I was a 4th grader, and I thought “astronaut” was one of the coolest job titles in the whole world.

You can imagine my excitement that day. The space shuttle Challenger was going to launch, but this wasn’t just any space shuttle launch. This one was special. There was a teacher on board. Christa McAullife was going to share lessons from space with kids just like me, all over the world.

“Mr. Wizard’s World” was cool (all science programs were to this growing geek). But TV science lessons from space?

That was going to be a whole other level.

Only it never happened.

Instead of returning from lunch that day to hear about a successful launch, we returned from lunch to see this on TV in the library:

Something had gone seriously wrong.

It was the first of a few moments in my life that created a kind of unique shared consciousness with others. Times we never forget, with details seared into all of our brains. Challenger. 9/11. Very few moments compare to their widespread clarity.

But Challenger was even more than that.

There was the reality that seven astronauts died. Seven families devastated. Wives, husbands, children left behind. Kids like me.

I remember the weight of that hitting hard for some reason. I remember being unsettled when my 9 and 10 year old friends started in with the awful jokes.

But mostly, I remember the images.

I can still barely watch the video.

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Challenger would intersect and impact my life once again in college. I didn’t become an astronaut, but I did pursue engineering, and in an engineering ethics class, I had the opportunity to hear Roger Boisjoly speak. His account opened up a completely different part of the Challenger story to me.

Roger was a mechanical engineer that worked with the solid rocket boosters for the shuttle. In 1985, he identified a potential problem with the O-rings, particularly during cold conditions, which could cause the catastrophic failure of the booster and ultimately the loss of a space shuttle. He brought the problem to the attention of his superiors.

On January 28, 1986, temperatures had dropped to freezing the night before launch. The warnings of Roger and others were ignored. Politics and public relations trumped science and engineering. The O-rings failed. Challenger exploded.

The defining tragedy of my generation was completely avoidable.

I’m not sure my 4th grade self could have processed that.

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I have three kids now, ages 8, 10, and 13. As I reflect on Challenger, I can’t help but think about them.

They grow up in a world where the space shuttle program doesn’t exist anymore. Space exploration is left to robotic probes, and manned space missions are mainly relegated to the movies. Do kids still even dream of becoming astronauts? Are there worthy role models to fuel dreams to drive future scientists and engineers?

I wonder what their most vivid shared Challenger-esque memory will be? I wonder how such an impactful event would shape them. I wonder how I’ll respond as a parent.

I hope for them. I hope that they won’t have to experience such a jarring moment, even though reality will almost assuredly contradict that. I hope that we’ll be prepared to guide our children through this generation’s collective shock moment when it comes.

I hope that their futures are shaped by the kind of dreams that Challenger and the space program gave my generation.

Check it out: medium.com.

If you’re a blogger, amateur writer, or just someone that enjoys reading a variety of original material, medium.com may be a place for you.

I took the plunge and signed up. Maybe you should too.

I’ve acquired a lot of good Royals gear over the past couple years. Watching my boys in blue roll through the playoffs and into the World Series, culminating in an amazing November parade… it’s brought tremendous joy to Nancy, me, and the kiddos.

But what to do with all this cool stuff.

“I’ll redecorate my office!”, I thought.

Frames in hand, I was ready. Collage ideas in mind to display tickets, rally towels, photos, programs, and other keepsakes. All I needed was to print a few photos.

A random thought crossed my mind. I’ve taken a LOT of awesome photos I’d like to print semi-professionally. Maybe it’s time for a printer upgrade.

“Nah… no need to spend money needlessly”, I thought.

I’m not a professional. The old photo printer would surely do just fine.

Except it was out of ink. A problem I could solve.

Off to Office Depot. $100 later, I’m on my way.

Back home again. Cartridges installed in a flash. Finally ready to rock and roll.

The first photo sheet rolled out. Why was the firetruck in the parade photo such an ugly shade of yellow? Where were the reds in the photo? Why was Royals blue so… OFF?

“Those stinking ink cartridges. I should have known better than to buy generic.”

I yanked them back out, thinking they were empty. As ink splattered on my hands, I realized they clearly weren’t the problem.

“Clean the print heads. That should fix it.” Surely after sitting mostly unused for several months, the printer was just in need of maintenance.

I printed another photo. Same surreal weirdness.

“Print a test page you dummy. Quit wasting photo paper.”

I fumbled through the printer menu and on we went. Test page printed.

No dice. Light magenta and magenta were completely missing.

*SIGH*

“Google will know. Google ALWAYS knows.”

Google did not know.

Well, not really. I tried several forums. HP C7280, no magenta or light magenta.

A common problem.

“Well, at least I’m not the only one.” I tried the various solutions.

Entering troubleshooting codes.

Clean print heads.

Install and reinstall cartridges.

Re-initialize the ink system.

Hard reset the printer to defaults.

Strike one, two, three, four… ten. My Royals photos were clearly not happening.

The printer’s communications path was clearly not functioning with two of the six cartridges, just as so many others had experienced.

$100 down the tubes. No photos. No collages.

Blood boiling.

Printer out the front door. Time to go “Office Space”.

(If only in my imagination.)

Technology really stinks sometimes.

Rambling aside, the concept of “Stuff Christians Like” was to make a little light-hearted fun over typical Christian behaviors. Much of modern Christian culture IS kind of silly at times. And sadly, much of it taints the views of non-believers.

“Stuff Christians Like” helped us see that. It made you laugh, sure… but it made you think too. It may have even instigated a little changed thinking and behavior.

When I think of spiritual warfare, I can’t help but think that the topic would have made a great post there.

“The Spiritual Warfare Card”.

Sadly, spiritual warfare in many Christian circles has become a lot like “First World Problems”. It’s a card we play all too regularly and without near the weight it really deserves. At times, I think we make a mockery of what spiritual warfare truly is. Or worse… we actively apply the term to a circumstance or situation that’s ordained by God.

I know. I’m not tacking this topic like “Stuff Christians Like”. So much for light hearted.

But think about it.

Is there room for the sovereign plan of God to allow you to undergo difficulty? Is there room for sovereignty to cover loss and hurt and pain? Or consequences for poor decisions? Brokenness? Struggles? Even persecution?

We pray all the time for these things to end. We ask God to fix every issue. And we identify almost everything that doesn’t feel like it’s going our way as spiritual warfare.

Is it possible that God WANTS your ship to encounter a storm?

Is it possible that God PLACED that iceberg in the path of your Titanic?

Is it possible that you’ve been charting YOUR own course all along, thinking it was God’s?

Maybe you’re not facing spiritual attack. Maybe you’re outside of God’s plan. Maybe you’re not, and He’s trying to teach you something.

Maybe it’s time we stopped proclaiming we know God’s will so perfectly after all. (James 4:13-16)

Maybe we should rest in his care. (Matthew 11:28, 1 Peter 4:9)

Maybe we should be content with whatever our circumstances may be. (1 Timothy 6:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Maybe we should keep doing the things His word clearly identifies as good and right. (James 4:17, 1 Peter 2:15)

Maybe we should let God be God, and simply trust Him as the author of everything?

You can argue the merits of the study, but I think it’s an interesting insight, even if it’s something we probably already know it intuitively. We may be more “connected” online than at any point in history, but we’re probably more disconnected in real life than ever.

There are merits of social networking, of course. It’s never been easier to stay in touch with people throughout the world. It’s never been easier to share information instantly.

But there are also some serious downsides.

• Social media basically encourages digital voyeurism.
• Connected to this is an increasing level of vanity and sanitized sharing. “Look how great my life is!”
• Given the above, it’s almost a necessity to treat social networking as our own public relations firm nowadays.
• Anything you post on social media can go viral at a moment’s notice. One misstated word can be used to ruin your life.
• It’s easy to mistake digital connection with the real thing.

I could probably go on and on, but the point is this:

Social media will never replace real friendships and real community. Don’t let yourself be fooled in that regard.

Seek authentic, face-to-face, person-to-person connections.

Because “likes” and comments of sympathy from so-called friends aren’t going to cut it when life comes crashing down.

Sold into slavery by his brothers, imprisoned, ultimately freed and placed over all of Egypt because of his gift of interpreting dreams.

Saving his family in time.

In Genesis 50, we hear his response to his brothers:

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

God meant it for good.

We struggle with this a lot as Christians. Our circumstances very often define us. The trials we’re going through leave us lacking hope and feeling abandoned by life itself sometimes.

“Good” Christians often try to encourage us with the tales of Joseph, or standard verses like Romans 8:28.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Given time and perspective, usually we can look back and see how “God meant [our trials] for good”, just as Joseph did. But in the moment?

Tales like this and well-intentioned “encouragement” often feels just like wishful thinking. Maybe that’s lack of faith.

But it’s exactly how people in pain respond.

“Psh.” “Whatever.” “God doesn’t really care.” “You may see hope, but I don’t.” “Good luck with that.” “I may know that in my head, but not my heart right now.”

People in trials need your presence. They need to know that you care. They need to know they’re not abandoned in their time of need. They need to know that no matter what they’re going through, they’re still loved.

They need more than your words.

As I read a few quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. earlier this week in reflection of his remarkable life, I was struck by one of the statements he’d made:

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

It’s not simply the trials that hurt. It’s not simply the attacks of the enemy or the impacts they have on our lives.

It’s the fact that very often, during those times, we simply feel all alone.

Hopeless. Unwanted. Uncared for.

Which, yes… is anything but the truth when it comes to God.

But Christians? While God is rarely physically sensed, we can be. And with humanity existing as physical beings as well as spiritual, we need that physical connection that only presence can bring to one another.

Be there for those that need you. Bring a bit of heaven into the hellish situations our friends and families often encounter.

Be a bringer of hope that enables the words of Scripture not only to ring true from an intellectual perspective to those in need, but a practical one.

Perhaps then, people can truly see how “God meant it for good”.

Fear shows up unbidden, it almost never goes away if you will it to, and it’s rarely a useful tool for your best work.

Hope, on the other hand, can be conjured. It arrives when we ask it to, it’s something we can give away to others again and again, and we can use it as fuel to build something bigger than ourselves.

I could try to add to this, but I think the best thing is to simply consider a couple reflective questions in response to this.

Applied to a personal level, are you ruled by fear or driven by hope?

Applied to leadership and influence of others, how are you bringing hope?

(If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m not sure we can be friends.)

But it’s perfectly applicable to what may be one of my new favorite animated .gifs:

Occasionally we all experience what the poor little guy above does. Running with all you’ve got, getting nowhere. Giving your best effort to accomplish something, but finding no progress in sight. Struggling to find a way to try harder, do more, press on, push yourself, go go go.

All for apparent naught.

While the mental picture that comes into focus as you read this may have something to do with your job, I wonder how many of my readers (all three of you, maybe?) will think about faith.

Because the same applies there at times.

Prayer. Study of God’s word. Worship. Service.

Faithfulness in doing the things that “good Christians” do, yet stagnation? Or just distance in feeling the presence of God? When all your efforts to connect with God seem to fail? When doing the right things doesn’t seem to matter? When you run to God to find peace and rest and yet can’t ever seem to experience it?

I don’t know that there’s a clear answer to those experiences, but I bet you’ve been there if you’ve been a believer for any length of time at all.

What I can give in response to this is Scripture. When hope seems fleeting, when all else seems fruitless, there’s this:

Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Run the race with endurance. With perseverance. Don’t quit. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Romans 5:3-5
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

The suffering of running the race is real. But persistence in running the race produces character… and ultimately, hope.

And hope in God, who loves us unknowably, who never fails, and never disappoints… that hope is well-placed.

Keep running.

Don’t quit.

Don’t give up the fight.

Run your race… even if it feels like you’re standing still.

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a friend.”

“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”

“No one really knows why they are alive until they know what they’d die for.”

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

“Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”

“No person has the right to rain on your dreams.”

“It does not matter how long you live, but how well you do it.”

“The time is always right to do the right thing.”

Truth is eternal, and I have a feeling these quotes will still impact lives today and in the future every bit as much as they did a half decade ago.

[Note: all quotes sourced online. Accuracy may vary.]

But ever talk to someone from another culture about Jesus? Someone who maybe doesn’t speak the same language as you (at least primarily)? Someone who has NEVER been exposed to anything about this Jesus we worship?

How do you think they would they respond? (Or if you have had this blessing, how did they?)

I heard an interesting account of this from a friend recently. I won’t disclose names, so don’t ask, but I promise: this is all true.

My friend has had a unique opportunity to host several young people from another culture in their home recently. They’ve been blessed to be the “American family” for these young people, and have not shied away from sharing their faith with these people as well.

They’ve shared the experience of attending a Christian worship service. They’ve shared the experience of reading Scripture. They even shared the celebration of Christmas together.

The response is an eye-opener.

The young people my friend has been hosting have had ZERO exposure to Jesus before this. You’d think that being from another culture, with other beliefs, that these young people might just totally shut my friend out from sharing about Jesus. You’d think that they might be completely closed to hearing about Jesus, knowing their years of upbringing in other faiths.

The opposite has been true.

These young guests of my friend are completely intrigued. They’re curious, even though they don’t complete get what they’re learning.

For example, Lazarus and Jesus. Both raised from the dead. Apparently they heard about this account in a church service they attended with my friend.

Their response?

“So they’re like zombies, then?”

While it’s easy to laugh about this, put yourselves in the shoes of these young guests. They’ve never heard about Jesus. They’ve never heard an account of the story of Lazarus, let alone any Biblical account. It’s not a far out conclusion given what they know.

But they’re reading the Bible to learn more. Not just any Bible; an “Action Bible”. You know, Scripture illustrated in comic book style?

From what I’ve been told, these young guests can’t get enough of it.

And my friend gets to share Jesus with them almost every day based on what they read.

It’s amazing.

You see, cultural differences DO matter. Cultural difference CAN create barriers to understanding the gospel. My friend is seeing that first hand.

But what my friend is also seeing is this: love supersedes all of this. Sharing life together transcends differences.

And hope of gospel transformation is ignited as a result.

I don’t know if these young people will come to know Jesus as my friend does. That’s for God to know as He reveals His plan.

But I do know this: regardless of what happens with their faith, my friend has connected with these young people and impacted their lives. My friend has been faithful in sharing Jesus. And my friend has an even bigger extended family here on earth as a result of hospitality.

That’s something special, something worth celebrating.

Something all of us should model.