History is littered with examples of this fact and Christianity is not the only victim. There are forces at work. Passion is a force, Love is a force, Hate is a force. These forces are very very real.
I look forward to Ordinary Time. I hope to make good of it. Advent will be here before we know it!
Live your life in such a way that if someone speaks poorly about you, none will believe” Anonymous (found on a poster in a middle school classroom)
For a friend: Some people seem to have a need to cast aspersions on those around them. No need to get revenge or confront them they may be doing you a favor by shinning a light on people who are not actually your friends after all. We must of course defend our reputations. Another one of the great balancing acts of human interaction and choosing our battles wisely. In the end Love answers all questions and conflicts.
Yesterday my Niece delivered a new member to our family. A healthy baby boy. Now all but one of my nieces and nephews have children. I have been particularly excited about this pregnancy. My niece is on the later side of child birth and this is her first child. As someone who never had a child I am attune to “this” passing time.
Birthdays:
Yesterday I joined fifty other people and celebrated one of my closest friends birthdays. He turned 60. His twenty year old daughter put the party together. From what I hear father and daughter had a tumultuous relationship during her teens. She went to great effort to assemble this gathering. People came from miles around and other states to attend. It was a surprise to which he had no clue. Well done! I saw people I might not see except for a wedding or funeral. It is so nice to gather without all the baggage tied to those two life events.
In the spirit of gathering people together I will be celebrating my birthday next Saturday and asking people to join me for a few hours. Last year it was the ” Double Nickle ” for me, yesterday it was the “Big 6 0” for my friend. This coming birthday is not any particular mile stone so why the extra effort? June 1st is the start hurricane season and even though the forecast is for a very mild season the winds of change are always blowing and for winds there is no forecast. We sailors depend on the wind and it is mysterious force. As Jesus said: “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Peace and happy birthday to all my friends born this month, to which there are quite a few.
5 The LORD watches over the innocent; *
I was brought very low, and he helped me.
6 Turn again to your rest, O my soul, *
for the LORD has treated you well.
7 For you have rescued my life from death, *
my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.
8 I will walk in the presence of the LORD *
in the land of the living.
Eric Clapton sings a song titled “In the Presence of the Lord” I’m looking for the lyrics to post here but I came across this hymn that according to this article on Clapton’s early life helped shape his Christian belief . I like it.
“Jesus Bids Us Shine”:
Jesus bids us shine with a clear, pure light,
Like a little candle burning in the night;
In this world of darkness, we must shine,
You in your small corner, and I in mine.
Here are the lyrics to “Presence of the Lord” from the album “Blind Faith”
I have finally found a way to live Just like I never could before. I know that I don’t have much to give, But I can open any door.
Everybody knows the secret, Everybody knows the score. I have finally found a way to live In the color of the Lord.
I have finally found a place to live Just like I never could before. And I know I don’t have much to give, But soon I’ll open any door.
Everybody knows the secret, Everybody knows the score. I have finally found a place to live In the presence of the Lord. In the presence of the Lord.
I have finally found a way to live Just like I never could before. And I know I don’t have much to give, But I can open any door.
Everybody knows the secret, I said everybody knows the score. I have finally found a way to live In the color of the Lord. In the color of the Lord.
s/v Mirage is a twenty eight foot mast head sloop with a full keel. Full keel boats are notoriously difficult to maneuver while backing up.
After taking Mirage out for little while this afternoon to check on the systems I decided to back her in to the slip. After two failed attempts and enough revs of the engine first in forward and then in reverse then in forward again and reverse once more, I successfully got the attention of everyone on the ” B ” dock and successfully backed her in to the slip. It is great fun to watch the mishaps in the fairway of a marina, not so much if you are the captain 😉
Tying up in the slip stern first is a social thing. Great for holiday weekends and such.
O, be some other name! What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet;
