Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Denison Forum

Home
Evangelical
Religion News
The youngest and oldest astronauts in history will fly next week: Choosing the character that determines our legacy

The youngest and oldest astronauts in history will fly next week: Choosing the character that determines our legacy

Last updated on: July 16, 2021 at 5:35 am by Jim Denison

The youngest and oldest astronauts in history will fly next week: Choosing the character that determines our legacy 2021-07-16T05:35:54-05:00 Jim Denison

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Eighteen-year-old Oliver Daemen will become the youngest person ever to fly into space when he joins Jeff Bezos and his brother Mark Bezos for their eleven-minute flight on July 20. Here’s where the story gets even stranger: the person who had originally won the seat by putting up $28 million now has what Bezos’ company called “scheduling conflicts.” Daeman, whose father purchased a seat for him on the second flight, was then moved up to the first flight.

But none of this is the real story to me. Jeff Bezos chose for the fourth member of his crew an eighty-two-year-old woman named Mary Wallace “Wally” Funk. Wally began training to become an astronaut in 1961 as part of the Mercury 13 Women in Space Program. She was at the top of her class when the project was cancelled; none of the thirteen women flew with NASA.

Undeterred, she has logged 19,600 flight hours as an aviator and taught some three thousand people to fly. She served as the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board and was the first woman to be an inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration.

If all goes well next Tuesday, she will become the oldest person ever to go into space.

John F. Kennedy Jr. died on this day

Another aviator is making headlines today but for a tragic reason. John F. Kennedy Jr. died on this day in 1999 when the private airplane he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. He, his wife, and his wife’s sister all perished.

For all her personal accomplishments, Wally Funk may be most remembered for her space flight at the age of eighty-two. For all his personal accomplishments, John F. Kennedy Jr. is most remembered by many people for his fatal flight at the age of thirty-eight.

We cannot always choose the circumstances for which others remember us. Joseph didn’t choose to be enslaved and then promoted in Egypt; Moses didn’t choose to be exiled in the desert and then to confront Pharaoh on behalf of his people; David didn’t choose to be king of Israel; Paul didn’t choose to meet Jesus on the Damascus Road; John didn’t choose to be exiled on Patmos.

But we can choose the character with which we confront our circumstances. If we seek to be godly, God can use us in ways that change our circumstances and impact our culture for eternity.

Ben Zobrist alleges pastor slept with his wife

This is why our spiritual enemy is attacking Christian leaders at the point of personal morality so fiercely. As we have discussed this week, he is trying to remove any vestige of Christian influence from the secular culture. He wants Christians to avoid persecution and seek popularity by compromising the moral truth of Scripture.

When Christians make such compromises personally, our sins can be even more damaging to the cause of Christ.

A youth minister was arrested recently for child pornography; another was arrested on solicitation of a minor. Former Major League Baseball player Ben Zobrist is alleging that his former pastor had a sexual affair with his wife and that he defrauded Zobrist’s charity.

Of all we can do to undermine and demean the Christian movement in our anti-Christian culture, personal moral failures are especially damaging. The clergy abuse scandals of recent years have dominated headlines and caused many church members to consider leaving the church. We cannot know how many nonbelievers have rejected the gospel because of the failings of those who preach and represent it.

The perilous sin of Achan

Joshua 7 tells the story of Israel’s defeat in the first battle of Ai. This was an enemy far less powerful than the fortified city of Jericho they had just conquered. Nonetheless, the Jewish troops were routed and “the hearts of the people melted and became as water” (v. 5).

Joshua and the elders of Israel complained to God for allowing their defeat (vv. 6–9). But the Lord replied, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them” (vv. 10–11). God identified a man named Achan whose greed led him to keep objects God had forbidden (vv. 20–21). When this sin was confessed and purged, the nation was able to defeat Ai and continue its conquest of the Promised Land (Joshua 8:1–29).

If we are defeated by Ai, perhaps it’s because we are harboring the sin of Achan.

This fact does not mean that godliness guarantees health, wealth, and success. From Job to Jesus, the Bible is filled with stories of innocent suffering. But it does mean that we must seek personal integrity if we would make a public impact for the gospel. If we are one person in private and another in public, the private will inevitably become public.

My purpose is not to laden any of us with guilt or call us to an impossible standard. Rather, it is to close this week’s discussion of biblical morality by inviting us to seek to be what we wish others to see.

If you and I will ask the Holy Spirit each day to show us what we need to confess, he will answer our prayers. If we will then confess what comes to our minds, our Father will forgive us and “cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). If we will spend time with God in his word and worship, we will position ourselves to be molded by God’s Spirit into the character of God’s Son (Romans 8:29).

If we will settle for nothing less than godliness, we will manifest godliness. And when the world writes our legacy, it will honor our Lord.

“The kind of man the mirror likes to see”

I was in a restaurant the other day when a song by Chris Young came over the speaker. Its lyrics arrested my attention as he prayed:

I wanna be a good man
A “do like I should” man
I wanna be the kind of man the mirror likes to see
I wanna be a strong man
And admit that I was wrong, man
God I’m asking you to come change me
To the man I wanna be.

Will you make his prayer yours today?

Uncategorized

Previous Post

July 15, 2021

Scientists tap into paralyzed man’s brain to help him speak: The great need of our day and a baptism in Cuba I’ll never forget

Next Post

July 19, 2021 Australian officials seek to rebrand shark attacks: Three satanic deceptions and the privilege of sharing life’s greatest gift

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category america biblical-living Uncategorized

Select a Month March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What river did the Israelites cross to enter the Promised Land?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Tigris River Euphrates River Jordan River Nile River