Team

Photo from ABC News

Robert Konrad was used to being around dolphins. Or Dolphins...of the Miami kind. He was a member of that team from 1999 to 2004, and, as all people who are a part of a team learn to do, he depended on his teammates. He could not win the game alone; he needed his team.

And recently, Konrad found himself in a situation where he should have had a team and didn't. And because of that, he nearly lost his life.

Konrad was deep-sea fishing nine miles off the coast of Florida near Palm Beach when he got a big catch. As he was trying to reel it in, a wave hit his boat, knocking him off balance and thrusting him into the ocean. His boat, on autopilot, kept going without him. Suddenly, Konrad was left alone, in the ocean, without a lifejacket, nine miles from shore.

As I listened to his story this morning, I wondered what I would have done. I am a non-swimmer, so I'd like to think I would have had my life jacket on, but you never know! I'm not sure I would have had the determination he displayed. Konrad was bitten by a jellyfish, saw a shark circle him, and watched as a Coast Guard helicopter flew over. The helicopter was actually looking for him, but did not see him floating in the water, so it moved on.

At that point in his life, no one needed a team more than Robert Konrad as he began swimming for shore. Experienced long-distance swimmers, when undertaking such a feat, have trained for it over a long period of time, and they have a support team in a boat alongside to help prevent dehydration and hypothermia. Konrad had none of that as he swam for shore, determined he was not going to die that night.

But he did have a team. Konrad says he "prayed to God" and kept the image of his family in his mind as she swam. That's what kept him going. Miraculously, he made it to shore, exhausted and in need of medical attention. Today, he's expected to make a full recovery.

As I heard his story this morning, I couldn't help but think of the church. (You know we pastors, we're always looking for connections and illustrations!) There are people today who will tell you they don't need the church, they can believe in God all on their own. And if by "believe" you mean "give mental assent to," that's true. But the Bible reminds us over and over again of our need for the church, for a team, for a community of faith. In a world where evil seems to circle us, where we are "bitten" or rejected because of our faith, where we don't seem to belong, we need a "team," a church family who will love us, support us and surround us to make sure we make it home. Yes, the church is imperfect. Yes, we make mistakes. Yes, we don't always care for each other the way we should. Yes, we don't always reach out to the world and can become self-centered. But the church is still God's Plan A. And there is no Plan B. God is still in the "church" business.

In times that are good and in times that are challenging, even life-threatening, we need our "team." Who's on your team? Who's going to make sure you make it to the shore?

By the way, Konrad's boat was found two days later in Grand Bahama Island, still running on autopilot.

You can read more about Konrad's story here.