Chapter 11

The Elizabeth made good time on her way to Plymouth. The rest of her journey, nine days of good weather and fair winds, brought her into Plymouth on August 29^th. Captain Carr supervised the unloading of his ship’s cargo, and his brother Jacob was on hand to greet him. Jacob was usually on hand when Edwin’s ship came into dock, and Jacob’s dockworkers always seemed to land the contract to unload Edwin’s ships. Edwin was pleased to see his brother. Jacob was six years Edwin’s junior, and had always managed to travel to see him, even when their paths were not close.

Captain Braden asked to be taken to the Lord Admiralty as soon as possible to tell his tale of mutiny and the scurrilous acts of Mr. North. William Harvey was anxious to see his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of one of the royal physicians. This is primarily how he secured his position as court physician to King James. He would seek a ride to London as quickly as possible.

The Intrepid, limping along, was also helped on her journey by the good weather and fair winds. Some repairs on the rigging, and adding some extra cloth to her remaining masts, helped to restore some speed to the ailing ship. On board, the tension was diminishing, but hostility remained toward Joseph Shepherd and me. The story of exactly how Mr. North came to command the ship was changing. Would anyone believe that there was plague on the ship that was cured? How could they explain the expulsion of Captain Braden? Mr. North did have a plan that could deal with all of his problems.

“Mr. Swailes,” summoned North. “Come here, I have need of you.”

“Yes, Captain,” said Swailes, “I’m here.”

Swailes was loyal to North, and he believed him to be just the kind of tough officer that a warship needed. North had brought them through peril, two battles, and a near disastrous storm.

“Swailes,” North began, “you must help the men to understand that our safety was secured only through the strong leadership and difficult decisions that we made as officers on this ship. When we reach port in Plymouth, we need to be all of one mind about decisions we made at sea, including having to set Braden adrift. He was diagnosed by Dr. Greene as having the plague. We acted on that information, and saved the ship by our quick actions.”

Swailes seemed unsure of why he needed to convince the men of anything. Had the story changed a bit? Yes, Braden had the plague, or so we thought, he reasoned, but there were two other men who had the plague, and they recovered. Furthermore, Captain North had told the crew that Captain Braden had voluntarily asked to be set adrift so as not to infect the crew.

“Swailes!” said North more sternly to get his attention. “Did you hear me?”

“Yes, Captain,” said Swailes, “I was just wondering why…”

“Stop wondering and just follow my orders,” interrupted North. “I know how people think, and you just need to be clear that Greene diagnosed Braden, his doctor friend Shepherd was in agreement, and we decided, for the safety of the ship, to set him adrift. If we say that some of the crew had the plague, people might panic, and they might not allow us to stay in port. We need to get to Plymouth quickly, and we need to be together on what happened. Remember, this is a crew of heroes who fought off pirates, and returned to tell of it.”

Swailes agreed with North. This was a fine fighting crew, which deserved recognition. What would it hurt to tell the story just a bit differently than what it appeared to be? People just do not understand what it’s like on the ocean in battles and gales. Mr. North should be supported if that is what he orders. No harm done, he reasoned.

North would tell a darker tale of Shepherd and me. He would say how we had convinced him that Captain Braden was dying, and that by setting him adrift, North had saved the ship. He would say that we had predicted that Braden would die quickly on the little boat, and that if he stayed on the Intrepid, the rest of the ship was doomed.

I had surmised as much on my own. I was aware that if Joseph Shepherd and I were able to survive until we got to port, we would be blamed for the decision to set Captain Braden adrift. If we all held to the same story, no one would be held accountable. Braden was dead, we presumed, and the Intrepid would have made it safely to Plymouth. In fact, Shepherd and I could even take credit for the safety of the crew. It was a tidy story, if only it were true. When Mr. Swailes came to me with the story, I decided not to refute it. To do so might be fatal to Shepherd and to me.

When I talked with Joseph Shepherd, he was not so compliant. Recovering nicely now from his stab wound in the side, Shepherd was able to get around reasonably well, though he was still in some pain. Shepherd had been meticulous to wash the wound with fresh saltwater every day, and he had done another curious thing. He had put some of the sulfur, which we used to help preserve apples, on his side after cleansing the wound. It was another trick I learned from him that I would surely incorporate into my medical practice.

“Dr. Greene,” said Shepherd, “am I to believe that a man of your character will go along with this lie of Mr. North?”

Shepherd had a way of piercing through to my conscience that I had never before experienced.

“Joseph,” I said in a more familiar way than I had ever addressed him, “Captain Braden is surely dead, and we will surely be dead if we do not go along with this story. I cannot see much harm in it, really.”

“No harm in a lie?” he asked. “The real harm,” he said, “is the harm it will do to your soul. You are only worried about the harm it will do to your body.”

He had a point there, but when it came to saving my body, or saving my soul, I would go with the one that I could see and feel.

“Perhaps you do not care about your body, Dr. Shepherd, but I care very much for mine,” I said. I did not feel very noble in this line of reasoning, but I could not see who would be hurt by this plan. Yes, it was not actually true, but Braden was dead, we were all alive, and no amount of truth telling would bring Captain Braden back to life.

“I ask you, Dr. Greene,” Shepherd continued, “what if Captain Braden is not dead? Does that make your lie any different?”

 I thought about that for a moment. If Braden were alive somehow, we would still be justified, in a way. If he lived, then we would not be responsible for his death. There would be a chance that we could be caught in our lie, and that would not be good, but it was certainly not likely either.

Then again, if he were dead, it could be because of North’s actions, but Shepherd and I had not been in agreement with that plan. We had no choice, even though it very much appeared that Braden was recovering. So, by lying, we would be allowing a murderer to go free of his crime. It could also be that Braden died of the plague, despite his presumed rally of health. Then, it was a good decision to let him adrift to save the ship.

While all of this was tumbling in my head, I understood Shepherd’s point. No matter the outcome, truth is truth, not to be changed by the life or death of Braden. I could participate in the lie to save my skin, or I could hold fast to the truth, and risk death – death in defense of nothing more than honor.

Captain North broke into our conversation with a more pleasant than usual greeting.

“Good afternoon, Dr. Greene,” he said. “I trust that Mr. Swailes has spoken to you about Captain Braden’s unfortunate death at sea. You know, I have been thinking about good Captain Braden, and I think that we might actually help his memory, and perhaps the lot of his wife and children, by saying that Braden ordered himself off the ship to save it. What do you think of that?”

“Isn’t that what you told the crew after you set him adrift?” I asked.

A shadow came over North’s face and his demeanor changed markedly.

“Greene,” he said, “you will promise to say whatever I tell you to say or I will throw you overboard before we reach Plymouth, so help me God!”

He turned and left without even acknowledging the presence of Joseph Shepherd, who witnessed the increasingly outrageous behavior of Mr. North. I believed that North would not hesitate to throw both Shepherd and me overboard. In fact, I believed that Mr. North was in danger of being completely out of control. In fact, he seemed to be showing signs of being deranged.

“No harm in a lie, Dr. Greene?” asked Shepherd.

“He is becoming mad, Joseph,” I said. “I fear for the whole crew.”

“Then we must not allow the lies to continue,” said Shepherd. “North must be stopped now.”

The Intrepid would be making port in Plymouth any day. I could see the gulls at a distance, so I knew that we were closing in on land.

“Mr. Swailes,” I said as I saw the tall lean figure of Swailes approach, “tell me which story we will be telling about Captain Braden’s departure when we reach Plymouth.”

Swailes was not amused at my question. “You will tell whatever story Captain North says you’ll tell,” he said rather smugly. Mr. Swailes, while an officer on the ship, was not known to be of the best and brightest stock. His sister was related to North by marriage, her husband being North’s nephew. Mr. North tried to surround himself with people he trusted, and when the summons came to man the Intrepid, North engaged Swailes to sign on. North arranged to have Captain Braden name several of his friends as officers on the ship. This managed to engender some of the crew’s loyalty to North. Captain Braden had failed to recognize this troublesome pattern when staffing his ship.

“Mr. Swailes,” I continued, “don’t you think that if we keep changing the story that someone will get confused and accidentally tell the truth?”

Shepherd saw the humor in this and laughed out loud for the first time since boarding the ship.

Swailes glared and said, “I don’t know what the truth is anymore, and I do not care! You just say what we tell you!”

He walked off muttering to himself. Mr. Kelley came by at that moment and saw the end of the exchange.

“Swailes is a fool, isn’t he, Dr. Greene?” ventured Kelley.

“I rather think so, Mr. Kelley, but the rest of the crew, save yourself, are just as foolish. I believe that such behavior might just have us in irons after we land,” I said.

Kelley led us into a corner and began to speak in lowered tones.

“That is why I came by,” he said. “I heard that Mr. North is planning to have you both killed before we reach port.”

While I had felt this to be very possible all along, the words chilled me to the bone as Kelley breathed them.

“When is this to happen?” I asked when I could get my thoughts collected.

“Probably tomorrow,” said Kelley. “I will help you if I can, but I am not sure how to do so. Keep alert, and I will try to warn you if I hear more.”

“Shepherd,” I intoned, “you are a praying man. Pray for an answer to this!”

Mr. Shepherd was calm, as usual, and said, “God is in control. I need not worry.”

I was at once comforted, then incredulous that he could trust so completely.

“Do you understand the danger here?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said, “I am well aware that our lives are at stake, that there are those who would have us killed for no good reason other than to save themselves. I have faced this before.”

I began to wonder if he had been thrown off the last ship he was on before the Intrepid saved him some weeks ago. Perhaps he really was a Jonah, and anybody that touched him was bound for trouble.

“What happened to you in the past?” I asked, “Do you remember any more about what happened before you came aboard?”

“Yes,” he said. “The last few days much of my memory has been coming back. I was not thrown from a ship for having the plague. I was living in Egypt before I set sail. I was aboard an English trading ship, the Herald, which was bound for the West Indies. I was told that this was an English voyage, but the truth was that Portugal wanted to avoid any interference from Spanish ships, or pirates loyal to Spain. Hiring an English ship for Portuguese trading in the New World was a trick that the Portuguese felt might enhance their waning position in the New World.

“I had a desire to see this New World, and I had hired on as a ship’s physician. The ship was to stop in West Africa for some provisions of food and fresh water before our trip across the ocean. We had loaded a fine supply of ivory as well when the captain told us that the rest of the cargo was going to require every man to keep his senses keen and his guard up. I then saw that the ‘cargo’ was human slaves. About fifty black men, women, and children, chained together, mostly naked, looking wide-eyed and frightened. They were packed into the lowest deck chained together, and laid on wooden shelves, just like we had loaded the ivory.

“I was shocked at the sight of this. When I refused to participate in the loading of the slaves, I was beaten by several other hands, and then put into chains myself. I was thrown right beside the slaves, and they were even more fearful of my presence than of being packed like ivory into the ship. They had kept me on board to try to keep as many slaves alive as possible. Usually, about half of the ‘cargo’ of slaves dies on those voyages. When we set sail, the ship was blown off course by a storm. We ended up just off the coast of Spain. I complained to the captain that God was punishing the ship for the evil of participating in the slave trade. The captain laughed at me, and told me that he would ‘spare me that punishment’ by setting me adrift in the ocean. A number of the crew took it upon themselves to mock me, beat me, and then set me adrift with a week’s supply of salt fish and water. They were convinced that I would die on the little boat they set me on. I was given a hard blow to the head before I tumbled onto the little boat. The next thing I remembered, I was being picked up by the Intrepid.”

I was amazed at Shepherd’s tale. However, he now had a bigger problem than before. Mr. North was fully capable of murder, and we would be his victims unless we could find a way to save ourselves.

                       Chapter 12

William Harvey took his position as a court physician very seriously, and he felt obliged to report to the port master in Plymouth that there had been plague on the warship Intrepid. Indeed, the Elizabeth, making good sailing time, had beaten the Intrepid into Plymouth by more than seven days at this time. Harvey relayed how Captain Braden had been stricken, and subsequently recovered, and that Braden was even now seeking travel to London to discuss the mutiny on the Intrepid. Harvey felt obliged to protect the residents of Plymouth, even though he was doubtful that the Intrepid would seek port at Plymouth. The port master, a stout, ruddy man of some advanced years by the name of Alvin Toll, allowed as how this port was under his authority, and that no plague ship would be allowed entry. Harvey then felt satisfied that he had done his duty, and he made arrangements for a carriage to London.

Edwin Carr had finished overseeing the unloading of his ship, and he had, as usual, delegated some of that chore to his brother Jacob. Edwin believed that Jacob was meticulous in his oversight, and that he usually had ensured that the job was done promptly and with little waste of cargo or time. Edwin and Jacob then decided to spend the evening together in celebration of another successful voyage.

“There has been some unrest here since you left,” said Jacob.

 “Has King James found new ways to enrage the people?” asked Edwin, smiling.

“No,” replied Jacob, laughing, “he uses the same old ways.”

Edwin joined in the laughter, and together they hoisted a pint of ale to the King.

“All hail the King!” toasted Jacob. Several of the men drinking nearby replied with, “The bastard King of Scotland, may he rest with his head on a pike!”

The whole tavern erupted in song about the old days of Queen Elizabeth. Nostalgia was playing well these days, even though the queen was not far removed from the throne. She was sorely missed. This papist-leaning (as some thought) King James was not well appreciated.

“I’ve heard that a group of the Puritan people are heading to the New World from Plymouth,” said Captain Carr.

“Yes,” replied Jacob, “but not for treasure. They leave for religious freedom. I don’t think that I’d travel to America for religion, but I might go to find some silver.”

“Jacob, Jacob, always looking for the silver,” said Edwin, shaking his head.

“Yes,” said Jacob, “I will always be looking for more silver. I can count on silver, and very little else.”

Alvin Toll entered the pub and walked over to Edwin Carr. He had always liked Captain Carr, and he had never been able to see how two such opposite men as Jacob and Edwin had come out of the same womb.

“Edwin,” hailed Toll, “how was your voyage?”

“Most enjoyable, Mr. Toll,” replied Carr. “Some adventure, good company, fair weather, and, all in all, a successful trip.”

“You always seem to have a good trip, Edwin,” said Toll. “Good captains have good trips. I hear that you picked up a Captain Braden who had the plague.”

“Who told you that?” asked Carr.

“Why, none other than William Harvey,” said Toll, proud to have spoken to such a man as Harvey. “If the Intrepid tries to dock in Plymouth, she will meet with a hundred cannons fending her off!”

Toll was now swelling with pride over his well-protected port, even though he had grossly exaggerated the number of cannon in the port. He would make sure that no breach was found on his watch. 

Joseph Shepherd was praying when I walked in on him. Mr. North had allowed us to stay out of our shackles so as not to arouse undue suspicion and morale problems, or to divide sentiments on the ship. There were those among the crew, chiefly Mr. Kelley, who felt some loyalty toward us for the medical care they had received. Mr. Crane and Mr. Elliott, the two sailors whose symptoms of the plague were successfully treated by Joseph Shepherd, had also naturally felt kindly disposed to us.

“Joseph, we are now just a few days out of Plymouth,” I said. “What do you think our course of action should be?”

I asked this in some despair, believing that we would be summoned to Mr. North any moment and heaved overboard. North would make up some tale of our disappearance, the crew generally would not ask too many questions, and they would sail into port, heroes of some victories over pirates  at sea.

“I have been praying about our situation,” replied Shepherd, “and I think that we should go to Mr. North and ask him to do the right thing by us and by the ship.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” I exclaimed in mockery, “Of course, that is the best solution, sure to work!”

Shepherd endured my naturally cynical response and continued.

“Our job is not to convince him of anything; our job is to tell him the truth. God will take care of the rest.”

So simple a solution in Shepherd’s eyes – just tell North the truth and trust in God. I wished it were that simple.

“Think about it,” continued Shepherd. “We have little to lose in the venture. If he hears our pleas, he can either accept them, or reject them. As it stands now, we are destined to die for his sins. If he rejects us, we are no worse off for having asked him to do right.”

Shepherd had an odd but true point. There was little to lose; it was just a fearsome thing to do. Shepherd’s courage never ceased to amaze me.

“Your plan is better than anything I have come up with,” I said. “Proceed.”

We gathered ourselves and went to the top deck and to the helm where North was standing. He looked so proud commanding his damaged ship on her final leg home to Plymouth.

I interrupted North’s reverie by asking, “Mr. North, may we have a word with you?”

North looked around and saw Shepherd and me standing to his side. The wind had almost completely died down, and the weather was beautiful. I wondered if this would be the last few moments of sunshine I would ever experience. I was taken by surprise when Joseph began to speak. I had felt it to be my place as the ship physician, but Shepherd started boldly, yet softly, to address North.

“Mr. North,” Shepherd began, “we believe that we must ask what your intentions are for Dr. Greene and me.”

North looked a bit surprised at the directness of the question. He replied, “I intend to have you say what I tell you to say when we reach Plymouth. There will be an inquiry about what happened on our voyage, and I intend to make sure that you two say the right things.”

“We will indeed say the right things,” said Shepherd.

“What do you mean?” asked North.

“I mean,” said Shepherd, “that we will tell the truth.”

North was in no mood to banter back and forth over semantics. “The truth is what I tell you it is!” he thundered.

“Captain North,” began Shepherd, “surely as His Majesty’s representative on this vessel, you have a high responsibility. Would you have us lie to His Majesty’s inquiry?”

North seemed increasingly uncomfortable with this line of thinking. He started to turn red from his neck to his ears, and he ordered the nearest sailors to seize us and throw us in irons. Mr. Crane and Mr. Kelley were nearby and had heard the exchange. North pointed to them and ordered them to seize us. They hesitated, and North was now fury itself. He started to jump down from his elevated perch on the helm when a gust of wind slammed into the ship. North tripped on his way out of the helm booth, and the wheel spun into his shoulder, knocking him down with some force. He let out an oath, and tried to clamber back up. As he stood, I saw his left shoulder noticeably drooping down, horribly separated from the socket. The pain was searing, and he staggered toward us. Crane and Kelley stood motionless, unable to move.

“Seize those bastards!” he shouted.

No one moved. Time seemed to be frozen as North tried to steady himself, but the pain was more than he could stand. He fell again, heavily onto his left side. He screamed in pain, and then quickly passed out.

I looked at Joseph, then at Crane and Kelley. Joseph responded first.

“Help me get him below deck so that we can minister to him,” Shepherd said. Crane and Kelley grabbed his limp form and took him below deck to the infirmary.

“Dr. Greene, we will need to assess if the shoulder is broken or separated, or both,” said Shepherd. I began to question my Hippocratic Oath very seriously at this time. I was not convinced that I wanted to help the man who would have me killed as soon as I helped him to feel better. While I was musing, Shepherd had placed his hand on the shoulder and determined that the shoulder socket appeared to be in place and unbroken. He asked if I concurred, and after a cursory examination, I agreed with Shepherd. Joseph then asked if I wanted to jerk the shoulder back in place, or if he should proceed. I told Joseph that it was my place as ship physician, and I commenced to work on the shoulder to jerk it back into place. There had evidently been a great deal of damage to the sinews of the shoulder, and I could not budge it. Joseph then placed his hand behind North’s shoulder blade and lifted. At the same time, he rotated the shoulder forward and then out, and I saw the shoulder slide back into the socket.

At that moment, North came back to consciousness. Crane and Kelley were now joined by a number of the crew who was asking what had happened to Captain North.

Kelley spoke up, “Captain North took a nasty fall and broke his shoulder. Mr. Shepherd and Dr. Greene got him fixed up, I think.”

North was still in enormous pain, but now somewhat relieved by the procedure done by Shepherd.

“Seize these men,” North said, but much more weakly than before. The crew began to mutter, questioning the reason for such seizure.

Before anyone could respond, Kelley continued, “Captain North is still a bit out of his head from his fall. I think he needs some rest.”

Mr. Swailes came bursting in at that moment and asked about the confusion.

“Captain North was hurt,” Kelley said, “and the doctors have patched him up.”

Swailes was not totally satisfied with this answer, but he did not know enough at that point to recognize Kelley’s clever cover of what was happening. I then interrupted.

“Dr. Shepherd,” I said, “I believe that Captain North is in need of some pain relief. Please get him a large draught of rum.”

At that, Shepherd put a mug of rum to North’s lips, and North gladly drank. Shepherd kept the mug in place till North drained it. Shepherd then refilled the mug with more rum, now laced with tincture of opium which I had secured while North was drinking his first mug of rum. North drank this mixture with some prodding by Shepherd, who seemed to have a strange quality of calm and persuasion that paralyzed resistance. North came away from the drinks quiet and at ease. He seemed to forget his orders for Shepherd and me, and he slowly drifted away into sleep.

Swailes then took charge.

“Captain North had ordered me to put Shepherd and Dr. Greene back into chains,” he said. “Mr. Jenkins, please take them to quarters below.”

Jenkins hesitated, perhaps questioning the authority of Swailes. He had just seen us minister to a fallen captain, and now he was being ordered to put the helpers in chains. The rest of the crew seemed unwilling to have another mutiny on their hands, and they drifted away up to the main deck, going about their duties as if nothing had happened. Swailes looked around to the dwindling crew and decided that it was better to rescind an order that would not be followed rather than to have an order ignored.

Kelley looked at Joseph and me and said, “I told you I would help if I could.”

He left quickly to get to his post.

The Intrepid was closing in on Plymouth, and there was plenty to do before we got to port.

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Somewhere around the world / Someone would love to have my first world problems

Matthew Good Band’s 1995 song titled “Omissions of the Omen”

Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!                                                                        Luke 12:48 (The Message)

The meme “first world problems” has been around for maybe two decades. The words are used casually, like a good punch line, and indeed it often is. We can look at our entitled behavior and make fun of it. Yet beneath the humor is a stark reality- we have become quite entitled to what we assume is our rightful inheritance of convenience and even luxury.

I don’t think we should be too hard on ourselves for this, in that it is human nature, and it has existed, well, since there have been humans. When conveniences and a certain lifestyle become prevalent, we expect that it will happen forever. Further, if that gets disrupted, we get grumpy, maybe angry. We believe that we deserve such a lifestyle, and have a right to it.

A visit to the “third world” gives us a temporary jolt, and we become, at least for a while, more grateful for what we have. Perhaps it engenders pity for those who do not have even the basic things that we enjoy- plenty of fresh water, abundant food, lifestyle and career choices, relative safety in our environment etc. The list could go on for a while, depending on how high up the chain we live.  

This struck me the other day as the newscasters began discussion about vaccine distribution around the world. The AstraZeneca vaccine seems to hold promise for distribution to poorer countries because it does not require the cold storage that other vaccines need. This is good news indeed. However, if we think that we have distribution problems (and we do), think about distribution to remote areas of the world.

Indeed, some corrupt political regimes will withhold distribution for political or punitive measures. Even where that is not the case, black markets will arise and deprive many people access to the vaccine. Some countries will not be able to afford the distribution, even if cost is not the big factor. Infrastructure may not be existent to get the vaccines to the general population.

What is the response to be from the “first world”? How can Christians respond to this meaningfully? Of course, I do not know the answers to these questions. I do think that it is important to raise them, however.

What are the things we CAN do to help?

More tomorrow…

Prayer: Lord, we have been given so much. Help us to be mindful stewards of those riches, Amen

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us                                                                                                                                                                                         II Corinthians 4:6-7 (KJV)

As we anxiously await the arrival of the vaccines which will stem the tide of COVID-19, and eventually defeat it, I sit and marvel at the miracle that has unfolded. Science has produced these incredibly effective vaccines with a speed heretofore unknown. Yet, we are struggling over the speed (or lack of it) for getting the vaccine into arms. That is not the fault of those who developed the vaccine. We are now experiencing the frustration involved with not getting the vaccine widely available in a timely manner.

In short, we have come to expect miracles, but we do not adequately know how to introduce them into our mainstream of life. Why? I suggest that perhaps miracles have become too common. They have outpaced our ability to embrace them and implement them adequately.

I am defining miracles as extraordinary occurrences that happen which are far beyond currently accepted expectations and explanations. The development of the vaccines coming into play to fight this pandemic would fall into that category.

Unfortunately, the current mechanisms which are needed to implement the “miracle” vaccines have not caught up with miracle. So, while we have this extraordinary capacity to produce “miracles”, we are still saddled with traditional thinking and the often-ineffective ways to implement them. In this way, we have hindered the miracle. We have come to expect that science will come up with amazing ways to keep us fed and healthy. Yet, we still fail at coming to grips with how to handle the miracles around us. (More on this in a future blog)

Perhaps this can be a lesson in humility. We have, at the same time, amazing abilities because of our God-given creative gifts as humans. We also have all the failings of our stubborn human nature, including some inflexible political and bureaucratic thinking which sometimes gets in the way of miracles.

Let’s hope that the lessons we learned in this pandemic will give us the humility to look at all the ways we act, and make sure that our behavior can help make those common miracles save the lives intended.

Prayer: Lord, we hold the gifts you give us in clay vessels. Give us the wisdom and humility to use these gifts well, Amen.

A sound mind makes for a robust body, but runaway emotions corrode the bones

Proverbs 14:30 (The Message)

“I’m not angry, I’m just frustrated”. I hear that a lot, and I understand where that thinking comes from. Many of my clients do not want to say that they are feeling angry. There is nothing wrong with owning that we have anger, but somehow, we want to minimize that. Calling our anger “frustration” is a way to call anger another name.

I think the formula looks like this: Frustration = Anger + Sadness + Disappointment. The disappointment somewhat dampens the sense of anger, in that our expectations have not been met. We don’t feel that we have the right to be angry just because our expectations have been dashed. We have a mixture of feelings which we label frustration.

I am not saying that this is inaccurate. The label of frustration seems to be a reasonable definition of the feeling. I delve into this discussion so that we can clearly, honestly, and accurately label our emotions. Self-awareness of our emotions, and willingness to own them, is a very healthy practice. Sometimes, I ask my clients to keep a “feeling log” of those emotions so that we can really look into exactly what emotions they are experiencing at the moment.

It is a good practice. On all levels, the truth sets us free. So, as we start the year, maybe consider keeping track of your emotions, and the triggers for them. It is helpful to be aware of what is really happening with us so that we can own our emotions, and make sure that we are not blaming others for the things that we are responsible for.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the freedom and the experience of our emotions. Help us to own them and manage them for our good and your glory, Amen.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

While there are great disparities in gifts that we have all been given, one gift that is equally distributed is the gift of time. We all have 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, and 365 days in a year.

Now, I realize that some people need to devote more of that precious time to earning a living than some others. The question then becomes, how much time MUST one devote to earning a living, and how much does one CHOOSE to devote to that. That is a very subjective determination, and one that cannot be tackled here in this brief space.

I would suggest that we, as we begin this new year, take a serious look at exactly how we spend our time. Priorities will determine how we allocate the time we have. How much time will I spend in the activities not associated with earning a living?

We have all said, “I don’t have time for that” or, “I’m too busy” for that. Certainly true very often. As long as we are completely honest with ourselves, we are in good position to make that determination.

My question to ponder is this- “What do I want to make time for this year? What should I make time for this year?”

I will visit this again in future blogs. In the meantime, how do you want to allocate your precious time this year?  

Prayer: Lord, help us to be good stewards of the precious gift of time, Amen.

It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him                                                                                                                                                                                                    Lamentations 3:22-24 (KJV)

A good way to start the New Year is to recognize that every day is a new day. Not just January 1, the start of a new year, but every day, the start of a new day. The verse above is the basis of one of my favorite hymns, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”. The hymn reminds us of God’s faithfulness, even when, maybe especially when, we do not have enough faith of our own.

God is faithful, his mercy and compassion do not fail. They are new every morning. We are used to basing our evaluation of a “good day” on how we feel. This verse reminds us that our evaluation must not be based upon our feeling of blessing and mercy, but upon the fact of God’s faithfulness.

So, let us start the New Year on the promise of God’s faithfulness and mercy, and not our feeling about it. Let’s make that a mantra for 2021.

Prayer: Morning by morning new mercies I see. Great is thy faithfulness…, Amen

Somedays we forget to look around us
Somedays, we can’t see the joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give
So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day we hope for
What we still can’t see
It’s up to us, to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There’s so much to be thankful for
Look beyond ourselves
There’s so much sorrow
It’s way too late to say, I’ll cry tomorrow
Each of us must find our truth
We’re so long overdue
So for tonight we pray for

What we know can be
And everyday, we hope for
What we still can’t see
It’s up to us, to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There’s so much to be thankful for
Even with our differences
There is a place we’re all connected
Each of us can find each others light

So for tonight, we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day, we hope for
What we still can’t see
It’s up to us, to be the change
And even though this world needs so much more
There’s so much to be thankful for

Lyrics of Josh Groban song

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful

Colossians 3:15 (KJV)

I cannot think of a better way to end 2020 than to give my readers the gift of a song by Josh Groban. The year 2020, much vilified, and its ending so anticipated, was still another year of life and opportunity that was given to us. Being thankful in all things is the mark of faith and maturity. Yes, we all fail at those virtues at times, but let’s find ways to be thankful for 2020.

Please give a listen to the song whose site is found at the end of the blog. It is well worth it, and it will uplift your spirits, I trust.

Happy New Year, and blessings on 2021!

A person without self-control is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out.                                                      Proverbs 25:28 (The Message)

I talked yesterday about making resolutions, and I said that there are some simple rules that help the process. Resolutions should be practical, measurable and achievable, as well as easy to remember. I also suggested that we should plan for resolutions on three basic levels of health that must always be considered- physical, spiritual, and mental/emotional.

For example, one might consider walking at least 15 minutes/day. A brisk walk, done regularly, enhances both physical and mental health. Exercise has been shown to be effective in reducing stress, anxiety and depression. Further, the physical benefits of exercise are too numerous to mention in a brief blog. Trust me when I say that exercise pays off far beyond the effort that it takes to do it.

Spiritually, there are so many practices that we can consider- meditation, prayer, reading, uplifting music, etc. The point here is the regularity of it. We need daily realignment of our spirit to be emotionally healthy. If you are like me, we look for ways to multi-task on this. Praying while walking is a great practice, and it aligns all of our being in one dedicated practice.

Finally, and certainly you have noticed this, our mental and emotional health is enhanced as we practice the other disciplines. They are all interconnected and affected by one another- for good or ill.

Just some ideas for resolutions.  Remember too that good self-esteem is produced by keeping promises to ourselves. To the extent that we keep those promises we make to ourselves, and thereby enhance trust in ourselves, the better our confidence and esteem becomes.

Prayer: Lord, you have given us all the tools for health. Help is to use them regularly and wisely, Amen

                                                   Chapter 8

The sea was beginning to get a little rough as the weather turned quickly. It appeared that another storm had popped up, nothing unusual for August, but such storms cause sailors to act in strange ways. The men aboard the Intrepid, reacted quickly to the rising wind and waves. They trimmed the sails to minimize damage, and they began to lash down everything on deck that moved. As the rains began to pelt the ship, winds tossed her about the waves. Between curses and oaths, some again remembered the presence of Joseph Shepherd, who had brought no luck at all, save his uncanny knowledge of the medical arts. Some of the sailors began to accuse Shepherd of using the power of the devil himself. He did not practice medical arts, they surmised, he practiced the black arts of Satan himself. The storm was raging now, so there was no time to worry about Joseph Shepherd. Let him and Dr. Greene rot below, they probably figured. 

This storm seemed particularly cruel. Rain was coming down in sheets, bent sideways by the wind. The ropes on the masts were singing with the wind, and the ship was pitching wildly. Lightning was piercing the sky in every direction, and the moon, which had previously been the sky’s light, was now obscured by storm clouds. As the Intrepid was pitching in the sea, one of the lightning bolts struck the already damaged main mast, splitting it from top to bottom. The sound of the splitting wood and the sight of the blue and orange flames shook the crew. Panic spread through even the toughest of sailors, and they huddled below deck, tossed by the storm. Fear is usually masked by anger in such men, so the rage turned to anyone available.

Joseph Shepherd once again became the target of their wrath. Bouncing in the lower deck of the ship, Mr. Kent began to berate Shepherd. “We’ve had nothing but disaster since we took on Shepherd”, began Kent. Others joined in the railing. People have a need to find reasons for their misfortune, and Mr. Shepherd was an easy target. A foreigner, not prone to fit in with the coarseness of the crew, Shepherd did not even try to raise his voice in his own defense. Instead, he looked aside and fixed his gaze away from the gathering din of discontent. Several of the men took this as arrogance, and became even more enraged. “Thinks he’s better than us, he does”, said Kent. Others followed, and I began to sense that they might take him up to the deck and push him overboard. The only thing that may have prevented this was the continued rolling of the ship, which restricted much of the possibility of upright movement at the moment.

Suddenly, Mr. Kent lunged at Shepherd with a knife. Before anyone could make a response, Kent was on Dr. Shepherd, and he plunged the knife into Shepherd’s side. Shepherd made no attempt to move away as Kent came at him again. As Kent drew back for another attack, the ship heaved violently, throwing Kent backwards into a barrel of black powder. Kent seemed to bend in half at the waist as his lower back crashed with a sickening thud on the barrel rim. I heard his spine crack as he let out a muted scream. The knife fell from his hand, and a muffled groan followed. As I got over to him, I saw his eyes rolling back in his head. He could barely breathe for the pain he was suffering. While I was getting ready to offer some assistance, I saw someone pick up the knife and drive it into Kent’s neck. Blood squirted all over me, and covered those who had gotten near to Kent. He was dead in seconds. I looked up to see Mr. Kelley kneeling over Kent with a knife dripping blood. “He was a dead man anyway”, said Kelley, “I just moved it along a little quicker, saved him the pain.”

Sailors were quieted by this grisly scene, and attention was no longer on Joseph Shepherd. Shepherd was now my main concern. It looked as if the wound he received was not as deep as I had feared. It appeared that Mr. Kent had missed his aim because of the rolling ship, and he had delivered a glancing blow to Shepherd. The knife skimmed off of one of Shepherd’s ribs, opening his side, but leaving no serious damage.

Kelley had made a show of ending Kent’s suffering with his swift stab to Kent’s neck, but I thought it to be something different. I believed that Mr. Kelley was just returning a favor to Dr. Shepherd, and Kent was the recipient of some seagoing justice, swift and sure.

Mr. North came bounding down to the mob of sailors. He saw blood pouring out of Mr. Kent, and a group of rather quiet sailors. “What happened here!” he shouted.  “Attempted murder” I said more softly than I had expected given my excited state. “Looks like actual murder to me, Dr. Greene” countered North. “Mr. Kent went after Joseph Shepherd”, I said,” and he paid the price for doing so.” “Well then”, said North, “who killed Mr. Kent?”  “Actually, I believe that Mr. Kent was close to death when Mr. Kelley took compassion on him and finished the deed”, I said. While I did not believe that to be quite so true, I did not want Mr. Kelley hanged for taking the life of the worthless scum Kent.

As the conversation continued, a heavy crash broke through the deck. The remainder of the main mast finally succumbed to the wind and crashed down into the ship. Water poured in, the mast fell onto two sailors, and confusion ruled the hour. The ship was reeling about in the heavy seas, and I was convinced that we could not take much more pounding from this storm. If the storm did not abate soon, we were doomed. 

Joseph Shepherd, bleeding from his wound, began to speak to the men assembled in the chaos of the lower deck. “This storm will pass soon”, he said calmly, “you need not fear.”  With that he raised his arms and prayed in a language we did not understand. His white shirt now drenched in blood, he looked gruesome and tortured, yet strangely calm and in control. He stood amidst the rocking of the ship and was able to maintain his balance. Soon, the wind died down, and the squall passed. The hole in the deck where the mast had crashed through now gave us a view of the heavens, which were filled with stars. The black clouds were gone and calm was restored.

“Don’t be telling me that the storm calmed just because he prayed”, said Mr. North. “I don’t know why the storm calmed”, I said, “let us just be glad it is over.” The rest of the men slowly returned to their duties, the first of which was to extricate the bodies of seamen David and Michael Clark who had been crushed by the mast. They were twin brothers, just 17 years old. They had signed onto the ship together, and they died together in her service. Some of the men saw this as another omen of ill fate for the Intrepid.  They had believed it to be bad luck to have twins on the ship. This was proof enough for them that God was punishing them for the foolishness of allowing twins to serve on the ship.

I began to tend to Joseph Shepherd, wrapping his side tightly with clean strips of  bandage. “Dr. Shepherd”, I whispered, “do you believe that your prayers really calmed this storm?” I could hardly believe that I was even asking the question. Shepherd answered, “I have no special powers, if that is what you are asking”, he replied. “I simply trust in the Father, and He supplies our needs. You decide if it was an answered prayer. I am also certain that I was not the only one praying a few moments ago”, he smiled. I had to agree with that statement, because even this unbeliever was crying to God in that situation.   

                                                       Chapter 9

The sun rose brilliantly beside the Elizabeth on her starboard side as she began to turn north again. The open Atlantic spread before them and this turn caused some discussion on board the Elizabeth. The Spanish had grown wealthy with New World plunder, and Captain Carr began to speak with Captain Braden about his encounters with the Spanish.

“The Spaniards”, began Braden, “are a greedy lot.” “I have heard stories of how they stole gold from the people they found in the New World, then simply murdered them. I think they baptized them first to be sure that they would go to heaven, then they sent them on their way there pretty quickly.” Braden spoke like a veteran of Spanish wars. He hated the Spaniards, their greed, their religion, their sense of superiority.

“Well, said Captain Carr, “I do not care one way or another about the Spanish as long as they leave my ship alone. Do you think that they are using pirates to raid commercial ships such as ours?”

Braden hesitated, then replied, “No, I do not think that the Spanish are really enlisting pirates to raid shipping. Pirates may well be preying on some ships, they always have, but the Spanish are too arrogant to use the pirates that way. And most pirates do not want any connection with any civilized government, not that I consider the Spanish civilized.”

Carr pushed further. “Wasn’t the Intrepid attacked by pirates, and didn’t you say that Spanish ships were nearby?”  Braden replied, “If a pirate ship engaged the Elizabeth, and Spanish vessels were nearby, they would do nothing to help or hinder the action. As far as they care, one less load of cargo to England probably helps the Spaniards. But the Spanish fleet does not care to tangle with England again. Your worry is pirates, not the Spanish.”

Captain Carr asked directly, “What course should we take to avoid those pirates who attacked the Intrepid?” “There is no proper course,” said Braden. Speed is what you want. Get back to Plymouth as fast as you can. The only thing on your side is luck. Luck and good speed,” Braden said.

Carr had already decided that traveling further west to avoid pirates off the Spanish coast was futile. He would heed Captain Braden’s advice, and he would take the fastest route back home. Good weather had been aiding the Elizabeth all along, and he would take advantage of it by looking for the best winds to get him back to Plymouth.

Aboard the Intrepid, the crew was trying to make repairs as best they could. The storm had completely wrecked the main mast and much rigging on the other sails. The top deck was splintered with the remains of the mast, and a gaping hole stared clear below decks. The crew was now jettisoning any cargo deemed unnecessary. There was very little powder for cannons, and the Intrepid was now nearly defenseless. We had been less than 10 days out from Plymouth, but with this sail damage, who knew how long it may now take. Further, the food supply was dwindling and we would need to catch fish to live. Fishing took time, but we would live on whatever fish the men caught. There was a good deal of rainwater captured and stored in casks. The trip back home would be slow with only mizzenmast and aft sails available for the little wind they would encounter. If the pirate ships they fought in the past week came back, the Intrepid would be completely incapable of defense.

The Elizabeth was making good time now, plowing north with the coast of Spain receding to the east.  Captain Braden seemed to be completely recovered from his illness. William Harvey, enjoying the time to himself, was reading voraciously. He was fascinated by the action of the human heart, and he was reading books by the ancient authors, all the while wondering what new learning could be done through experimentation on human corpses. This practice, while known, was disdained by most scholars, and it was forbidden by the Church. Harvey was also fascinated by the recovery of Captain Braden. He had heard from Braden about the efforts of me and Joseph Shepherd to save his life. When Braden talked about the treatment, Harvey discounted it as the recollections of a man in delirium. The treatment with moldy bread and rum was bizarre at best, but Harvey continued to keep an open mind. If Harvey had any outstanding attributes, it was that he kept an open mind to everything. Such is the inquisitive nature of a true scientist. 

Several days after Captain Carr had his conversation with Captain Braden, and had decided to plot the fastest course as his safest course back to England, the Elizabeth encountered a ship to her north. Dusk was turning into night as the ship came into sight, and what a sight it was. The ship was lacking her main mast, and much of the rigging was in tatters. The ship was barely moving, and it appeared that it was in trouble.

Captain Carr hailed Braden and asked him to join him by the helm. Braden shuddered as he squinted into the eyeglass offered by Carr. It was the Intrepid. “Did you call me up here to verify that this ship is the Intrepid?” asked Braden. “That was my suspicion”, said Carr. “What do you suggest Captain Braden?” said Carr, continuing to show deference and respect to the senior captain. “I suggest that we sail by her as quickly as possible!” said Braden. If Mr. North is in command, we do not know what he may do, especially if he would have any idea that I was on board. He led a mutiny and set me adrift. If he does get back to England, I’ll see that he hangs!”

“There is another reason to get away from that ship”, interrupted William Harvey. “I must apologize for the intrusion”, he offered, but that ship looks like she is just adrift herself. Who knows but that she is now a ghost ship with bodies of plague victims on board.  Even if the ship does have survivors, we cannot afford to offer help lest we expose our people to plague.”

Carr did not need to think long about his decision. He would stay clear of the Intrepid at all costs. It was quite evident that the Elizabeth would be long past the Intrepid by morning.  As the evening deepened into night’s darkness, the moon exposed an eerie outline of the Intrepid. The Elizabeth got as close as 1000 yards to the doomed ship. Lights did appear on the ship, so Carr knew that the crew was not all dead. He would take no chances. His crew worked all night to secure the light wind from the lee side, and the Elizabeth quickly moved well past the stricken Intrepid.  By morning, there was no sight of the Intrepid. It was now time, Carr hoped, for a clear and uneventful trip home. He should reach Plymouth in less than a week.

                                                    Chapter 10

The Plymouth, England toward which Captains Carr and North were headed was a bristling seaport. It also was abuzz with political foment and discussion. A group of Puritans were heading toward Plymouth from Holland, with a final destination of the New World. The New World for them would be more than the opportunity for wealth, it would be a haven of religious freedom. It would also be an escape from a land, or perhaps just a king, which no longer supported such ideals. Religious freedom was tied to a philosophy of simplicity of life and worship. Basic values of available land, and economic, and religious freedom burned in the hearts of this simple but determined people.

John Ward, a spokesman for this group, was in London, meeting with King James for one last time to plead the case of his people. Ward was a strong and idealistic leader. Integrity was his life theme, and so was a steadfast determination to do the right thing, and to tolerate nothing less. He was single-minded and unshakeable in his zeal. He was not particularly tolerant of anyone who had less vigor than himself in such matters.

“Your majesty”, began Ward, “I beg you hear our concerns about our freedom to worship God without the interference of the crown.”

“Interference of the crown?” James thundered. “Mr. Ward, the crown is ordained of God for the protection and direction of the people of England”, James continued. “How dare you make accusations about God’s appointed leader of your country!”

“With all due respect your majesty”, countered Ward, “my only Lord is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, appointed for my salvation and the salvation of His people. We worship Him in Spirit and in truth, and with no vestige of papist ceremony. He is the King of Kings, and you would do well to heed Him also.”

At this point James was willing to tolerate no more from Ward. “Do you intend to preach to your king?” inquired James. “Indeed, even calling your divinely appointed king a Papist! Take him to the Tower, and let him find time to learn respect for the king of the realm!” At that, Ward was led away by two royal guardsmen. Ward did not protest, and he did not seem surprised. It was almost as if he had provoked such a response, and now had found the conclusion he had anticipated.

Word quickly spread through the Puritan and Nonconformist communities. Other leaders, not of any particular religious persuasion, also took note and spread the word- the king had banished a leader of the people who dared to request a simple freedom long a part of English tradition. Freedom of dissent and limits on royal authority were well established English principles. Ward had simply provoked this diffident king to an action which could foment trouble down the road. Right now, it simply sent a message to his people that Ward was willing to die for his faith. Let the king be the one who starts the flames of rebellion.

It was a hot day for London, and the crowds, which had gathered at the Boar’s Head Tavern, were in a restive mood. “Ward’s in the Tower!” yelled one of the runners on the street, “Ward’s in the Tower!” he repeated. Several of the men gathered in the tavern resolved to use this as a reason to cause some mischief. “Tonight”, they whispered to one another, “tonight the king feels the bite of the snake.”

Jacob Carr was one of the crowd at the Boar’s Head that day. He had no particular concern or sympathy for John Ward or the Puritans. He was an opportunist. King James’ popularity was waning, and there were those who had a mind for revolt. They had a need for financial backing, and Jacob Carr might be able to secure some funds for the right favors.

 The economy of much of Europe was in shock due to the loads of gold and silver coming from the New World. Prices were rising, and wages were not keeping up. This was causing a greater and greater gulf between the rising commercial and industrial class and the workers. Peasants had no standing whatsoever, nor even any actual money. They survived one day at a time scraping what they could from the land, begging for food, and stealing if they must. Poverty was an increasing problem for those who came to the cities to find work of any type. The restlessness of poor men, unskilled and uneducated, was displayed in shocking acts of crime. Public executions of common thieves were a regular occurrence. Debtor’s prisons were overflowing, to the point that King James was willing to send these debtors overseas to the New World, or to remote places in the kingdom. He had little use for those who could not pay their debts. Some religious people saw this as the hand of God’s judgment on those who were not “elect”. Therefore, some of these “religious people” were content to let them starve and attributed it to God’s plan.

Jacob Carr was not a poor man. He also did not believe that hard work was a value that he wanted to endure. His brother, Edwin, was the captain of the Elizabeth, and Jacob would find a way to sell some of the cargo, which had not totally been accounted for by the ship’s log. He and some dock workers knew that markets existed for the fine Italian wines and Tuscan olive oil that may have escaped the East India Company’s inventory. That inventory often could get distorted by a few well-placed guineas in the hands of the right people. Jacob Carr knew the right people.

Parliament had not been meeting regularly because King James had simply ignored them. English history had long recognized the right of the people to limit royal power, but James seemed immune to such thought, and disdainful of the people who proclaimed it. He had no real idea of English political realities, having come from Scotland to assume the throne upon the beloved Elizabeth’s death. The Puritans and other pietist movements were only interested in having the freedom to worship their God. Others in England believed that royal authority had simply grown too much.

That night, Oliver Craft met with Jacob Carr by the royal stable. It was a rather warm evening, and the fog was beginning to become formidable. Torches around the stable had large, hazy orange halos around them. Cricket songs were just picking up volume, and bats were screeching hunting sounds as they gorged themselves on the numerous bugs in the air.  “Good evening”, hailed Craft to one of the royal guards. “What’s your business here?” the guard replied. “Why I’m here to make sure you have a nice evening”, said Craft. He handed the guard a bottle of Madeira, the kind the guard was not used to seeing. “What do you want!” demanded the guard. “Do you want my gift?” asked Carr. “Looks like I’ve got it now doesn’t it?’ he grinned. “Now get out of here and let me enjoy your little gift!”

Carr signaled to several men in the shadows, and in a moment, the guard was knocked to the ground with a blow from a club. Two of the men uncorked the wine and drizzled a fair amount around the face and clothes of the guard. “I believe he would rather have been conscious to enjoy that wine. Pity it is too, that is too fine a wine to be wasted on such a lout.”

Craft then grabbed a torch nearby and threw it into the stables. Several others of the mob did the same, and soon the stable was ablaze. Frantic horses, awakened by the smoke, strove at their collars and shrieked into the night. Fire was the most feared event in the town. Watchmen nearby raised the sound of alarm, and townspeople, guards, and passersby joined in the impromptu fire fight. Water buckets were secured, and a line to the nearby canal was formed. This would be a fight for life. If the blaze could not be contained, the western part of the town, at least, was doomed.

People were now running to the scene to help fight the fire. Young boys, excited by the adventure, ran to help. In the midst of the growing excitement, Craft’s mob, which now included Jacob Carr, roved into the merchant’s section of the town, and helped themselves to some prizes. A nice gold watch from Tarleton’s Shoppe, a couple of fine firearms from the blacksmith, and expensive perfume from the trading company agent’s private larder. He had always kept some back for his mistresses, and Jacob Carr knew such secrets, and the places where they were kept.

The townspeople were successful in fighting back the blaze in a short time. They had become accustomed to such drills, and had become proficient at protecting their city from deadly fires. Nonetheless, Craft’s mob had been able to disrupt the town long enough to secure what they wanted. Carr could have bought all these things, had he not wanted something even more- to cause trouble for the king.

Early the next morning, the stable guard, having survived the fire, and the nasty blow to the head, was hauled in front of his commander. “Mister Key”, barked the royal army’s commander, “you are a disgrace. Asleep at guard, drunk, and unable to protect the royal stables. You are not fit for service to his majesty!”

Key was still reeling from the concussion he had sustained, and the previous evening’s activities were not registering to him. The last thing he remembered was holding a fine bottle of Madeira, then his world became dark.

“Drunk again?” chimed Jacob Carr. Carr knew most of the royal guard, and he was acquainted with commander Mills through some exchanges of fine goods. “Yes”, said Mills, he smelled like he drank a whole bottle of wine. “Passed out, and he didn’t notice that the stable was on fire. He probably fell down drunk and got that nasty lump on his head.”

Carr then said, “I understand that there was some mischief in town last night. Tarleton told me he lost some watches. “There was more than watches stole last night, Jacob. This is not the first time that we have had some mysterious things going on.”

“Well,” said Carr, “there is a lot of unrest in whole kingdom. If the king would not be bowing to the papists, and putting men like John Ward into the tower, perhaps there would be less mischief.” Mills looked quizzically at Carr. “When is it that you became interested in religious affairs and affairs of the kingdom?” asked Mills. “When it involves the amount of money that I can make”, said Carr. “I think you are doing well just the way things are”, replied Mills. “A man can always do better if he is close to power”, said Carr, “and that is my aim.” “And just what does that mean?” asked Mills. “Someday, you will see, Commander Mills,” said Carr.

“After all is said and done, more is said than done…”

–Attributed to many sources

Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons!                                                                                                               II Corinthians 5:17

The new year is just days away, and we will soon welcome 2021. Perhaps that welcome of a new year will be more heartfelt this year, given the track record of 2020. We are hoping and trusting that 2021 will bring a slow end to COVID-19 as the vaccines begin to become more available. We are hoping that 2021 will bring a release for the pent-up economic demands, and the heartfelt desires to see people face-to-face once again without the strange limits we now face.

The start of the New Year also brings resolutions for changed behaviors of some kind. Typically, people decide to lose weight, exercise more, drink less, become more disciplined, etc. These are fine goals, and well-intentioned.

There is an old saying, “When all is said and done, more is said than done”. We are more prone talk action than take action. As we prepare for 2021 “resolutions”, may I suggest what I say to my clients- make your goals small, achievable measurable, and practical. Don’t get caught up in idealistic goals that will not be attained. Shoot for small, but meaningful changes.

Also, as you consider goals for 2021, consider making small goals for each of the levels we exist in- physical, spiritual, mental/emotional. I will talk more about this as we close out this “remarkable” (nicest word I can rightly use) 2020!

Prayer: Father, we are grateful for every day that you grant to us. Help us to redeem each day to your purpose and glory, Amen.