Truth in my Travels

Category: Salvation

  • The Edmund Fitzgerald Shipwreck: A Timeline and Eternal Lesson

    It was fifty years ago, but I remember it well. I am one of the 29 men aboard the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. It is November 10, 1975. (I am a fictional representation of any man who lost his life in the wreck of the largest freighter in the Great Lakes.)

    November 9, 1975

     At 2:20 pm, we depart from Superior, Wisconsin with 26,116 tons of iron ore. Nine minutes later, gale warnings are issued.

    November 10, 1975

    My captain, Ernest McSorley, began communicating yesterday with another ship on a similar course: the SS Arthur M. Anderson, captained by Jesse Cooper. The Anderson trails us by around 16, and later 10, miles.  Along the way, they talk about the dangerous weather and how to navigate their course to keep their ship and crew safe.

    3:30 pm: Our captain reports some damage, including topside, and he has the pumps going for our “Mighty Fitz”.

     4:30 pm: The beacon and light at Whitefish Point in Michigan are reported to out of operation.

     4:39 pm: The National Weather Service predicts winds gusting to 60 knots and waves 8 to 16 feet.

     6 pm: The Anderson is struck by waves of over 25 feet. It sustained damage but was okay.

    7:10 pm: The two captains are communicating about navigation. My ship has lost both radars and has a bad tilt. The 22-foot waves are pouring over the deck.

     Captain Cooper hears the last words that my captain will ever speak: “We are holding our own.”

     As dread fills my heart that I will be drowning, I think about what I heard from a Christian friend whose invitations to church I had always rejected. He had told me that we are all sinners. Sin separates us from God, so we can never be in His presence (in Heaven) until our sin is forgiven, redeemed, washed away. God is so loving and merciful that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die a painful death on the cross to redeem us of sin. It is a free gift, not born of works, but we must willingly humble ourselves and accept it.

     Water coming in from the cargo hold pools around my feet. I become unbalanced as the ship lists–tilts to one side.

    I call out to God, and I mean it: “I am a sinner in need of forgiveness. I believe that Jesus is Your Son, He died and rose again, and I receive Him as my Lord and Savior.”

    A sense of love and peace begin to reduce my fear.

     7:15 pm:  Near Whitefish Point in Lake Superior, my ship disappears from the radar of the Anderson. More than an hour later, the Coast Guard begins to search.

     7:55 pm: The Anderson tells the Coast Guard they have lost visual and radar sight of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It is later found in two pieces.

    A Beautiful Place for Me. And For You?

     Like all of the good, hard-working men, I drowned. Only my body was left, like an empty wrapper with no substance, but I found myself separated from it, in a place of beauty and peace. I came to be with Jesus, with God, a fulfillment of the promise of an eternity in Heaven for those of us who accept salvation through Jesus, even in our final moments.

    I am grateful to God that I had just enough time to secure my eternal life. And when I think about my life on the earth, I wonder how much more joyful and peaceful it would have been if I had put aside my pride or my schedule and gone to church with that Christian friend—and humbled myself enough to realize that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through (Him)” (John 14:6).

     I also wonder, though I don’t despair–because there is no despair where I am now–what if I had died so suddenly that I had no time to reconcile with God? I would be suffering eternally, separated from hope.

     If you do not call Jesus your Lord and Savior, I urge you to think about my* experience. You never know when time will run out.

    *This could have been the experience of one or more of the crew on the doomed freighter. I (blog author) used creative license for an illustrative scenario that I could imagine as I listened to Gordon Lightfoot’s song and did some research.

     Scripture references:

    John 14:6

    Romans 3:23

    Romans 6:23

    Romans 10:9

    John 3:16

    Ephesians 2:8-9

    Edmund Fitzgerald Timeline — S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Online

    Audio recording of the Anderson communicating with the Coast Guard:

    Gordon Lightfoot’s song:

    How the song came to be and how it became a cultural phenomenon:

    Gordon Lightfoot’s Song: How it became a cultural phenomenon

  • A Precious Cup

    Inspired by Matthew 23:25-26

    As I stand at the kitchen sink and wipe away the stain inside my special teacup, I admire the kingfisher-like bird and botanicals that brighten the white porcelain and the little flower adorning the inner edge. I smile as I recall the purchase in Door County, Wisconsin, at a quaint restaurant and inn.

    The White Gull Inn is a treasure of the town of Fish Creek. My husband and I had just enjoyed splitting a delicious breakfast of cherry-stuffed French toast and an omelette with Wisconsin cheese. I bought it in the gift shop where we paid for our meal.

    I drink tea from the special cup on the few mornings when, instead of a fitness routine, I start my day with study in the Bible. The cup represents my time with God and reminds me that His blessings overflow in my life, as David wrote in Psalms 23:5 that his “cup overflows.”  In addition to abundance, a cup illustrates:

    1. Judgment and wrath. Sin and rebellion against God lead to consequences. The prophecies of the Old Testament warn of divine judgment.Jeremiah 25:15 declares, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: ‘Take from My hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.’”
    2. A clean heart. What matters most is our faith, character, and the condition of our hearts. These come from a heart cleansed of sin. In Matthew 23:25-26, Jesus says to religious leaders, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish and then the outside also will be clean.” (NIV)
    3. Communion. “Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.”
    4. The prophecy of salvation. Psalms 116:13 “I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord’s name for saving me.”
    5. Suffering and sacrifice. Jesus feared what He knew was ahead but was willing to give up his life by His Father’s will.  Mark 14:36: “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

     As I dry the now-clean teacup, my heart fills with gratitude that, once like the cup before I cleaned the inside, I was stained with sin, but it was washed away when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, whose own cup of suffering made it possible.

    Note: I wrote this weeks ago and was inspired to publish it now after our annual trip to northern Door County and a return to The White Gull Inn—now a featured location in the GFAM movie, “A Wisconsin Christmas Pie”, airing October 11.

     

  • A Door County Devotional: In God’s Strength

    “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”  Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

    Last Light, Almost Heaven, Rest Haven,  The Great Escape: I smile as I pedal past these familiar signs on Ellison Bay’s Beach Road that mark the driveways to homes that on this side of the peninsula look out on Green Bay.

    My husband, Mitch, and I have returned to the treasure we find in Door County. Cycling is among the many pleasures I look forward to on our annual visit, but until I had an e-bike, I had to walk my regular bike on the steeper slopes of routes that connect to Beach Road.

    When the challenges arise, I struggle in my own limited power. Even my best efforts—through a fitness routine that includes strength training—are not enough for my aging body.

    The assistance from my E-bike enables me to enjoy and conquer the climbs and just focus on the beauty of my surroundings, no matter where I am. It is only by the battery, by tapping into the power, that I can overcome the hills that are steep or long, or that I can just keep going when my legs get weary.

     I am reminded that in life, it is only by the power of Jesus that I am able to succeed at challenges and overcome difficulties and disappointments. It is by His strength and faithfulness that

    I can focus on the good and can count on Him to carry me up the hills of life.

    This is true for any of us, that we fail or we struggle unnecessarily when we try to do things in our own limited power or by our own understanding. In the same way as we must activate assistance from an e-bike, we must pray and ask for help from God.

    “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”    Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬

    “So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”   Zechariah‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬