In John 16, Jesus emboldens his disciples in his farewell speech by reassuring them with the promise of the Holy Spirit. Now in the seventeenth chapter, Jesus turns his eyes to heaven and prays for his beloved followers. Jesus is passing the torch to the disciples. And you'd better believe that the disciples, who are overhearing the prayer, are listening closely. It reminds me of visits to my grandparent's home as a child. My sister and I were supposed to be tucked into bed, but after a little while, we would silently tiptoe to the staircase and strain to overhear whar out mother was saying about us to our grandmother. Although Jesus prays openly about death is near, the tone of his prayer is almost joyous-he has fulfilled his calling, and the glory of his full return to unity with God as described in John's prologue is near. In this prayer, Jesus blessed his followers by naming their preparation for this moment. The disciples have received Jesus' words, and they are now certain of Jesus' divinity. Jesus prayers for unity among his followers, "so that they may be one, as we are one." The disciples could not have imagined the many streams and rivulets the Jesus movement would split into. Yet, even when John's Gospel is written, probably in the second century, there are already multiple strains: Christians rooted in Judaism and those who, like the community John writes from, have separated from the mother tree to focus on the exclusive priority of Christ. Nor could the disciples have envisioned the global church today and the complexities of church and culture that call us to deeper dialogue and prayer for one another. ​

​Robin Graham is the youngest person in history to sail around the world alone. But success didn't come easily for him. He left on his three-year odyssey as a sixteen-year-old boy thrill-seeker. The adventure was like a drug to him. His trip changed something deep inside him. A violent storm almost capsized his little boat, the Dove. In the midst of the torrent, the Dove's mast snapped in two, and Robin barely survived the water-filled tornado. But that wasn't the worst of it. When his boat entered a windless, currentless part of the ocean near the equator, Robion almost went crazy with doubt and despair. At one point, he completely gave up hope that he would ever make it out. He splashed kerosene all over his boat and set it on fire. Fortunately, Robin snapped to his senses and doused the fire before it did serious damage. Three years after his departure, Robin sailed into Los Angeles harbor to cheering crowds, honking cars, and blasting steam whistles. He had made it. And, more importantly, he had wrestled two great enemies- doubt and despair- and found himself stronger as a result.