| Why is it, that when people are in trouble, ill, or have an emergency that only then do they call on the name of Jesus or shout out the name of God? Here are two recent true stories that I would like to share with you that may help you to answer these questions. The Story Was Reported in the News A professional - experienced sailor owned a huge, beautiful boat. He decided to go sailing. He broke the very important cardinal rule regarding sailing, “NEVER SAIL ALONE!” He sailed out toward the Pacific Ocean, off Palos Verdes and swam to the buoy outside the Port of Los Angeles near Catalina Island off the coast of California where the waters can be choppy and rough. His boat hit something and began behaving strange. Dressed in very few clothes and no life jacket, he leaned over the side of the boat to try and see what was wrong. While on the boat's deck when a large wave tossed the vessel, the man said he lost his footing and "somersaulted" into the water and when he caught a big wave, it took a sudden roll and he hit his head on the side of the boat. Panic stricken, he looked up immediately and saw the boat passing him as he thought he may go under the propellers. The boat sailed right past him, leaving him alone in cold water of approximately 58 degrees. The man looked around and saw a buoy floating about a mile away from him. He knew he could not make it to the buoy in the cold water. Hypothermia was setting in and he was swallowing a lot of salt water. He then prayed to Lord for help. He asked the Lord to save him. He thought he was going to die 3 different times. He believed sharks were in the waters. He promised the Lord that if he saved him, that he would serve Him for the rest of his life. Suddenly, a balloon with helium floated by him, out of no where. He grabbed the balloon and tucked it inside his shirt and began using it as a flotation device. Soon, the balloon deflated and he began to sink again, over and over. He continued to pray while he treaded water. He was very tired and cold. Suddenly, a piece of wood drifted right in front of him, out of no where. He grabbed the driftwood and kept himself afloat near the buoy. He was not allowed to hold on to the buoy, when he arrived, because it was inhabited by sea lions. One sea lion, which was more than likely a male, would not allow the sailor to grab hold to the buoy to stay afloat. They chased him off the buoy several times. In the meantime, the boat, with its motor still running, sailed toward shore and ran onto the land, with no one on board in the large section of ocean in the Marina del Rey and Catalina Island area in Avalon Harbor. The search for the man began immediately. Having been in the water now for nearly 5 hours or more, as the man began to give up hope, he heard the sound of a boat, he looked up, it was his brother, coming to rescue him. He was rescued by a group of boaters on a pleasure craft wearing only a pair shorts and a tee shirt suffering from moderate hypothermia. His brother arrived minutes later. The sailor appeared on television minutes after being released from the hospital. He witnessed to the world the events of above, he cried throughout speech and he witnessed to the world of the goodness and mercy of God. God had spared his life. I pray that the Lord add a blessing to the readers and listeners of these stories. This communication was made possible by the generous donations from supporters of: Church of the Living God. Will you become a ministry partner, as well? We need and welcome your support and contributions. |
| TRUE TESTIMONIAL SHORT STORY |
| NEVER SAIL ALONE |
 |  |  |  |
| Church of the Living God |
