SHOOTING FOR THE MOON

A couple weeks ago, I was stunned by the full moon that lit up the sky. I captured a brilliant picture of the amazing sight. I watched as the moon rose higher and higher in the sky as twilight settled in. I can’t remember a view of the moon so spectacular. It reminded me of a conversation I had recently with my husband.

He has always been obsessed with space and the moon and all that goes with it—NASA, rockets, orbits, you name it. Seeing the moon shining so brightly confirmed the encouraging words he had shared with me about The Anchor. He is my biggest fan and listens to my every thought and idea concerning our ministry. I share a lot about our hopes and dreams for The Anchor and he always helps to point me in the right direction.

The beautiful moon at dusk

The beautiful moon after sundown

We have big dreams and are shooting for the moon to reach one million women in the next 20 years with the great news of Jesus Christ and the hope and light He brings. Every woman, of every age and background, has the right to hear about Jesus and the true anchor He is for our lives in this uncertain world.

Most days I am confident that we are on course to reach our goal, but there are days I can feel discouraged. It takes perseverance, obedience, endurance and trust to stay committed and on track. There have been moments that I have wondered if we are on course and doing the right thing. It is a journey that includes daily prayer and a dependence on the Lord, asking Him for wisdom and guidance along the way. Enduring a pandemic has been one of those periods (or should I say years!) when I have questioned this path. This is when my husband’s words of wisdom come to mind and keep me focused. He uses a moon analogy that has brought such clarity, hope and inspiration to me.

He recalls his NASA knowledge and likens our course in ministry to a moon expedition. He has enlightened me as to what it took for the astronauts to get to the moon. In order for them to reach their goal, mid-course corrections had to be made all along the way to best meet the circumstances and obstacles they faced. I grasped onto this metaphor as it helped make so much sense to what I experience at times on this Anchor adventure. A mid-course correction is a navigational adjustment made at some point during the journey of a ship, airplane or rocket. In a lunar expedition, it means when a spacecraft or rocket gets off of its trajectory though space, it must be put back on the right path.

This moon message resonated loudly and clearly with me. During the pandemic, we definitely have had to make some mid-course corrections, as when we pivoted to the Anchor at Home—bringing a virtual Anchor to everyone, everywhere on our YouTube channel. As I write, we have over 7000 views and have reached all 50 states which truly blows my mind! To accurately start calculating the number of women we are touching with The Anchor at Home is more than we could have imagined when the Covid-19 struck! Having to adapt our strategies and plans to ever-changing conditions has kept us on course. The Lord has been leading and guiding and helping to navigate The Anchor with the mid-course corrections needed to help us reach our ultimate goal of sharing Jesus with more women!

My husband Ron and I with Gene Cernan

Speaking of lunar landings, the most amazing thing happened a few years ago. It is a memory I will never forget and encourages me every day as we “shoot for the moon” with our goal of reaching one million women for Jesus. I had the privilege of meeting the last man to stand on the moon. His name is Gene Cernan. Ron and I were invited by friends to accompany them to the premiere showing of the movie about Cernan’s life titled, “The Last Man on the Moon.” We (especially my husband!) jumped at the chance to attend. We were over the moon with excitement as this truly was my husband’s dream come true. We were also invited to share dinner with Gene, and we soaked up every word he shared about his experience on the moon. What mesmerized me the most, and has stuck with me since, were the words he used to describe what he saw when he was on the moon. He said, “It was as if I were sitting on God’s front porch.” He shared that the view of Earth and space was vast and beautiful, and he attributed it to God’s majesty and power over all creation. It was awe-inspiring.

So as I look out at the moon, I am encouraged to keep my aim high — shooting for the moon. I’m confident that with the Lord’s leading and wisdom and course corrections along the way, we will reach our goal of a million women for Jesus!

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place…Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:3,9)

With hope and light,

Catch up on last week’s journal entry!

Restored to Former Glory

Hear from our guest writer, Rachael Mitchell: a writer and speaker, wife and mom, who relies on faith, humor and an up-to-date Google calendar to make it through.