"Where were you when the world stopped turnin’ that September day?"
That’s the question that begins one of the many songs that came from the day we will never forget. 6 years ago on this very day, time stood still. To answer that question, I suppose every one of us can remember where we were and what we were doing. I had arrived at the office at Hillside Court and was beginning the day. I hadn’t even really turned my computer on yet when the first call came in from Sug Poore. Her words were quick and to the point. Do you have the news on? “No, not yet I replied.” “We’re under attack” is all I remember her saying. Of course the Internet by then was jammed with others trying to find some news. We found a pair of rabbit ears for a television we had and were able to find some snowy scenes of the desperate day.
What took 6 years and 8 months to build was destroyed in 1 hour and 42 minutes. Since then, everything has changed and everything has remained the same. What I mean by that is this.
Everything in our vocabulary has changed. A “Daisy Cutter” used to be something only a gardener might understand. Now it is the nickname of the BLU-82 Bomb. After a heavy rain, boys (and girls) could be found outside rolling mounds of dirt into balls and hurling them through the air … their impact being a ‘dirty bomb.’ Today, we understand that differently to indicate something that contains and is intended to spread radioactivity.
No longer is 9-11 simply the emergency number that we call to summon the fire department or the police. And will we ever hear the two simple words “Let’s Roll” the same again.
Yet while everything has changed, everything remains the same. While our country came under attack that day and many sought refuge in the Sanctuaries of God around the country, that seeking quickly diminished, and today, we are right back battling the same ideological battles that we were on September 10. Our concerns are not focused on those who are lost without a Savior but instead are focused on such mundane things as what kind of music to play and how loud or soft to play it … how warm or cold the building is … the length or breadth of the sermon … and even the clothes on another man’s back. The imminence of the Lord’s Return just doesn’t seem to be a priority once again for most folks.
There are several assurances we have in Scripture. One of them is this emphatic word from God in Psalm 46 … I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. That is not just some empty possibility. That is an emphatic guarantee.
Allow me to close with this thought from the Apostle Paul … For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
What took 6 years and 8 months to build was destroyed in 1 hour and 42 minutes. Since then, everything has changed and everything has remained the same. What I mean by that is this.
Everything in our vocabulary has changed. A “Daisy Cutter” used to be something only a gardener might understand. Now it is the nickname of the BLU-82 Bomb. After a heavy rain, boys (and girls) could be found outside rolling mounds of dirt into balls and hurling them through the air … their impact being a ‘dirty bomb.’ Today, we understand that differently to indicate something that contains and is intended to spread radioactivity.
No longer is 9-11 simply the emergency number that we call to summon the fire department or the police. And will we ever hear the two simple words “Let’s Roll” the same again.
Yet while everything has changed, everything remains the same. While our country came under attack that day and many sought refuge in the Sanctuaries of God around the country, that seeking quickly diminished, and today, we are right back battling the same ideological battles that we were on September 10. Our concerns are not focused on those who are lost without a Savior but instead are focused on such mundane things as what kind of music to play and how loud or soft to play it … how warm or cold the building is … the length or breadth of the sermon … and even the clothes on another man’s back. The imminence of the Lord’s Return just doesn’t seem to be a priority once again for most folks.
There are several assurances we have in Scripture. One of them is this emphatic word from God in Psalm 46 … I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. That is not just some empty possibility. That is an emphatic guarantee.
Allow me to close with this thought from the Apostle Paul … For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Where will you be the next time the world stops turnin’?
1 comment:
Very interesting blog. Those are some good thoughts and great questions. I remember where I was -- I was in D-group time at FCC, in the gym, by the right side of the stage, praying with Tom Schmitt. Hmmmmm.
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