A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)
The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)
Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.” John 4:7-10 (The Message)
I bought this painting (a reproduction), titled The Woman at the Well, when my wife and I visited the Barnes Museum in Philadelphia several years ago. This painting almost jumped off the wall at me. When I learned the history of the artist, Horace Pippin, it made sense to me why I was drawn to it. Let me tell you his story in brief.
Horace Pippin was an African-American who was a part of the “Harlem Hell Fighters” in World War I. The U.S Army was segregated in those days, so he was part of an all African-American unit which ended up spending more time in combat than any other American unit in that war.
Pippin was injured in the war, shot by a German sniper in the right shoulder. After the injury, he was only able to paint by holding one arm under the other for support as he painted. Perhaps this led to his simple, yet powerful style.
Pippin was keenly aware of racial struggles- he lived in the midst of them. Several of his paintings reflect his commentary on discrimination, and the injustice of the times he lived through.
This painting spoke to me from afar as we walked through the museum. I was struck first by the garments of both Jesus and the woman. They are very bright white, and of equal tone. The figures are also are very nearly equal in height. Both of these rendering techniques are a symbol of our equality in the eyes of Jesus.
I also noted that the woman was kind of thick around her waist, in contrast to her regularly sized face. Could she be pregnant?
Finally, there bis a red glow in the background, likely her city. This is the city to where she would return and become an evangelist of the man she had just met. Where other people saw her as a broken woman, Jesus saw her as an evangelist of good news.
I think Pippin captured something deep in this painting. He was a man familiar with inequality, and he was a man familiar with pain. To me, this comes out beautifully in his art.
I am not an art collector, nor do I know much about art. But I know when my soul is stirred by a piece of art, and this did it to me. I share it with you for your enjoyment. I think it is a great statement about the artist and his Savior.
Prayer: Thank you Father for the gift of art, and the power that can be drawn from it, Amen.
Listen, dear friends, to God’s truth, bend your ears to what I tell you. I’m chewing on the morsel of a proverb; I’ll let you in on the sweet old truths, Stories we heard from our fathers, counsel we learned at our mother’s knee. We’re not keeping this to ourselves, we’re passing it along to the next generation— God’s fame and fortune, the marvelous things he has done.
Psalm 78:1-4 (The Message)
My wife and I were going over some old family keepsakes the other day, and we unearthed some treasures. They were treasures by my reckoning. There were not any forgotten U.S. Savings Bonds, or old stock certificates, but they were treasures nonetheless. These were items of my parents, grandparents and other assorted family members. They were photos, for example, of mom when she graduated from night school. Yes, that was a thing- some kids worked during the day and attended high school at night.
I saw old documents, mom’s old coin purse, a picture of my dad smiling in a photo from my brother’s wedding. Honestly, I never remember seeing dad smile so broadly in any other picture.
I could go on and on, but here is my point. Families have rich histories. I recall watching Ken Burns’ documentary about the Civil War (incredible, by the way), and much of its heart and soul, and historical verity, is comprised of personal letters from soldiers to their wives and moms back home. We learn about the people and the times they lived in by the letters and photos they kept.
I wrote a novel, Joseph Shepherd, which is based upon the idea of a chronicle of Shepherd’s journeys with his friend, and the legacies built on that. I didn’t know it while I was writing the book, but I was writing it to myself. I was telling myself to write down, for future generations, my thoughts, feelings and beliefs.
So, I would put this consideration forth to my dear readers. Think about ways to convey to future generations what is in your history, and what is in your soul. It is well worth it, for you and for those yet unknown family members who, years from now, will unearth a treasure.
Prayer: Father, you have given us rich lives and stories to share with others. What a plan you have for us! Amen
He puts poor people on their feet again; he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope, Restoring dignity and respect to their lives— a place in the sun! I Samuel 2:7 (The Message)
Counseling during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge. Yes, EVERYTHING during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge. Every mental health problem has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Anxiety, depression, PTSD, marital problems- you name it- all have been made worse for many reasons. People feel cooped up, irritable over small things, and unable to do many of the healthy things that they might have normally done in the past.
Recently, I had the chance to suggest a bit of homework to a client. I said to her, “Imagine six months from now. It is July, 2021, and millions of people have been vaccinated against the virus. Hopefully, you too will have been vaccinated. The social shutdown is diminishing, and life has become closer to what we used to recognize as normal. What are the two things that you will make sure that you do?”
I wanted her to see that there is not only hope, but that she will have a regained sense of control- a sense that she does not currently enjoy. We need to remember that we have reasonable and realistic hopes that we can fulfill. We need to keep them before our eyes, and not lose sight of what can, and eventually will be.
So, I have my little list (actually, it might be a bit long, but that is OK!). What might your list look like?
Prayer: Father, we have hope, that blessed life-giving attribute that you have endowed us with for our good. Thank you for the excitement of such hope, Amen.
“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father Romans 15:11-15 (The Message)
I like the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, something I am sure that I have shared with my readers in the past. The AA community has a lot of straightforward sayings that are deceptively simple- thinks like “One Day at a Time”; “Keep it Simple”; “Easy Does It”; “It Works if You Work It”; “Keep Coming Back” and dozens of other helpful phrases. A corollary of “Keep it Simple” is “It’s Simple, but it’s not Easy”.
This got me thinking the other day as I was talking with a client and reminding her that she was likely overthinking a particular situation. We all do that. It’s called “anxiety”. I talked about spiritual approaches to our broken world, and we discussed how hard the world’s problems press down on us at times, but that our calling is simple. High theology is good in its place, but when it comes to dealing with practical ways to encounter our world, it comes down to this- love God by loving one another. That is what Jesus, in his last hours on earth, told his followers to do (the passage above).
Now, that is simple, but it is not always easy. Trying to figure out a broken world, and our calling as Christians to try to be healers and reconcilers in it is hard. The solution, while simple, is not easy. Loving people in many situations is not natural, it is supernatural. By that I mean, the Holy Spirit is the one who needs to love people through us. We just need to let him.
By the way, that’s another one of the sayings for Step 3- “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” This is often summarized by the phrase, “I think I’ll let Him do that”
Good stuff. It works if you work it.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for your simple plans for how to heal a broken world. Help us to work toward your plans, Amen.
“And don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong. Matthew 5:37 (The Message)
Listening to recent political discussions and rhetoric over the past months has been difficult for me, and maybe for you too. I am a writer, and I tend to pay close attention to what people say. Yes, words do matter- a phrase that has been increasingly used lately.
The use of the word “They” strikes me. When we use the word, “They”, it can mean a lot of different things. Or it can mean nothing. Too often, when the word “They” is used, it connotes “those other than us”. This can be very divisive, you know, “us and them”. It may be used, unfortunately, in that context to separate, and often to vilify others.
“They” is also used to allege things that cannot be proven by attributing them to a vague or unknown source- the infamous “they say”. If a source of facts or data do not exist, some resort to the “they say” school of persuasion.
Finally, I am always sensitive to people who use the word “they” when discussing a group to which they belong. People may use the word “they” when they do not want to use the word “us”.
We all default to using the word, and, obviously, there are many times that it is appropriately used. I do believe that we need to be careful about how we use our words. Those words are powerful and meaningful. Yes, words do matter.
Prayer: Lord, you have given us your Word as truth, help us to honor it with our words, Amen.
Dear friend, if you’ve gone into hock with your neighbor or locked yourself into a deal with a stranger, If you’ve impulsively promised the shirt off your back and now find yourself shivering out in the cold, Friend, don’t waste a minute, get yourself out of that mess. You’re in that man’s clutches! Go, put on a long face; act desperate. Don’t procrastinate— there’s no time to lose. Run like a deer from the hunter, fly like a bird from the trapper!
Proverbs 6:1-5 (The Message)
Do you ever procrastinate? Yeah, I do too. Some of us are better than others on this, and for most of us, it depends on what the activity is. Typically, the things we put off are the unpleasant tasks. Maybe they are the ones which we feel less confident about. Typically, also, the things that we put off or try to avoid, are the ones that will cost us something extra by putting them off. They get harder to do for several reasons.
One of those reasons is that the task gets bigger in our mind the more we delay it. We build it up beyond the actual difficulty of the task. Possibly, the longer we put it off, the more awkward the task becomes. A time delay may really work against us, especially, of course, if the task is time sensitive. Calling at the last minute, for example, to cancel a meeting, can cause more problems than that same phone call would have two days earlier.
Whenever we put something off, we usually have to pay with interest. It seems it is like a universal rule of some kind. With bills, that may be literally true. With social capital, it works much the same way. We usually have to pay extra mentally, socially, or emotionally for that delay that we made. Those hard conversations that are put off can cause more pain by their delay. We would save ourselves some pain by what we could have done much earlier.
So, while the tendency may be to procrastinate, remember, it almost always has to be paid with interest.
Prayer: Lord, we avoid the hard things. Give us the courage and the nudge to act in a timely manner for our own good, Amen.
Plymouth was a busy port, but was losing ground to the thriving port of London on the Thames. London was now where all the trade and growth was happening, and the city had grown immensely over the past twenty years. London was by now a city of nearly 200,000 souls, and it continued to grow. People in abject poverty were signing on as indentured servants to ships going to America. Shipments were coming regularly from America, the Far East, Africa, and Italy, and the city was sprawling outward into the countryside. Plymouth, on the other hand, was a port on the wane, beautiful in its own way, but already a symbol of the changing times.
Departures of people from Plymouth to the New World seemed to epitomize the excitement of places other than Plymouth. In a few days, the Mayflower would be departing Plymouth for the New World carrying religious pilgrims to freedoms now no longer found in England. Political and religious foment, formulated in London, could be felt in Plymouth. It was to Plymouth that people gathered to flee the oppression of the crown in London. The destination, America, would receive these pilgrims and give them the chance to start a literal New World.
A lookout in the lighthouse high above the port spotted a ragged ship several miles out at sea heading home for rest from a difficult voyage. He had been alerted by Alvin Toll that such a ship could be coming in the next few days, and that he should be notified immediately of the first sighting of it. The Intrepid was heading into Plymouth.
Toll ordered that a sloop be dispatched to meet the Intrepid to let her know that Plymouth would not accept her. The Intrepid was labeled as a ship with plague, and, if she could not prove otherwise, she would be denied entry. Several royal dragoons were sent with a crew of eight sailors to intercept the Intrepid and to inform her of the situation. Toll also ordered the shore batteries to prepare to fire at the Intrepid should she try to gain entry to the port without permission.
Aboard the Intrepid, the exhausted crew was exhilarated upon seeing the welcome sight of port. Food and water were depleted, and port was to be reached with no time to spare. They expected no reception upon arrival, but when people became aware of the exploits of this voyage, there would be adulation, women, wine, and rewards. They were more than ready for all of those benefits.
Mr. North was still quite dreamy from his ordeal, and he was in no shape to command the ship. This task fell to Swailes, who led a crew wary of his command in the final leg of the journey. Shepherd and I were tending to Mr. North, ensuring that he got regular, ample doses of tincture of opium mixed in brandy or rum to aid his sleep and recovery.
Swailes met the boat loaded with dragoons and sailors by hailing them, “Come to meet the heroes, have ya?”
David Marks, sergeant of the dragoons, grimly replied, “I am here to order you to return to sea, or the shore batteries will commence firing upon your ship.”
Swailes was stunned at this retort. Marks continued, “Your ship has the plague aboard and will be denied entry into the port of Plymouth.”
Swailes screamed at the dragoons, “There is no plague on this ship! We shall proceed into port; your guns be damned!”
Mr. Marks had no need to argue with the doomed vessel, and he turned away, ordering his small crew to return to Plymouth. By now, word was spreading through the Intrepid that they were being denied entry into Plymouth. Anger and disbelief were mixed among the crew, but none had the presence of mind to think beyond fighting their way into port. Swailes, fool that he was, seemed unable to take control of the crew. He merely fed off the raw emotions being displayed by his men, and was caught up in the plan to blast his way into Plymouth.
I looked at Joseph Shepherd and Mr. Kelley and asked their thoughts. Joseph Shepherd suggested that we try to reason with Swailes, offering ideas that had not come quickly to his simple mind.
“As the ship’s surgeon, I can offer to attest to the health of the crew,” I said. “Producing a few healthy sailors free of disease might convince a reasonable person that we have no plague. We can offer to be quarantined offshore as long as they provide fresh food and water for a week or two.”
Shepherd agreed with the idea, but his agreement was probably not enough to convince Swailes of the good sense of the plan.
It appeared that Alvin Toll had no interest in such an idea either, or he would have suggested it to begin with. There seemed to be other reasons why this ship was being denied entry to Plymouth of which we were unaware. Meanwhile, the mood on the Intrepid was turning very ugly. Desperate men were ready to plunge ahead into Plymouth to challenge the threat of force that Toll had promised. The crew began to prepare the last of the shot and powder for battle against Plymouth. This crew was now in the grip of fear, coupled with lack of leadership. They had tasted the blood of battle on the sea, and now that seemed to be the only course they trusted.
Swailes ordered the sails to be fully raised, and the Intrepid sailed for Plymouth.
Chapter 14
William Bradford was studying his Bible before settling down for the night to sleep. Bradford was the leader of the Puritan separatists who were preparing for a trip to the New World. Bradford had been reading the book of Exodus, chapter 3, verses 11-12. There he read a conversation between God and Moses at the burning bush. God had told Moses to lead His people out of bondage in Egypt. Moses replied, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
And God replied, “I will be with you…”
Bradford was feeling very much like Moses this night. He had taken on the responsibility of leading a group of religious separatists, known as Pilgrims, to the New World. He was to be the religious leader on a ship called the Mayflower, which would be departing in the next few weeks for America.
“Who am I,” he thought, “to be leading a group of believers across the world? Has God prepared me for such a duty?”
Then he read the twelfth verse of chapter 3 in Exodus, “I will be with you…”
“Surely,” thought Bradford, “that is the only way I can lead people to a foreign land which promises freedom.”
Bradford had been told by his friend and mentor, John Ward, that he was the man for the job, the man God had appointed to the task. Now his friend was in the tower of London, a prisoner of King James for his religious beliefs.
While Bradford pondered these ideas, he heard a commotion in the street below. A town crier was warning people that a renegade English ship, the Intrepid, was heading for Plymouth, and that ships in the harbor were at risk. Bradford’s thoughts were for the Mayflower, which was the vessel to take his people to the Promised Land.
People began to scramble down to the harbor. Men with flintlocks were clambering out of their houses. Young men with torches were seen coming out of taverns, and women were closing the shutters on their seaside houses. In the distance, the silhouette of a ship could be seen against a large full moon still hovering near the horizon in the late evening. William Bradford sensed that he was to do something – to begin his mission from God, somehow – to help avert this coming confrontation.
Bradford made his way through now congested streets toward the port authority building on the docks. There he encountered a seething Alvin Toll. Toll’s round jowly face was beet red, contrasting with his white breech coat and white collar. He was short of breath from the short trip across the way from the tavern where he had been drinking and boasting that the damned ship Intrepid had better not test his shore batteries. Now that the test might actually take place, Toll seemed as much frightened as angry. As much as he would boast about his shore batteries, they had not been fired in years, and never in anger.
Toll blustered orders to a ragged crew of dockworkers who would now double as grenadiers. Toll ordered them to secure powder and shot from the armory. The small company of dragoons of the King’s Army was placed around the docks at various points. It was apparent that Toll had no idea how to defend against the attack of one lonely fighting ship – a crippled one at that.
In the midst of this emerging chaos, William Bradford approached Alvin Toll with an idea – an idea so very fresh in Bradford’s mind because he just that moment had come up with it.
“What do you want?” inquired Toll of Bradford.
“May I propose an idea to you, Commander Toll?” asked Bradford. Bradford’s disarming friendliness, his tone of voice, and his deferential reference to Toll as “Commander” seemed to soften Toll to hear out Bradford.
“Go on,” said Toll in a restrained tone of voice.
“Commander,” he said, “I am William Bradford. I will be sailing out in a few weeks on the Mayflower with my company of God’s people for America. It struck me that the men on the Intrepid may need to be heard, their story checked out. From what I have heard, they deny that there is any plague aboard the ship. Perhaps we need to verify that first hand. I offer to go to the ship to check out their situation. If there is any evidence of plague on that ship, I will stay on the Intrepid with the crew. May God be with me in that event. However, if there is no evidence of plague, I will notify those who row me out to the ship, and we can allow them entry to port in due time.”
Toll retorted quickly.
“Mr. Bradford, I have it on good authority that the Intrepid is a renegade ship, under the control of a mutinous crew. They have set their good captain Braden adrift, and he only survives by the grace of God Almighty. This ship is not just taken by the black plague, they have the plague of mutiny and murder as well!”
Bradford seemed unshaken.
“Commander Toll,” he continued, “I have reason to believe that God has prepared me for such an encounter. We have nothing to lose by sending a party out there to talk with them. We just gain the possibility that there will be no innocent blood shed if we try. If we fail, better that one man die than many. Besides, we could gain more time for a peaceful solution if we try to meet with them. As it stands now, there could be a blood bath.”
Toll considered Bradford’s brave, if foolhardy, offer. Toll could send another small crew to meet once again with the Intrepid. There would be great danger for such a mission, but it would buy Toll more time to plan a defense of Plymouth. Frankly, he had considered the possibility that the Intrepid would try to come into port violently. Marks and his dragoons had suggested that Swailes and the renegade crew might do anything, including blasting their way into port. Indeed, now that such a scenario was playing out, he was caught with too much bluster, and not enough firepower.
“Mr. Bradford,” said Toll, “if you can get other volunteers to go with you, you may try. I believe that we can send a few of His Majesty’s sailors to accompany you, but you will be without military support on your mission.”
“Commander Toll,” replied Bradford, “this is not a military mission. It is a mission of mercy and peace.”
Alvin Toll was not a religious man, nor did he have much respect for religious people. His brief encounter with William Bradford, however, had touched him in a way to which he was unaccustomed. Bradford’s simple faith, coupled with tremendous courage, was an amazing thing to Toll. He was hoping that Bradford would succeed, but he was more inclined to believe that the time bought by this foolish diversion would allow him to get some help, and to shore up his defense plans.
“I shall leave as soon as you can get me that crew of sailors to get out to the Intrepid,” said Bradford. “I have another member of my company who will go with me. James Mullins is a young man of great faith and courage. He is also a physician, and he will be able to determine the health of the crew. I do not even need to ask him, and I know his answer. He will come with me anywhere.”
It was nearly 2 a.m. by the time that the crew was assembled and a rowboat secured for the trip. The Intrepid was now within a half mile of port, and no gunfire had been exchanged. It was apparently Mr. Swailes’ plan to continue his advance toward Plymouth, and call the bluff of Alvin Toll. Evidently, the Intrepid would not fire unless fired upon. The water was very calm, and with the full moon rising higher in the sky, the night was well lit. A handful of inquisitive townspeople bearing torches gave a farewell to the crew in the tiny boat heading out of port. The scene was quite beautiful, yet there was tension in the air.
The plan was to have William Bradford and James Mullins approach the Intrepid and ask for a meeting. If they were invited aboard the ship, they would ask to inspect the Intrepid for signs of plague among the crew. If they found signs of plague, they would signal to the crew in the small boat. The signal would be to jettison two rocks over the port side, one after another. The crew would then turn and head back to port without Bradford and Mullins. If there were no sign of plague, there would be one rock tossed over the starboard side. The absence of plague would be the good news needed for the Intrepid to safely gain entry to Plymouth. Bradford and Mullins assumed that if plague were on board, they would be held hostage, and indeed would have been exposed to it anyway, and their lives were in serious jeopardy. They chose to take this chance to secure peace.
The boat quickly covered the half-mile out to the Intrepid. As they pulled closer to the ship, crewman John Cates yelled to Mr. Swailes, “They’ve sent a boat – eight crew and two others. They do not appear to have weapons.”
Swailes called to Cates, “Find out what they want!”
“We come in peace,” yelled Bradford. His voice carried well in the still night, and the words seemed to calm Cates. “May we board to speak with you?”
Swailes was now with Cates, and the boat was right beside the Intrepid. Swailes responded, “No weapons. We check out whoever comes on board first. You will be covered by my sailors with guns the whole time you are here.”
“We agree,” said Bradford. “Only Dr. Mullins and I will be boarding.”
A rope was lowered to the small craft, and Bradford and Mullins climbed up with some difficulty. The Intrepid crew ended up hauling the two aboard. Bradford spoke directly to Mr. Swailes.
“Sir, we have requested to come aboard to determine if there is any sign of plague on this ship. If Dr. Mullins finds any sign, and he must be given access to every crewman here, you will be denied entry to Plymouth.”
“I agree to that,” said Mr. Swailes.
Bradford and Mullins were stunned by the immediate compliance, and Swailes’ respectful tone of voice. Swailes and the crew were tired, hungry, and ready to come home. Swailes also believed that there was no plague to be found on board, so he felt that he had nothing to lose. There were, however, other secrets, which may not be so easy to overcome. Those secrets should not keep them from coming into port, but they could be a problem later. But that was later.
Mr. North was coming back around from his shoulder injury. He, of course, had felt very little pain since our regimen of brandy, laced with tincture of opium. I had secured a fair amount of this substance from a merchant who had been to China. He told me of the qualities of the compound, but that many people smoked opium all day, staying in a kind of stupor much of the time. I found that, given the proper dosage, it had wonderful sedating qualities, although the aftereffects could be troublesome. I used it only with great caution. I must admit that I was not extremely careful when dosing Mr. North, and at times, I am certain that he received enough to restrain a man twice his size.
“Dr. Greene,” whispered Mr. North from his haze, “what time is it?”
“Mr. North,” I replied, “you might want to ask what day it is, not what hour.”
North in his confusion did not follow that little humor. He truly did not know what day it was, nor where we were, nor our rather strange circumstance of being within a thousand yards of port, but not allowed to enter. His shoulder was healing, but it was, I am sure, still quite painful. It was back in place, not broken, and he had more of his range of motion now available. We would need to back him down from his sedation, and reintroduce him to reality. That would cause another bit of a problem since Mr. Swailes had taken to leading the ship. Mr. North’s odd behavior the prior few days, and his violent temper, had alerted even the simplest of crew members that he was capable of harm. Their only real concern was now to get home, and perhaps to relay to their family and friends a great adventure. Leadership of a ship coming home was not a great concern now.
As Mr. Bradford and Dr. Mullins walked around the ship, they saw some of the ravages of pirate battles and storms. Below deck was a complete disaster, with swirling water, rotting food, fouled powder, and splinters of the main mast floating about. We had become accustomed to the odor on the ship, but Bradford and Mullins nearly retched several times from the smell. The crew was told to comply with medical examination from Dr. Mullins.
Dr. Mullins sought me out after Mr. Kelley directed him to me as the ship’s physician. Mullins told me of the plan, and I was relieved to hear that, somehow, reason seemed to prevail in this chaos we had been living in.
I spoke again to Mr. North.
“Captain North,” I began deferentially, “the crew will be given medical examinations by a doctor from Plymouth to determine if we can land there. They believe that there is plague on this ship, and if that is found in any crew member, we will be forced to remain at sea. I am asking of you that you order me to be part of the medical examination on your ship as your ship surgeon.”
I guided Mr. North in his order to Mr. Swailes. I made sure that Mr. Kelley was nearby when I brought North to see Mr. Swailes to give the order. Mr. North actually sounded plausible in his order to Swailes to have me assist Mullins and Bradford. Swailes agreed, since he did not want trouble in front of a crewmember, and in front of our visitors.
I now had the opportunity to get the aid and attention we desperately needed from Mr. Bradford, and Dr. Mullins.
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:2
Joe Dimaggio was one of the immortals. He played for the New York Yankees from 1936-1951. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and he lost three seasons- what could have been very productive baseball seasons- to the war. My dad thought he was about the best he ever saw, as did many of the men in my dad’s generation. Joltin’ Joe was the graceful center fielder who glided to the ball. Yogi Berra, who saw so many of Dimaggio’s games from behind home plate, said he never saw Dimaggio dive for a ball. He was able to get a jump on fly balls and run to the right place.
I am thinking about this legend of baseball because I love the fact that he always gave his best effort. He was quoted as saying, “There might be a kid in the stands seeing me play for the first time, and I will not let him down”. Indeed, Dimaggio had a great deal of pride in his craft, and he would never let anyone see him slacking, nor even see him display a negative emotion. It was rare film footage when he actually kicked at the dirt after he was robbed of a hit by an incredible catch by Al Gionfriddo in a World Series game.
Joe Dimaggio retired from baseball just short of his 37th birthday. He was slowed by chronic injuries, and he chose to turn down another $100,000 contract (his was the first) to return to play at less than a “Dimaggio effort”.
I am certain that there are plenty of people who always give their best effort, even to the end of their career. I hold up Joe Dimaggio as a standard for us to emulate. We are bound by integrity put up our best effort all the time, even to the end.
I love it.
Prayer: Lord, continue to give us strength to give everything we have for your work, Amen
If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
Sometimes I think we believe that rest means not doing anything. Actually, I often think that rest can mean just doing something different. Yes, there are times when we actually need to stop being so busy, and just relax and think. Or maybe even just do nothing. But if you are like me, sitting and doing nothing is really difficult to do. I need to constantly occupy my mind somehow.
A change of pace can do wonders for making us feel rested. Even if we are “busy” with an activity that is not our usual work, we can feel rested and refreshed, even after a lengthy time of that kind of “busy” which is a change from our normal.
I remember going to workshops (yeah, I don’t do that anymore, it’s all Zoom all the time now), and having a refreshed way of looking at things which far outstripped the workshop content. It was the opportunity to have a different setting, and a change from the normal pace that freed me up in my mind.
So, what are the activities and behaviors which can give you rest?
Prayer: Even in our activity Lord, rest in you is peace, Amen
Listen to me, all of you in far-off lands: The Lord called me before my birth. From within the womb he called me by my name. Isaiah 49:1 (Living Bible)
God equips us with many talents and gifts so that we can navigate this world. Even before we were born, God had put into our DNA certain traits and tendencies which we simply accept as gifts, not as anything that we have worked for. Now, to be sure, some people take those gifts for granted, and do not work to develop them fully. Some people take credit for the gifts that were not of their own making. Some, sadly, do not recognize the gifts that they have, even when others point them out.
Some have musical ability, others athletic ability, others academic ability, others mechanical abilities, and so on. Some have high abilities in several areas. However, we all have abilities in some areas.
Often, I will ask my clients to take the StrengthFinder (Gallup Trademarked) test. That test will help people identify one of 34 potential strengths. The strengths are then explained and clients can see how those strengths can be of benefit to themselves and others. Typically, when we go over the strengths, the “light goes on”, and they can see that they have that special ability in an area which they have been using for years without really thinking about it. It just came naturally to them.
Gifts and talents are like that. We often do not see our own gifts because we don’t value them. After all, the things that come easy to us, we think, must come easy to everybody. “I’m not that special”, we feel. “If I can do it, anybody can do it”. How often have you heard that?
We need to recognize and appreciate the talents and gifts that we have, and humbly accept that we have been given them for a reason. Those talents are God’s gifts to us. Our gift to him is to use them in the service of others.
Prayer: Thank you for the many gifts you have given to us. Help us to see them, and use them in your service, Amen
Reflections of a Counselor 