Two Extraordinary Men

Yesterday two extraordinary men passed from this life. One you've probably heard of. He was world renowned and will be remembered for all time for one singular event, although his achievements were many. The other was also known world wide, although in smaller circles, but his accomplishments were every bit as important, and in an eternal perspective, they were much greater.

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong took "one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind," and became the first person to walk on the moon. That step was more than just another page in the long story of exploration. It was the culmination of every journey, every step into the unknown, every quest for knowledge and advancement in the history of the world up to that time, and remains man's greatest achievement.

Armstrong was born to fly. At age 16 he had a pilot's license before he could drive. At the young age of 20 he flew 78 combat missions over Korea. Then he was one of the first to skirt the edge of space in the X-15 rocket. Quiet and unassuming, he was a the ideal of cool and collected. When test piloting the lunar lander, the craft went out of control and he ejected less than a hundred feet from the ground. A short time later he was briefing to go on another flight as if nothing had happened. He was commander of the Gemini 8 mission that performed the first space docking of two aircraft. When a stuck thruster on his capsule sent the craft spinning out of control, he calmly handled the emergency, regained control of the aircraft and brought it safely to a Pacific Ocean landing east of Okinawa.

His finest moment, however, had to be the landing of the lunar module on the moon. The proposed landing site was strewn with boulders, and Armstrong skillfully maneuvered the lander to a clear spot and touched down with only 15 seconds of fuel remaining. "Houston," he called, "The Eagle has landed." The world, weary from war and unrest, for one moment rejoiced together and watched with great anticipation as Armstrong and his co-pilot, Buzz Aldrin, walked on the lunar surface.

Armstrong, not interested in notoriety, quietly bowed out of the lime light and made another name for himself as an educator. He rarely gave interviews or participated in public celebrations of his moon landing, but he should be remembered as the quintessential gentleman hero, a man every boy should look up to and even aspire to be like.

The second was every bit as much an example for boys, young and old, to admire and look up to. He gave his heart to the Gospel ministry as a teenager and spent his life sharing and sending the Gospel world wide. He was one, of what I like to call, the Great Spiritual Triumvirate, that came out of the First Baptist Church of Englewood, Colorado. Three teenage boys, Clifford Clark, Carl Boonstra, and Al Wells, best friends all, sat under the preaching of a "fire and brimstone" preacher named Harvey Springer, and went out from there to win the world.

Al Wells became an evangelist and preached until the Lord called him home a few years ago. Carl Boonstra served as Springer's associate, then started his own church, and in 1972 became the Missions Director for the Baptist Bible Fellowship, International. At age 87 he is still active, preaching nearly every Sunday.

Clifford Clark built the huge Tulsa Baptist Temple and introduced to the BBFI a method of missions giving known as Faith Promise. Scores of young people from his church, including one of his own sons, went to the mission field, and millions of dollars were raised through Faith Promise to take the Gospel to the farthest reaches of the earth. Tulsa Baptist Temple was the sending church for one of Africa's greatest missionaries, Elmer Deal, and for Rachel Saint, whose brother, Nate, was martyred along with four others by Indians in Ecuador in 1956. Rachel spent the last thirty-six years of her life winning those same people to the Lord.

Clark was also a very humble man, never seeking fame or notoriety, yet he became a giant among the 4,500 churches of the BBFI, as well as hundreds of other churches across the United States and world wide. His influence has inspired tens of thousands and brought many more to faith in Christ. Yesterday his journey came to an end. He fought a good fight, he ran his course well, he kept the faith, and now he has entered the joy of the Lord.

Two great American heroes; both will be missed.