July 20; We Crave The Challenge for Eternal Motivation
MANAGEMENT BY THE BOOK:
365 Daily Bible Verse &
One-Minute Management Lessons For The Busy Faithful

Chapter Seven: Power; 20 July

Enter through the narrow gate.

For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

Matthew 7:13

Moon Shot

He was in his early 40’s and addressed a packed sun-drenched sweltering stadium at Rice University. “We do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard…”

John F. Kennedy gave the perfect motivational speech. Yes, there was emotion, but more important he moved a country to take action. The mission would be nearly impossible to execute and failure would be life threatening. JFK would first present the goal before congress in 1961 and continue his ‘can do’ speech.

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Some projects cannot be managed in the traditional sense. Some can only be accomplished through inspiration. Big Things can’t be too easy. Management is broken down into plan, organize, lead and control. “Motivation” is often included as part of the definition under ‘to lead.’

There can be no middle ground, or as the old joke goes, “you can’t cross a ditch in two jumps…” We cannot do a half-measure half-way to the moon. The 953,700 statute miles mile trip to the moon and back would demand impossibly tight tolerances with little margin for error.

The National Aeronautical and Space Administration, NASA, developed a number of manned space vehicles. The program to carry men to the moon and back was named Apollo after the mythical Greek god of the sun and light and truth.

Scripture provides a guide to avoid failure — enter through the narrow gate.

The broad road is easy. The narrow gate requires discipline with little tolerance for any variation. To be this good is not quite a moon-shot.

Wide variations and imprecise calculations are easy, indeed sloppy. The comfortable wide path is easy because there is little resistance and few ethical challenges. But the narrow gate makes demands and requires thinking. With a heavenly reward.

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On July 20, 1969 Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped off the Lunar Modular on to the surface of the moon.

On July 24, 1969 the Apollo crew returned to earth safe.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. Matthew 7:13

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