Podcasts about colonial new england

In many ways, the Salem witch trials have taken on a life of their own over the last three centuries. In this episode, we're joined by John Howard Smith, professor of history at Texas A&M University - Commerce, who helps us sort through the myths and realities of the witch crisis.  Prof. Smith's most recent book is A Dream of the Judgment Day: American Millennialism and Apocalypticism, 1620-1890 He is currently finishing up the drafting of his  new book, Heathens and Other Adversaries against Us: Religion, War, and Racial Identity in Colonial New England. Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter. and TikTok Learn about Greg Houle's forthcoming book, The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials.  

This episode will present a very complete view of Hutchinson, from her early adoption of certain religious beliefs to her clash with Gov. Winthrop.  Dr. Hermes will provide not only the story of her life but the religious and social background of the Massachusetts Bay Colony of the 1630's. Though the early years of the Bay Colony are often depicted as a haven for religious freedom, you will learn of philosophical divides and the involvement of the political leaders. And how these deep disagreements, as part of the Antinomian* Controversy,  lead to the outright banishments of some of the early inhabitants. Hutchinson's unwavering alignment with controversial beliefs and misogyny, in part, contributed to her family's tragic fate. Provided at the end of the episode, will be excerpts from the trial exchanges with Hutchinson and Winthrop (at 44min, 12sec).  *(from Greek, loosely translated to "Against the Law")Link to trial transcriptDr. Katherine A. Hermes is the publisher of Connecticut Explored (magazine of Connecticut History). Her impressive academic career includes: (A.B. History, cum laude, Univ. of CA- Irvine, M.A.  & M.Phil History, Yale Univ., J.D. from Duke Univ. School of Law, Ph.D. in Colonial American History, Yale Univ.). Her dissertation, "Religion and Law in Colonial New England, 1620-1730", covered the Antinomian Controversy and Anne Hutchinson.  She has had numerous publications, the most recent co-authored with Beth Caruso, "Between God and Satan: Thomas Thornton, Witch-Hunting, and Religious Mission in the English Atlantic World, 1647-1693," Connecticut History Review (Fall 2022). Connecticut Explored, the magazine of Connecticut history: ctexplored.orgWebsite: https://peoplehiddeninhistory.comDirect linkWebsite with all Podcast Episodes/All PlatformsContact PageTwitter(X)/Instagram: @phihpod

Halloween season is here! We're sure you've heard about Salem Witch Trials, but have you ever heard of the Hartford Witch Panic? It's the mid-to-late 1600s in Connecticut and it doesn't take much to be accused of being a witch. With a history of executions in their past, it takes one sick child to kickstart a panic that caused chaos in colonial America. Come explore this terrifying time to be alive with us as we kick off Spooktober and learn how descendants of the Hartford Witch Panic are speaking up for their silenced ancestors.Tea of the Day: Pumpkin Spice Tea You can find Thou Shalt Not Suffer podcast hereTheme Music by Brad Frank Sources:The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England by Carol F. KarlsenConnecticut Witch Trials: The First Panic in the New World by Cynthia Wolfe BoyntonPodcast: Thou Shalt Not Suffer: The Witch Trial Podcast with Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack https://thoushaltnotsuffer.com/New England's Other Witch Hunt with Walt Woodward (Connecticut State Historian): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD3tpTU-lGkhttps://www.legendsofamerica.com/hartford-connecticut-witch-panic/https://www.legendsofamerica.com/alse-young-witch/https://www.legendsofamerica.com/mary-johnson-witch/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_executed_in_Connecticuthttps://www.legendsofamerica.com/elizabeth-seager-witch/https://www.legendsofamerica.com/nathaniel-rebecca-greensmith/https://www.wethersfieldhistory.org/articles/connecticuts-witch-trials/https://www.legendsofamerica.com/lydia-gilbert-witch/https://www.npr.org/2023/06/26/1184322980/370-years-later-connecticut-is-exonerating-accused-witcheshttps://www.cnn.com/2023/05/29/us/connecticut-witch-trial-exoneration-trnd/index.htmlhttps://digitalfarmington.org/digital-farmington-project/mary-barnes-last-witch-hanged-in-connecticut/https://connecticutwitchtrials.org/press/https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190326-what-is-epigeneticshttps://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/06/12/generational-trauma-passed-healing/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-isnt-everyone-doing-this-with-emily-fletcher/id1686999794

Happy Autumn Equinox, the day of the year when day and night have equal amounts of time. It is a time to reflect, be grateful and find balance.In this episode we're talking Mabon (Son of Mother).How to celebrate it? Food, flowers, and traditions. Wait? Have we already been doing these things and we just didn't know it? Oh and how about the perfect FALL book read for witches? SLEWFOOT by Brom is a Colonial New England folklore tale that is sure to intrigue you.So light a candle and speak your thoughts of gratefulness it's Mabon time.CocktailPumpkin Spice Creme Martini by WitchCraftCocktails.com1.5 oz Vanilla vodka *I made mine by adding a teaspoon of Trader Joe's vanilla paste to a cup of vodka and letting it sit overnight in the fridge..5 oz Armaretto liquor.5 oz Pumpkin Spice Syrup *HOMEMADE and can be used for coffee or ice cream topping.25oz half and half Fill a shaker with ice, add all the ingredients and shake. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick or pumpkin spice baton wafer from Trader Joe's. If you go to recipe link you will see you can sub in hazelnut liquor for almond and add cinnamon liquor too. I opted to use almond because that's what I had and left out the cinnamon on purpose.Pumpkin Spice Syrup Recipe  by the BakingChocolatess.comTrader Joe's Fearless Flier For all fun FALL eats and treats.YouTube LinksGinny MetheralThe Witches CookeryBewitched.BemusedSowulo OfficialMoulin Rouge - Asynthe and Green FairySummer Solstice Celebration - Practical MagicSupport the showwww.FrolickingChronicles.comPatreon for exclusive contentYouTube Subscribe to our ChannelInstagram @FrolickingChronicles for updates & current eventsTikTok @ParanormalCocktails for FUN

Carla Cevasco, Assistant Professor of American Studies at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, discusses her recent article, "This is My Body: Communion and Cannibalism in Colonial New England and New France." Her article was published in the December 2016 issue of The New England Quarterly. Abstract: Analyzing the material culture of English, French, and Native communion ceremonies, and debates over communion and cannibalism, this article argues that peoples in the borderlands between colonial New England and New France refused to recognize their cultural similarities, a cross-cultural failure of communication with violent consequences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Carla Cevasco, Assistant Professor of American Studies at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, discusses her recent article, "This is My Body: Communion and Cannibalism in Colonial New England and New France." Her article was published in the December 2016 issue of The New England Quarterly. Abstract: Analyzing the material culture of English, French, and Native communion ceremonies, and debates over communion and cannibalism, this article argues that peoples in the borderlands between colonial New England and New France refused to recognize their cultural similarities, a cross-cultural failure of communication with violent consequences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

Carla Cevasco, Assistant Professor of American Studies at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, discusses her recent article, "This is My Body: Communion and Cannibalism in Colonial New England and New France." Her article was published in the December 2016 issue of The New England Quarterly. Abstract: Analyzing the material culture of English, French, and Native communion ceremonies, and debates over communion and cannibalism, this article argues that peoples in the borderlands between colonial New England and New France refused to recognize their cultural similarities, a cross-cultural failure of communication with violent consequences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

Carla Cevasco, Assistant Professor of American Studies at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, discusses her recent article, "This is My Body: Communion and Cannibalism in Colonial New England and New France." Her article was published in the December 2016 issue of The New England Quarterly. Abstract: Analyzing the material culture of English, French, and Native communion ceremonies, and debates over communion and cannibalism, this article argues that peoples in the borderlands between colonial New England and New France refused to recognize their cultural similarities, a cross-cultural failure of communication with violent consequences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carla Cevasco, Assistant Professor of American Studies at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, discusses her recent article, "This is My Body: Communion and Cannibalism in Colonial New England and New France." Her article was published in the December 2016 issue of The New England Quarterly. Abstract: Analyzing the material culture of English, French, and Native communion ceremonies, and debates over communion and cannibalism, this article argues that peoples in the borderlands between colonial New England and New France refused to recognize their cultural similarities, a cross-cultural failure of communication with violent consequences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Um julgamento de "bruxas" no vilarejo de Salem/MA marcou o começo do fim para o domínio puritano na Nova Inglaterra. Discutimos a atuação dos quakers, a fundação de Rhode Island e da Pensilvânia, o surgimento dos metodistas e do movimento de reavivação religiosa chamado o Primeiro Grande Despertar (1730-1740), crucial para a formação da noção de Estado laico tão importante para democracias modernas. Bibliografia e filmografia consultada American Experience: The Pilgrims - (documentário da PBS). Bremer, Francis J. Anne Hutchinson: Troubler of the Puritan Zion. New York: W.B. Eerdmans, 1981. Hart, D.G.; Mark A. Noll (ed). Dictionary of the Presbyterian and Reformed Tradition in America. Downers Grove, IL:InterVarsity Press, 1999. Lovejoy, David S. Religious Enthusiasm in the New World: Heresy to Revolution. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1985. God in America (documentário da PBS) McLoughlin, William G. Rhode Island: A History. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1986. Pennell, Melissa McFarland. The Historian's Scarlet Letter. Reading Nathaniel Hawthorne's Masterpiece As Social and Cultural History. Praeger, 2018 Stout, Harry S. The New England Soul: Preaching and Religious Culture in Colonial New England. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. Taylor, Alan. American Colonies. NY: Penguin Books, 2002. Winslow, Ola Elizabeth. Master Roger Williams: A Biography. New York: Macmillan, 1957. Música de desfescho: Fehlfarben. Magnificent Obsession (1983)

To honor Women's History Month and March 8, International Women's Day we have created a special episode with Colorado State University's Dr. Ann Little who specializes in the history of colonial America, with special emphasis on the history of women, gender and sexuality. She is a professor, author and expert consultant for Who Do You Think You Are?  We discuss past and persisting mentalities toward and in women including their fertility and sexuality power in society. What is the impact of this narrative on historic witch trials and in modern attitudes influencing women's rights?LinksWitch Craze: Terror and Fantasy in Baroque Germany, Lyndal Roper The Devil in the Shape of a Women: Witchcraft in Colonial New England, Carol F. KarlsenThe Republic of Nature, Mark FiegePress Conference on H.J. No. 34, March 8, 2023Resolution Concerning Certain Witchcraft Convictions in Colonial ConnecticutWrite a Connecticut Legislator Join us on Discord to share your ideas and feedback.Please sign the petition to exonerate those accused of witchcraft in ConnecticutFact Sheet for Connecticut Witch Trial HistorySupport Us! Sign up as a Super Listener!End Witch Hunts Movement Thou Shalt Not Suffer Podcast Book StoreSupport Us! Buy Witch Trial Merch!Support Us! Buy Podcast Merch!WebsiteTwitterFacebookInstagramPinterestLinkedInYouTubeTikTokDiscordBuzzsproutMailchimpDonateSupport the show --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/witchhunt/message

For a special Thanksgiving episode, this week the guys take a look at the "earliest surviving work of poetry about New England and the second oldest poem whose origins can be traced directly to the British American colonies." William Morrell (d. 1625), sometime Oxford Classics student, Anglican priest, and member of the failed Wessagusset Colony in Weymouth, MA, wrote a fascinating poem about Nova Anglia, its flora, fauna, and Native American inhabitants. Drawing on the work of Andrew Gaudio, Jeff and Dave share a lively discussion of the poetry's beauty, Morrell's fairmindedness, proselytizing spirit, and a few questions about colonialism. Lynxes, beavers, bears, and bobcats, this episode is stuffed like a turkey with unusual and recherche conversation. Plus, two more limericks during the ad read, and a special Thanksgiving Easter Egg at the end. Don't miss it!

It's the third and final chapter of the Fear Street trilogy! Join us as we discuss why the title really should have been Fear Street 1694, Puritan attitudes toward homosexuality, the good old days when gossip was a crime, and more! Sources: Rachel Black, Alcohol in Popular Culture: An Encyclopedia: https://books.google.com/books?id=mb0SZIYCXREC&pg=PA10#v=onepage&q&f=false https://nerfpedialegacy.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Soaker_50 Associated Press, "Doused Police Chief Hits Crowd with Pepper Spray," Chicago Tribune (25 July 1993): 16.  "Kids Turn in 100 Toy Weapons," Dayton Daily News (11 November 1994): 5B.  Sally Deneen, "In Play: A Consumer's Guide to Toys," Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (28 November 1991): 1E.  Christine Eisel, "Several Unhandsome Words": The Politics of Gossip in Early Virginia, dissertation (May 2012), https://etd.ohiolink.edu/apexprod/rws_etd/send_file/send?accession=bgsu1332788117&disposition=inline   Francis T. McAndrew, "How "The Gossip" Became a Woman and How "Gossip" Became Her Weapon of Choice," The Oxford Handbook of Women and Competition, ed. Maryanne L. Fisher (2014). https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Frank-Mcandrew/publication/261063555_How_The_Gossip_became_a_woman_and_how_Gossip_became_her_weapon_of_choice/links/5a0604e7a6fdcc65eab17a53/How-The-Gossip-became-a-woman-and-how-Gossip-became-her-weapon-of-choice.pdf  Susan Ratcliffe (ed.), "Gossip," in Oxford Essential Quotations, 6 ed. (Oxford University Press, 2018).  Gyles Brandreth (ed.), "Gossip," in Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations, 5 ed. (Oxford University Press, 2014).  Mary Beth Norton, "Witchcraft in the Anglo-American Colonies," OAH Magazine of History 17, no.4 (2003): 5-10. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25163614   Mary Beth Norton, "Gender and Defamation in Seventeenth-Century Maryland," The William and Mary Quarterly 44, no.1 (1987): 3-39. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1939717  Walter W. Woodward, "New England's Other Witch-hunt: The Hartford Witch-hunt of the 1660s and Changing Patterns in Witchcraft Prosecution," OAH Magazine of History, 17, no.4 (2003): 16-20. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25163616  Elizabeth Reis, "Confess or Deny? What's a "Witch" to Do?" OAH Magazine of History, 17, no.4 (2003):11-13. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25163615  Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fear_street_part_three_1666  Nick Allen, "Fear Street Part Three: 1666" Rogerebert.com (16 July 2021). https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fear-street-part-three-1666-2021  Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_Street_Part_Three:_1666  "Kiana Madeira & Olivia Scott Welch Discuss 'Fear Street' Movies | Entertainment Weekly" Entertainment Weekly YouTube (28 July 2021). https://youtu.be/dJR6EktKk-E   Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya, ""Fear Street: 1666" Brings the Trilogy to a Very Gay Close," Autostraddle (19 July 2021). https://www.autostraddle.com/fear-street-1666-gay/  "Fear Street Cast Play MTV Yearbook & Reveal Creepy On Set Moment | MTV Movies" MTV UK YouTube (7 July 2021). https://youtu.be/_GxtoJ1uznY  Richard Godbeer, "The Cry of Sodom: Discourse, Intercourse, and Desire in Colonial New England," William and Mary Quarterly 52, 2 (1995) Roger Thompson, "Attitudes Towards Homosexuality in Seventeenth-Century New England Colonies," Journal of American Studies 23, 1 (1989)

Pastor Andy Davis preaches a sermon on Mark 4: 26-29 and explains what Christians can and cannot do for the advance of the gospel of Christ. - SERMON Transcript - I. A Crushing Burden That No One Can Bear Turn in your Bibles to Mark 4. We're going to be looking at this incredible little parable, a parable only found in the Gospel of Mark, not found in Matthew or Luke or John. I'm going to begin with a story from church history which I find fascinating. Luke Short was a healthy farmer who lived in colonial New England had reached his hundredth year. He was a hundred years old, but as yet he had not been converted, he had not trusted in Christ for the salvation of his soul. One afternoon, there in Colonial New England, he sat in a field and his mind went back over his long life, back to his boyhood years in Dartmouth, England, before he sailed for America. At the age of 15, he heard a sermon preached by the great puritan preacher, John Flavel. He was preaching on the text, "If any man loved not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be a cursed." [1 Corinthians 16:22]. Flavel focused on the horror of dying under God's curse. Eighty-five years later, Luke Short, sitting in that field under a tree, felt the fear of God come on him and repented and trusted in Christ; he found forgiveness. I wonder what was going on for those 85 years, don't you? I feel that in part this little parable that we're going to study today, addresses that, a secret working of the Spirit of God within the hearts of individuals, after they have received the seed of the gospel, that eventually produces the harvest of salvation in that person's life. A secret working of God that we cannot understand, and we cannot affect, we cannot bring it about, but only God can. That's what this parable is about. Now in this, I believe that the Lord Jesus is alleviating from us a crushing burden that none of us can bear. Mark 4 is an incredible chapter. It begins with the parable of the seed and the soils, various soil types and various outcomes. Then he continues to teach other aspects of the spreading of the seed and of the spread of the gospel. At that point, the Twelve apostles did not know that they were going to be given the responsibility of the great commission and through them also, we, all of us, every generation of Christian, the responsibility of the great commission, given in each of the four gospels and also in the Book of Acts. That we are to take the gospel and go to the ends of the Earth and spread the gospel everywhere and make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son of the Holy Spirit and then teach them to obey everything that Christ has commanded. We are given that responsibility. But in the midst of that, we must understand our limitations, our limited role. Jesus would lift from us a crushing burden that we cannot bear. Matthew 23 talks about the Scribes and Pharisees in many ways, their judgmental ways. One of the first things Jesus says about the Scribes and Pharisees is that they lay crushing burdens on people and they are not willing to lift a finger to move them [Matthew 23:4]. In Acts 15, Peter talks about a yolk, or a burden, that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear, a crushing burden. What is the burden here? Suppose that you believe that the eternal destiny of specific people, or a specific person, was completely up to you. You had to devise a way to win a person or a set of lost people. You had to pick the locks of their personalities, of their particular perspectives and their culture, so that the locked gates of their hearts would swing open to Christ. You had to figure that out and that if you failed, they would spend eternity in hell, wailing and gnashing their teeth, crying in agony, ultimately, because you failed to deliver the gospel, the perfect work of Christ. You failed to deliver it to them and find a way to win them to Christ. That I tell you is a crushing burden that no one can bear. Getting more specific, imagine if the Lord pointed to some coworker, or a neighbor, or a group of neighbors, or for a missionary, let's say an unreached people group assigned to you. You're the only missionary unit working on that unreached people group or a massive city in Asia with 20 million people, and the Lord were to say to you, "Their eternal destiny depends on you finding a way to actually bring them to Christ. I have done my part, shed my blood. Now it's up to you to do your part." Well, if that doesn't crush your spirit, I don't know what would. Perhaps just as bad would be somebody that says, "I can do that." You rise to the occasion, and you do find a way and you do bring in someone to Christ, and then you arrogantly boast as though somehow you had achieved some great thing. That you are in some way, just as responsible for their salvation as Jesus was. That would be insufferable to listen to that for all eternity up in heaven. Both sides are bad, as with any faithless self-reliance, it brings you to either despair or arrogance, depending on whether you think you can meet the challenge. To cut all of that off, Jesus gives us this little parable, this beautiful little parable. It's extremely humbling actually, but it's also incredibly encouraging. If you look at it properly, listen to the words again. Mark 4:26-29, "He also said, this is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed in the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself, the soil produces grain. First, the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it because the harvest has come." This is kind of a simple restatement of the parable. As evangelists, as spreaders of the word of God, as farmers of the gospel, we have a limited role, we scatter the seed on the ground. Then we do nothing else within this parable. We cannot give life. Life comes apart from anything we possibly can do. Whether we are awake or asleep, the word of God does it all. All by itself, the soil produces grain. But we, who have scattered the seed, have no idea how it happens. It has nothing to do with our power or our knowledge. It is God alone that gives life. God alone that gives spiritual growth. We get to scatter the seed and then we get to go to bed and sleep. God does everything else. What really matters? God gives life. We cannot. “We cannot give life. Life comes apart from anything we possibly can do. Whether we are awake or asleep, the word of God does it all.” God's reason, it seems to me for all of this, is very plain. He alone gets the glory for this salvation of souls, that He alone takes responsibility for the condemnation of souls. God is everything. He's absolutely sovereign in salvation, as I Corinthians 1:31 says, "As it is written, let him who boasts, boast in the Lord." We are humbled by this. We're also greatly encouraged as well. We're going to talk now about what we gospel farmers can do and what we cannot do. Then I'm just going to go over the same thing again and just intensify it and speak about what we gospel farmers must do and what we must not do. II. What Gospel Farmers Can Do Let's begin with what gospel farmers can do. One of the key interpretation principles for me for this parable is the insight that the one who sows the seed here is not Christ. It's not Jesus here. It is true in the parable of the wheat and the tares. The one who sows the wheat and the weeds is Jesus. The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man [Matthew 13:37]. But here, this man who sowed knows nothing about how the seed grows. Friends, that's not Jesus. Jesus knows everything about how the seed grows. But this man doesn't know anything about it and he can do nothing about it. He cannot make it grow and he sleeps. The gospel farmer is anyone who scatters the word. So, what can ordinary gospel farmers like you and me do? First, they can scatter the seed of the word. Look at verse 26, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scattered seed in the ground." Jesus began most of his parables with this kind of introduction. Like, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” Or, "This is what the kingdom of God is like," something like that. What does that mean? The kingdom of heaven in Matthew, the kingdom of God in Mark and Luke, the same thing, is this spiritual domain where God rules over subjects who are delighted to have him ruling over them. We enter the kingdom of God by repentance and faith in Christ. That's what the kingdom of God is like. When Jesus is telling parables, he's saying, "This is how the king does his business. This is how the kingdom works. This is an aspect of the way that the king does his work in his kingdom. That's how the parables work." He begins by saying, “A man scatter seed on the ground.” We already talked about the seed and the soils. The seed is the word of God, more specifically, especially the Gospel. It could be any teaching from scripture but I think especially it focuses on the Gospel, the pinnacle of scripture teaching. So the seed is the word of God. There is almost nothing said about the person who scatters the seed. It could be a man, could be a woman, could be a boy, could be a girl. It doesn't matter, it’s not really addressed. He or she is unremarkable. There's nothing special about this person at all and the role is simple, scatter the seed on the ground. There's no plowing mentioned. There's no preparation of the soil here. There's no building of a protective wall or a watch tower or a wine press or any of that equipment. Those are mentioned in other parables, not here. Simply put, this sower speaks the word of God to another human being. They just speak the Gospel to another person. It could be a pastor preaching a sermon like I am right now, or it could be a neighbor speaking the gospel to another neighbor over tea, some hospitality and chance to share the gospel. It could be a passenger sitting in next to another passenger on a plane and talking about the gospel. It could be a coworker with another coworker at a coffee break, speaking the gospel. It could be a mother speaking the gospel to her growing children in their home. Gospel workers can do this as much as they like, and I will exhort you at the end of the sermon to do it more than you've ever done it before. But Jesus makes very little of the process. There's nothing simpler than scattering seed on the ground. So picture yourself within the parable. You're walking through the field, you have a bag slung across, crosswise on your chest, and a bag of seed on your hip and you reach in and you pull a fist full of seed and you just scatter it. I mean, if you have any intelligence, you're going to go in an organized pattern through the field. You don't want to dump it all in one area. That wouldn't take long, but that would be pretty stupid. So there'd be an intelligence moving through, but you're just reaching in throwing seed. Reaching in, scattering seed. You do it again and again. You go through and scatter the seed, and then you've sown the entire field. This is the first thing that the parable says that we gospel farmers can do. Next, it says a gospel farmer can harvest the crop. Verse 29 for me is a very important key to this parable, so listen carefully here. "As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it because the harvest has come." So the same one that scattered the seed and the parable does the harvesting too. When the grain is right, it is ready to be harvested. What is that harvest? That's the important question here. What is the harvest? It's one of two possibilities. The growth and development of the seed could be the entire Christian life, including all of the fruitfulness that comes through that entire life, like in the parable of the seed and the soils in the 30, 60, a hundred times, what was sown, that kind of thing. Full life. Full fruit. Full growth, whatever. But if that's true, what is the harvest? That would be death, or the second coming. Can I just tell you simply, you're not going to do that, you're not the grim reaper. You don't have any role in ending someone else's life. You're not the Lord coming in the clouds. So the harvest must be something else, and it's the other option which is the bringing of a person to an initial clear profession of faith in Christ. They are now a Christian. They've come into the kingdom. This is the exact kind of language that Jesus uses in John 4. You remember the conversation he had with the Samaritan woman. They have an incredible conversation, just the two of them, and she finally concludes that Jesus is the Messiah that they've been waiting for all those centuries. He's the one. So she leaves her water jar there and runs into the Samaritan village and she rouses all of her fellow villagers to come out and see Jesus, come out and see this man that I've been talking to, told me everything I've ever done. Could this be the Christ? She is effective in bringing them all out. Meanwhile, the disciples who are in the Samaritan village had been buying lunch to go. They brought lunch, to go out to Jesus. They said, "It's time to eat,” and Jesus said, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." Could somebody have brought him lunch? What's going on in the minds of the disciples? They're in this whole Samaritan village with a bunch of lost people and all they do is buy food. Jesus, I think, effectively rebukes them. "I have food to eat you know nothing about. My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and finish his work. Do you not say four months more and then comes the harvest? I tell you, lift up your fields and look at them. They're ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages. Even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together, thus the saying, one sows and another reaps is true. I sent you to reap, what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work and you reaped the benefit of their labor.” [John 4:35-38] We have a reaping we can do in this life, and what is that reaping? It is to be present when that person crosses over from death to life. You've done all that work, they're at the response, and you're pleading with them to repent and believe and they do. They become Christians and you get to do the reaping in that sense. The Samaritans say[John 4], talking to this woman who says because of Jesus’ words, many more became believers, they said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said. We have now heard for ourselves and we know, we know that this man is the Savior of the world." They have been reaped. They've been brought into the barn spiritually, they're Christians. Who did the reaping that day? Jesus did, in that sense, but we have the possibility also of doing some reaping. Wouldn't you love to be part of that reaping? When you confirm that a person who has heard the word of the Gospel, the word of Christ, and has believed it as it says in John 5:24, "Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and will not be condemned. He has crossed over from death to life." When you're there watching them cross over and they get to the other side and like, "Did I make it? Am I on the other side?" You get to say, "You are. You are now alive. Your sins are forgiven. Hallelujah. You are a Christian." As it says in John 20, "If you forgive anyone their sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive, they're not forgiven." That's messenger language. We're not the God of all the world, but we get to declare to people, “You are forgiven. You're a Christian. Welcome to the kingdom of God.” That's the reaping. Soon after that, I think as Christians, we would call for water baptism, make disciples, baptize them and teach them to obey. That'd be part of confirming the reaping. As it says, in Acts 2:40-41, "With many other words, you warn them and pleaded with them, save yourselves from this corrupt generation." That's Peter on the day of Pentecost. He's warning them, pleading with them. Three thousand accepted his message and were baptized and became members of the church that day. Gospel farmers can scatter the seed of the word, and they can reap. They can bring in the harvest. What else can they do? They can sleep, and they can get up. It's like, do we really have permission to sleep? You do. That's what this guy in the parable does. After he scattered the seed, he went to bed. In verse 27, "Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how." In other words, they can live their ordinary lives. They can go about their business. They can lie down knowing they've done their job and not be panicked about the outcome. The weight of their eternity does not rest on them. They can rest confidently, they can wake up, and they can get up and make breakfast and go about their work and maybe they'll do more seed sewing that next day. But the secret growth belongs to God. That's what the gospel farmers can do. III. What Gospel Farmers Cannot Do What can the gospel farmers not do? They cannot give life, they cannot give growth. In verse 27-28, "Night and day, that whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself, the soil produces grain. First, the stalk, then the head then the full kernel in the head." Life itself may be the greatest mystery in this physical world. The most skilled farmer has no idea how the apparently lifeless seed germinates, puts forth the first shoot in the soil, the root. He doesn't have any idea how that happens. Even the most brilliant botanist or biologist who has spent hundreds, thousands of hours studying the germination of seeds and can describe with interesting terminology step-by-step what happens, but doesn't know really, because life is a mystery. It's a mystery of life. We cannot create life, only God can do that. The farmer, once he's scattered the seed all over the field, takes off the bag. He hangs it up in his barn. He washes up and eats dinner with his wife and kids. He goes to bed, wakes up the next morning, and he knows enough to leave the seed alone because there's nothing he can do to make the seeds grow, to germinate, to do all the amazing things that seeds do in the ground. He can't give that initial life, he can't make it grow. Imagine he goes out later, and there's all these little shiny green things coming up, row upon row. He's like, "Come on. Come on. Grow." He gets down and starts tugging on it. Leave it alone, you can't make it grow. He can do nothing. The man can do nothing. He knows nothing. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. The farmer's power and skill contribute nothing to the life. He does not understand the process. The soil does everything. Look at verse 28. "All by itself, the soil produces grain. First the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.” It's automatic or by itself. The same word is used in Acts 12:10, when Peter is rescued miraculously from prison and from being killed. “They passed through the first and second guards and they came to the iron gate, leading to the city. It opened for them automatically, just by itself, and they went through it.” The use of the word by Jesus here means the farmer contributes nothing to the life and growth of the seed. The soil seems to do it by itself. That's actually not true. We know the real truth is God gives the growth. Here is the humbling parallel passage. In 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 the apostle Paul is speaking to the Corinthian church, "I planted the seed. Apollos watered. But God made it grow. So neither he who plants, nor he who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow." What does it mean if we are not anything? It means we are nothing. God is everything. That's humbling, isn't it? But it's also encouraging. God makes things grow. God is everything. Let's connect this to gospel work. Romans 1:16 says, "The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." But that's only true if God adds the secret work of the Spirit to those who hear it. You know it's true. It's not all by itself, automatic. Many people hear the gospel and never repent and believe. But it's when God adds the second, the secret work of the Spirit within the heart of the individual, that life comes. How does that happen? If the harvest is the person's coming to Christ and if the planting of the seed is their first hearing of the gospel, that's the process between those two moments. That's very interesting. Look what it says, verse 28, "First the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head, then that harvest comes." That must mean that there are unconverted, elect people, who have heard the word, have not yet trusted in Christ and stuff's going on inside them. They're thinking about it. I planted the seed and Apollos watered. There's things going on in the secret of their heart in the recesses of their heart. Like what? Conviction of sin starts to grow. Fear of hell starts to grow. A yearning for heaven starts to grow. Most importantly, the beauty of Christ and the sufficiency of Christ death on the cross and his resurrection starts to grow. Christ becomes more and more meaningful, but the person is still not yet converted. That sense of the beauty and a yearning for heaven and a rising terror of the judgment of God, all of that, is part of it. There are secret inducements, secret persuasions, coming to the mind, maybe even some sleepless nights. Now to back this up, there's a lot of verses I could use, but you remember the third telling of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus in the book of Acts, adds a piece of information the other two didn't give us and that's where you remember the light strikes Saul of Tarsus to the ground, and from heaven comes a voice [Acts 26:14], "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" And then He says, "This is Jesus. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." That's interesting. What are goads? They are sharpened stakes, put behind a beast of burden that's yolked up and pulling a plow, let's say, to keep it from kicking back at the master. They're sharp and the animal learns not to do that. Saul, pre-conversion Saul, was kicking against the goads. What are they? Secret inducements, persuasions, maybe some of the doctrine of Stephen. How Stephen died, how his face looked like the face of an angel and Saul was there giving consent to his death. But one preacher said Stephen's doctrine, his persuasions, his sermon and his manner of death, put a ticking time bomb inside the mind of Saul of Tarsus that went off on the Road to Damascus, in a good way, bringing him to salvation. That's the stalk the head, the full kernel. There's a process going on inside them, and yet amazingly there's still dead in their transgressions and sins, even while they live. So it's just not that simple. There are things that are going on inside that will eventually lead them to faith in Christ. We can't do it. We cannot affect that conversion. Like it says in John 1: 12-13, "To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Children that were born not of the blood or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but born of God." That means that you can't do it. Only God can do it. Also, a few chapters later in John 3 Jesus says to Nicodemus, verses 6-8, "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying you must be born again. "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the spirit." It’s interesting. He's telling those words to an unconverted man. To the end, he would be converted. There's internal truth and processes going on, so the Spirit moves wherever He chooses. People scatter the seed of the word but it is the Spirit that gives life. Two people could be sitting side by side, hearing the same message. One is converted and the other is not. There is nothing the evangelist can do to make it happen. He must simply deliver the word and leave the rest to the secret inner working of the spirit of God. IV. What Gospel Farmers Must Do What gospel farmers must do. We must diligently, diligently scatter the seed. Though the parable is meant to humble us and put us in our place, to give all praise and glory to God for all spiritual life and growth, yet we have a vital role to play. We must scatter the seed. We must preach the gospel to lost people. We must do this more than we have ever done it before. Some have one role, some have another. I'm called on to preach in this manner. Most people aren't. But others can share in the workplace, in the neighborhood, at family gatherings, at supermarkets, at your kids' little league games, at the doctor's office, at coffee shops. We have the ability to do this. We have the calling to do this. What some called “broadcast seed sowing.” What does that mean? Scattering it widely, lots of seed. I have a broadcast seed sower in my crawl space. I bring it out at certain times to scatter seed on my lawn. It's got a little hopper and you walk and it just spews them everywhere, so it saves me from having doing this, by hand, like the guy in the parable. I don't mean when I say broadcast using radio or the internet or social media. You can do all that, but that's not what I mean now. I mean lots and lots and lots of gospel encounters, not one or two. That it actually would be an odd day in which you don't say something to a lost person about Christ. Wouldn't you love to get to that point where you're just consistently saying something about Christ? Ask the Lord to work it in you. We must do this, for God is committed to us the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:20, "As though God himself, we're making his appeal through us, we implore you, we beg you be reconciled to God." Can you imagine saying that to someone this week, “I’m an ambassador of heaven. I want you to know Christ, ”? Find the best words but we are called on for this role, more than ever before. “We must scatter the seed. We must preach the gospel to lost people. We must do this more than we have ever done it before.” Charles Spurgeon talking about this, saying, "The seed should be sown often. Sow again and again, for many of the foes of the wheat, and if you repeat not your sowing, you may never see a harvest." If you have this one seed and you're just once a week, there it is. I did my job. That's not it. He says, "Sow and sow and sow. Lots. No tribe of man, no peculiar constitution of the human mind may be neglected by us. Not the highly educated or the uneducated, not the rich or the poor. There's no one we can leave out." Then Spurgeon said, "Whenever Captain Cook, the celebrated explorer, landed in whatever part of the earth it might be, he took with him a little packet of English seeds and he was observed to scatter them in suitable places. He would leave the boat and wander up from the shore, go a little inland. He said nothing to anybody, but quietly scattered English seeds, wherever he went, so that he belted the world with flowers and herbs of his native land. So imitate him wherever you go. Sow spiritual seed in every place that your foot shall tread upon. Some of you, before long will be at holiday.” That's vacation at the seaside. I guess this was right before the summer in England. I don't know. “Some of you before long, will be at on holiday at the seaside or amidst the mountains of Switzerland. If that's you, talk to me. At least show me the pictures when you get back. The mountains of Switzerland or some other regions of the earth, in search of the variety and beauty of the world, carry the heavenly seeds with you and be not satisfied unless in every place, you let fall a grain or two that may bring forth fruit onto your God. So we can, we must, scatter seed, broadcast seed.” Secondly, we must expect God for results. Expect God to bring in a harvest. In the parable, the man sleeps peacefully knowing he's going to have a harvest. He doesn't think, "Gee, I hope we have a harvest." No. I mean, he's a farmer. His family depends on it. He's been a farmer for many years. He's expecting a harvest. Spurgeon said, "I fear that many Christians work without faith. If you have a garden or a field and you sow seed in it, you would be very greatly surprised and grieved if it did not come up at all. But many Christian people seem quite content to work on and they never reckon upon results, so much as to look for it expectantly. This is a pitiful kind of working. Pulling up empty buckets, year after year. Surely I must either see a result for my labor and be glad, or else failing to see it, I must be ready to break my heart." We ought to expect results. If we had expected more, we should have seen more. But a lack of expectation has been a great cause of failure in God's workers. I think they go together. If you really expect to harvest you're going to sow more seed. If you really don't expect to harvest, you're not going to sow much. V. What Gospel Farmers Must Never Do Now, what gospel farmers must never do. We covered this a few weeks ago, but I'm going to say it again. We must never re-engineer the seed if it doesn't give the harvest we think it should give. That's not for us to do. If we take the seed of the gospel and do a feedback loop with audience reaction and we start taking out offensive elements like the blood, the atoning blood, or the exclusivity of Christ, the need for repentance and faith in Jesus, the law with its moral stipulations condemning us, apart from the work of Christ to hell. If we take out things like that and make the message more popular. If we re-engineer the seed and make a manmade gospel, Paul tells us in Galatians, "That is no gospel at all. It'd be better for you to be condemned than to preach a manmade gospel." We must never re-engineer the seed. Secondly, we must not question the approach. I'm not saying that we can't do better, make certain that we didn't give offense where we should. I'm not saying that, but I mean the general approach of evangelism. Some people think to come up with techniques like within a church service, if you get the lighting right, and the music right, and the whole experience right, and the architecture right and all that, you set up all that things, you can get the response. Like they're engineering the whole thing. Or the prosperity gospel that seeks to bribe converts. We don't have enough money in our budget to bribe converts here in the Raleigh-Durham area—$500 for each convert. It's not just that they won't be genuine converts. They were called “rice bowl Christians” in other ages. They're coming for different reasons. That's the prosperity gospel. That's not the true gospel. We're not called on to do that. We must never re-engineer the gospel message or question the basic simple approach of evangelism. Thirdly, we must not sleep, the sleep of the lazy. Yes, this man sleeps after he has done his work—after he is done his work. There is a confident, holy sleep that we can take when we have done the work God's called on us to do. As Ecclesiastes, 5:12 says, "The sleep of a labor is sweet, whether he eats little or much.” But there is also the sleep of the gospel sluggard in which we are asleep to the perishing all around us, sinfully asleep to their condition. As it says in Proverbs 10:5, "He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son." Let's not sleep during the harvest, now is the harvest time. VI. A Final Appeal Let me make a final appeal and then we'll be done. Really the whole sermon's been an appeal, but I must conclude by appealing directly to you who came to church this morning, lost. You came to church this morning, knowing yourself to be unconverted. You've heard the gospel, multiple times today. There it was, A to Z, the gospel. Wes had the gospel, a simple summary of the gospel when he introduced one of the songs. The gospel is simple and straightforward. The God of heaven is king of all the earth, created all things, and gives us laws by which we are to govern our life. We have broken those laws. We have violated his commands. We are sinners, and we cannot save ourselves. So God sent his son, who lived a sinless life, died in our place under the wrath of God, the punishment we deserve was laid on him. He died for us and He was risen from the dead on the third day and if we repent and believe in him, we'll be forgiven. You've heard it. The danger of me giving you that Luke Short story, remember that guy that waited 85 years to be converted, is that you don't know that you have 85 days or 85 minutes. You don't know how much longer you have. While there's time, if today you hear his voice, don't harden your heart, come to Christ. And you Christians who came in here, and you are Christians, and you know that you're Christians, I'm just going to ask you, what are your habits of seed sowing? Are you scattering seed or not? And if not, ask the Lord to transform. Ask the Lord to give you opportunities to reach your hand into the bag and start scattering seed. I want to say a final word to Christian parents. This is a fascinating parable for Christian parents. You sowed the seed in your kids a long time ago, and now something's going on inside them and it's mysterious, isn’t it? The stalk is growing up. Then the head, then the full kernel in the head. At some point, you get the privilege of harvesting. I don't know when that is. It might be when they are very young, or it might be a little bit older. But that secret working of the gospel, going on, trust in that. Pray for God to do that working and then go to sleep at night. It's not up to you to save your kids. It is something only God can do, so saturate them with the gospel, pray for them, and then let God do that secret work in their hearts. Close with me in prayer. Father, thank you for the time we've had in your word today. Thank you for this incredible parable, how beautiful it is, how insightful. Whereas the parable the seed and the soils talked about all of the different outcomes and the whole big picture, this focused on one individual plant and I thank you for what we learned today that we don't know how that growth comes. It comes no matter what we do, after we've sewn the seed. Lord, thank you for humbling us, but also thank you for encouraging us that if we are faithful and if we scatter the seed, you're going to do this incredible work and we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

This month really marched along. A DBG from March 23rd, 1996 closes out the month and is titled: “The Lady Doth Protest Too Much.” It starts off with the wit of Jack and Norm always just so happy to speak with each other! Our players for this fine broadcast are: Jack Harte Tom Howie producing and playing Annette Phyllis from Appleton, WI Dan from Maryland And Kevin in Dorchester who has a complaint to file with the DBG Board of Directors The Bdays: Marty Allen – and Dan sings the age with a bluegrass flair Chaka Khan – And just you wait to hear Norm recreate his introduction of Jerry and the Hay Shakers playing…Nova Scotian music? Louie Anderson Ric Ocasek - Norm, believeing Mr. Ocasek is listening has a message for him. We are momentarily interrupted by Phyllis who refers to the DBG as the Stupid Birthday Game. Norm corrects her, “Please…we have some pride, ya know!” Amanda Plummer – daughter of Christopher Plummer. The Lone Ranger and Tonto make their first of two cameo appearances during the game here. We borrow some bdays from March 25th Elton John – And the Lone Ranger and Tonto return here for some additional hilarity. Aretha Franklin And the handsy Gloria Steinem Other earth-shattering topics discussed are: Norm thinking about giving a ‘warm-up’ bday for players to get the feel for the game and mere seconds later makes a decision on that. The ever-expanding DBG Rule Book which is up to 900 pages. We learn of an old, Colonial New England saying. Norm just may write a Bluegrass Opera sung with a Wisconsin accent. Which do you prefer: Beano or Bingo? Beans or Bings? How about NORMO? Maybe not because of two ‘O’s’’ Maybe NORMY? There is the sudden realization that this is what is airing on a 50,000 watt radio station. Jack does some math that pains Norm so greatly that blood stopped flowing to Norm’s fingers. Most importantly we gain some valuable insight into the prize closet where Norm gathers all the goodies for our winners. Then the consternation begins: Contestants suggesting that if Jack wins, he could ‘will’ the prizes to someone else. The protest continues with sections from the rule book being quoted but alas, Jack doesn’t get anything so there’s nothing to pass down. But that doesn’t prevent another attempt saying that the prize must go to the contestant calling the longest distance. And the show closes with what becomes a 50,000-watt Party Line! It’s madness…and Norm deftly regains control in the smoothest of fashions. Episode 79 – The Lady Doth Protest Too Much, begins in 3,2 and 1.

Mark 1:17 is a message from the Holy Spirit to us to move us, provoke us, challenge us, equip us to become fishers of men - evangelizing the lost. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - Well, take your Bible and turn to Mark chapter 1. And, today we're going to zero in on just one verse. It's not common for me to do this, to preach an entire sermon on one verse, but we're going to zero in on verse 17. Last week, we walked through the whole section that you just heard Dave read, but we're going to zero in on verse 17, in which Jesus says, "Come follow me, and I will make you to become fishers of men." And as I do, I want to give you my sense of the context. I've been here since October of 1998. So in my 22nd year, there is no church I would rather pastor than this church. It's a delight to be in this church. I love this church. This is a healthy church. There is such a joy that we all have of benefiting from one another's spiritual gifts, benefiting from the grace that's at work in each other's lives, to have that rich fellowship that we have, and to enjoy the excellent worship music that we just had. So good. And then the friendships that we make in our home fellowships, all of these things are a delight. But, friends, we are surrounded every day, in this community, in this part of the world, by people who are perishing in their sins. And I believe that this church should do more about that than we're doing. I yearn to see more baptisms in this church, in which the people stand in this baptistery and they testify along this basic pattern. "I was lost. I met a member of this church, and now I'm here today, to testify to my faith in Christ." That basic pattern. I yearn to see lots of those. Don't you? I mean, aren't those times when we get those baptisms, aren't they incredible? The joy that's involved in being part of this eternal work that God is doing, that we actually are co-laborers with Almighty God in building an eternal kingdom, there is nothing like that. The joy is incredible. And I want to be part of that. I want to be part of that joy, that the Father says he shows in the presence of angels over one sinner, whoever repents, he just throws a heavenly feast of joy. "Come celebrate with me because what was lost is now found." And he's actually committed to us the ministry and the message of reconciliation. We have an eternally consequential work to do. And I don't want us, at First Baptist Durham, I don't want us to be complacent. I don't want us to stay within that comfort zone, of being in a healthy church, surrounded by good Christian people and just being happy with that. And so there's a delight there, but there's also a fear for me, as a pastor, that we're going to have to give Christ an account for failure as well as for success. And I just don't want our church to fail. I don't want our church to have to give him an account for numerous gospel opportunities that he went ahead of us and prepared, and we missed it because we were self-focused. So I want to zero in on this one text, "To follow me, come follow me, and I'll make you to become fishers of men." I consider this providential, that we're here now, in this time, in the history of our church, that we get to talk about this now. Now first, I want to give a clear caveat to all of you. Some of you just know the truth about me, but I know almost nothing about fishing. I mean, really, I think in my entire life, I've caught one fish. It was a sun fish in a little pond across the street in Massachusetts. It was not impressive. And no one took a picture of it. So I've never enjoyed, when it comes to fishing, either the process of fishing or the product of fishing. I mean, what do you get after all that work? You get a fish. It's just not impressive to me. I don't like seafood. I'm not going to eat it. Now some of you, however, are hugely into fishing. So I'm a little intimidated by you. I'm going into uncharted waters, so to speak. Sorry about that. Some of you have been out in the open sea. You've done big game fishing—tuna, marlin, swordfish, something like that. Others of you do more of that freshwater fishing where you go out in those shiny sleek boats. And, you fish for freshwater bass or something like that. Others of you, now this is an art form, is that trout fishing with fly fishing, where you tie, you spend like six hours tying a knot that looks like a fly. And apparently, trout are incredibly intelligent. They can tell the difference, so you got to do a good job tying that fly. And then you just get this rhythm going with your wrists. And you kind of just lay the line down just on the surface of the water and the trout strikes and you land a trout. I know nothing about any of that, right? That's just not my area of expertise. But the men that Jesus was calling, in the text that Dave just read, they were professional fishermen. It's what they did, all the time. Now their manner of fishing was using nets, and, apparently, they were kind of circular nets with weights that they would throw out into the Sea of Galilee. And the weights would sink down and someone would dive down and tie them off at the bottom, and then they'd pull up the nets. And this is how they were fishing. And so, he's using a language that they would've understood. he's using basically a daily life parable, perhaps. And he's inviting them into his training school to teach them how to do a different kind of fishing, a fishing with a far greater eternal consequence. "Come follow me and I'll make you to become fishers of men." Now, just before Jesus left the surface of the Earth and went up to heaven, where he will stay until the second coming of Christ, just before he left, he gave in each of the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—and then also in the book of Acts, a version of what's generally known as the Great Commission, commanding the church that he left behind to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations and to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Spirit, and to teach them to obey everything that Christ has commanded, and that he would be with them, empowering them and enabling them to be witnesses. All four Gospels and the book of Acts. So the questions in front of us, as we look at verse 17, for us to stand under this verse as though he's talking to us and we would hear him say, "Come follow me, and I will make you to become fishers of men." So how do we do that? I. First, Follow Christ And the first step is to follow Christ. "Come follow me," and Jesus said, "and I'll make you to become fishers of men." Jesus is walking beside the Sea of Galilee, as we've said. Peter as Simon and his brother, Andrew, were casting their nets into the lake. Further on, you've got James and John. They're brothers there. All four of them professional fishermen. And Jesus wanted them to become fishers of men. Now essential to their training, as fishers of men, was first be with him. To "Come follow me, be with me." Everything that we're going to see in the Gospel of Mark, if God gives us time to continue through this whole incredible Gospel, 16 chapters, will help us and prepare us to be also what Jesus was, a fisher of men. All of Jesus' healings show his overwhelming compassion for the miseries of our sinful human race. All of Jesus' teachings were, in some sense, ultimately focused on the salvation of souls from sin. All of Jesus' encounters give us some pattern that we can follow. He is our role model in saving souls. He is our mentor in saving souls. He's our teacher and our coach and our trainer and our commanding officer in saving souls. He is the general who leads from the front in saving souls. He is the shepherd who sends out his sheep as among ravenous wolves to save souls. And he's not the hireling that runs away at the sight of the wolf. But he goes out in front and he's willing to lay down his life for the sheep, that they would be so saved. "All of Jesus' healings show his overwhelming compassion for the miseries of our sinful human race. All of Jesus' teachings were, in some sense, ultimately focused on the salvation of souls from sin." And so he's saying, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." And he says, "I will make you to become fishers of men." Not all the translations keep the word become, but it's in there. It's in the Greek. It's in the ESV. And that is, it's a strong statement. "I will make you to become what you are not." So they have to first realize, first and foremost, their own deficiency. This is a key spiritual principle in the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are the spiritual beggars, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." For us, just to be honest and say, "God, I'm not a fisher of men. I really am not. I'm not an evangelist. I don't really lead people to Christ. It's not something I'm doing, God. I'm just not winning lost people." He knows. So zero in on that word become, "I will make you become something you are not." He has that power to do that. And that was true of these four. Simon and Andrew, James and John were not fishers of men at that point. And as the story unfolds, as the Gospels unfold, you see this more and more. They're really not on the same page with him. A clear example of this is in John chapter 4. Take a minute and go over to John 4, if you would. Put your finger here in Mark 1:17 and we'll come back to it. But, if you look at John chapter 4, Jesus is going up, after his Judean ministry, at the beginning of his ministry there, and it says he had to go through Samaria. Well, Jews did everything they could to not go through Samaria. Why did Jesus have to go through Samaria? Well, he had an evangelistic encounter there that had been set up by Almighty God with a Samaritan woman. The disciples separate from Jesus and go into the Samaritan village to buy food, buy provisions. Meanwhile, Jesus has this incredible conversation with a Samaritan woman at the well. It's a paradigm example of evangelism. It's one of the greatest in the Bible. So, if you want to know how to become a fisher of men, look at Jesus' technique with the Samaritan woman. He begins, first, he strikes up a conversation, and he starts talking to her. And she's shocked. She didn't expect him to say anything. It's kind of awkward. Jewish man, she's a Samaritan woman who didn't expect anything. And he spoke to her and asked her for a drink, and she's surprised. And then, Jesus says, in John 4:10, if you look at it, I've called this before, when it comes to being fisher of men, this is a lure with four hooks on it. All right? A lure with four hooks. It's one statement he makes. And it's very provocative, and it's very fascinating. So one basic lesson on evangelism is be interesting. Draw people in to conversation. And so he says to her this, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is who speaks to you, you would've asked him and he would've given you living water." She's never heard anything like that in all her life. What in the world? So she deconstructs it. And she ends up going through each of the four points in different ways in their ensuing conversation. First of all, "What is the gift of God? What does that mean? And who are you? What's so special about you? You don't look special. So why should I be so impressed with who it is that's speaking to me? And thirdly, why should I ask you for anything? You have nothing. You don't have a rope. You don't have a bucket. You don't have anything. So how could you give me anything? And finally, what in the world is living water?" And so she's drawn into this conversation. And by the time they get done, she is 100% convinced that he is the Messiah, the Promised One sent from God. And she leaves her water jar there and runs into the Samaritan village. And by a few things she says, the entire village comes out to meet Jesus. Now meanwhile, the disciples. Oh, here we go. What were they doing? Well, they were buying food. Mission accomplished. Good job. They come back with food. And they say, "Alright, we're here. Let's eat." I wonder what those food buying opportunities were like for them. Like, "What are we doing here? We're in Samaria. We're buying food from Samaritans. Can we just get this done and get out of here?" But they come back and they say to Jesus, "Rabbi, eat something." And he says, "I have food to eat you know nothing about." And in my exegesis and understanding that statement, I stick in an extra word in there—"apparently." So it sounds like this to me, "I have food to eat that you apparently know nothing about." Oh, could someone have brought him food? Oh, no. "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and finish his work. That's my food." Then he said this, "Do you not say four months more and then comes the harvest? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields. They're ripe for harvest. Even now the harvest is going on." And that woman brought that whole Samaritan village in, and they ended up believing in Christ. Now, I've been convicted by that passage for a long time. I've thought, "How many such empty trips have I made to the supermarket, or my workplace setting or all kinds of things, where God had set up some evangelistic opportunities and I just missed it?" So when it says, "Follow me, and I'll make you become fishers of men," so go back to Mark 1:17, that word become, just be honest, be honest, and say, "Lord, would you make me be something I'm not? I am like the disciples. I don't care about souls. I want to be a fisher of men, but that's what I'm not." Now, before we go on in this whole topic, I think, in order to be a fisher of men, you need to be certain first that Christ has landed you, that you have been caught by Christ's gospel, that you're a Christian, that your sins are forgiven, that you have trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You can't be a fisher of men unless you yourself have been caught by Christ's Gospel. So be certain that you are born again. And then if you are, then you can come to him and say, "Would you make me like you are? Would you make me like yourself? Make me passionate for souls. Give me, Lord, the same passion for souls you have. Make me single-minded in this matter." Jesus was single-minded. He had to go through Samaria because there's a woman there, and through her, there's a whole village of Samaritans that he wants to save. That's the way Jesus was. Remember that occasion with Zacchaeus, where he is going along and Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector. And he's a short man, remember? And so he climbs up in the sycamore fig tree to get a better view of Jesus. And Jesus stops below the tree and looks up and says, "Come down, Zacchaeus, for I must eat at your house today." There's a must. There's an obligation. "We're going to have a meal together, Zacchaeus." And He ends up leading him to faith in Christ. He ends up saving him. And Jesus said, in Luke 19:9-10, he said, "Today, salvation has come to this house, for the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Is that why you have come to every place you come to, to seek and to save? You should. Every encounter, to seek and to save, to seek and to save. That's what Jesus came to do. Luke 19:10, purpose statement. What about us? Do we have anything like the same passion for the lost? I truly believe the central lack in my heart, and it may be yours as well, is a lack of genuine love for and compassion for lost people in their lostness, a sense of brokenness over what is going on in their lives because of their sins, a sense of weeping over it and grieving over it. I naturally don't have that feeling. I would say that's true of all of us. Naturally, apart from Christ, we don't really care that sin is shredding the lives of the people around us. It's ruining them from the inside out. It's corrupting them. It's destroying their marriages. It's destroying their family life. It's destroying them through addictions, hidden addictions, or even open addictions. We don't care like we should. So, only as we follow Christ will we be fishers of men. II. Fish Who Delight to be Caught Now, this parable, this analogy, what is simile, metaphor, whatever, "fisher of men," has its limitations. All parables have limitations. And this one does too. Ordinarily, it is disastrous for the fish to be caught. I mean, what happens to the fish? I mean, when the fishermen lands it, in some cases, they get a club and beat its brains in, and then they gut it and eat it. So, Jesus, is that what's going to happen to the fish we catch? No, actually, quite the opposite. They're already getting their brains bashed in, and they're getting gutted and eaten by sin. Jesus is coming to free them. He's coming to give them life and give it abundantly. These are fish who, in the end, will be delighted that they were caught. They're going to spend eternity celebrating that they were caught by the fisher of men. So it's just good for the fish to be caught. III. Basic Fishing Technique Now let's talk of about some basic fishing technique. Fundamentally, we need to understand what evangelism is. Evangelism is tied to the Greek word for the good news, euangelion, the good message, the good news. As Jesus said in Mark 1:15, "the good news of the kingdom." So what is the good news? Well, we, years ago, kind of outlined the gospel message in four main headings: God, Man, Christ, Response. If you're going to evangelize, you need to know the gospel. And these four headings are key. You got to say some things about God. You got to say some things about the human condition. You got to say some things about Christ. And you got to call the people to respond. That's what evangelism is. So what are you going to say about God? Say that he's the Creator of all things, heaven and earth. He made all things. And as the Creator, he is a king. He rules over all things. This is his stuff because he made it. And as the king, he is able to be the law giver. He gives laws and rules by which his empire, his kingdom, should be run. And as the law giver, he is the judge. He evaluates his subjects to see whether they obey his laws or not. And the laws are the Ten Commandments, which we know. Or even easier, the two great commandments which, he has said, summarize all the law and the prophets. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." So that's the God section. The man or humanity section is, we are created in the image of God to have a relationship with him, a love relationship with him, and be subjects of his kingdom. But we have violated the king's laws. We have broken the laws. And if you're going to evangelize, you need to know the law and do law work on the people and show them, so that they understand that they have sinned. For example, Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not murder.' But if you're even angry in your heart, you're in danger of the fire of hell. And you've heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But if you even lusted at a person, you've committed adultery in your heart and you're in danger of the fire of hell." So you do law work. Talk about the two commandments saying, "Do you love God with every fiber of your being? Do you love your neighbor the way you love yourself?" And, in the end, I've had people say this again and again, "Well, you're expecting people to be perfect." No, I'm not. God is. "You must be perfect as your Heavenly Father's perfect." And wherein you're not, you have sinned and broken God's commandments. And that's our condition, we are under the judgment of God the King, and we couldn't save ourselves. So thirdly, God sent his son, Jesus Christ. He was born of the Virgin. He was fully human, but he was also the Son of God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, so he’s fully God, fully man. He lived a sinless life. He did amazing miracles. He taught amazing teachings. But most of all, he came to die on the cross in our place. He took the wrath of God and the judgment of God that we deserve on himself. On the cross, he died in our place, the death we deserve to die, so that he could give us a perfect righteousness in which we could stand on judgment day and survive. So you got three points, God, man, Christ. Now you got to call them to respond. And there is no better call than right there on the same page you're looking at, look at Mark 1:15. "The time is at hand. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel." That's what you're calling them to do. They got to turn from their sins, acknowledge that they're sinners, turn from it, and believe the good news, this gospel message. Alright. So that's what this fishing is, that you are sharing that message in the power of the Holy Spirit, and calling on people to repent and believe. Now what fishing isn't, is you don't need to land the fish. You don't have that power. To use another analogy, as he said to Nicodemus, "You must be born again." The landing of the fish into the boat or on the shore is that they're born again. They're made a new creature through the power of the Holy Spirit. You do not have that power. It's not your task. But our task is to proclaim this message, God, man, Christ, response, in the power of the Spirit and leave the results to God. IV. Fishing Equipment Now let's talk a little about our fishing equipment, fishing tackle. And common to all fishing tackle, that fishing equipment, is force. There's a force that the tackle puts on the fish, to take it out of its watery surroundings, and land it, put it on the boat, put it on the shore. There's a force to all fishing tackle. Now the central text for me, on this concept of force on the fish, is in John 6:44. Don't turn there, just listen. Jesus said, in John 6:44, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day." Now that word, "draws," is a forceful word. It's used for a drag net, that fishermen draw through the water. They're pulling it strong through the water. It's also used for drawing a sword out of a scabbard. There's a force being put. Jesus said in John 6:44, "No one can come to me if the Father doesn't draw them, put a force on their souls." No one up and comes to Christ unaided. That never happens, ever. They have to be drawn by the invisible force of the Holy Spirit, of God through the Holy Spirit. He puts a force on their souls and he draws them. And we use the expression that they are coming to Christ. They're coming. It's not a geographical physical movement from point A to point Z. But they are coming spiritually to Christ. Jesus says that cannot happen unless the Father puts a force on you, draws you. "No one up and comes to Christ unaided. That never happens, ever. They have to be drawn by the invisible force of the Holy Spirit, of God through the Holy Spirit. He puts a force on their souls and he draws them." Now, that doctrine is commonly, by some theologians, called the doctrine of irresistible grace. Because again, in John 6:44, it says, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day," meaning you'll be saved. So when the Father puts his force on you, you're going to get saved. No one can say no. Do you not see the good news of that? We are going to fish, and we're going to land fish. It's going to work. Satan is such a liar in this. He's saying, "Ah, it's not going to work. Nobody's going to come," and so many do not come. But we're going to land some fish. Because when the Father puts his force on somebody, Jesus is going to raise him up from the dead on the last day. They're going to get saved. And so, I don't like the term irresistible grace. It gives the picture of people being dragged kicking and screaming into the kingdom. Now I know C. S. Lewis was the most reluctant convert in all England. That was his problem. But he was a convert and he was delighted to come to Christ in the end. No one gets dragged kicking and screaming to Christ. They all want to come. And so I prefer, instead, the term effectual calling. It's more, it's better, effectual calling. So when God puts his force on a soul, it is effective. It's effective. It's like when he says, "Let there be light," there's light. God is powerful. Now, we have some fishing tackle, though, by which we can put force on people's souls and bring them to Christ. So I want to zero in on four in particular. I could have called them the line, like a fishing line, but I'm going with net. So either way, net or line is okay. But there are four: the net of truth, the net of love, the net of fear, and the net of delight, these four. These four are powerful on people. First of all, the net of truth. By this I mean biblical truth, Scripture. First and foremost, the scriptures of the gospel. When Paul says in Romans 1:16, "I'm not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." The gospel truths, in the Scripture, put a force on people. They can't shake the truths they've heard. It weighs on them, and they think about it. Think about Stephen, who was a tremendous evangelist, in Acts chapter 6, and he's reasoning and debating with some opponents. And it says in Acts 6:9-10, "These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke." So there's a powerful logic and reasoning and truth to the Scriptures, and it's irresistible. It's powerful. Same thing with the Apostle Paul. In Acts 17, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days, he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that Christ had to rise from the dead. And it was immediately effective. Some Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. So this is a powerful Word. The Scripture has converting power. When Peter, on the day of Pentecost, under the power of the Holy Spirit, preached a whole bunch of Old Testament prophecies predicting the resurrection of Christ and all that, and making the gospel plain, by these scriptural truths. It says in Acts 2:37, "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart," cut to the heart, "and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?'" The Scriptures can stick in someone's mind and they can't shake them. I heard a story, from the 18th century, of a man who was a hundred years old. He was a healthy hundred year old farmer, in Colonial New England, around the time of George Whitfield, around the time of the Great Awakening, maybe around the year 1770. But he, at age a hundred, had not trusted Christ, but he's still healthy. He was sitting out in a field, under a tree, and he was thinking about his childhood, long life in his childhood. He went back to his boyhood years in Dartmouth, England, before he sailed for the New World, before he sailed for America. And at the age of 15, he had heard a sermon preached by an English Puritan pastor named John Flavel. And the text was 1 Corinthians 16:22, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. Come, Lord Jesus." One text. 85 years ago, and he's thinking about it and the sermon and the exposition. And Flavel, in that sermon, focused on the horror of dying apart from Christ, and facing the curse and the wrath of God. And sitting under that tree, 85 years later, this man, Luke Short, came to faith in Christ. Now, I think it's best that they not wait 85 years. 85 years of not being a Christian is a long time to waste your life. But at least he came. I've been on the airplane, sharing the gospel. And I get done, and we're preparing to land. We're in that landing pattern. And we've had a good conversation, but the guy hasn't come to Christ yet. And I said to this man, I said, "I'm going to pray tonight, that you will not be able to sleep, and you'll be thinking about the scriptures we've talked about." Now I never find out. They never call that, "Oh, by the way, I wasn't able to sleep. And I came to Christ." Until heaven, I won't know. But I've prayed for that, "Keep them up, Lord. Keep them awake. Make them think about the scriptures that we've talked about." So that's the first, the force or the net of truth. Secondly, the net of love, the net of love. Christian love is a powerful apologetic for the gospel. This world of sin is vicious in its wickedness, vicious. Titus 3:3-5 talks about this kind of viciousness. It says there, "At one time, we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy," listen to this phrase, "being hated and hating one another," being hated and hating one another. "But, when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us." So, into this mass, this pit of viper world that Jesus came into, we were hating and hating each other, being hated and hating one another, and where we lived in malice and envy. And then the kindness and love of God appeared in Christ. Says in Hosea 11:4, "I led them with cords of human kindness." Think about that. Isn't that good for my fishing analogy? Cords of human kindness. So, wrap them up with cords of kindness and love, with ties of love. No one did this better than Jesus. No one ever loved the way this man loved. And his followers did the same. You remember Stephen at the end, when he's being stoned to death, and he's dying under their wrath and malice? Do you remember what he said? He said, "Lord, please do not hold this sin against them." Now, if you're Saul of Tarsus in an unconverted state, and you watch that man die like that, that puts us, the Lord later said, goads into Saul's soul, pushing him to Christ. And so the church should be a community of love, first within ourselves, that we would be a loving community. You walk in here and you feel the love. You walk into a home fellowship and you feel that the people really actually love each other. Jesus said, "By this will all men know that you're my disciples, if you love one another." So that FBC would be a community of love, just because we love each other. But also, it has converting power. Because the people out there, they don't see love like this. They don't know what it's like to be loved like that. Tertullian, a Christian apologist, around the year AD 200, was talking about the effect of that love on lost people. And he said, "These unconverted Romans are watching us, and they're saying, 'Behold, how they love one another. Behold, how they love one another.'" But then, secondly, the love we show to them in particular. Christians have led the way in felt needs ministries, in establishing hospitals and clinics and benevolent ministries all over the world, in the pattern of Jesus, meeting temporal needs, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for orphans and widows. It's just something that Christians have done all along. In the early Roman era, they would go and find babies that had been exposed. They used to just leave them under bridges. And they would pick them up and raise them as their own. All the way to the orphanages established by George Müller and Charles Spurgeon in Victorian England, 19th century England. Or even in that same era, William and Catherine Booth, who ministered to the poorest of London in the early days of the Salvation Army, Christians have displayed sacrificial love. What is God? What needs is God leading our church to meet here in Durham that we're presently not meeting? There are some that we are, but what are some new ministries that God might be laying on your heart, or your heart, or your heart, someone's heart, that could meet a felt need for the purpose of leading lost people to Christ? The nets of love. Thirdly, the net of fear. The net of fear. "'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved." Fear of judgment, fear of wrath, leads people to Christ. They flee the wrath to come. They should be afraid. They should be more afraid of hell than they are. I think that we evangelists, we can fear death and hell on their behalf, because they're not afraid of it. Jesus talked more about hell than anyone that had ever lived before him. In Matthew 10:28, he said, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Yes, I tell you, fear him. I was watching the movie Free Solo, about Alex Honnold. Have you seen this movie, where he's climbing the Yosemite rock face with no equipment, just his hands? And he's hanging by fingertips on the side of that rock, thousands of feet up in the air. And I know, from what I've read, that he's an atheist. I know that he's lost, while he's hanging by his fingers by the side on the Yosemite wall. So, I was watching that differently than just a watcher of the movie. It's like, "Do you understand what you're hanging over?" This image was first put in my mind by reading the historical circumstances of Jonathan Edward's sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," that he preached in Enfield, Connecticut, 1741. On the text, "In due time, their foot will slip." And he basically used the fact that the revival had passed Enfield by, and up to that point, most people hadn't been changed by it at all, to say, in a very kind of straight way, "It could be the gospels passing all of you by. And you're under the wrath of God, and you don't understand that you're basically walking on a rotten plank across the open pit of hell." And by the time he got done, the people were crying out, "What must I do to be saved?" They were in terror. Now I know that it's not an easy ministry, that we would stimulate people to be afraid to die, stimulate people to be afraid of hell, but that's part of the job. That's part of the task. And it is one of the reasons it makes evangelism difficult to do. But you think about Pilgrim's Progress, and what was it that caused Christian to begin his pilgrimage? He realized, by reading in the book that he was reading, that he lived in a place called the City of Destruction and he didn't know it. And he knew that he has to get out of town. He's got to get out of the City of Destruction. So the net of fear. And then, finally, the net of delight. Where did Christian flee to? Well, he fled to a place called the Celestial City. The Celestial City, heaven, is a beautiful place. You don't want to miss it. You don't want to miss it. And so the delights of heaven. One of his neighbors, Pliable, runs with him for a little while. I don't know if you remember this. And he says, "Well, tell me the beautiful place you're going. I've heard good things." He's like, "Well," Christian said, "there's an endless kingdom to be enjoyed and everlasting life to be given us, and that we may live in that kingdom forever. And there are crowns of glory to be given us, and garments that will make us shine like the sun in the sky. And there'll be no more crying nor sorrow, for he that is the owner of the place shall wipe all tears from our eyes." And Pliable says, "I'm in. I want to be part of that." It's the ultimate fear of missing out, friends. You don't want to miss this one. But best of all, is the delight in being with Christ, being with Christ, just being with him. I remember, I was sharing the gospel with one individual, and we had been meeting multiple times, going carefully through the book of Romans. There was nothing more to say. We'd gotten through the whole thing. And I was talking to him about the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. And it ends, remember, they're sitting with Jesus and they're sharing a meal. And he's talking to them about the kingdom and all that. And then he breaks bread and disappears from their eyes. And they said, "Were not our hearts burning within us when he opened the scriptures to us?" And this man that I'd been meeting with multiple times said to me, "I wish I had been there." I was like, "All right, stop. You can actually be there forever. What do you say?" "What do I do?" I said, "Ask Jesus to be your Savior." "Like how?" I said, "Ask him, now. Ask him, and he'll save you." And he did. Delight. I want Christ. I want to be with Christ. And I want to be with him forever. And I want to be in that beautiful world. The net of delight. These are the four, these four powerful nets. John Bunyan himself, this is one of the great stories from church history, Bunyan himself was converted, in part, when he overheard the conversation of a couple of unnamed women. He was a tinker, which means he went from place to place, sharpening knives and repairing pots and pans. And he overheard some women. And this is what he said, "I thought they spoke as if joy did make them speak. And they spoke with such pleasantness of scripture language and with such appearance of grace in all they said, that they were to me as if they had found a new world." They didn't even know he was listening. They were just so filled with joy at what their life was going to be like in heaven. He's like, "I'm on the outside looking in. I want in." So do you see these four nets? The net of truth, Scripture truth. The net of love, of cords of human kindness, showing people hospitality, meeting felt needs, doing ministries, the net of love. And the net of fear, that they would understand what will happen if they do not trust Christ, that they're under the wrath of God, and judgment is coming soon and they don't know when. And then the net of delight, the delights of heaven, but especially the delight of being with Jesus. Use that fishing tackle. V. Finding the Fish Now you may say, "Where are the fish? How am I going to find the fish?" Veteran fishermen among you will tell you, "Look, you can have the best equipment and you can be out there. You can go to the same place you’ve been before. You can have the expensive sonar thing that tells you definitely where the fish are, and you can still catch no fish." That happened twice to Peter. You know that? Peter went out and fished all night long and caught nothing. Twice. In Luke 5:5, "We’ve worked hard all night and haven't caught a thing." And then again in John 21:3, they went out, got into the boat, but that night, they caught nothing. Let me tell you something. Jesus knows where the fish are. And better than that, not only does he know where the fish are, he actually has secret power over their little fish brains, to make them make a strong left hand turn and swim into Peter's net. What in the world's going on with that? You remember what happened. He caught so many fish that the boat began to sink. So they're swimming in the Sea of Galilee, just swimming, just living their fish lives. And then, suddenly, they turned and went right into the net. Jesus has the power to make the fish swim into these nets. He has that kind of power. Throughout church history, again and again, God, through the Holy Spirit has led his messengers to go to specific places and do specific ministries, because there are some unconverted people ready to come to Christ. In the Muslim world, you see this with dreams, where people have dreams, and they're told to go to a certain city and a man who will be wearing a red coat and have a certain hat. These kinds of things happen. And God sets up that occasion and they come to Christ. But think about Philip. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him in Acts 8, and the angel told him where to go, "Go south to the road, the desert road, that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." So he goes down there, and what does he find? An Ethiopian eunuch who's reading the book of Isaiah the prophet, but doesn't understand. "Can you explain it to me?" Oh my goodness. Oh, God, give me an opportunity like that. If I can't land that fish, something's wrong with me. "I'm reading Isaiah 53, is the prophet talking about himself or someone else?" "Oh, God," pray that, say, "God, would you give me this week somebody who wants me to explain Isaiah 53 to them?" But that was orchestrated by God. He set it up. He brought Philip to where of the fish were. And along with this, dear friends, we need a single-minded devotion to fishing. Single-minded devotion. Paul said in Acts 20:24, "I consider my life worth nothing to me, my only aim is to the finish race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me, the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." Single-minded. My life is for this purpose. We're distracted by so many things. We're into so many things that have no eternal consequence. Ask God to make you a fisher of men. George Whitfield, who's one of the greatest evangelists in history, speaking before thousands of people, he also was into individual personal evangelism too. And he said, "God forbid that I should travel in a carriage or anywhere else, with anyone for a quarter of an hour and not speak to them about Christ." God forbid. If he gives me 15 minutes with somebody, I'm going to talk to him. D. L. Moody, another traveling evangelist, spoke to thousands of people, made a personal commitment to not go to bed every day if he had not spoken, individually and personally, to somebody about Christ. Many times, he was just about to go to bed and forgot. And he got up and went out in the street and found somebody to talk to. D. L. Moody. VI. A Direct and Urgent Appeal So I'm going to finish by making to you a direct and urgent appeal. I'm going to ask you to hear, in this text today, Mark 1:17, Christ calling on all of us to make us become what we have not been up to this point, fishers of men. That you would realize we have a tremendous opportunity here. Estimates show us that the Triangle region of North Carolina will double in population over the next 25 years. It's already just growing. You can see it. You can see the condominiums that are going up, the houses that are being built. These are commercial developers that think that people are going to pour into this area. Many of them, most of them, will be lost, will be unchurched. It's opportunity for us. It's an opportunity. And for us, I think it begins with the power of the Holy Spirit that comes on us, in answer to prayer. "You'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you'll be my witnesses." So I am calling on all of you, the elders are calling on all of you, to join us in prayer for four consecutive Wednesday evenings, from 6:30 to 7:30, or longer if the Holy Spirit wants us to stay longer. You'll know at the time. If you're there, you'll know we're supposed to stay. But for four weeks, to pray for evangelistic fruitfulness. It's going to start on February 23rd, and it's going to go through March 16th, from 6:30 to 7:30. We'll have childcare as we always do. That's a slot I usually teach the Bible in. We'll be right here in this sanctuary and we'll pray for an hour, for four weeks, for evangelistic fruit and power. Close with me in prayer. Father, thank you for the time that we've had to study your word today. I pray that you would just do a supernatural work in us, to make us fishers of others, fishers of human beings, of people, that we can see the gospel work mightily in this Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. God, give us grace, give us fruit, give us power, give us a heart for the lost. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Where, when, and how does American literature begin? What constitutes the canon of U.S. literature, and how is it distinct? While monuments and history books are the most prominent battlefields in our current culture wars, the debate over what belongs in the canon of great American literature has not subsided. I spoke with Professor Sarah Rivett, Professor of English and American Studies and Affiliated Faculty of Indigenous Studies at Princeton University, about American literature. As an interdisciplinary scholar, Professor Rivett specializes in early American and transatlantic literature, religion, and indigenous history. She is the author of The Science of the Soul in Colonial New England (2011), which was awarded the Brewer Prize of the American Society of Church History, and Unscripted America: Indigenous Languages and the Origins of  Literary Nation (2017).  I was especially interested in speaking with Professor Rivett since she enthusiastically endorsed Fictions of America: The Book of Firsts, which I co-edited with Smaran Dayal (Warbler Press, 2020) 

How can America get back to the ideas that made it the greatest Christian nation in history? Peter Marshall, author of The Light and The Glory, says, "Colonial New England produced the most incredibly, well-educated generation of Founding Fathers who were not only brilliant, but they were full of Godly Character." Amazing achievements include the revival at Yale led by its president; Jonathan Trumble read the entire Bible at age 4 and passed the entrance exam to Yale at age 7.

The summer of 1694, immediately following the mutiny aboard Charles II, saw several dozen Privateering commissions handed to ships' captains from Colonial New England. Today we discuss the governors who did so, and two of the Captains who received them.

A deep dive into one of the bloodiest conflicts with Native Americans in Colonial New England. Joseph Balto, Charlie Alessi, and Owen Becker researched, wrote and produced this episode.

Join us while we discuss Robert Egger's 2016 film The Witch. This week we go down a rabbit hole about witches in Colonial New England. Artwork by Nelson Wirstrom Music by Gui at studioonecast.com

Director Robert Eggers stormed into international acclaim with his debut film that looked at isolation, madness and paranoia. For his follow-up, The Lighthouse, Eggers swapped Colonial New England for turn-of-the-century New England, a puritan family on the brink of collapse for two Willem Defoe and Robert Pattinson drinking, smoking, and antagonizing each other. Yet the film has grown a community of fans still trying to figure out the film's themes, which include mental health, Jungian archetypes, and Greek maritime mythology. But is the film truly that deep or does it fall into the cracks of pretentious art film cliche? MovieDude Eric, Chris Tondevold and special guest Jonolobster grab an oar and a bottle to find out.   If you like this episode, you can find more of Arthouse Legends on GonnaGeek.com along with other similar geek podcasts. You can also leave comments at ArthouseLegends@gmail.com or on our Twitter feed @arthouselegends. Please make sure to leave feedback about the show on your podcast directory, especially on iTunes in order to help us gain more listeners. Thank you! Music Courtesy of Johnny Ripper "Soundtrack for a film that doesn't Exist: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/johnny_ripper/soundtrack_for_a_film_that_doesnt_exist/johnny_ripper_-_soundtrack_for_a_film_that_doesnt_exist_-_22_sundown_1361  

Em mais um RdMCast direto da quarentena, nossa especialista em bruxaria, Gabi, junto com Braga e Thiago, discute os casos de bruxaria ocorridos em Salém ao final do século XVII. Nos acompanhe em um programa mais que completo onde discutimos as “possuídas” e suas acusações que culminaram no enforcamento de quase 20 pessoas, além das representações do caso no teatro e no cinema. * ARTE DA VITRINE: Estúdio Grim Estúdio Grim – Design para conteúdo digital * Portfólio: https://www.behance.net/estudiogrim * Instagram @estudiogrim * designgrim@gmail.com PODCAST EDITADO POR * Ilha Flutuante: https://www.ilhaflutuante.com.br/ SEJA UM(A) APOIADOR(A) * Apoie o RdM a produzir mais conteúdo e ganhe recompensas exclusivas! * Acesse: https://apoia.se/rdm * Conheça a Sala dos Apoiadores: http://republicadomedo.com.br/sala-dos-apoiadores/ CITADOS NO PROGRAMA * RdMCast – #207 A representação do mal feminino na figura da bruxa * KARLSEN, Carol F. The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England. Nova York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1998. * MILLER, Arthur. The Crucible. EUA: Penguin Books, 2003. * Filme: As Bruxas de Salem (1996) OUÇA O RDMCAST NO SPOTIFY! * Acesse: https://spoti.fi/2DWoFCX GRUPO ABERTO NO TELEGRAM * Link direto: http://bit.ly/2Ao6dOd Tem algo para nos contar? Envie um e-mail! contato@republicadomedo.com.br Twitter: @rdmcast Instagram: Republica do Medo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Was MARY WEBSTER really practicing WITCHCRAFT in Colonial New England, in 1683?  When accused and sentenced did she really possess the power to SURVIVE A WITCH HANGING? Judge and Deacon, Phillip Smith, was convinced that Mary was in league with the Devil!

How can America get back to the ideas that made it the greatest Christian nation in history? Peter Marshall, author of The Light and The Glory, says, "Colonial New England produced the most incredibly, well-educated generation of Founding Fathers who were not only brilliant, but they were full of Godly Character." Amazing achievements include the revival at Yale led by its president; Jonathan Trumble read the entire Bible at age 4 and passed the entrance exam to Yale at age 7.

This week, we're simultaneously in both the years 1953 and 1692. Luckily our friends D & Ken from the Antiques Freaks podcast have arrived to help us interpret The Crucible. Ken has more sticky notes than pages inside his copy of the play, D teaches us about the House Un-American Activities Committee, Paris is perfectly sober unlike the last time the Antiques Freaks were guests on the show, and Chris is possessed by the ghost of Arthur Miller and reveals his plans to hunt witches with his arsenal of ... water. Many thanks to the following podcasts and books that helped us understand the political and cultural climate of Salem Village (Danvers) and Salem Town in 1692 and just how inaccurate Miller's play was: Podcasts: The History of Witchcraft Iconography Unobscured Books: A Storm of Witchcraft by Emerson W. Baker P.S. Listen to the album of the same name by the band Malleus if you're into black metal The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England by Carol F. Karlsen The Devil in Boston: A Play about the Salem Witchcraft Trials in Three Acts by Lion Feuchtwanger (the actual OG play about the HUAC and the Salem Witchcraft Trials) Under Household Government: Sex and Family in Puritan Massachusetts by M. Michelle Jarrett Morris The Witches by Stacy Schiff

Ric Murphy will explore the history of the 20 and odd African captives that arrived in Virginia around 1619 and planted the seeds of the American slave trade. This is the first group of Africans to go on record to be sold as involuntary laborers. A Boston native, Ric Murphy is an educator, historian, and award-winning author of several books and historical publications. Long before he started writing, Murphy had always heard about his rich family background, which led him to begin as a hobby — genealogical research. His family lineage dates to the earliest colonial periods of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Jamestown, Virginia. Mr. Murphy’s lineage has been evaluated and accepted by several heredity societies, including the Daughters of the American Revolution; the National Society of the Sons of Colonial New England; the Sons of the American Revolution; the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War; and the Sons and Daughters of the U. S. Middle Passage.

In this segment with author and historian of American Religion John G. Turner, we discuss the origins and development of the uniquely American religion The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or as it is more colloquially referred: the “Mormon Church”), explored in John’s biography of the Church’s influential second president in ‘Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet’ and in his more recent book ‘The Mormon Jesus: A Biography’ which covers the Church’s theological underpinnings and place within the tapestry of American Christianity. John’s sober and detailed examination of the roots of the LDS Church sheds a light on the personalities of the individuals (Brigham Young and Joseph Smith) that made the most crucial and influential decisions in the history of not only the Church, but also in the westward expansion of the American Project (e.g. Manifest Destiny), as well as the colonization of the North American continent more generally. By understanding the roots of this religion, we can further understand the history of the United States and its expansionist program, as well as the role the Church played in that project. John G. Turner is professor of American Religion at George Mason University, with a special interest in Mormonism, Evangelism, and the history of Colonial New England. John is the author of ‘Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ: The Renewal of Evangelicalism in Postwar America,’ ‘Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet,’ and ‘The Mormon Jesus: A Biography.’ John is currently next project is a history of Plymouth Colony, scheduled for publication in 2020 (the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower). Learn more about John’s work at his website: https://johngturner.com This is a segment of episode #150 of Last Born In The Wilderness “An American Religion: Pioneer Prophets & The Colonization Of The West w/ John G. Turner.” Listen to the full episode: http://bit.ly/LBWturner WEBSITE: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com PATREON: http://bit.ly/LBWPATREON DONATE: Paypal: http://bit.ly/LBWPAYPAL Ko-Fi: http://bit.ly/LBWKOFI FOLLOW & LISTEN: SoundCloud: http://bit.ly/LBWSOUNDCLOUD iTunes: http://bit.ly/LBWITUNES Google Play: http://bit.ly/LBWGOOGLE Stitcher: http://bit.ly/LBWSTITCHER RadioPublic: http://bit.ly/LBWRADIOPUB YouTube: http://bit.ly/LBWYOUTUBE SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: http://bit.ly/LBWFACEBOOK Twitter: http://bit.ly/LBWTWITTER Instagram: http://bit.ly/LBWINSTA

In this episode, I speak with author and historian of American Religion John G. Turner. We discuss the origins and development of the uniquely American religion The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or as it is more colloquially referred: the “Mormon Church”), explored in John’s biography of the Church’s influential second president in ‘Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet’ and in his more recent book ‘The Mormon Jesus: A Biography’ which covers the Church’s theological underpinnings and place within the tapestry of American Christianity. As someone that grew up as a member of the LDS Church (and having left the Church officially years ago), my fascination with the roots of this religion continues to the present day. I can’t shake my interest in examining the roots of religion in the broader sense, and while I’ve explored various topics that point to my interest in this subject, I had not yet given much time yet in discussing the role the LDS Church has played in such topics as: the colonization of the West; the cultural and historical context that gave rise to the cultural and political prominence of the Church in American society; American Exceptionalism and the role it’s played in the development of the theological underpinnings of Mormon faith and cosmology; the antagonistic relationship the Church leadership had with the United States government, primarily in the 19th century under Brigham Young; what recent controversies surrounding the Church and its leadership mean for the future of the organization and it’s members. This is where John’s work comes in. His sober and detailed examination of the roots of the LDS Church sheds a light on the personalities of the individuals (Brigham Young and Joseph Smith) that made the most crucial and influential decisions in the history of not only the Church, but also in the westward expansion of the American Project (e.g. Manifest Destiny), as well as the colonization of the North American continent more generally. By understanding the roots of this religion, we can further understand the history of the United States and its expansionist program, as well as the role the Church played in that project. We get into these subjects and more in this episode. John G. Turner is professor of American Religion at George Mason University, with a special interest in Mormonism, Evangelism, and the history of Colonial New England. John is the author of ‘Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ: The Renewal of Evangelicalism in Postwar America,’ ‘Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet,’ and ‘The Mormon Jesus: A Biography.’ John is currently next project is a history of Plymouth Colony, scheduled for publication in 2020 (the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower). Episode Notes: - Learn more about John and his work at his website: https://johngturner.com - Purchase ‘Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet’ here: http://bit.ly/BrighamYBio - Purchase ‘The Mormon Jesus: A Biography’ here: http://bit.ly/MormonJ - The song featured in this episode is “Battle Hymn of the Republic” by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Source: https://youtu.be/QSiVjlknuSw - WEBSITE: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com - PATREON: http://bit.ly/LBWPATREON - DONATE: Paypal: http://bit.ly/LBWPAYPAL Ko-Fi: http://bit.ly/LBWKOFI - FOLLOW & LISTEN: SoundCloud: http://bit.ly/LBWSOUNDCLOUD iTunes: http://bit.ly/LBWITUNES Google Play: http://bit.ly/LBWGOOGLE Stitcher: http://bit.ly/LBWSTITCHER RadioPublic: http://bit.ly/LBWRADIOPUB YouTube: http://bit.ly/LBWYOUTUBE - SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: http://bit.ly/LBWFACEBOOK Twitter: http://bit.ly/LBWTWITTER Instagram: http://bit.ly/LBWINSTA

Carla Cevasco, Assistant Professor of American Studies at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, discusses her recent article, "This is My Body: Communion and Cannibalism in Colonial New England and New France." Her article was published in the December 2016 issue of The New England Quarterly. Abstract: Analyzing the material culture of English, French, and Native communion ceremonies, and debates over communion and cannibalism, this article argues that peoples in the borderlands between colonial New England and New France refused to recognize their cultural similarities, a cross-cultural failure of communication with violent consequences.

How can America get back to the ideas that made it the greatest Christian nation in history? Peter Marshall, author of The Light and The Glory, gave says, "Colonial New England produced the most incredibly, well-educated generation of Founding Fathers who were not only brilliant but they were full of Godly Character." Amazing achievements include the revival at Yale led by its president; Jonathan Trumble read the entire Bible at age 4 and passed the entrance exam to Yale at age 7.

In this episode, we highlight another genealogy author.  I talk with Lisa Alzo about her latest book, The Family Tree Polish, Czech and Slovak Genealogy Guide: How to Trace Your Family Tree in Eastern Europe. Bio – Lisa Alzo Lisa A. Alzo, MFA, is a freelance writer, instructor, and internationally recognized lecturer specializing in Slovak/Eastern European genealogical research, writing family history, and using the Internet to trace female and immigrant ancestors. She has written hundreds of magazine articles and ten books, including the award-winning "Three Slovak Women." She is a contributing editor for Family Tree Magazine and teaches online courses for Family Tree University and the National Institute for Genealogical Studies. As a lecturer, she's been a frequently invited speaker for all of the largest US genealogical conferences, as well as genealogical and historical societies across the nation and in Canada. An avid genealogist for over twenty-five years, Lisa also chronicles her family history adventures on her blog, The Accidental Genealogist. Book Summary Trace your Eastern European ancestors from American shores back to the old country. This in-depth guide will walk you step-by-step through the exciting--and challenging--journey of finding your Polish, Czech, or Slovak roots. You'll learn how to identify immigrant ancestors, find your family's town of origin, locate key genealogical resources, decipher foreign-language records, and untangle the region's complicated history. The book also includes timelines, sample records, resource lists, and sample record request letters to aid your research. In this book, you'll find The best online resources for Polish, Czech, and Slovak genealogy, plus a clear research path you can follow to find success Tips and resources for retracing your ancestors' journey to America Detailed guidance for finding and using records in the old country Helpful background on Polish, Czech, and Slovak history, geography, administrative divisions, and naming patterns How the Three Partitions of Poland and the Austro-Hungarian Empire affect genealogical research and records Information on administrative divisions to help you identify where your ancestors' records are kept Sample letters for requesting records from overseas archives Case studies that apply concepts and strategies to real-life research problems Whether your ancestors hail from Warsaw or a tiny village in the Carpathians, The Family Tree Polish, Czech and Slovak Genealogy Guide will give you the tools you need to track down your ancestors in Eastern Europe. Publication Info Title: The Family Tree Polish, Czech and Slovak Genealogy Guide: How to Trace Your Family Tree in Eastern Europe Publisher: Family Tree Books (February 12, 2016) Paperback; 240 pages. The Family Tree Polish, Czech and Slovak Genealogy Guide: How to Trace Your Family Tree in Eastern Europe is available for purchase from shopfamilytree.com and Amazon.com.   The Interview Researching Polish, Czech, or Slovak ancestry is complex. Lisa and I discuss how to overcome the challenges of this research area.  Knowledge of the history of an Eastern European ancestor's country is essential as boundaries changed but ethnic identity remained intact. Locating and getting access to record repositories can be difficult. Hiring an on-site guide/researcher can make a research trip to the old country more efficient and successful. Proper planning increases the satisfaction of heritage traveling to ancestral villages. Links mentioned during the interview: Foundation for East European Family History Studies (FEEFHS) Polish Genealogical Society of America (PGSA) Cyndi's List University of Pittsburgh (Archives Service Center) Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Direct link to this post: Action Item Lisa Alzo wrote a book that filled a gap. There is no other book available covering Czech, Slovak and Polish research. Her book fills a real need. What I want you to do is to  is to think about your niche.  Where are the gaps in the area where you provide services? You might need to do some research to see what has already been written. Before you think that your niche is already done, think of your topic in a different way. For example, if you do Colonial New England research maybe  you could focus in on Catholics who came to Colonial New England. Or perhaps write a book about how cemetery research can help with colonial research.  You get the idea. Try to find a way for you to fill a gap in your niche. There could be a book waiting inside of you! News In Genealogy Business news, I mentioned it last week but I'll mention it again - the Association of Professional Genealogists is looking for a managing editor for the APG Quarterly magazine. Check out the publications page on www.apgen.org for more information about the publication.  Interested parties can send cover letters and resumes to admin@apgen.org. The deadline for that is coming up quickly on July 10th 2016. In other APG news the annual Professional Management Conference Early Bird deadline is coming up on July 15th. That's just 12 days away from the release of this episode. Be sure to register by then so that you can save money off the registration price. In addition to regular presentations there will be a number of workshops. These allow you to go in-depth on a particular topic.  William Beigel will be presenting a workshop called Researching and Interpreting WWII American Military Casualty Files. Karen Gridley will present the workshop Shift Procrastination to Get More Done in Less Time and with Less Stress. Bethany Waterbury will present a workshop on DNAGedcom. Michael Lacopo will present Finding Dead Ancestors is easy: Finding the Living Can be a Challenge! And lastly Melanie Holtz offers a workshop called Virtual Coordinator: Managing a Genealogical Business in the Internet Age. You can learn more about the conference at www.apgen.org/conference. As a reminder, I have started a newsletter for The Genealogy Professional podcast. You can sign up for that on the front page of the website . That is also your ticket for getting into the free but top secret Facebook Group. I want to give you a little peek behind the scenes here at the Genealogy Professional podcast. This show which we offer you for free is the work of four people. In addition to myself, Pam Wolosz is doing the show notes and learning audio editing. George Edwards, the creative producer,  critiques each episode and makes creative content suggestions in order to improve the overall quality of the program and finally Jean-Luc Pierre-Louis Jr. provides tech support and keeps the equipment and machines running. All told each episode takes 8-15 hours to produce. In the past I have had some people offer donations. I've always hesitated to accept those.  But no more. In recognition of all the efforts the team is putting in to make this show for you I will now have a PayPal donation button on the website if you feel so moved to donate. I want you to feel like a supporter or contributor to the show - part of the backbone that keeps us going. So head over to the Supporter tab on the website if you'd like to become a supporter of the show. The donations will be divided amongst the whole team. Also, a personal appeal from me. We are getting back on track with episodes and working hard to bring you the interviews that help you understand the genealogy profession better. At this point I really need to hear from you. I need to know that what we are doing is helpful to you. So if you could, please find the show in iTunes and leave a rating and review.  Signal to iTunes that the show is alive and let us know that you're happy to be listening. Without that, sometimes I just wonder if I'm talking to myself.

Summary: This episode is all about witchcraft in New England. We speak to folklorist Peter Muise and review the new folk horror film, The Witch, which is set in Colonial New England. Lots of spooky, witchy goings-on this time around! We hope you enjoy! Please check out our Patreon page! You can help support the … Continue reading "Episode 89 – New England Witchery"

Law and order stood as a sign of civilization for many 17th-century Europeans, which is why some of the first European settlers in North America created systems of law and order in their new homeland. Today, we explore the legal history of colonial New England with Abby Chandler, author of Law and Sexual Misconduct in New England 1650-1750. Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/069   Helpful Show Links Help Support Ben Franklin's World Crowdfunding Campaign   Ask the Historian Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Join the Ben Franklin's World Community Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App *Books purchased through this link will help support the production of Ben Franklin's World.

This week on Fieldstone Common our featured guest is Corin Hirsch, the author of the book Forgotten Drinks of Colonial New England: From Flips & Rattle-Skulls to Switchel & Spruce Beer. Bio – Corin Hirsch Corin Hirsch is a drinks … Continue reading →

New Docosade | Nothing’s Wrong | Alchemy in New England 2 | Infernal Names | Thelema and Libertarianism | 3rd Enochian Call | Liber LXV | Cops and Christians | Perspectives on Thelema | Angels and Demons In this program: Intro & outro music: Song of Adoration by "Greetings of the New Docosade" by Joseph Thiebes "Nothing's Wrong" by Amy Saari "Alchemy in Colonial New England" part 2 by Greg Kaminsky "Infernal Names" SickTanick "Aleister Crowley, Thelema, and the Temptation of Libertarianism" by Keith Readdy "Third Enochian Call" by Sa páh Iaida "Liber LXV" reading by Mowgli "Cops and Christians" by SINS "Perspectives on Thelema" with Frater Aletheia and Joseph Thiebes "Angels and Demons" by Sa páh Iaida Announcements & News about the Thelemic Community [ ] [ ] More Info "Greeting of the New Docosade" by Joseph Thiebes Joseph has written a detailed explanation of the Thelemic Calendar in 10, No. 1. Joseph also offered an audio version of the above paper on , also available on our . "Nothing's Wrong" by Amy Saari Amy's new album, on CDbaby "Alchemy in Colonial New England" part 2 by Greg Kaminsky "The Infernal Names" by SickTanick "Aleister Crowley, Thelema, and the Temptation of Libertarianism" by Keith Readdy department at University of Amsterdam "Third Enochian Call" and "Angels & Demons" by Sa páh Iaida "Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente" reading by Mowgli "Cops and Christians" by SINS "Perspectives on Thelema" by Joseph Thiebes, featuring Fr. Aletheia Announcements Mar 29 - with Speech in the Silence co-producer Joseph Thiebes, hosted by S.O.M.A. April 12 - Gordan Djurdjevic at - "Interpreting Indian Tantra and Yoga as Forms of Esotericism" Collective777 : ARCANA, at Meinhart's Gallery & Curio in Pitman, New Jersey : ; ; Lon DuQuette lectures in Europe: May 29: May 31: June 7: September 5-9: in Biograd na Moru, Croatia Eleusyve Productions is working on a rock opera rendition of The Rite of Mars which will be performed in 2014. Check out their and their . If you would like to notify our listeners about an event or publication, or other news pertinent to Thelemites, send the details to us at [ ] [ ] Listener Feedback We encourage all of our listeners to e-mail us at Donate to support Speech in the Silence Tune in for Program 52 when the Sun enters Taurus on April 19, 2014 e.v.

by Paul Ruffins   Black history may have seemed “lost, stolen or strayed” at one time, but since then much of the African American past has been rediscovered and reanalyzed. Unfortunately, this new research hasn't yet filtered down to high schools, and many students and others still base their thinking on the information that existed in 1968 when CBS News produced the film Black History: Lost, Stolen or Strayed. At that time, many important works on Black history were more than thirty years out of date. For example, W.E.B. DuBois wrote History of the African Slave Trade in 1896 and Black Reconstruction in 1935, and Dr. Lorenzo Green finished The Negro in Colonial New England, 1620-1776 in 1942. Over the past thirty years, historians, anthropologists, and other scholars such as John Blassingame, Dr. Eugene Genovese and Ira Berlin have revolutionized the study of African American life, history, and culture. Some facts are indisputable. A few free Africans came to the New World with Columbus. African slaves first arrived in the Spanish colonies in the Caribbean in 1502 and came to what was to become the United States of America in 1619. Over the next 250 years, some African Americans were freed or freed themselves. The U.S. banned the external slave trade in 1808, and states from Maine to Maryland gradually enacted abolition laws. Unfortunately, some historical questions may never be answered. For example, although estimates range from thirteen million to thirty million, we will probably never know exactly how many people were taken out of Africa during the slave trade because boats and people were counted differently in different African and European languages. Black Issues presents some of the latest thinking to help educators lay to rest these ten common myths and misconceptions that distort and oversimplify nearly 500 years of African American history.

Hymn of Thelema | Alchemy in New England 1 | Via Vitae | LT: Creativity & Magick | Death Comes Knocking In this program: Intro music: Song of Adoration by Musical Interlude: "Hymn of Thelema" by One Three One featuring Sr. Fieri Facias "Alchemy in Colonial New England" by Greg Kaminsky Musical Interlude: "Via Vitae, verses 1 & 2" by Eleusyve Productions "Living Thelema: Creativity & Magick" by David Shoemaker Musical Interlude: "Death Comes Knocking" by Dry River Announcements & News about the Thelemic Community Outro music: Song of Adoration by Frater Oz [ ] [ ] More Info Hymn of Thelema Alchemy in Colonial New England 1 Via Vitae verses 1 & 2 Aleister Crowley's Living Thelema: Creativity & Magick Main website: Send your questions to Dr. Shoemaker at Death Comes Knocking on Facebook on cdbaby on SoundCloud Announcements A book by Dr. David Shoemaker, based on his segments on this podcast, is . Be sure to listen to past Speech in the Silence contributor Craig Berry in his interview on the . Speech in the Silence co-producer IAO131 has published a book called which contains several texts in the style of Hindu Upanishads as well as some in the style of Buddhist sutras. Past contributor to Speech in the Silence, , has a new album called . On December 29th, Star Sapphire Lodge in the Los Angeles area will offer a celebration of the Gnostic Mass and a brief talk at the . On January 11th, David Shoemaker will offer a series of lectures at Scarlet Woman Lodge in Austin, on

This week on Fieldstone Common our featured guest is Joan Bines, author of the book Words They Lived By: Colonial New England Speech, Then and Now. Bio Joan Bines received her BA from Brandeis University and her doctorate from the … Continue reading →

News includes the digitization of Canadian passenger lists (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy), an interactive online map of Chicago (chicagoancestors.org), and Diane Rapaport's soon-to-be-released book The Naked Quaker: True Crimes and Controversies from the Courts of Colonial New England.  Listener mail includes details about Jewish marriage customs and a question about donating rare cemetery books.  In response to a listener question, George and Drew describe their list of essential books for the genealogy reference shelf.