Jim Lovell, Jr., the Apollo 13 astronaut died on August 7, 2025 at the age of 97. Scott Carpenter, was one of our first seven astronauts who flew on one mission, Aurora 7, that paved the way for all the astronauts, like Jim Lovell, who would follow him.

Like Jim Lovell, Scott Carpenter was truly a great man. Scott Carpenter was a man who had a sense of mission. Here is what Scott Carpenter had to say:

“This project of being an astronaut and going to the moon, gives me the possibility of using all of my capabilities and all of my interests and gifts at once. This is something that I would be willing to give my life for. I think a person is fortunate to have something that you care that much about that you would give your life for. There are risks involved, that’s for sure.”

Then Scott Carpenter went on to say in the following words in a letter to his wife, “My dear, if this comes to a fatal, screaming fiery end for me, I will have three main regrets. I will have lost the opportunity to prepare for my children’s life here on this planet. I will miss the pleasure of seeing you and loving you when you are a grandmother. And I will have never learned to play the guitar.” Signed, Scott.

He cared for his wife. He cared for his children. He wanted to play the guitar. But more than that, more than his love for his wife and children, more than his wanting to learn to play the guitar, Scott Carpenter was willing to give his life for the mission to go to the moon.

Every day I encounter many people whose mission in life is no bigger than themselves, their own wants and their own needs. As we talk, I hear how busy they are with their jobs, their families, their sports and their cruises. But I sense that their busy life is not at all fulfilling for themselves. They start complaining about one thing after another.  

THEY HAVE NO MISSION IN LIFE GREATER THAN THEMSELF. No, they all can’t go to the moon like an astronaut, but the lonely, the fearful, the wounded and the hurting live all around them. And like Dives in the Lazarus parable, they fail to notice them and their mission in life continues to be no greater than themselves.

What does it mean for YOU to give YOUR life for the mission of Jesus Christ?

LIFE IS TOO SHORT, THE WORLD IS TOO BIG, AND GOD’S LOVE IS TOO GREAT TO LIVE JUST AN ORDINARY LIFE!

Please share today’s message with a young person and also with a not-so-young person.