"What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and
love in Christ Jesus." - 2 Timothy 1:13
As a child, Rick Husband wanted to become a pilot and an astronaut. In 1980, he
entered the Air Force and in 1999 Colonel Husband flew aboard the shuttle
Discovery. A dedicated Christian, Rick shared how much he enjoyed singing to the
Lord: "Well, I've been singing for a long time. When I was growing up going to
church, I sang in church choir as a real little kid. Especially with some of the
songs that we sing in church, just being able to sing a song to tell God how
much I love Him, it just feels great. It really does."
On the morning of January 16, 2003, Rick was the commander of the shuttle
Columbia. Just after suiting up and prior to walking to the shuttle, Rick
stopped the crew before they opened the door and said he wanted to pray for
them. Later one of the technicians said that in all his years at NASA, he had
never heard of a commander praying for and with his crew. Just prior to launch,
Rick radioed mission control that "The Lord has given us a great day." The
Columbia crew spent the next two weeks in space, but just 16 minutes prior to
landing in Florida, Columbia broke apart re-entering the earth's atmosphere. In
a fleeting moment, Rick was able to join the Lord he loved.
Our lives are short. We are called to a live of faith and love in Christ Jesus.
Today in prayer, thank the Lord for your life and live this day by faith and
love in Christ.
"God has no more precious gift to a church or an age than a man who lives as an
embodiment of his will, and inspires those around him with the faith of what
grace can do." - Andrew Murray
God's Word: "We continually remember before our God and Father your work
produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by
hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Thessalonians 1:3
By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2003, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN 2 TIMOTHY
pkennedy@devotional.com
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