Yesterday was the 21st anniversary of the space shuttle Columbia disintegrating in the skies over Texas on its reentry back into the earth's atmosphere, killing all seven of its crew members. It probably doesn't get as much attention as the Challenger shuttle disaster from 1986, but obviously it was just as tragic.

I came across a story this week about an astronaut and fighter pilot named Rick Husband, who was the commander of the Columbia. He actually traveled into space twice, but lost his life at 45 years of age after completing his fateful final mission on Feb. 1, 2003. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

But more than that, he was a dedicated Christian, and everyone around him knew it. In fact, before the shuttle took off on Jan. 16, 2003, he stopped the crew and prayed for them. NASA workers commented that they had never before seen a commander pray for his crew like that.

Before the flight, he left a recorded devotional video for both of his two children for each of the 17 days he would be gone. That was 34 videos that he recorded so that his children would not miss the daily devotions they had with their dad.

In another video he made for his home church in Houston, he explained the values of his life: "If I ended up at the end of my life having been an astronaut, but having sacrificed my family along the way, or living my life in a way that didn't glorify God, then I would look back on it with great regret. Having become an astronaut would not really have mattered that much. And I finally came to realize that what really meant the most to me was to try and live my life the way God wanted me to and to try to be a good husband to Evelyn and to be a good father to my children." 

After the shuttle disaster, his pastor in Houston visited with Evelyn Husband. She showed the pastor documents that Rick had to sign in case something tragic happened on the mission and he did not return home. The documents also contained personal messages to his family members. At the bottom of the documents, Husband wrote a special note to his pastor that said, "Tell them about Jesus. He means everything to me."

What an example of a man who, despite success in this world, had his priorities in order and understood the real meaning of life. He lived his life with purpose, and it's not hard to believe that even in his tragic death, he had no regrets.

I read another quote from Husband, that I found to be especially appropriate considering the way he lived, and the way he died. He said, "Don't die before you're dead. Don't let anything stand in the way of God's appointed purpose for your life." 

It would be easy to look at Rick Husband's tragic death, leaving behind a wife and two children, and see nothing but sadness. But you can also look at a life well-lived for Jesus, who focused on the right things, and left his mark on this world in so many ways. And his legacy of faith outlived him, as his final message still echoes, twenty plus years later: "Tell them about Jesus. He means everything to me."

I hope you know that same Jesus that RIck Husband knew, and that He means everything to you as well. And may each of our lives be lived in God's appointed purpose this week, with no regrets!

I am praying for you, as I hope you are for me, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

--Pastor Ken