Posted on 02/04/2003 6:26:19 AM PST by truthandlife
Each time America is hit with tragedy, key people seem to step up to remind us of the comfort found in turning to God. The explosion of the Space Shuttle Columbia is no different. "In the skies today we saw destruction and tragedy," President Bush said just hours after Saturday's events that took seven astronauts' lives. "Yet farther than we can see there is comfort and hope. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, 'Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.' " The president continued: "The same Creator who names the stars also knows the names of the seven souls we mourn today. The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth; yet we can pray that all are safely home." Yet, even more impacting are the testimonies of some of the astronauts themselves. Col. Rick Husband and Lt. Col. Michael Anderson, for example, were professed Christians who impacted many who knew them in life, and many more who have learned of them since their deaths. "Letting God's Message Get Out There" Riggle spoke of both men during Sunday services at the suburban Houston church, which has been inundated with media requests since the two lost their lives. He also played recorded interviews both men made prior to going on the 16-day mission. In his remarks, Anderson's words were seemingly prophetic. "Rick and I both feel that we were put on this mission together for a reason, and we've tried to meet all those challenges with prayer, and God has been very good at answering our prayers," Anderson said. "But we'd just like to really ask for your prayers as we get ready to go on this 16-day mission — and not only prayers for a safe flight but also that, in some small way, we can use this platform as a way to really let people know what we believe and to really let God's message get out there." For his part, Husband recounted his spiritual growth process, including how God helped him apply to his life the Bible's admonition to "commit your way to the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." "And I got to thinking about it and I thought, well, if I ended up at the end of my life having been an astronaut but having sacrificed my family along the way, or living my life in a way that didn't glorify God, then I would look back on it with great regret, and having become an astronaut would not really have mattered all that much," Husband said in the recording played at the church. "And I finally came to realize that what really meant the most to me was to try and live my life the way God wanted me to, and to try and be a good husband to Evelyn and to be a good father to my children, and to do everything that I possibly could to make sure that they knew who Jesus was, and that they had every opportunity to make a choice themselves for Jesus." He continued: "And it was like a light came on all of a sudden, where I finally realized that this thing about being an astronaut was not as important as, as I thought it was. And I finally came to the point where I said, 'OK, Lord. I don't care what I go do, or where You send me; I just want to try and do those things, I just want to be somebody who lives a life that glorifies You. I want to be a good husband, I want to be a good father, and come what may — as far as the rest of it goes.' " Lives Touched In an interview with CNN on Saturday, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a professed Christian, attested to the faith evident in Husband and his wife, Evelyn. "I met (Rick Husband) at the Michael W. Smith concert, a Christian concert, and he introduced me to his wife and two children and gave me a patch and asked my wife and I to pray for him," DeLay said. "I think Evelyn Husband, the wife of Rick Husband, understands how to deal with the loss. And through her faith, she has pulled the families (of the other astronauts) together. ... And Evelyn has shown the strength of her faith to understand what is going on here and understand that the God that she believes in is a loving God and will comfort them and get them through this." Husband and his family have even impacted Focus on the Family in a very personal way. Prior to the mission, Husband honored Focus on the Family by sending a special request. "We have been blessed by your ministry for years," Husband wrote. "I would like to recognize the influence that Focus on the Family has played in my life by flying an item from the ministry on my mission." In response, Focus on the Family President Dr. James Dobson sent along a signed "Focus on the Family" baseball cap. Husband took the cap with him on the mission, expecting to autograph it for Focus on the Family upon his return. No doubt, many more stories will be told in the coming weeks and months of how the Shuttle astronauts have touched other lives. Noted Rev. Riggle: "I said to the church yesterday that the (space) mission wasn't finished, but that Mike and Rick have finished their life's mission. You recall what Paul said to Timothy in 2nd Timothy, Chapter 4, when he said, 'I fought the good fight, I finished the race, I kept the faith. There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.' Rick and Mike are both guys who — we know where they are."
"None of us would have chosen for this to happen, obviously, but it has happened," said the Rev. Steve Riggle, pastor of Grace Community Church, the home church of Husband and Anderson and their families. "And I believe that in their death, Rick and Mike — their story, their testimony, their faith will probably do more for the Kingdom than if they had continued living."
Already, stories are being told of the faith evident in the lives and families of Anderson and Husband.
To read the full CitizenLink interview with the Rev. Steve Riggle about Col. Husband and Lt. Col. Anderson, see "Tell Them About Jesus."
To hear audio of the interviews with Husband and Anderson, see the Houston Chronicle Web site.
To read the full text of President Bush's speech honoring the Columbia astronauts, see the White House Web site.
To find out more about the Columbia astronauts and the continuing investigation surrounding the Space Shuttle disaster, see the NASA Web site.
Armstrong once visited the Holy Land as a tourist, and he later said that walking on the ground where Jesus Christ once walked was a more awesome experience than walking on the moon.
Truly, RH is safely home.....
You could be onto something. They did probably know they were in peril for a while.
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