night for the bridegroom. Not knowing how long it would be before he arrived, five of the virgins took extra oil for their lamps. They were prepared when the time came. The door to the wedding banquet was shut to the others who failed to keep the vigil.
“Sir! Sir!” They said. “Open the door for us!” But he replied, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.” Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
—Matthew 25:11–13
M ARCH 14
Hope to Go On
Paul Hirsch was forcefully thrown into the water by an exploding shell that totally destroyed the bridge of the SS Hurley . He remembered every horrendous detail: “My life jacket slowly raised me to the surface where I saw a scene from hell. The heat was intense and the sounds were unreal. Flames danced on the waves slick with burning oil, the ship was cracking to pieces, men were screaming.” 99
With his ship destroyed by a German submarine, Hirsch began a twenty-one-day ordeal with twenty-three other seamen in a lifeboat designed for ten. Stranded in the mid-Atlantic outside normal shipping lanes, their chances of rescue seemed slim. As they grew weaker, the seamen seemed to sense that they were nearing the limit of their endurance.
At this stage, they began to pray. They prayed for the wounded and for each other. As they continued these prayers they came closer together and found hope to go on. Hirsch later recalled that they managed to keep their civility, their self-respect, and their courage. Above all, these men nurtured the hope that they would survive. Their faith was rewarded on the twenty-first day when a British freighter came over the horizon to end their ordeal.
God wants us to be hopeful in Him. Finding hope in all circumstances is a recurring biblical theme reflected throughout the Psalms; “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the L ORD ”(Psalm 31:24). “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you”(Psalm 39:7). “For you have been my hope, O Sovereign L ORD , my confidence since my youth”(Psalms 71:5). Our heavenly Father also sent his Son into the world to bring us an even greater and ultimate hope: that through him, we have a place in his everlasting kingdom.
We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us.
—Romans 5:3–5
M ARCH 15
Navy Shower
When the fresh water supply runs low on a Navy ship, the inevitable and dreaded recourse is “water hours,” limiting the time available for showers. To prevent this and to educate the new crew members, the following article was run in a ship’s newsletter on New Year’s Day 1942:
The way most so-called sailors waste water, it is little wonder the ship may be required to establish washroom hours.
If some of you have no regard for engineering efficiency or ship’s spirit, most of you should still realize that fresh water aboard ship at sea is precious, and that the evaporators can’t make enough water for you to waste any!
So, for the benefit of first, second, third and fourth cruise “boots,” we shall endeavor to explain the proper way for a sailor to take a shower; in four easy lessons. 1. Wet yourself down. 2. Turn-off the water while soaping yourself. 3. Rinse. 4. Turn off the water and scram. P.S. If you want to linger longer than that under a shower, wait until you hit the “Y”. If all hands can learn to take a shower on board as outlined above, washroom hours may be extended, to the better comfort of all of us. Be a shipmate! Be a sailor!!! 100
Fresh water is always a precious commodity aboard a Navy ship, requiring careful conservation by every man on board. It is also a precious commodity in many arid regions of the world. In the Middle East, a gallon of water used to cost more than a gallon of gasoline.
Water was an especially critical resource during biblical times, and for that reason, was an important
“Sir! Sir!” They said. “Open the door for us!” But he replied, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.” Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
—Matthew 25:11–13
M ARCH 14
Hope to Go On
Paul Hirsch was forcefully thrown into the water by an exploding shell that totally destroyed the bridge of the SS Hurley . He remembered every horrendous detail: “My life jacket slowly raised me to the surface where I saw a scene from hell. The heat was intense and the sounds were unreal. Flames danced on the waves slick with burning oil, the ship was cracking to pieces, men were screaming.” 99
With his ship destroyed by a German submarine, Hirsch began a twenty-one-day ordeal with twenty-three other seamen in a lifeboat designed for ten. Stranded in the mid-Atlantic outside normal shipping lanes, their chances of rescue seemed slim. As they grew weaker, the seamen seemed to sense that they were nearing the limit of their endurance.
At this stage, they began to pray. They prayed for the wounded and for each other. As they continued these prayers they came closer together and found hope to go on. Hirsch later recalled that they managed to keep their civility, their self-respect, and their courage. Above all, these men nurtured the hope that they would survive. Their faith was rewarded on the twenty-first day when a British freighter came over the horizon to end their ordeal.
God wants us to be hopeful in Him. Finding hope in all circumstances is a recurring biblical theme reflected throughout the Psalms; “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the L ORD ”(Psalm 31:24). “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you”(Psalm 39:7). “For you have been my hope, O Sovereign L ORD , my confidence since my youth”(Psalms 71:5). Our heavenly Father also sent his Son into the world to bring us an even greater and ultimate hope: that through him, we have a place in his everlasting kingdom.
We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us.
—Romans 5:3–5
M ARCH 15
Navy Shower
When the fresh water supply runs low on a Navy ship, the inevitable and dreaded recourse is “water hours,” limiting the time available for showers. To prevent this and to educate the new crew members, the following article was run in a ship’s newsletter on New Year’s Day 1942:
The way most so-called sailors waste water, it is little wonder the ship may be required to establish washroom hours.
If some of you have no regard for engineering efficiency or ship’s spirit, most of you should still realize that fresh water aboard ship at sea is precious, and that the evaporators can’t make enough water for you to waste any!
So, for the benefit of first, second, third and fourth cruise “boots,” we shall endeavor to explain the proper way for a sailor to take a shower; in four easy lessons. 1. Wet yourself down. 2. Turn-off the water while soaping yourself. 3. Rinse. 4. Turn off the water and scram. P.S. If you want to linger longer than that under a shower, wait until you hit the “Y”. If all hands can learn to take a shower on board as outlined above, washroom hours may be extended, to the better comfort of all of us. Be a shipmate! Be a sailor!!! 100
Fresh water is always a precious commodity aboard a Navy ship, requiring careful conservation by every man on board. It is also a precious commodity in many arid regions of the world. In the Middle East, a gallon of water used to cost more than a gallon of gasoline.
Water was an especially critical resource during biblical times, and for that reason, was an important
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