{"id":304306,"date":"2016-12-22T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-22T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/a-new-frontier\/"},"modified":"2025-04-16T16:16:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T20:16:27","slug":"a-new-frontier","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-new-frontier\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Frontier"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Butch Wilmore and his wife, Deanna, tell how they met and how they&#8217;ve worked to build their marriage on Christ and the Scriptures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Butch Wilmore and his wife, Deanna, tell how they met and how they&#8217;ve worked to build their marriage on Christ and the Scriptures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2016-12-22.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"30.5M","filesize_raw":"31978126","date_recorded":"2016-12-22 12:00:00","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2082,2821],"tags":[6163,6164,5394],"podcast_series":[8184],"cwp_profile":[9439],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-304306","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-reaching-out","tag-astronaut","tag-keeping-family-first","tag-nasa","podcast_series-back-on-solid-ground","cwp_profile-barry-and-deanna-wilmore","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/304306\/a-new-frontier","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/304306\/a-new-frontier","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"zfc5d92Ss3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-new-frontier\/\">A New Frontier<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/a-new-frontier\/embed\/#?secret=zfc5d92Ss3\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;A New Frontier&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"zfc5d92Ss3\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Butch Wilmore and his wife, Deanna, tell how they met and how they've worked to build their marriage on Christ and the Scriptures.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2016-12-22.pdf","transcript_content":"<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> It takes a lot of focus to be a Navy fighter pilot. When someone has that kind of focus, it\u2019s easy for a spouse to be left behind. That was the experience of pilot Butch Wilmore.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> I didn\u2019t completely understand that since He gave me a wife and gave me children, my number one God-given responsibility was as a husband and as a father. There was a time that I did not completely understand that. I would sacrifice certain times with my wife, because I was focused on the responsibilities of my job. I was giving her the understanding, which was true by my actions, that she was not first.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Thursday, December 22<sup>nd<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. So how do you keep your priorities as a husband in order when you\u2019re a fighter pilot in the Navy, hoping to, one day, be an astronaut?<\/p>\n<p><strong>1:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll talk today with Butch and Deanna Wilmore about that. Stay with us.<\/p>\n<p>And welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us on the Thursday edition. We would have to describe the people we\u2019re going to hear from today as a real\u2014really a down-to-earth couple; don\u2019t you think? [Laughter] I thought you\u2019d like that one! I thought you\u2019d like that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> For goodness\u2019 sakes, Bob, he\u2019s an astronaut! [Laughter] He\u2019s not down to earth!<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> We had the\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> He\u2019s about being above the earth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> About a year ago, we had the\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> That may be the worst corn you have served up. [Laughter] It\u2019s not even got butter on it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> About a year ago, we had the longest distance phone call that we\u2019ve ever made, here on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>,when we had a phone call with Butch Wilmore, who was, at the time, onboard the space station.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>2:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Commanding it; wasn\u2019t he?<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> He was the commander, and it was his wedding anniversary. He wanted to say, \u201cHappy anniversary!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> We gave him the ultimate spike! [Laughter] I mean, let\u2019s face it; huh?<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> He called from space and, on national radio, said, \u201cHappy anniversary!\u201d to his wife.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Every man in America, who\u2019s married and thinking about his anniversary: \u201cHow can you top <em>that<\/em> one?!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> When he came back to earth, you had the opportunity to sit down with Butch and his wife and get more of their story. We\u2019re going to share that with our listeners on today\u2019s program.<\/p>\n<p>But before we do that, we need to give our listeners an update on what is going on with the matching-gift opportunity, here at FamilyLife. We\u2019ve got our Matching Gift Monitor, Michelle Hill, who is joining us today. Michelle, we\u2019ve been hearing from our listeners. It\u2019s encouraging, as we head into yearend, to know that we\u2019ve got listeners who are standing with us and helping us take full advantage of this matching-gift opportunity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>3:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Michelle:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Well it is encouraging Bob, and what\u2019s even better is that thanks to a new development we actually announced yesterday, the match has grown by over half a million dollars. We\u2019re now at one point eight million dollars thanks to those generous donors who plussed the match\u2026and what THAT means is that a lot more people like Megan, and William and Nathan and Sheila and Kim and Juan can join the team and have their gift tripled\u2026 and so far almost six thousand folks have done that, so thanks to them we\u2019re at nine hundred forty one thousand dollars as of today.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I just want to step in here before we have a little chat with an astronaut. I\u2019ve been to Houston \/ I\u2019ve been to NASA\u2014I\u2019ve seen what it takes to put somebody in outer space. What I want you to know, as a listener, is\u2014it takes a lot of people doing a lot of things to get people safely into outer space and back home.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>4:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You know what? This broadcast is not NASA; but it takes a lot of people\u2014doing a lot of very faithful actions and executing with excellence\u2014to produce this broadcast and have it delivered on this station to make an impact in your marriage and your family. You know what? It\u2019s impacting a lot of people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t know what\u2019s happened\u2014but in the past six to twelve months, I\u2019ve had more people come up to me, Bob\u2014and I think it\u2019s because the culture has sapped the <em>life<\/em> out of marriage and family by attempting to redesign what God clearly created. I think that people are really, genuinely appreciative of what we do, here on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, every day in talking about what the Bible has to say about marriage and family and equipping people to be successful to do marriage and family God\u2019s way. That\u2019s <em>our<\/em> mission!<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>5:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you go to Houston, there are all of these statements about the mission. You know what? If you come to FamilyLife, <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> has got a real mission. I believe it\u2019s the <em>mission<\/em> of the day. Would you stand with us and help us with our mission?\u2014keeping this program coming on this station to your home, and to hundreds of thousands of others here in America, and in more than three dozen countries around the world. We <em>need<\/em> your help.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> The mission we\u2019re talking about is \u201c\u2026effectively developing godly marriages and families, who change the world, one home at a time.\u201d You can be part of that mission when you go to FamilyLifeToday.com to make a donation, or when you call 1-800-FL-TODAY to make a donation over the phone. Or, if you\u2019d like to mail a donation to us, our mailing address is PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR; and our zip code is 72223. We look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for helping us take advantage of this matching-gift opportunity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>6:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Alright; we\u2019re going to hear now from the conversation you had with Butch and Deanna Wilmore after Butch had stepped back onto <em>terra firma<\/em>. We thought the place to start our conversation today was the question you asked Butch and Deanna about when they first got married and if Deanna understood what she was getting into, marrying a fighter pilot.<\/p>\n<p>[Recorded Interview]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> So here, you married a fighter pilot.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> Yes! [Laughing]<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I mean, that\u2019s a breed of their own kind; right? I could ask you to comment on that\u2014[Laughter]\u2014I\u2019m sure you could really tell us. When did it finally dawn on you that: \u201cThis fighter pilot I married\u2014he\u2019s a wild man!\u201d?\u2014[Laughter]\u2014but a wild man with a lot of discipline and a lot of commitment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> Right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> How long into your marriage before you realized that?<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>7:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> You know, probably when I had a family cruise on the aircraft carrier. You got to go onto the aircraft carrier and watch the landings. He was actually deployed at the time, and I went on another aircraft carrier. We got up on the eagle\u2019s nest, where you can stand. They come, and they land. It was just like: \u201cAhh! This is so exciting! This is so thrilling!\u201d I never realized how <em>thrilling<\/em> it was\u2014because, you know, I knew he landed on ships; but, \u201cOkay, so what?\u201d [Laughter]\u2014until I was out there! [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u201cSo what? He\u2019s landing 668 times on ships?\u201d Wow! [Laughter] And you do love it!<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> You know, I feel very, very blessed to have been able to do some of the things that I dreamed about. The chance to\u2014you know, going in the Navy, there are no promises that you\u2019re going to even get jet aircraft, but I was able to get jet aircraft.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m just an old country boy from Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>8:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In fact, I give God the glory. I\u2019m grateful for all of the things He\u2019s given me, but even more than that\u2014that\u2019s the professional part\u2014but even more than that, is that He saved me. He reached down into my wretched heart\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> \u2014and said, \u201cI\u2019m going to clean you up; and I\u2019m going to give you a lovely person, who\u2019s going to challenge you and, you know, make you toe the line for His glory.\u201d Even more than all this other stuff, that\u2019s the main thing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> How has she challenged you?<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> Constantly. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> How?<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> Constantly. Oh, my!<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Specifically how?<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> Oh, no! [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> I\u2019ve joked\u2014you know, 200 feet, 500 knots, upside down in a jet aircraft; pulling up on the vertical and then you come around and you land on aircraft carriers \/ you launch into space; you go 17,500 miles per hour; and all this other stuff\u2014she\u2019s the one that has helped put that in perspective. She\u2019s the one bringing me back to what really, truly matters. Always the reminder: \u201cGod\u2019s Word, God\u2019s will, family worship\u2014times that we can get our girls together.\u201d She\u2019s the one who encourages and keeps that going.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>9:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You know, one of the questions I wanted to ask you\u2014because the flyboys are notorious for working hard, working long, working intense, but then playing when they\u2019re off duty. You undoubtedly, early in your marriage, flying these jets, got some time off with the guys. How did you handle it? Talk about how you viewed yourself facing the temptations and going with your friends, being salt and light while, at the same time, facing some tough circumstances.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> I need daily, continual encouragement and instruction from the Word.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> I need it \/ I know that I need it\u2014so I don\u2019t slack on that. There are some things you can\u2019t do well, flying onboard the aircraft carrier, unless you\u2019re disciplined and focused. You don\u2019t want to make mistakes. Certainly anytime you\u2019re, you know, in aspects of doing a spacewalk or anything else like that, you need to be disciplined for the details.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>10:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And the most important part of my life is my spiritual journey. It takes a great, great deal of discipline. So I make time to be in the Word every single day. I <em>love<\/em> all people\u2014I want people, more than anything, to know my Lord. Sometimes, when you are with a group and they\u2019re going somewhere\u2014you just silently peel off and don\u2019t go with them\u2014 that viewed not lovingly. But you can\u2019t go with the lost and sin with them.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s something that Jesus never did. He intermingled with them, but He never went and sinned with them, obviously, and neither can we. We must love them \/ share with them, but when it goes to the point\u2014if there\u2019s a point where they go to where it crosses that line of sin, we have to peel off. That\u2019s one thing that the Lord has helped me do in those situations over the years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> So you fly in formation with them for the relationship to let them know you love them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> But if they\u2019re flying into enemy territory, where you have no business\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> Right; I have to peel off.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>11:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Deanna, a woman feeds off of her trust of her husband \/ trust in her man.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> How do his comments here make you feel as a wife?<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> Oh, great! And I always knew this when he would go on deployments\u2014that he would, maybe, you know, go and eat with all the guys; but when they were going on to do the other things, that he would not participate. He was always sharing with me and up-front about what was going on. That really helped me to have trust and confidence in him.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> And it wasn\u2019t like talking about individuals\u2014names didn\u2019t matter\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> Right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> \u2014just situations that I would share.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> And say: \u201cYou know, this is where I\u2019m weak. Because I\u2019m weak, I don\u2019t go there.\u201d I\u2019d try to share that with her, because <em>she<\/em> helps keep me accountable. I mean, I have other men that hold \/ who help keep me accountable; but my wife helps keep me accountable as well.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>12:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The only way she can do that is if I\u2019m open to her about where I\u2019m weak.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You know, people look at your marriage, and they see what you guys have accomplished together; and they go: \u201cThey\u2019re just perfect! [Laughter] They just don\u2019t have any struggles.\u201d [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> Oh, my!<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> Oh, my!<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Have you guys ever gone through a real\u2014a real hard time in your marriage?<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> That was quick! [Laughter] Oh, yes! Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> If you\u2019d be willing to share a little bit of going through a tough time\u2014what you learned?<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> You know, there was a time that I didn\u2019t completely understand that my number one, God-given responsibility in this life\u2014since he gave me a wife and gave me children\u2014my number one, God-given responsibility was as a husband and as a father. There was a time that I did not completely understand that. I would sacrifice certain times with my wife, because I was focused on the responsibilities of my job.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>13:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I was giving her the understanding\u2014which was true by my actions\u2014that she was not first, because I didn\u2019t understand that that was the most important thing. I mean, I tried\u2014you know\u2014balance is everything. When you\u2019ve got so many irons in the fire, it\u2019s hard to balance everything. I would try to balance them equally until I realized that my role as a husband, or my role as a father, outweigh these others. Even balance is not the right balance. They need to be of more importance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I truly believe you believe that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> I do.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And I also believe there was something that helped teach you that. Do you want to share what happened that ultimately brought him to that conclusion?<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> Wow! You know, I think it was\u2014the hardest started once we\u2014of course, he\u2019s still in the Navy\u2014but once we left the Navy life\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> Fleet Navy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> \u2014the Fleet Navy\u2014and went to NASA, he started in the astronaut program. He started doing some things that I would say, \u201cI would rather you <em>not<\/em> go there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>14:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Maybe it was with another co-worker\u2014you know\u2014a female. He would say: \u201cOh, but it is okay. You know, everybody else backed out; and if I don\u2019t go, she doesn\u2019t have anyone to go with her,\u201d\u2014or whatever it may have been\u2014those kinds of things sort of started happening, where I knew he was not honoring me \/ listening to my requests. I wouldn\u2019t ever say: \u201cDo not go there. I forbid that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> I think you need to understand, too, that in this balance thing that I just mentioned, I\u2019m trying to balance all of my responsibilities, equally, which was wrong.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You know, that\u2019s an important statement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> It is.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> Because the signal she\u2019s getting is not that she\u2019s number one.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> But she\u2019s equal.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> That she\u2019s equal to other things. So she\u2019s got that signal, and then these situations\u2014which, <em>now<\/em>, I don\u2019t think would be as big of a deal\u2014but during that period, they were a big deal <em>because<\/em> she was equal with these other things.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>15:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Once I understood my role\u2014my responsibility \/ my God-given responsibilities\u2014correctly, and I rectified through interaction. You know, I leave work at work. When it\u2019s time to be home, I go home. I try to\u2014you know\u2014balance it all and get everything done before I get home. Therefore, I\u2019m not doing work at home. Once I started doing that\u2014giving her the love and affection and my daughters what they deserve\u2014that was when she sees, \u201cOkay; you\u2019ve got the picture.\u201d I guess!<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> And <em>now<\/em>, in a similar situation, those situations would not be as big of a deal as they were then.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> We\u2019ve talked a bit here about moving out of your Navy career\u2014of course, you\u2019re still in the Navy\u2014but focusing on NASA. When you were a little boy, did you think about being a pilot? Did you think about going into outer space?<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> Well, the first thing I wanted to be\u2014when I was a young, little boy\u2014was a garbage man, because a garbage man could take that big can and lift it up on his shoulder; and he was really strong. So that was first! After that\u2014[Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> That sounds like Popeye the Sailor Man to me! [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>16:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> That\u2019s it. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> I think I was like any other child\u2014seeing things\u2014you know, way out there on the edge and flying in space\u2014I mean, not much further out on the edge that you can get than that. I think, as much as any other child, I had the same kind of dream.<\/p>\n<p>But when I got into college, I really started getting a patriotic tug to do my part for my country. That\u2019s really what started to channel the direction for the Navy. I wanted to\u2014once that happened, and I was selected a jet aircraft and all of that\u2014I went to test pilot school and became a test pilot and did that stuff. Then, it was through that process of growing and going forward that eventually the astronaut thing\u2014obviously, I had a couple of wicket things that you had to cross before you would even be eligible, and then the application from there. Yes; it was a thought, way back when; but it <em>wasn\u2019t<\/em> like a drive of, \u201cI\u2019m going to go for that!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes; let\u2019s talk about the wickets you had to go through, because most of us have <em>no<\/em> idea. You\u2019re nodding your head, Deanna. [Laughter] We have <em>no<\/em> idea what it takes to become an astronaut. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>17:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 1998, you became a finalist to enter the astronaut program with NASA; and you got turned down.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> I did; indeed. I think there were six-ish thousand people who submitted an application that year. NASA goes through its process and boils it down to 120 that they actually bring, over a five- or six-week period\u2014bring to Houston, Texas, to the Johnson Space Center and interview through a week-long process of medical and all of this stuff. I did that. I went down and interviewed.<\/p>\n<p>The wicket after that\u2014after the interview process was done\u2014if they\u2019re serious, they do a background check. Those aren\u2019t inexpensive, as I understand. They did the background check on me. I was looking favorable, like it was probably going to happen; and it didn\u2019t. The thing was\u2014I was coming up on deployment. Three days from the time that I finally got the phone call, I was either going to go to Houston and start a whole different life, or I was going to go on deployment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>18:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I got the call: \u201cHey, Butch. We really appreciate everything, but it just didn\u2019t happen this time.\u201d So, anyway\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> That\u2019s tough for a guy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> It was tough; yes. It sure was.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> But he <em>knew<\/em> there was another opportunity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> Potentially, there would be another chance to try.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Spiritually, do you remember how you spiritually processed that?<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> Just like she said\u2014I mean, in your mind, you go, \u201cHey, Lord, whatever You have planned.\u201d You know, I look back now\u2014I\u2019m much older now than I was then\u2014I look back at my life, and I see so\u2014oh, my gosh!\u2014every instance, the Lord\u2019s hand in things. Everything turns out for the better\u2014it seems as you look back\u2014than it was when you were despondent. Even then, I think I processed and said, \u201cLord, You have been so true to me. I see the truth in Your Word. It\u2019s going to be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That still doesn\u2019t say that you don\u2019t have the down feeling you have to work through it. Even when you lose someone, and you know they\u2019re gone to be with the Lord\u2014there is a period the Lord gave us of grieving that helps us to separate. That\u2019s a positive thing\u2014grieving is <em>good<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>19:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In a situation like that\u2014certainly not to that level \/ nowhere near that level\u2014but there\u2019s a period of grieving you go through. The Lord helps you go through that, and process and separate from that opportunity that you were looking forward to. So, in that light, it was somewhat similar.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I want to underline two things you guys did. One is\u2014you believed the right thing about God.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I\u2019ve said many times on this broadcast: \u201cThe most important thing about a person is what you think about God. If you know He can be trusted\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> Amen.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014\u201cthen, even in the most disappointing circumstances, you can, by faith, embrace God and say, \u2018Okay; I don\u2019t like this. This doesn\u2019t feel good. This is <em>not<\/em> my dream. This is <em>not<\/em> my hope, but I will trust You.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> True.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> The other thing\u2014Deanna, I just want to brag on <em>you<\/em>; because, when a man goes through a loss like this, his bride \/ the love of his life doesn\u2019t need to leave him alone\u2014she needs to pursue him. You said you went overseas <em>twice<\/em>. While he was deployed, you met him and spent some time with him.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>20:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m sure, as you took walks, and as you talked together, that was a part of the healing of moving on and getting your sights set on the future.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> No doubt, Dennis. Oh, my! Deanna\u2014I mean, those times\u2014she\u2019s <em>always<\/em> been encouraging\/uplifting. So many times\u2014not even sharing this with her all the time\u2014I\u2019ve looked back and just praised our Lord that He gave me her for those times. I mean, honestly, what a blessing to share your life with someone. If you don\u2019t get selected for something like this, and so few people get the opportunity to do, and she goes, \u201cThe Lord\u2019s got something better coming!\u201d That\u2019s her first words\u2014I don\u2019t know that it was exactly\u2014but it was along those lines. To share that!\u2014boy, that gives you a little pep in your step!<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> The truth is powerful.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> It is!\u2014absolutely right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And that\u2019s not a lie. That\u2019s not just a pie-in-the-sky theology. God has got something better. If He shut this door, there\u2019s something He\u2019s got planned.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>21:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> \u201cAll things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose,\u201d\u2014all things.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> That wasn\u2019t the end of this story, though, with NASA.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> As it turns out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Within two years, you got accepted.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Butch:<\/strong> I thought, \u201cWell, I\u2019ll try one more time.\u201d [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Deanna:<\/strong> \u201cOne more time!\u201d [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p>[Studio]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, we\u2019ve been listening to a conversation that you had a while back with Butch and Deanna Wilmore. I think all of us go through seasons, where we think: \u201cThis is not what I had hoped life would be like. This is not what my plan was for life.\u201d What we do in that moment \/ what we choose to do in that moment is determinative about what happens, going forward.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u201cWill you trust God with the circumstances and how they turn out?\u201d or \u201cWill you allow those circumstances to define you and cause you to become hopeless?\u201d I\u2019m telling you, Bob\u2014I don\u2019t know how people live today without getting in the Book\u2014getting in the Bible\u2014and being reminded who God is, and who we aren\u2019t. We\u2019re not in control.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>22:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At Houston, there is Mission Control. In the heavens, there is <em>God<\/em> who\u2019s in control.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> Right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Will you surrender to the Almighty God of the universe, and will you allow Him to begin to call the shots in your life?<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> I\u2019m thinking about folks, who will be getting together with friends and family over the next couple of days.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Those circumstances will test your faith.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> You can be discouraged by the fact that things aren\u2019t going the way you always hoped they would go with your kids or with extended family members.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> There was only one perfect family, and it didn\u2019t turn out so good in the Garden. [Laughter] I\u2019m sorry, but you know what? We\u2019re going to have to learn to deal with imperfection\u2014other people\u2019s and our own imperfections.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes; I\u2019ll tell you who\u2019s figured that out is Aubrey and Gwen Hayslip, who live in Ocoee, Florida; because it was 41 years ago today that Aubrey and Gwen became husband and wife.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>23:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t stay married for 41 years unless you\u2019ve figured out how to deal with one another\u2019s imperfections and the flaws that come with a marriage relationship. \u201cHappy 41<sup>st<\/sup> anniversary!\u201d today to the Hayslips\u2014I hope you guys have a great celebration.<\/p>\n<p>They got married one year before FamilyLife began. We\u2019ve been celebrating our 40<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary all year long and really celebrating how God\u2019s used this ministry in the lives of couples, like the Hayslips, and millions of other couples all around the world. Again, we want to say, \u201cThanks,\u201d to those of you who are a part of this mission with us\u2014those of you who support the ministry of FamilyLife financially. We talked earlier about the matching-gift opportunity. If you\u2019re able to help us with a yearend donation, your donation will be effectively tripled thanks to the matching-gift opportunity. Again, we\u2019d ask you to go online and make a donation at FamilyLifeToday.com; or call 1-800-FL-TODAY to donate.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>24:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Or you can mail your donation to <em>FamilyLife Today <\/em>at PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR; our zip code is 72223. If God has used the ministry of FamilyLife in your life this year, we hope you\u2019ll consider making a yearend contribution and become part of the mission of FamilyLife.<\/p>\n<p>Tomorrow, we get a chance to hear how Butch Wilmore eventually made it into outer space. I hope you can tune in to hear the rest of Butch and Deanna\u2019s story tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p>I want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine. We\u2019ll see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas.<\/p>\n<p>Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?<\/p>\n<p>Copyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2016 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>1<\/p>\n","theme_header_position":"Sticky","post_header_is_sticky":"default","is_header_overlay":"0"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/304306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304306"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304306"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=304306"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=304306"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=304306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}