September 11, 2001

As many Americans on that day September 11, 2001, I was going about my business of the day. Tuesdays and Thursdays were my teaching days at the seminary. On this Tuesday I walked through the administration building prior to class starting in 10 minutes. After receiving a phone call from a family member, he called me over to see what had just happened. My friend had just turned on the TV to see what was going on as the first plane had just hit the North Tower at 8:46 am EST. We watched ABC’s Good Morning America coverage with Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer. As we were standing there watching, we saw the second plane hit the South Tower live at 9:03 am EST. We were as confused as Charlie Gibson that day. You could read his shock as he embodied the feelings of Americans in homes, businesses, coffee shops, and schools all over America.

My wife was at home. I called her.

Within the hour, the late Peter Jennings showed up to continue anchoring the coverage for ABC News. I remember reports out of Washington as they initially could only tell what had happened to the Pentagon. They finally were able to get people on scene.

Probably one of the most frightening pictures of the day was when they cut away live from New York to the White House where we could see men and women with brief cases, in suits and dressed, running down the drive way of the White House. They received reports that the fourth place was headed to the White House. As employees and visitors exited the White House, we watched.

All planes were grounded. Yet, there were some missing.

Watching both towers fall on live TV still makes my heart shutter. The devastation. The dust. The people. The firefighters.

For the first time in my life, as those moments unraveled before our eyes, I felt scared. The question echoing through my mind, “What’s next?” In Springfield, Missouri in the heart of the Midwest, I wondered, “Are we safe?”

The day continued. I immediately cancelled all my classes. Many of us watched the coverage from the administration offices or at the student snack shop. Watching. Wondering. Praying.

I again called my wife just to hear her voice, talk with her, and try to reassure her. Our son was less than one-year-old. She was home with him alone.

We later learned in the day about United Airlines Flight 93 which crashed in Pennsylvania after brave passengers took it away from the terrorists.

As the day wore on, I remember watching the scene with President Bush at the school. As technology was much different during those days, I recall listening live to Ann Compton talking to Peter Jennings. She was part of the pool reporters that day on Air Force One. I remember he called her “Annie.” In those days, most TV network coverage was very formal; however, the events of the day cut through that. She was trying to describe her day when she abruptly said, “Peter we have to go. I have to get on the plane immediately” – or something very similar to that. Her being rushed off the phone onto the plane, explaining that she could not tell where they were going, and that they had fighter planes as an escort, all led to greater uncertainty.

By evening, the President addressed the nation from the Oval Office. He insisted on returning to Washington D.C. against the strong advice of the Secret Service. Americans tuned into his broadcast by the millions. He reassured us.

As one nation, unified by the blood of 2,977 fellow American fatalities and over twenty-five thousand Americans who were injured, we held each other, prayed together, and rooted for our nation. We were one.

 

Twenty Years Later – September 11, 2021

Wow, have things changed.

A contentious re-election in 2004 of George W Bush.

War in the Middle East.

The presidencies of Barack Hussein Obama, Donald J Trump, and now Joseph Biden.

Athletes kneeling during the anthem or staying in locker rooms.

Inner cities which have recently been filled with protests and now the homeless.

We would not say that America is unified. Seemingly, this country is divided.

All of American life changed on that day. Travel. Security. Seemingly endless wars. Partisanship. Terrorism.

As a nation, we lost our innocence that day. All my students were either infants or were not born on that day. They do not know the beautiful, wonderful, freedom-loving, united nation that I knew. Of course things were not perfect prior to September 11, 2001 – nothing is.

Since that day, many have suffered. Many have died. Now, we continue to fight a pandemic but not as a unified nation as a divided one.

 

Where do we go from here?

Let me be very honest. I hope heaven.

The suffering, disunity, and chaos of what we see today as a nation often reminds me how badly we look for the return of Christ.

However, as stewards of the world around us, we cannot simply want to go to heaven. We must act as stewards.

Therefore, we must choose to honor God in our everyday lives. Every day we wake us, seek to serve Jesus Christ, and love our neighbors. We read our Bibles, pray, respect each other, and do good. Instead of living selfishly, we seek to consider others as more important than ourselves.

Friends, please do not bow to the disunity around us. We must look past seeing each other as different and, instead, see each other as fellow Americans. While we do this, we do not give up the Bible, our standards, or our optimism in Christ toward those around us. With the love of Christ and the Gospel as our motivation, we seek to live as light in darkness, salt of the earth, and in ways that honor Jesus Christ.

Help others. Serve your neighbor. Express kindness. Make a difference for Jesus Christ where you are, to those you love, and to those you do not. We do these things not because we are Americans, but because we love Jesus Christ and serve Him. As Americans who do love Jesus and serve Him, we should be the best neighbors in our community.

As we do these things, we stop and remember what happened on September 11, 2001. We honor those who sacrificed for us that day. We also honor all those who serve us selflessly every day in our local community. We honor our local heroes.

Twenty years. Let’s make a difference where we are in the name of Jesus Christ – not primarily as citizen or with political concerns, but as those who love God supremely and others sincerely.

 

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