During the 1960s President John F. Kennedy shared with the world his dream that the United States would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. That was a bold vision. Many people laughed at him, and told him how impossible that would be. But he kept that “impossible” vision in front of the American people. That’s what leaders do!
About that time, there was a boy graduating from high school named Neil Armstrong. On his graduation night he took his science teacher out of the graduating line to the front porch of the gymnasium. He put one arm around his science teacher’s shoulder and with the other hand pointed to the moon and said, “Teach, someday I’m going to put a foot on that moon.” He went home and went to bed with that dream.
Dreams can become a nightmare if there is no plan! A President’s dream and a high school senior’s dream came together. Both had a plan. Armstrong developed a disciplined life. He worked long and hard to become a pilot. He was then selected as an astronaut.
On July 16, 1969 Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and Neil Armstrong took off for the moon. It was a 4-day trip. I can’t imagine the thoughts that were going through those 3 astronauts’ heads as they were about to do something that man had never done before.
Then it happened on July 20th. It was a Sunday night. We called off church to watch on television this historic moment. The Apollo 11 module landed, and Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon – the first person to touch the moon. He uttered his famous words, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” He had become a part of history. He had dared to go where nobody else had ever gone.
Buzz Aldrin was the second person to touch the moon. Collins stayed in the module. (I guess they couldn’t lock it.) Aldrin and Armstrong spent 2 ½ hours “moon walking,” and that was years before Michael Jackson did it! They planted a flag. They took a lot of pictures, even some of their own footprints.
Someone jokingly said that if Armstrong landed on the moon today, in 2019, he would step off that lunar module, and the first 3 things he would see would be a Waffle House, a Dollar General store, and an Alexander Shunnarah billboard!
Joel said, “Your young men will dream dreams and your old men will see visions.” (Joel 2:28) Jesus said, “With man some things are impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt 19:26)
What dreams do you have? What does God want you to remove from your category of impossible to a new category of possible? What part of possible does God want to redefine for you?
Are you ready to go moon walking?