Write your abstract here.Profile on: Charlie Duke, a former NASA Astronaut,
was
one of only 12 men who have
walked on the moon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I volunteered for the space program for the thrill of
adventure. Believe me, waiting for take-off while
sitting on
top of a Saturn rocket that’s 120 meters tall and weighs
six-and-a-half million pounds - that’s excitement! I
knew I
was in for one great ride!
But what can top 11 days in space and three days
trekking
around the moon?
What Now?
I was 36
years old with a successful military career
behind
me and I began to wonder, “What now?” I longed for the
thrill of adventure but there were no more flights
blasting
off for the moon and only sketches of a space shuttle
that
might be built someday.
I was bored. Fame, fortune, a spot in the history books:
I
had it all. But if you were a fly on the wall in my
home,
you would have seen that I wasn’t so hot. I was failing
miserably as a husband and father. But instead of
addressing
my problems, I took my eyes off the moon and put them on
money. Surely, I reasoned, that would bring the
satisfaction
that even the moon had failed to deliver.
Marriage certainly hadn’t delivered any satisfaction.
Dottie
and I had married in 1963. But it wasn’t long before I
was
wondering, “Is this all there is to marriage?” Within a
few
years we were heading full-speed toward divorce. I’d
noticed
there were a lot of good-looking women in the world and
a
lot of them liked astronauts. I hoped Dottie would
decide to
leave me. Instead, she told me she was depressed and
thinking about suicide. I didn’t have answers for that
one.
Still Bored...Looking for a Change
About that time, our church hosted a “spiritual renewal
weekend,” and we attended. While Dottie was engrossed in
the
first-person testimonies about how Christ had changed
people’s lives, my mind was on the million-and-a-half
dollars I’d just borrowed from the bank. I’d purchased a
beer distributorship and I figured it better work or I’d
be
in trouble. My money worries drowned out most of what I
heard at the weekend seminar.
Though I had gone to church all my life, I had all of
God I
needed in that one hour every Sunday morning. Even the
moon
had not been a spiritual experience. I wasn’t looking
for
God. I knew Jesus the way you know the United States
presidents - in name only.
Sure enough, my business succeeded. The money rolled in.
After six months I sold out at a handsome profit. Again
I
was bored.
But Dottie wasn’t. She had changed. Her depression had
lifted and she demonstrated a new, believing faith. She
turned to God - not me - for answers to her problems. It
was
appealing and our marriage improved.
Who Was Jesus?
One night we attended a Bible study that focused on one
penetrating question: “Who was Jesus?” All my life I had
said the words, “The Son of God,” but I had never
thought
about it in a deep way. That night I came face-to-face
with
the option of following Him. I prayed with Dottie in the
front seat of our car and gave my life over to Christ.
I didn’t see angels. Didn’t hear music. No blinding
lights.
But I knew what I knew. It was real. The next day, I
awoke
with an insatiable desire to read the Bible.
It quickly became evident to me that my lifestyle didn’t
line up with the Bible’s teaching. The Bible says,
“Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church”
(Ephesians 5:25). I had always thought marriage was a
negotiated deal, like business. The Bible also speaks
pointedly about using words to heal, not wound. I felt
convicted; I had always been harsh with my sons, ages 11
and
13.
Forgiveness and Healing
I had a lot of mending to do. I asked God, Dottie and my
sons to forgive me. I asked God for tthe strength to love
my
wife. Fifteen years have passed since then and my love
for
her grows daily. I’m more in love with Dottie today than
I
was 29 years ago. God also graciously restored my
relationship with my sons, now ages 24 and 26.
Watching God heal our family and pull us off the road to
divorce has been true adventure. It cost the government
$400
million for me to walk three days on the moon - and it’s
over. But to walk with Jesus is free and it lasts
forever.