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The MV Christophe Colomb and the MV Oasis of the Seas

Last year the largest cruise ship ever built was delivered to her new  owner, the Royal Caribbean's giant new 6,400 passenger ' OASIS OF THE SEAS '.

The same year the MV  ' CHRISTOPH COLUMB ', a 148.000 gross ton and  one of the largest containerships in the world was also delivered to her new owner. It can carry 13.300 twenty-foot equivalent containers!

As  the one ship can accomodate up to 6,400 passengers, the other ship will carry only 10 passengers. If you want to get away from the madding crowd of a super sized cruise ship then you should board this container ship and travel in great comfort for a full 69 -day Far East round voyage starting in  Southhampton, UK. The price for this voyage is appr. seven thousand euro's. ( CAN. $ 10.000,00  ) Enjoy your cruise!

CHURCH ON THE OCEAN # 2

On Good Friday evening I was working in the Mission at Roberts Bank. It was a very busy evening. Many seafarers were  making  phone calls and e-mailing their relatives at home. I noticed one older man among the crowd and I asked him whether he was the captain. " Yes ", he said, " I am the captain of the MV Bulk Monaco ".   I noticed that beside his chair were two plastic bags with bibles. He explained that he is leading a bible study on board ship and he needed some extra bibles. Then I asked him how many men attended the bible study. " All crew members ", he said, with a big smile on his face!  From our further conversation, I understood that he would really appreciate some additional study materials. The next day, armed with a load of  books, commentaries, bible studies and a study bible, I climbed the gangway to the MV Bulk Monaco. Both captain and crew were very thankful.

During lunch he told me that he is a member of a Pentecostal church in Manilla which is  called the Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ in the Fourth Watch. " Interesting name," I said, "especially the last two words - the Fourth Watch.   Does 'the fourth watch' mean that you believe the Lord Jesus will return soon?" I asked. " Yes," he said,  "because people are buying more Bibles in the Philippines, (his native country) than I have ever seen before. There is a hunger for the Word of God."  I shared with him that I had also noticed an increase in the amount of Tagalog bibles which Philipino sailors were taking from the Mission to their ships.  

Moments like this are always praise-worthy and encouraging.  A special "Thank You' to all the churches and individuals who contribute to the ' Literature Fund ' of this Ministry for helping seafarers such as these in their spiritual needs........Tomorrow is resurrection Sunday. Praise the Lord!

P.S. The third person on the right is the captain.

" freedom " A meditation

 " You may have seen the Lotto 6/49 ad on T.V. where they show all the beautiful things of the world, the ad then ends with the slogan, " Imagine Freedom! "....... Imagine for a moment complete financial freedom! To be debt free, to own a ( mortgage free )  beautiful home, to own ( not - lease )  and drive a most luxurious car, to vacation in the most beautiful places on this earth all the time.........just imagine!

During this Season of Lent I have meditated  on another kind of freedom, that is, the freedom we have in Christ!

To explain or define this freedom we can go to the Heidelberg Catechism and notice what it says about freedom in Christ Jesus.
" He has set me free from the tyranny of the devil." ( Lord's Day 1 )
" Our Lord Jesus was given us to set us completely free and to make us right with God." ( L.D. 6 )
" He has set us free by the one sacrifice of his body, and continually pleads our cause
  with the Father " ( L.D. 12 )
" He has set us free from sin and from the tyranny of the devil, and has bought us, body and soul, to be
  his very own." ( L.D. 13 )
" He has set us free, body and soul, from eternal condemnation, and gains for us God's grace, righteousness, and eternal life." ( L.D. 15 )
" He sets us free from the severe judgment of God that was to fall on us. " ( L.D. 15 )
" God grants me the righteousness of Christ to free me forever from judgment." ( L.D. 21 )

Now, to win the lottery and fully experience the freedom that is advertised, you have one chance in a million to experience freedom, that being the nature of the game.  The freedom we have in Christ is paid for with his blood and we receive it by faith. It is fully paid for, once and for all!  To quote an old hymn,

 " Nothing, no nothing I bring, only to Thy cross I cling. "  " Were the whole realm of nature mine, that would be a PRESENT  far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all "

Which freedom do you imagine? Which freedom do you choose?........... Have a blessed Easter. The Lord has risen, he has risen indeed!  HALLELUJAH!

A short Lent meditation

Lent is a period of fasting and reflection on the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this short devotional I like to reflect on our Lord's incredible struggle in the garden of Gethsemane, " being so much in anguish that his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." ( Luke 22 : 44 ) and " Abba, Father," he said, " everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." ( Mark 14 : 32 - 42 )  One thing that happened before Jesus and his disciples went to the garden is mentioned in Mark 14 : 26 and, to be honest, I've never given it any thought. What is the last thing Jesus did with His disciples before they went to the garden of Gethsemane? They sang a hymn! This reminds me of Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail. Paul and Silas were whipped and beaten, their feet were in stocks.....and they sang! I've heard of Dutch resistance fighters who were singing psalms and hymns in prison prior to their execution. Jesus is about to leave for the garden, the betrayal, the hour, the cup, the suffering and death of the cross; yet, He was singing.

Shouldn't we be doing the same when we see the cross? ( Lent ) And, shouldn't we do the same when the " storms of life are raging " in our lives? 

                " Hallelujah, what a Saviour "

The low cost of transporting goods by sea

Have you ever wondered how much it cost to transport your newly purchased Japanese flat screen television in a container to Vancouver? Let's say you purchased a T.V. at Best-Buy for $700. The shipping cost is only $10!

Here are some more statistics about the low cost of maritime transportation;
" The typical cost to a consumer in the United States of transporting crude oil from the Middle East, in terms of the purchase price of gasoline at the pump, is about half a US cent per litre.

" The typical cost of transporting a tonne of coal from Roberts Bank to Europe by sea is about US $12."

 " The typical cost of transporting a 20 foot container from Asia to Europe ( a voyage of approximately 14 days ) carrying over 20 tonnes of cargo is about the same as the economy airfare for a single passenger on the same journey. "    ( information from Marisec/Shippingfacts )