According to various sources:
Jesus nut is a slang term for the main rotor retaining nut or mast nut, which holds the main rotor to the mast of some helicopters. The related slang term Jesus pin refers to the lock pin used to secure the retaining nut. More generally, Jesus nut (or Jesus pin) is used to refer to any component that is a single point of failure and whose breakdown would result in catastrophic consequences, the suggestion being that in such case the only thing left to do would be to pray to Jesus. ...
... The nut/pin must be checked before the flight, even though real-world examples of the Jesus nut/pin failing are rare. For example, in 2000, the mast nut of a Bell 206B was removed to be repainted and was not restored and checked prior to a test flight. The helicopter crashed within ten minutes of takeoff, killing the two occupants.
*Some more recent helicopter systems are designed without a Jesus nut.
Whether you are a Christian who already knows the importance of the preeminence of Christ in your life, or an unbeliever who operates from the false premise that you can design your life to operate just fine without a Jesus nut, one thing is true: Absent the centrality of Christ in your life, you WILL crash and burn.
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 'Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing'" (John 15:4-5, NLT).
"For in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28, NIV).
“Success is a poor measure of success.” [Dr. Mitchell Dillon (1959 - ), founder and chief editor, Grounded In Grace Ministries, Illustration Exchange.]
“The only thing that needs to change for you life to become a complete success is your heart.” [Dr. Mitchell Dillon (1959 - ), founder and chief editor, Grounded In Grace Ministries, Illustration Exchange.]
“We define success by our circumstances, while God defines success by our response to our circumstances.” [Dr. Mitchell Dillon (1959 - ), founder and chief editor, Grounded In Grace Ministries, Illustration Exchange.]
“On the spiritual journey, how we endure suffering is more important than how we enjoy success.” [Dr. Mitchell Dillon (1959 - ), founder and chief editor, Grounded In Grace Ministries, Illustration Exchange.]
“Try not to become a man of success, but rather to become a man of value.” [Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist. He developed the general theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics.]
"The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." [Vidal Sassoon (1928 - 2012) was a British and American hairstylist, businessman, and philanthropist.]
“The important thing is: To be able to at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” [Charles Dubois was a French critic (1882 - 1939), considered a notable essayist.]
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” [Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was a British statesman who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955, having been the inspiration to guide his country the ravages of WWII.]
“Success is simple. Do what's right, the right way, at the right time.” [Arnold H. Glasow (1905 -1998) started his own business just after the Great Depression running a humor magazine that he marketed to firms nationally.]
“Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.” [George S. Patton (1885-1945), one of America’s most beloved generals and war heroes, was a senior officer of the United States Army, who commanded the U.S. Seventh Army in the Mediterranean and European Theaters of World War II.]
“Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.” [Jim Rohn (1930 – 2009) was an American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker who based his teaching on his own rags to riches story.]
“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” [Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968) was an American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian, and famed leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement.]
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” [Albert Schweitzer (1876 -1965) was a Nobel prize winning French-German theologian, organist, philosopher, and physician.]
“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” [David Brinkley (1920-2003) was an American newscaster for NBC and ABC in a career lasting from 1943 to 1997.]
“Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.” [Saint Augustine (354 - 4300 was an early Christian theologian and philosopher whose writings influenced and shaped the development of Western Christianity and philosophy.]
“If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no point in being a damn fool about it.” [W. C. Fields (1880 -1946) was an American comedian, actor, writer.]
“He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it;
Who has left the world better than he found it,
Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;
Whose life was an inspiration;
Whose memory a benediction.”
[Bessie Anderson Stanley (1879 – 1952) was an American writer.]
“Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get.” [W.P. Kinsella (1935 - ) is a Canadian novelist and short story writer, best known for his novel Shoeless Joe, which was adapted into the movie Field of Dreams in 1989.]
Many of the above quotes have their own points of application. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Illustration Exchange.
Famed author and pastor Chuck Swindoll says this of Evel Knievel’s risky ways:
Dr. Charles R. Swindoll is senior pastor of Stonebriar Community Church, chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary, and the Bible teacher on the internationally syndicated radio program Insight for Living. He has written more than thirty best-selling books, including STRENGTHENING YOUR GRIP, LAUGH AGAIN, THE GRACE AWAKENING, and the million-selling GREAT LIVES FROM GOD'S WORD series.
“Great accomplishments are often attempted but only occasionally reached. What is interesting (and encouraging) is that those who reach them are usually those who missed many times before. Failures, you see, are only temporary tests to prepare us for permanent triumphs.