Anyone can write–even you!
We just celebrated Christmas and New Year’s Eve. For whalers, as for us when we are away from home, these holidays brought fond memories of past celebrations with families now far away. The cook might make something a little special; the watches might be given a little more free time. But, whales always took precedence. The watch at the tops was always kept.
In First Fury, Ann sits alone at the masthead picturing celebrations from the past, now gone from her life.
In 1555, at the age of 19, William Hunter was burned at the stake for believing he had the right to determine what he believed to be true. In “The Martyrs,” he is given a copy of the Bible written in English, one that he can understand. It answers his questions and gives him the strength to face what will be coming. It became the most relevant book in shaping his life. Others thought the Word was only correctly understood by those who had been trained. How relevant is God’s Word to you? Would you be willing to give your life for a conviction that the Bible’s truths belong to you? You can view a PPT slide show here including pictures of a monument to William Hunter.
The Alice Knowles (take the link for an image) was a whale ship and can be used as a type for the Christopher Mitchell. She was 115 feet in length, 28 feet wide, and 16 feet deep.
In the side view, the following is visible. The Captain and the Officers bunked aft. The 15 or 16 common hands made the front half home. Just below deck, in the bow, was the forecastle containing the bunks. This is where common hands lived. A ladder is visible leading from the companionway (a box cover on the deck) down. The opening in the companionway was the only source of fresh air. In storms, even this opening was closed. The bowels of the ship were for storage, mostly oil. Just forward of the main (middle) mast is the blubber hold. Between that and the forecastle companionway, on deck, is the tryworks and carpenter’s bench.
In the top view, the whale boats are visible, three on the port side and one on the starboard. Two spares rest over the cookhouse. Notice how restricted the area was for 21 men (a normal full ship’s complement) to live and work for 3 years.
In1608, a small group of English “non-conformists” went to the Netherlands to spend time discerning God’s will for their lives. After searching the scriptures, debating key issues, and discussing with other believers, this group, now led by Thomas Helwys, determined a list of basic beliefs. These were compiled into the Helwys Confession of 1611. One point addressed Baptism.
That baptism or washing with water is the outward manifestation of dying unto sin, and walking in newness of life. And therefore in to wise appertains to infants.
To state that Baptism was only to be performed on believers was a BIG break from tradition. And then, as a further affront to the establishment, the mode soon changed from sprinkling to immersion. Baptism, being the most outwardly visible manifestation of their new beliefs, became the focal point for persecution. Roger Richards in his book The History of Southern Baptists, mentions that “Baptists felt the heavy hand of persecution, not only from Anglicans but from other groups as well…” [p 20, ebook] In England, in the 1640’s, Colonel John Hutchinson and his wife Lucy, after reading Baptist literature, began to question infant baptism. The fact that she was with pregnant at the time raised the importance of that issue in her mind. Ultimately, they turned from tradition, choosing to follow Baptist teachings. They were rejected by friends; he lost his position and died in prison.
This picture shows a couple of tourists leaning against the ship’s “carpenter bench.” The cages beneath it might contain pigs, chickens, etc. As a member of the crew, when the ship began its journey, you would be called to assemble here.
Facing aft, you wait…for the Captain. Beneath you, the pigs squeal; the chickens cluck. This brings memories of your home on the farm. But that’s all they are…memories. The Captain comes forward and demands silence. The animals ignore the command but you and your mates comply. You learn this is HIS ship. HE is the law; HE is the judge. You WILL do as you are told. On this journey, your life will change, and you become profoundly aware of this…your new “world.”
When Sandy and I had the opportunity to visit Beijing, China, in 2009, how could we not take a side trip to Tengchow, in the Shantung province, where Lotti Moon was a missionary! The residents probably looked at us in much the same way as they did Lotti in the 1870’s. However, while we stayed but a day, she made that province her home.
As our cab driver drives us from the airport to Lotti’s church (his church), he shares with us his testimony. In his visor, he carries a tract. On the seat beside him sits a Bible. In the glove compartment is a hymnal. Bro. Wong listens to Christian tapes and sings in the church choir. He asks us to pray for his daughter who faces university level decisions that will impact her future…which we do. When we ask him if people in Tengchow still know who Lotti Moon was, he replies that EVERYONE in Tengchow knows her. He continues to talk of her as if she is an active member of their church.
As of 2009, Lotti’s church in Tengchow had 1000 members. This growing fellowship required construction of a new building next to the original. The pastor was at a conference where ministers from the area addressed how to handle the volume of converts. By some estimates China is experiencing 400000 converts each week. This equals their birthrate. Twelve thousand people are entering the ministry each year which presents an education issue.
Lotti Moon is still having quite an impact in Tengchow; her story is one of service, commitment, sacrifice, and exhortation to greater involvement in missions.
You can view and download pictures of our trip and Lotti’s life. This is web page in Power Point format. The PPT file can be downloaded. A shorter version can be found here.
Friends have been asking about the hardcopy version of First Fury. Finally, it’s available. You can get it at Create Space and through Amazon. (Create Space gives me a higher royalty.)
This has been a busy month. Both the eBook and hardcopy versions now have footnotes…as promised. If you have already purchased the eBook, the footnoted version should be downloadable at no cost.
I briefly talked about the book at a Kodak IS retirees’ breakfast this past Saturday and forgot to mention what it has to do with Kodak. Ann lived on the Erie Canal about a mile or two west of where Kodak Office now stands.
Now, as to Ann’s whaling adventure… During research in the Nantucket Historical Association library, I transcribed the letter from the Consulate in Peru to the ship’s owner. Check it out!
In the Baptist Beacon, I found the following summary. “In 1785 the Baptist General Committee of Virginia pronounced slavery ‘contrary to the word of God.’ Two years later the Ketockton Association called it ‘a breach of divine law.’ In 1790 the General Committee of Virginia adopted a statement calling slavery ‘a violent deprivation of the rights of nature, and inconsistent with a republican government; and therefore (we) recommend it to our brethren to make use of every legal measure, to extirpate the horrid evil from the land.’ By 1840 Northern Baptists and Southern Baptists disagreed over the issue with the southerners supporting the institution of slavery. Virginia Baptists called Baptists of the south to a meeting in Georgia…. Since 1845 we were no longer just ‘Baptists’ but ‘Northern’ and ‘Southern Baptists’.”
Corporate views changed dramatically in the south during the first half of the 19th century. As Baptists in the south dealt with the issue of slavery, some no doubt wavered in their acceptance of the practice when confronted face to face with its reality. Can people be property? How would you have reacted to a socially accepted belief (some arguments for slavery can be found here) when your personal experience called it into question? The short story at “The Southern Baptists” addresses just such a personal dilemma.
This update takes a little side trip from our sea faring journey. To sign on to a whaling ship, Ann must have been a remarkable young lady. In Second Fury, Ann’s adventuresome spirit takes her over the Oregon Trail from California east to the States. Last week, I decided to try some of the fare she would have eaten on her trip…cattails. For those of you who like culinary adventure, here’s what you do. Find a patch of cattails; wade out into the muck; with a hand, follow a reed down into the black mud until it ends in a lateral root; trace the root till you feel a new shoot; cut the root 2 or 3 inches back; remove the root and the shoot. (This is how the pioneers did it. You might find it easier to dig with a shovel.) Now make sure you wash them well. The root will be shiny black and white. Strip off the outer layer of the root to reveal a clean white interior. THINLY slice the root and the shoot. Sandy and I tried them 3 ways: 1) fried with shallots (ok), 2) boiled (bland), and 3) in stir fry. The stir fry was the best. The cattail does not have much flavor and takes on the taste of other vegetables. The root has somewhat the consistency of a stringy potato. The shoot has the consistency of a tough onion layer. I am finding it hard to bring myself to prepare the one root and shoot we have left in our refrigerator. You can see the pictures here on my Thomas Macy author Facebook page Eating Cattails album.
More images can be found at FirstFury.com.
“The Slaves” is the ninth segment in The Courage of Your Faith series. The historical setting for this study is Virginia after the Revolutionary War. While researching topics for this series, I came across an article that mentioned a Gowan Pamphet. Now, what was a Gowan Pamphlet, I wondered. It turns out it’s a “he.” Gowan Pamphlet was a black slave in Williamsburg who pastored its first Baptist church. It was made up of, by some estimates, 600 free and slave blacks. Under his leadership, the African Church (as it was known) was accepted into the Dover Association in 1783. While in Williamsburg, we spent some time tracking down one of the possible early sites for the church. You can find an online slide show including a possible location of “Raccoon Chase” here.
See more at “The Courage of Your Faith.” “The Courage of Your Faith” consists of 12 short stories from our history and 12 Bible Studies on issues as relevant today as they were in the past. Each study includes supplemental information and a Power Point slide presentation.
All documents can be downloaded at no charge from the web site. The short stories have been compiled into one eBook which is downloadable from both Barnes & Noble and Amazon for a small fee. A link now appears at the top of this email for those who wish to be added to this mailing list. Feel free to forward this email to anyone you think might be interested. They can then add their name to receive future updates. Have fun.
