When 59-year-old Craig McCabe left Marina Del Rey alone in his yacht he had no idea he would barely escape with his life. While examining lobster lines Craig lost footing after his boat rolled in a large swell. "I lost my footing on the deck and I literally somersaulted over the rail, hitting my head on the side of boat, landing in the water" said McCabe.

After banging his head, breaking a finger and dodging his own boat propellers, McCabe found himself stranded a mile out to sea in 58 degree water. McCabe gathered some driftwood and started swimming to shore but found himself blockaded by a large company of territorial sea lions hanging around the buoys. He assumed hypothermia or exhaustion would overtake him so he began reciting the 23rd Psalm. All hope, it appeared, was lost.

McCabe later reported that "he heard a sound, turned around, and there was my brother." After McCabe's boat had run around with its engines still idling, authorities, along with his brother Lance, began searching for him. His brother found him in the knick of time.

—Contra Costa Times, Saturday, January 14th 2006. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Nathan Morales.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV) "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: [10] If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

On January 15, 2010, one year after their crash landing in the Hudson River, the passengers and crew of US Airways Flight 1549 returned to New York for an anniversary celebration. This one dramatic event is all they have in common. After much reminiscing and reconnecting, Lucile Palmer of Brooklyn said, “Being here is so wonderful. We’re family now.”

--The Week January 29, 2010, p. 4. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Shared experiences, especially traumatic experiences tend to form bonds between strangers. But families share more than the type of experiences that hit the 6:00 news. We form substantial bonds with one another when we share life together. Some of it is harrowing, but most of it is rather mundane and ordinary. It is the sharing of our lives, not just experiences that makes us family.

1 Thessalonians 2:8 (NIV) “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.”

A recently published study headed by Norwegian researchers has found there is a correlation between religious practice and lower blood pressure. The researchers, headed by Dr. Harold Koenig, say the study is one of several that have discovered similar trends. Overall, about sixty percent of quantitative studies report those who are more religiously active have significantly lower blood pressure. Koenig and the other authors believe the cause of lowered blood pressure has based strongly on what people experience while going to church.

Not everyone agrees with the findings. Roy Speckhardt, an executive director of the American Humanist Association said he believes the lower blood pressure is common in other social gatherings, and was not due to religious practice or attendance. Speckhardt said the healthier blood pressure is more likely due to increased human interaction and the presence of a social support network. The researchers say more research is necessary to see if the effect extends beyond Christian communities, and to identify other possible health effects. Koenig said, “It is a lot more complex of a relationship than simply going to church and your blood pressure. If going to church leads you to a deeper relationship with God, as a result a deeper sense of peace and a more loving relationship with your neighbor, then it could indeed affect blood pressure.”

Study: Attending church Linked to Lower Blood Pressure, http://www.christianpost.com/news/study-attending-church-linked-to-lower-blood-pressure-65742 ; December 26, 2011, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Hebrews 10:25 (CEV) Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer.

A pair of men in China can teach us a thing or two about working together in the church. Jia Haixa is blind. Jia Wenqi is a double amputee. They found it very difficult to find traditional jobs. In 2001 they began working together planting trees along the riverbank in their hometown of Hebei. The two 53-year-olds have planted 10,000 trees over the last decade enabling them to earn a modest living while at the same time helping to protect their village from dangerous floods.

When Paul thanks the Philippians for their participation in the gospel he uses the work “koinonia” often translated fellowship. Paul is talking about the cooperation the Philippians have shown in sharing the gospel. We are the body of Christ, the hands, feet, eyes, ears, and lips of Christ doing His work in our world. Can we work together? -- Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Philippians 1:5 (HCSB) because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Clinebell & McKeever write, “. . . spiritual support can be crucial in enabling the renewal of purpose, direction, and a robust sense of mission. It can also help people find deeper meaning in the struggles in which they are engaging.”

1 Thessalonians 2:8 (HCSB) We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.

When Hurricane Harvey stuck Houston the city experienced a city-wide resurgence of unity. Hurricane Harvey brought over 50 inches of rain to the city. Many people got stuck in cars or in their homes, and citizens took action across the city. Many used their own boats and cars to navigate the flooded streets and rescue helpless victims.

One picture captured the unified spirit of Houston. In this picture, an elderly man is stuck inside an SUV nearly submerged by water. At least a dozen other people are also seen waste deep or higher in water, linking arms and forming a human chain to the submerged vehicle to help the elderly man. It didn't matter if these people knew each other. The city was in need, and everyone pitched in, friend and stranger alike. They came together in unity. —Jim L. Wilson and Casey Withers

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Some law enforcement officers have joined protesters over the killing of George Floyd, For instance, Camden County Police Chief Joseph Wysocki held a banner that read, “Standing in Solidarity” as he joined protesters in Camden, New Jersey. —Jim L. Wilson and Jason Blankenship

For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh,

In Measure What Matters Most, John Doerr writes, “If you put two people in a boat and have one row east and the other row west, they’ll use up lots of energy going nowhere.”

And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.