As the shuttle rests on the pad fully fueled, it weighs about 4.5 million pounds. The orbiter has three main engines located in the back fuselage, which is the body of the spacecraft. Each engine is 14 feet long, 7.5 feet in diameter at its widest point, and weighs about 6,700 pounds.
The cost of each space shuttle mission is an astounding 450 million dollars.
In order to remain in orbit a shuttle must reach speeds of about 17,500 mph.
However, did you know that the space shuttle Discovery was once grounded. Do you know why? Not because of a multi-million dollar technical difficulty. It was not because of a lack of government funding. The space shuttle Discovery was grounded because of wood peckers.
Evidently, yellow-shafted flicker woodpeckers found the insulating foam in the shuttle's external fuel tank irresistible for pecking. Of course, the foam is critical to the shuttle's performance.
In a similar way, sometimes churches are grounded by God, and not able to launch out in their mission because they are rife with backbiting, gossip, and slander. The same is true in our marriages, families, friends, and business.
Unity is essential for the church's performance of her mission.
I was so blessed last Sunday morning when three of our young ladies in the youth group came up to me and said our mission statement together in unison. They were so proud that they memorized it:
"Buildinging believers who reach others for Christ."
Let's ask the Lord to search our hearts; ask Him to reveal whether our mouths have been building our fellow believers in Christ up, or tearing them down through pecking and picking on one another. Confession is the key to cleansing.
God looks at the heart. Remember when the Lord told the prophet Samuel to go see Jesse in order to anoint one of his sons to be the next king of Israel? Samuel look at Eliab and thought he was the one. But notice the Lord's response, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Sam 16:7).
I've asked myself this question and have been meditating on it this past week:
"When the Lord looks on my heart, what does He see?"
We must see the people as He did, and be moved in compassion for them as He did, and have His perspetive of the harvest: it is plentiful, but the workers are few. Secondly, we saw that we must pray for the harvest.
I think our attendance and participation on Wednesday night prayer meetings can improve. In fact, it already has to God's glory! When I first came, there were four members, now we have to move to another room.
I don't want to make Wednesday night prayer meeting the sole metric to gauge the church's prayer life. However, if at all possible, please do your best to make it. And if your schedule will not allow it; please set aside a time and place to pray for a harvest through our church. For the glory of God.
We will have upcoming opportunities to pray for people who are lost without Jesus. We must prepare ourselves should God move in a mighty way. Many are praying for this to happen, so please pray for the staff that we might equip our people to be ready to receive those who come through salvation or rededications. We must think out of the box in order to accomodate more people.
Again, I feel so honored to be your Lead Pastor! Please remember my family during this transition, and pray that our house would sell soon.
Yours for fulfilling our mission,
Dr. Mark L. Richardson, Lead Pastor
First Baptist Church, The Colony
