SS-03 Volcano!

Sam and the crew have embarked on one of their most exciting adventures. Their mission: tame a volcano! The title of this adventure is simply "Volcano!" They are now on a Pacific island where many years ago, a volcano - dubbed "Appolyon" destroyed an entire village. Now Appolyon has come out of its deep sleep and is threatening the village again - and there seems to be no way to stop it! This adventure will chill your blood and stand your hair straight up! Find out how Appolyon swallows Sam, Hazel and Nancy whole and how the Lord miraculously brings them out alive! Listen and learn how the lava flows of Appolyon are turned harmlessly into the sea and how the "lava" of hatred is turned by a "soft answer."

Have a great week...

Spreading the WORD,
Randy
Phil. 1:9-11

Blessed Labor Day!!!

A Christ-filled Labor Day to all you Sailor Sam friends from Sam Stone, Olie Olson, Buddy, Nancy, and Aunt Hazel! The crew of the Porpoise hopes you all have had an enjoyable and refreshing summer vacation. And they pray that you will have a good and productive fall.

Temple of Isis Background

This week's story, "The Temple of Isis" is based on historical facts. The story begins with Hazel buying and old vase. The vase turns out to be a valuable antique with a ring stuck inside the neck of the vase. The ring is an even more valuable sealing ring that belonged to a Byzantine general Belisarius who was one of the most brilliant military leaders of all time. Belisarius served under Emperor Justinian I during the middle of the 6th century.

Isis was a major goddess in Egypt. The worship of Isis began as a cult about 2500 AD, which was typical of the worship of most of the gods of Egypt. She became sort of a mother goddess for anyone and everyone - children, women, sailors, and many more. Isis may have been the most popular of Egypt's gods. Temples to her have been uncovered all across North Africa and even as far away a Pompeii. Worshipers of Isis did steal Christian and Jewish relics, even taking articles from the temple in Jerusalem.

As seems to be their habit lately, Harbour Light's timing is just right. Justinian sent Belisarius to North Africa to destroy the Vandals who were led by General Gelimer. Belisarius defeated Gelimer at Carthage on Sept. 13, 533. Belisarius is said to have returned a large quantity of relics from the temple in Jerusalem to Constantinople. Later that year, Belisarius captured Gelimer and totally defeated the Vandals.

Sailor Sam Diamond Anniversary

I do not have exact beginning and ending dates for SAILOR SAM. From What I do have though, I believe that Sailor Sam first aired just a few months before RANGER BILL began production. It appears that SAILOR SAM was first broadcast in January of 1950. The Ranger Bill Fan Club is beginning to celebrate Ranger Bill's 60th anniversary. So it seems proper that we should also celebrate the diamond anniversary of Sailor Sam's first broadcast. Let's celebrate the 60th Anniversary for SAILOR SAM!!!

Share a Sam CD with your church or your city library. Give a Sam CD as a gift to a child. Contribute to Moody to support Moody Audio and Sailor Sam.

Moody Audio (http://www.moodyaudio.com/) sells Sailor Sam individual mp3s as well as mp3 CDs of all the Sailor Sam stories. Radiotime lists a handful of stations that still broadcast Sam. Harbour Light is the only station that I know of that broadcasts on the Internet.

If you do a search for "Sailor Sam" you will get several pages of hits. But most of those hits will direct you to sites selling two different books for children and are not connected in any way to Moody's Sailor Sam, Olie, and the Porpoise. One book is The Adventures of Sailor Sam, about a cat named Sailor Sam who lives on a ship. The other Book is Captain Dan and Sailor Sam. Again this is a book for children and not connected to our Sam.

The Bible's Troublesome Twins

Sailor Sam isn't the only one who has had to deal with children that needed to be tamed. Almost from page one of the Bible, we can find difficult, even terrible children (and possibly even worse parents).
Genesis beginning with chapter 25 deals with the Bible's most famous (or is that infamous) twins Jacob and Esau. These two fought with one another even before they were born! Jacob bought (try "stole") his older brother's birthright with a bowl of soup! Then Esau hated Jacob and Jacob had to run for his life. The two later reconciled, but Esau ignored God and became the father of all the unbelieving nations of the Middle East.
I skipped over Cain and Abel. Cain was jealous that God preferred Abel's offering over his. Cain killed Abel in his jealousy.
And going back to Jacob, who didn't learn to raise his sons better. Jacob spoiled his son Joseph with the lavish coat of many colors. Joseph's ten older brothers became jealous and wanted to kill him. Instead they sold him into slavery. Yet God used Joseph as a slave to save Jacob's whole family from starvation during a long worldwide famine.

SS-04 Taming the Twins

Sam and the crew have been asked to transport two American boys - "The Twins" - back to the USA. Their parents were both killed in an elephant attack in India. These boys lack a lot in the way of good behavior and Sam has been asked to try to make Christian gentlemen out of them in the process of taking them to the USA. They pull one stunt after another until they come face to face with something they never saw before... themselves for who they really are. But is it too late to show Sam and the crew they mean business? Tune in to see how the love of Christ bears fruit in the hearts of two boys as the crew try to share the gospel with them.

Following "The Twins," Sam and the crew set out to find the ancient "Temple of Isis!"

Have a great week!
Randy

Riverboat Disaster Worst in History

The worst maritime disaster in US history occurred on the wooden-hulled steamboat Sultana. Just days after the assassination of President Lincoln the Sultana was headed north up the Mississippi, severely overloaded with Union soldiers. The soldiers had just been released from Confederate prison camps. In the early morning hours of April 27, 1865, at least one of the four steam boilers powering the paddle wheel exploded ripping the ship apart and setting it on fire. 1,400 of the 2,400 passengers on board that night died in the explosion, in the many fires, or by drowning. The Sultana's legal passenger limit was only 400.
Greed and negligence appear to be the main reasons for the Sultana disaster. One of the boilers had been leaking. The ship was not docked long enough for a safe repair. One of the ship's owners was a Union soldier who was fighting a court martial for stealing money from the army.