The American Patriots Bible- My Thoughts From Borders....

I am at Border's again.  This  time typing as I read....
I am leafing through the American Patriots Bible. I wanted a first hand look without having to pay 39.99. Besides, I have a couple of hours "to kill" before it is time to pick up Beth from work. Borders is a great place to do just that. 

The first article that catches my attention is a 5 page section in the front of the Bible called The Seven Principles of the Judeo-Christian Ethic.  I want to talk about this later in the post...or perhaps in another post...but for now, I want to touch on another article that I found very moving.  It is on page 3.  The scripture verse is Genesis 1:1.

In the beginning, God created.....

It goes on to say:

Apollo 8, the first manned mission to circle the moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968.  That evening, the three astronauts--Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders--did a live television broadcast during the ninth lunar orbit, in which they showed picture of the Earth and the moon seen from Apollo 8.  At the time, the broadcast was the most watched TV program event ever. 

About 6 weeks before launch, a NASA official had called Borman and said, " We figure more people will be listening to your voice than that of any man in history.  So we want you to say something appropriate."  Appropriately, the Apollo 8 team ended the broadcast taking turns reading from the Book of Genesis. 

William Anders began by saying,

"We are now approaching lunar sunrise and for all the people back on earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send to you. 

He then began to read Genesis 1:1.
Jim Lovell continued reading from the first chapter without commentary. 

Frank Borman finished the chapter...

And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 

He concluded by saying:

"And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, and a Merry Christmas--and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth. 

I was alive when this was going on.  I was 12 years old but I really can't remember any of it.  I find this story so moving because of the perspective those three astronauts had looking out the windows of Apollo 8.  Even though it was merely a "microscopic" glimpse of the universe that God presides over, it was a bigger glimpse than I am ever going to see. And no, even if there is some kind of commercial space flight available for the general public before I die it is a view I will never see. You would never (and I do mean never) get me on any ship orbitting the Earth (other than, perhaps, at gunpoint) 

 

 

But those three astronauts were there...and they saw the Earth and the Moon from that perspective...as they read the Creation account on Christmas Eve.  Amazing.....

 

 

 

About those nine principles of Judeo-Christian ethics?  More on that tomorrow....