What Are We Remembering?

It's 9-11.

And folks are remembering. Facebook status' this morning were filled with "We will never forget" "We Remember", "Where were you???...". And frankly, I'm wondering what are people really trying to remember. I mean, I get it, you want to talk about where you were and what you were doing. But then what...What do you remember?

- I remember a country who came to their knees in one moment.
- I remember race and religion and social status mattered little in that same moment.
- I remember fear in the eyes of every person.... wondering who would be next.
- I remember parents holding children tight...really tight
- I remember a sense of urgency to get back to God
- I remember schools believing all the sudden it was ok to pray in their buildings again
- I remember the pledge of allegiance meaning something
- I remember people singing the national anthem with pride
- I remember communities bearing the burden of NYC in their hearts
- I remember ordinary people giving up their lives in hopes of saving others
- I remember God and Country....united we stand.

....and I remember being hopeful that maybe this would get our attention and bring American back to her roots. And yet, now after 11 years, we're barely different than the day before 9-11 happened. We've drifted back into our pride and self indulgence. We're noticeably different at ground zero...but how about the ground zero of our hearts? Are they more passionately devoted to the urgency of the gospel? Are we closer to that nation that lived and breathed the beautiful message of freedom...both spiritual and physical?

I wonder...and in my heart I know. We are slow to learn the lessons of tragedy. We forget the beauty of fear...and that it draws us closer to the Lord. We become anxious to feel secure and independent and in that search for both, we abandon the only one that can truly bind our hearts securely. What really have we remembered at all?

Remembering

It's 9/11.....do you remember where you were, what you were doing, how you felt?

I was at home, in the parsonage of our church in Beaumont, Texas,  in the room I had transformed into a schoolroom, while I was homeschooling four 9th grade boys. The school day had just begun and my phone rang. Bruce was on the other end. He had gone to the next town down the road to get a flat fixed. He asked me if the TV was on. I said no. He told me to turn it on. At first I was hesitant...I was schooling these boys....we really didn't have time to watch TV. But he wanted to know what was going on. I tuned in...and the rest is well...history. As the boys and I sat glued to the TV for most of the school day, I remember all to well the feelings or insecurity, sadness, fear and unbelief.

Bruce called the school in our small town and let them know if any of the students needed someone to talk with, that our church would be open for prayer after school. But before school dismissed people were already showing up at the church. The next day, the principal of the school gave students the opportunity to leave during the day and come to the church to pray. An unbelievable opportunity to share Christ now that I look back at it.

I remember the evening of 9/11....standing in a circle with over 100 people, holding hands and praying for our president, our military, our government officials and the families who suffered tragic loss. People who never when to church darkened the doors during those days following the attacks. In their despair and confusion over the world they hoped to find something more stable, substantial and steadfast. Thankful Jesus is always the answer to the world's problems.

What about you? What do you remember about 9/11?

Where Were You?

It's the eighth anniversary of 9.11 -those numbers etched in the mind of every American forever. Today, I'm remembering specifics, but actually there aren't too many days that go by that something doesn't stir me to remember...the sight of a soldier at the airport, a family friend in the Middle East, the site of an American flag, the news - all remind me of how much America has changed because of 9.11.

Where were you?

I was at my home in Beaumont (Fannett), Texas. I was on week two of homeschooling four, 9th grade boys. School had just begun, when Bruce ran in the house. He had been down the road getting our car inspected and had heard on the radio that the first tower had been struck. Immediately, the boys and I headed to the living room and the rest of the school day was spent in front of the TV. We were glued. Sometimes I watched in horror, other times in fear, and other times in sorrow. As the days went by, I remember becoming more and more proud to be an American.

That next day, for the first time I can ever remember, our high school allowed students who could drive to have an excused absence if they wanted to come to our church to pray with us. We had a community prayer meeting that night. I had never seen a community come together like that before....and since then only 2 times...both after hurricanes.

I know that there are mixed feelings about the war, how long we've been there and the costs...both in money and lives, but I just want to say that I have NEVER seen a country handle things with such grace when something so tragic happened. Man helping fellow man, Stranger helping stranger, risking life and limb for another, common man became a hero that day. Firefighters became soldiers and Policemen became counselors. It was a day when an American citizen stepped up and became enlisted- officially or not.

I'm proud of that kind of humanity. No matter how you feel about the war....we should never forget the kind of people we saw on 9.11.

Where were you on 9.11?