Remembering the Day: 9/11

I can clearly remember where I was and what I was doing on September 11, 2001. I would guess you can, too.

As I was thinking about this event the other day, it made me think about my children. They were not even thought of at this point in history. It reminded me of one of the "Cosby Show" episodes where Theo was doing a report on the March on Washington when martin Luther King, JR. led the march. Theo's report was all about facts taken from books, rather than the eye witnesses (his relatives). This made me think about my children getting their information from books and the internet, rather than from myself who was "there" in a sense.

May we never forget!

9/11: Where Would We Be...If...

It hardly seems possible that it has been ten years ago since the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. That day was filled with so much emotion that I think every teen to adult remembers that day. This was probably the most horrific situation that has happened in my lifetime. However, what would America look like if we had not experienced “9/11”?

Think about the opinion of George W. Bush. I am sure there would have been many who still poked fun at his lack of oratory skills.

Think about how our airports would be different. They must have thought they were being lackadaisical in their failure to keep the airways safe. Would they still be checking people and bags the way they did prior to that day or would things have changed by now?

Think about our freedom. Were we beginning to take it for granted as it had been years since anything had happened. (I’m thinking Pearl Harbor was close to 9/11 - unknown attack, lots of people killed). Was this a wake-up call to realize “mighty” America is still very vulnerable?

Think about our patriotism? Following the attacks lots and lots of people started flying flags and appreciating their freedom. Songs like “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood had a new-found pride. The National Anthem was appreciated more.

Think about how we view our police and fire departments. After all of this we started to appreciate those who serve in those capacities much more than we did prior.

Where would we be if 9/11 wouldn’t have happened? If that tragedy didn’t happen, how would the effect of events like Hurricane Katrina change? We can only speculate as so much that has happened in the last 10 years!

Now it's your turn, what would you add to the list of "Where would we be's"...?

Mayday, Mayday!

It has been nearly ten years since the 9/11 attacks. The attacks used airplanes loaded with innocent people as “living missiles.” People were probably doing a lot of screaming as planes were headed downward or into one of the buildings, or as they were impacted by the planes hitting different buildings.

“Mayday” comes from a French word m’aider, which means “come help me.” Whether it was 9/11, the Titanic, earthquakes, tsunamis, or countless other emergency situations, people are needing help.

One of the cool mysteries of the Bible is the lineage or genealogy of Jesus. From Adam and Eve, clear through Joseph and Mary, Jesus’ lineage has been filled with some interesting characters. Also intertwined in this lineage are situations that, to you and me, almost caused Jesus to not happen, but God prevails through any situation.

Sunday, we looked at this “emergency” side of the lineage of Jesus – times when Jesus was in trouble, in one form or another. However, though it all, God prevailed. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week… (to review the texts/subjects covered, click here to listen/watch the recap)

• Out of Control Life, In Control God ~ Within the texts, we see situations like Cain killing Abel or Hezekiah getting sick or Jesus so hungry He needs bread. There are situations in our life that makes it seem like things are just totally out of control. However, even in the midst of any chaos, God is always in control – not only in the lives of “Bible” people, but in ours as well.
• Tempted? Resist! ~ I cannot imagine what hunger Jesus must have felt after being in the desert for 40 days! It would have been real tempting to fall into that first temptation. I think we all have been in a situation where you feel you can eat about anything due to hunger. Jesus was probably there. He resisted, so can we…let’s do it – even if it seems life is going down in a hurry.
• Do Something With Your Salvation ~ If there was no Jesus (Click here to watch Acappella’s song on YouTube of “If There Were No God”) then we’d be without a future, without hope, without eternal joy…just plain WITHOUT! Since there is a God and His Son, let’s do something with our salvation by bringing a light to someone’s day. Use your talents to make someone see your faith!

Can you hear it??? People hollering out as their life is going down…Mayday, Mayday! aka come help me!!!  Let’s go and help them!!!