April 5, 2021
One of the most interesting was Henry Every (or Avery). He struck a 21 ship convoy which belonged to the Grand Mogul of India, took an incredible amount of treasure and then vanishing from the pages of history. His men split up into three groups and disappeared, and Every went to Ireland where he was never heard from again.
Now from Warwick, RI, comes news that Jim Bailey, an amateur historian and metal detectorist, may have solved one of the greatest cold cases of all time – what became of Henry Every.
Until now, historians only knew that Every eventually sailed to Ireland in 1696, where the trail went cold. Bailey’s metal detector discovered a handful of coins in a pick-your-own-fruit orchard in rural Rhode Island. Research confirmed the exotic coin Bailey found was minted in 1693 in Yemen, an area where Aurangzeb’s fleet sailed. It is no secret that in the late 17th century, pirates sailed in America waters and were often granted safe passage. It seems that the coin was on one of the Grand Mogul’s ships, and was carried Rhode Island by Henry Every or one of his men.
👉 The following panel suggests the solution to another mystery:
👉 Here are some interesting looks at life from the comic strip Pickles.
👉 Since staging a February 1 coup and jailing the nation’s civilian leaders, the Myanmar military has murdered, assaulted and arrested with impunity. More than 550 people have been killed by soldiers or police officers. At least 40 of the dead were children under 18. Often the children were killed as they went about their lives, playing or huddling with their families, in cities and towns that have descended into terror. One of those was Aye Myat Thu.
U Soe Oo took a coconut from the family palm tree and hacked at it carefully, lest the sweet water spill out. Sounds like the pop of firecrackers echoed in the hazy heat. His daughter, Aye Myat Thu, 10 years old – grabbed her slice of coconut. She popping noises away from her house. Just as she reached the trees that marked the perimeter of their property, the girl seemed to stumble, landing flat on her stomach. Mr. Soe Oo said, “She just fell down,” he said. “And she died.”
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| Aye Myat Thu |
In earlier blogs I shared letters from Pastor CB Philip Thang. Here is the latest (and it is getting increasingly difficult to get word from Myanmar, the former Burma, because the military is taking over the Internet there): “America President Joe Biden declared to stop terrorism in Burma and their deterioration. However, Myanmar General Min Aung Hlaing did not take the presidential speech seriously. He said that ‘I will do till I achieve all the power and control of the Union of Myanmar.’ People expect the UN and R2P [a global political commitment which was endorsed by all member states of the United Nations at the 2005 World Summit in order to address its four key concerns to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity] to help Myanmar, but no action has been taken.”
Please pray for the violence to stop and for the people there to be safe. This world needs a revival of faith in Jesus, and his soon return!
👉 Today’s sermon from the Crawfordville Pulpit is “Easter People.”
👉 A Day Like All Days.
What kind of day was the first day after the resurrection of Jesus? To borrow a quote from “You Are There,” the old CBS radio and television series, “What sort of day was it? A day like all days, filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times. All things are as they were then, and you were there.”
For most people, the day after the resurrection was just a day like any other. The vast majority of people in Jerusalem went about that Monday just like they had the Monday before, and the Monday before that, and before that as far back as they could remember. For a few people, a handful out of the 50,000 full-time residents of the capital city, it was absolutely a day unlike any other.
Mary Magdalene went to the tomb thinking she would find Jesus’ body and complete the hasty burial preparations of a few days before, but instead she found a man she really believed was the gardener until he called her name. “Mary!” And she turned to him and said, “Teacher!”
Later in the day Jesus appeared to two unnamed disciples who had left Jerusalem and were on their way to Emmaus. They certainly weren’t looking for him, but after he had broken bread and vanished out of their sight, they said, “Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us on the road, and while he opened the Scriptures to us?” They turned around, returned to Jerusalem, and with joyful hearts reported, “The Lord is risen indeed!” (Luke 24:32-34).
Next John records, “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord” (John 20:19-20).
And now they will never be the same. Only hours ago their hearts were crushed, now they lifted up in rejoicing. Only hours ago they thought this Way that they had dedicated themselves to for three years was a bitter defeat, and now they knew it was the greatest victory. Only hours ago they were behind locked doors fearing that they might be the next ones to be executed, and now they know the joy of life eternal that no one can snatch out of their hearts.
So what was that first Monday after the resurrection like for them? At first there would be a few whispers, confidences shared only to a few, but eventually their voices would grow with the certainty and confidence of knowing the risen Lord. Within a short time, 120 of them would tumble out of the Upper Room, filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking publically and in confidence about Jesus, and then there were 5,000 of them, and then 13,000, and then they stopped counting. What caused the change? They knew he was alive. Although he was no longer physically present with them Jesus lived in their hearts and they scattered from Jerusalem to all Judea to Samaria and just kept going, spreading the good news: “We are no longer the same – Jesus is alive!”
What sort of day was it? A day absolutely unlike any other day, but filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times. And the best part, because of faith in Jesus Christ the Lord, we were there.
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