9/11 Thoughts

This September we remember the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. I am experiencing a flood of memories as I prepare to speak at Stagecoach Road Christian Fellowship this Sunday on the events surrounding that fateful day.

9/11/01 began as a normal day for me. Lou Ann and I fasted from TV the previous month and had not turned it on that morning. I sat at my computer in my basement office when a member of our church called and asked if I was watching TV. She then told me that a plane hit the first tower. I ran upstairs, turned on the TV and saw the images that are engraved in all our memories. I also watched as another plane hit the second tower. A short time later I witnessed with millions of others the images of the two towers collapsing into multiple stories of rubble.

About a month later I had the privilege to visit Ground Zero with the Critical Stress Management Team out of the NJ Port Authority. During the ride in the van to the disaster site I listened to amazing stories as my fellow team members described various experiences while assisting first responders. Once chaplain in particular told us about giving crosses he had in his pocket to crane operators he was trying to encourage. He also told us that he called his wife and told her he had given his crosses away. She told him that he had left the crosses at home and that they were on his dresser. This was only one of many amazing stories from Ground Zero.

One of my responsibilities at Ground Zero was to pray with first responders as they removed bodies from the pile. When another body was found, our team quickly moved to the entrance to meet the team as they removed the body from the pile. The first responders paused with the body draped in the American flag and we prayed together. We prayed for the family whose loved one was covered with the flag. We also prayed for the first responders as they continued their search for other bodies lying beneath the rubble. During those moments I felt the presence of God as I never have before. It was as if God was revealing His presence in a special way in the midst of extreme devastation.

The tenth anniversary of 9/11 reminds me that in spite of what terrorists did to our country on that day, the Gospel remains of first importance. This is what the Apostle Paul declared in 1 Cor. 15:3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.

We want to thank you for all you are doing to support the work of the Gospel. May God continue to bless your efforts as we share in this great work together.