Ep 104: A Return Trajectory

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What can the Artemis 2 mission 
teach us about repentance? 

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Let's talk about that. 
Welcome to the show. 

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I'm Daniel Dalp and this is for 
your Sunday morning drive. 

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We're the short podcast with the
goal of providing some 

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motivation, Dr. and 
encouragement on your way to 

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worship and helping you re 
center your mind on those 

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spiritual things on a hectic 
Sunday morning. 

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We are brought to you in 
partnership with the Ministry 

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League network of podcasts. 
Ministry League offers a lot of 

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great free resources. 
I really suggest you check them 

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out and also check out their 
YouTube page for a bunch of 

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great podcasts on the Ministry 
League network. 

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Well, as usual, let's try to get
right into it this morning. 

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This is episode one O 4, a 
return trajectory. 

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Let's go to church. 
Are we there yet? 

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On April 1st, the four 
astronauts aboard the Orion 

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space capsule lifted off from 
Kennedy Space Center to begin 

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the Artemis 2 mission. 
The objective? 

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To test the capabilities and 
systems of the Orion spacecraft 

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for future deep space missions. 
And they tested this by lunar 

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flyby. 
And on April 7th, the Orion crew

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achieved a new distance record 
of over 250,000 miles away from 

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the Earth. 
This beats, by the way, the 

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previous record set in 1970 by 
the Apollo 13 mission. 

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The Artemis 2 mission has 
literally taken mankind further 

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from home than we've ever been, 
which for the astronauts must 

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have been awesome. 
But also it had to be 

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terrifying, right? 
You know, I listened to a 

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podcast a few weeks back and the
crew said that the idea of 

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leaving on this journey at all 
was daunting simply because of 

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the question, what if I don't 
come home? 

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But I'm pleased to tell you that
as of the time of this 

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recording, about 45 minutes ago,
they landed safe and sound. 

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But the journey they were on was
a technical one. 

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It relied on what is called free
return trajectory, which 

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basically uses the moon's 
gravity to essentially slingshot

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the Orion back to Earth without 
the need for active engine burns

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or heavy fuel consumption. 
And I find all of that 

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fascinating and I find it 
incredible. 

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All of the planned, all the 
calculations, all of the 

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technology, all of the things 
that just had to work to make 

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this mission possible. 
You got to ask the question, 

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what if something had gone 
wrong? 

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What if that trajectory had been
altered just slightly? 

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Would they have still made it 
home or would they be lost in 

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space? 
Maybe that raises a bigger 

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question. 
Not about the astronauts, not 

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about the Artemis 2 mission, but
about us. 

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I don't know where you are this 
morning spiritually in your walk

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with God. 
I don't know where you are in 

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relationship to His people. 
But I do know that sometimes in 

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our own journey through life, we
can end up really far from home,

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far from God. 
Maybe right now you are the 

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furthest you've ever been. 
Maybe you're on a very scary 

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trajectory away from the 
salvation offered through the 

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blood of Christ. 
Maybe you are drifting and have 

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been drifting, not all at once, 
but slowly. 

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Further than you ever thought 
you'd end up. 

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Further than you ever meant to 
go. 

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But here's the good news. 
God allows for course 

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correction. 
No matter how far we've drifted.

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We can turn around. 
We can come home and I don't 

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mean for this episode to sound 
like 1 long invitation, but if 

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that's what it takes, please use
it that way. 

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It reminds me though of what 
Peter told the crowd that 

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gathered after witnessing the 
healing of the lame man by the 

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beautiful gate in Acts chapter 
3. 

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From verse 12 to 18, Peter takes
the people to task with 

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convicting words and tells them 
that they are on the wrong 

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trajectory. 
His message continues and 

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culminates in Acts 319 where he 
says, therefore repent and 

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return. 
Turn so that your sins may be 

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wiped away in order that the 
times of refreshing may come 

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from the presence of the Lord. 
It's not just spoken in 

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isolation. 
That's a call to people who 

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suddenly realized that they were
off course and they were given 

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the chance to turn around before
it was too late. 

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That's something we can really 
take to heart, even our 

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discussion at hand. 
That trajectory can cause us to 

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miss the goal, to miss our home,
to miss the mark. 

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Isn't it interesting that that 
is the definition of sin in to 

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miss the mark? 
Can I say it another way, 

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getting our spiritual trajectory
wrong? 

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Scripture tells us that we are 
all in need of course correction

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at some point in our lives. 
Romans 323 says for all have 

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sinned and fallen short of the 
glory of God. 

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The blood of Jesus makes it 
possible for us to make it 

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right. 
The question is who plots our 

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course? 
Who is our Mission Control? 

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Are we following our own desires
or are we submitting to the will

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of God? 
If you are far from home, today 

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hangs your trajectory. 
I'm home. 

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Because if we are drifting in 
the wrong direction with no 

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grasp on how important being at 
home in God is, then friends, 

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there's really only one way to 
say it. 

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Houston, we have a problem. 
Make it right. 

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I'm home. 
Well, those are my thoughts for 

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your Sunday morning drive. 
Now it's time for you to share 

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yours. 
Our discussion questions for 

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this week are where in your life
do you sense that you may be 

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drifting away from God right 
now? 

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And what is 1 specific step that
you can take today to begin 

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correcting that trajectory? 
Who or what is currently 

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influencing your course the most
and does it align you with God's

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will or pull you away from it? 
If you're off course 

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spiritually, what's one step you
can take today to start turning 

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back towards God? 
Hey, thank you so much for 

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listening. 
I hope you have a great week. 

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I hope that didn't sound too 
much like an invitation message,

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but I hope it caused you to 
think. 

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Thanks for listening. 
Have a great week and I'll see 

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you Sunday.