Forty years ago, Neil Armstrong’s life changed as he stepped onto the moon’s surface, the first human to do so.

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” he declared, words that now live in posterity reflecting both his individual journey and the journey he represented as one member of the human race.

I was having my own small step experience that summer. How revealing to take a look back now and reflect upon the changes that began in my own life at the same time that Armstrong, his fellow astronauts and NASA changed the way we viewed space travel from that point on.

Settled in a large gathering room typically used for craft activities and group meetings, I watched his momentous experience on a grainy black-and-white television set in the company of more than 100 other campers. At Lookup Lodge and Camp in the foothills of South Carolina, I was a typical 13-year-old first-time camper. I excelled in the swimming events, loving every moment spent in the chilly waters of a lake embraced by huge pine, maple and oak trees.

I still have one of the craft pieces I made. It hangs in my kitchen, reminding me that while I was creating something that summer, I was also “being created” in a new and deeper sense.

I also enjoyed the challenge of archery and riflery. One of my riflery target pages remains in my childhood scrapbook, a memento of how much I enjoyed this new challenge. Back then, before trifocals, I was a pretty good aim. Back then, I had just a little inkling of a new aim in my life as well.

Just before I attended Lookup Lodge and Camp for the first time, I had experienced the discovery of a loving and personal God, understanding and claiming for the first time in my life his role in my creation and redemption. It was a “small step,” but since that moment in my home church, it has been one continuous “giant leap” as my life has progressed.

Max Rice, a former textile mill owner, sold his shares in the family business to establish a center in 1965, where youth and adults could experience spiritual enrichment through summer camps and weekend retreats. His small step has provided experiences for giant leaps in spiritual growth for more than 40 years.

I spent two summers at Lookup. Looking back, I realize that those two summer experiences provided much of the foundational aspects of my faith life. Included in our daily activities were personal devotional periods, group Bible studies and great times of fellowship that included games, singing and lots of laughter.

I had the privilege of meeting several of Billy Graham’s children, who served as counselors. I enjoyed singing along with Cliff Barrows, the song leader for the Billy Graham crusades; one of his daughters was my counselor one summer. All of these served to confirm what I had discovered … that the grace of God as expressed through the life, death and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ, was to be the guiding force in my life from that point forward.

It was and still remains a great mystery in my life that the God who had the power to create the universe spoke His desires to fellowship with me and to have a relationship with me, one human being among billions through the centuries. Like Neil Armstrong, I understand now that my “one step” was and continues to be a “giant leap.”

1969: The summer of small steps.

T&D Columnist Harris Murray can be reached by e-mail at writeharris55@yahoo.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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