Anchor House Week 32

Anchor House Week 32 - Freedom

In this country, I think we take freedom for granted. Most of us have never known anything but freedom. We can typically come and go as we please. We can pursue the dreams we envision. We live in a country that provides us significant freedom.

For the seafarers we serve at Anchor House, freedom takes on a life of its own. Freedom to leave the ship depends upon visas, shorepasses, duration of stay in port, and the decisions of ships owners, management, and captains. There are many factors that can impact a seafarer's ability to get off of a ship and have the freedom to move about.

February 20, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. The term freedom drastically changed for the Russian and Ukrainian seafarers we serve. They found themselves restricted and could no longer enjoy shoreleave at our port. Meanwhile their colleagues from other countries were able to visit Anchor House or travel to town for shopping while their ships were in port. While their countries waged war and lives were changed forever, these men and women experienced a significant impact to their freedom.

This past weekend we celebrated. The authorities lifted the restrictions. Even though the war continued, love prevailed. Our brothers and sisters from Russia and Ukraine were again permitted to disembark the ship and come to Anchor House. They could go shopping at the store rather than online. They could visit a restaurant and enjoy a meal off of the ship. Their freedom was restored.

The perseverance of the Russian and Ukrainian seafarers over the last six months is a strong reminder of true freedom. It is not found in our ability to come and go as we please or visit places we want to visit. It is a gift of Jesus Christ. Galatians 5:1 says , “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” No external event and no person can ever take away the freedom we receive in Jesus. We stand firm in His freedom.

Be blessed and be a blessing,

Matt

Comments

Right In Front of Me

There is one character in the story of the night of Jesus' arrest that sticks out. He seems insignificant to what is happening. He’s almost an interruption in the story. He is only mentioned by name in one of the four gospels, even though the description of what occurred is in all four gospels. Malchus is his name. He works for the people who want Jesus dead. His job, with his compadres, is to seize Jesus and bring him back to the high priest. There he would be subject to questioning, a trial of sorts. As Malchus and his posse are approaching, Peter takes action to protect Jesus. “With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear” (Matthew 26:51). Jesus immediately tells Peter and the rest of his disciples to stop with the violence. I wonder what Malchus thought at this point. I imagine his was in shock, I would guess he was surprised. He had just been attacked and surely is bleeding ...

Anchor House Week 2: Have a nice forever

The second week at Anchor House concluded with my return to State College of Florida for a very special event. I had the great honor of overseeing the celebration of life services for Robert C Wynn. Coach Wynn was the first baseball coach and athletic director at then Manatee Junior College. Under his leadership, they won championships, expanded the athletic department by adding other new sports, and were pioneers and champions for women in sport. He was a husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, coach, teacher, mentor, and friend. The fact is, he built a legacy. However, that legacy wasn’t just what occurred on the baseball field, athletic department, or within his family. It was about people's forever. Coach Wynn was one of the most passionate soldiers for Jesus I have ever known. He was more concerned about people's salvation in Jesus than anything else. It was the focal point of all of his relationships and decisions. His unashamed passion for s...

A New Command

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34 NIV I don't know how many times I have read this verse. Today it hit me differently. Part of it jumped off the page. If there's a new commandment, what makes this different than the old ones? They must have love in them, right? Nine of the ten commandments have "No" or "Not" contained in them. They tell us what we cannot do rather than providing us with positive direction. This new commandment couldn't be a more drastic change from the ten commandments. Jesus doesn't say don't do this instead He says DO THIS! Jesus could have easily followed the format of the commandments and said don't hate others or don't ignore others. Instead He gave direction and said LOVE others. This raises the question, what does it mean to love each other as Jesus loved us and how can we do that? Be blessed and be a blessing Matt Ennis

Matthew TwoSix:ThreeNine

Search This Blog