It's 8:47 am, Saturday, September 11th..one minute after the exact time that the north tower of the World Trade Center was hit nine years ago by American Airlines Flight 11. The news just had a special report concerning the moment of silence at 8:46 to remember that first impact. Other moments of silence will be observed throughout the morning.
- 9:03 am (United Airlines Flight 175 striking the south tower of the WTC)
- 9:37 am (American Airlines Flight 77 striking the Pentagon)
- 10:03 am (United Airlines Flight 93 crashing near Shanksville, PA after the passengers fought to regain control of the plane which would have been used for another attack...probably on the Capitol or the White House.)
Other moments worth pausing to remember include the collapse of the south tower (9:59 am) and the north tower (10:28 am).
Almost 3,000 people lost their lives that day, plus another 6,000 injured...make that "physically" injured...10,000's more family members and friends of the victims were forever injured on that day. So what do we do now?
Romans 12:21 is a simple, powerful compass for anyone seeking to respond wisely to evil: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Here is how one American, Kevin Tuerff, president of EnviroMedia in Texas, remembers Sept. 11th.
Almost 3,000 people lost their lives that day, plus another 6,000 injured...make that "physically" injured...10,000's more family members and friends of the victims were forever injured on that day. So what do we do now?
Romans 12:21 is a simple, powerful compass for anyone seeking to respond wisely to evil: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Here is how one American, Kevin Tuerff, president of EnviroMedia in Texas, remembers Sept. 11th.
For more information on this company's annual 9/11 "Pay It Forward" emphasis, go to: http://www.enviromedia.com/enviroblog/?tag=pay-it-forward
September 11th, 2001 was a horrible day in the history of our nation, but the evil of the hijackers and those aiding them did NOT destroy our capacity to overcome evil with good. So let us remember those whose lives were cut tragically short, by not wasting our lives or our freedom on human selfishness. Let us not imitate the terrorist by becoming intolerant and guided by hate, but more like the good people of Gander (and so many others in our nation and around the world who poured out compassion and love in the days following the tragedy), by being kind to whoever we can. Wait, isn't that a part of what love is (I Cor. 13:4) and part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22)?
How complicated is kindness? How many doors can it open? How many people can it "deflect" to magnify its impact (like with Kevin Tuerf!)? How many bridges can it build so people can find the ultimate kindness of God through Christ? (1 John 3:16)
So remember 9/11! But may we all join together to overcome the evil of that day with love and kindness whenever and wherever we get the opportunity!
P.S. For those who have never heard the story of little Gander, Newfoundland, Canada (pop:10,000) and the extraordinary kindness shown to over 6,500 stranded airline passengers during the week of 9/11, here it is....
September 11th, 2001 was a horrible day in the history of our nation, but the evil of the hijackers and those aiding them did NOT destroy our capacity to overcome evil with good. So let us remember those whose lives were cut tragically short, by not wasting our lives or our freedom on human selfishness. Let us not imitate the terrorist by becoming intolerant and guided by hate, but more like the good people of Gander (and so many others in our nation and around the world who poured out compassion and love in the days following the tragedy), by being kind to whoever we can. Wait, isn't that a part of what love is (I Cor. 13:4) and part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22)?
How complicated is kindness? How many doors can it open? How many people can it "deflect" to magnify its impact (like with Kevin Tuerf!)? How many bridges can it build so people can find the ultimate kindness of God through Christ? (1 John 3:16)
So remember 9/11! But may we all join together to overcome the evil of that day with love and kindness whenever and wherever we get the opportunity!
P.S. For those who have never heard the story of little Gander, Newfoundland, Canada (pop:10,000) and the extraordinary kindness shown to over 6,500 stranded airline passengers during the week of 9/11, here it is....
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