This past Friday night, Good Shepherd hosted a Date Night in which church staff and volunteers provided programming and care for 225 children, thereby enabling parents of those same kids to enjoy a Date Night.
Yesterday’s message …
Began with a “mini-point” that was a stepping stone to the major point. I think that’s allowed under the Simplify The Message method;
Pointed out that adrenaline may make you stronger but it does not make you smarter;
Included a testimony from a pilot from the beginning of his 43 year career;
I was a young Aircraft Commander on an Air Force KC-135 enroute to conduct a night time aerial refueling over the North Atlantic off the coast of Iceland. The sky was clear and the Aurora Borealis was spectacular that evening, lighting up the horizon. The scheduled rendezvous for the refueling with a flight of four F-15 fighter jets was in 30 minutes so I decided to turn off the autopilot and hand-fly for proficiency. The horizon, which I was using as a reference point, was suddenly lost as I entered a bank of unexpected clouds. I continued to hand-fly and my plan was to maintain “straight and level flight” until I exited the clouds. After a short period of time my Co-Pilot cautioned me that we were in a slight bank and a descent. “Impossible,” my physiological senses told me. I am wings level and at a steady altitude! This young Lieutenant doesn’t know who he’s flying with...The Ace of the Base, Captain Mike McGovern! Fortunately my hubris subsided enough for me to look at my instruments to verify the situation. He was right! I was in a descending turn. How could that be? But I had been taught to overcome the intense objections from my senses and trust my instruments, therefore I made the necessary corrections, climbed back up to our altitude, returned to my original heading, thanked the Co Pilot, and engaged the autopilot. The aerial refueling was uneventful while taking place on the most beautiful evening of my 43 year aviation career!
