A CMA pastor pal, [url=http://www.argusleader.com/article/20100911/NEWS/9110324]quoted in the local paper[/url], says it for me. We need clarity to warn about Islam’s falsehoods but the love of Christ to respond as his ambassadors:
[blockquote] “I think Jesus’ teachings are pretty clear about how we’re supposed to love our neighbors as ourselves, and he’s also quite clear about not repaying violence with violence, whether that’s verbal or literal,” Boese said. “One of the things is you’ve got people saying Islam is a religion of peace, and yet you have lots of people who have a history of expansion through violence. Therefore, do you expose that hypocrisy by simply doing what the extremist does? Well, a Christian response would be, no, you show another way, a different way, a way of love.” [/blockquote]
I recall the morning of September 11th with crystal clarity for I had two children in New York, one walking to his office at vulnerable Rockefeller Plaza. In the midst of evil I saw the presence of God’s grace everywhere. I recall at the time few understood what I meant. Nine years have passed and I continue to see the presence of God was there in New York and Washington and around the world as people rose to a higher place with such honor. Love simply cannot be overcome by evil. The glistering beauty of mercy and charity were everywhere; people loving their neighbor enough to give their lives for them in cities few think God dwells intimately. Thanks be to God.
Yes, a day to remember with sorrow, but it has a joy for my heart as well. Two years ago today, my first (as I have hopes of more) great granddaughter was born. Her birth preceded a hurricane hitting Houston, and therefore she, together with her parents, stayed in the hospital an extra day, only to come home to a damaged house. I hope to live long enough to tell her about my birth during the blizzard of ’36 in Iowa.. she will be taught about -9-11-01, but she will also be told of the joy of 9-11-08…..
I remember that day for many, many reasons, but one of the strangest is that Tuesday at that time was my day off. I happened to be sitting at my desk, looking at the TV that morning.
I saved the transcript from the chat I was involved in that morning, and rereading it still sends chills up my spine.
The country was asleep and caught completely by surprise.
When I heard the unthinkable — that some Arabs had hijacked and crashed an airliner into the WTC on purpose, not a Cessna hitting it accidentally — I knew. It was payback for our foreign policy. Spent the rest of the day in semi-shock, thinking the buildings were full and 10,000 were dead. I was relieved the towers had mostly been evacuated.
A shining moment for America’s peace officers particularly the FDNY.
And for American men generally. Todd Beamer: ‘Let’s roll!’
Thing that makes Lee Greenwood’s song true: the lack of anti-Muslim revenge crimes. Almost all Americans are smarter than that.
Come home, America: bring the soldiers back, out of the Muslim holy land and out of countries that didn’t invite us, and stop propping up Israel. And yes, get any surviving people who did this.
I was a senior in college at the time. At my college, it was the week of the 150 anniversary of the college. As it turned, the college had intended 9/11 to be Founders’ day. Dignitaries and alumni were present, there was to be a big hoopla, starting off with a chapel service about 8:30 in the morning. I remember getting up to get ready (I was running late as usual), and my roommate had the TV on. The first plane had apparently already hit, and he called my attention to it. We thought it must have been some air traffic control accident. I was about to walk out the door for chapel, and we watched the 2nd plane hit. Still, at that point, we didn’t know what was going on, didn’t think it was that serious.
We went to chapel, and had most of the relatively joyous Founder’s Day chapel service, and near the end, the President of the college got up, and said, “I’ve just been handed a message…The Pentagon has just been attacked.”
Everyone went deathly silent. In the span of like 10 seconds, people went from jolly celebration to what I can only describe as “war mode.” When I hear people talk about 9/11 changing the world, I actually got to see it happen in the faces of all the people in the room.
A CMA pastor pal, [url=http://www.argusleader.com/article/20100911/NEWS/9110324]quoted in the local paper[/url], says it for me. We need clarity to warn about Islam’s falsehoods but the love of Christ to respond as his ambassadors:
[blockquote] “I think Jesus’ teachings are pretty clear about how we’re supposed to love our neighbors as ourselves, and he’s also quite clear about not repaying violence with violence, whether that’s verbal or literal,” Boese said. “One of the things is you’ve got people saying Islam is a religion of peace, and yet you have lots of people who have a history of expansion through violence. Therefore, do you expose that hypocrisy by simply doing what the extremist does? Well, a Christian response would be, no, you show another way, a different way, a way of love.” [/blockquote]
I recall the morning of September 11th with crystal clarity for I had two children in New York, one walking to his office at vulnerable Rockefeller Plaza. In the midst of evil I saw the presence of God’s grace everywhere. I recall at the time few understood what I meant. Nine years have passed and I continue to see the presence of God was there in New York and Washington and around the world as people rose to a higher place with such honor. Love simply cannot be overcome by evil. The glistering beauty of mercy and charity were everywhere; people loving their neighbor enough to give their lives for them in cities few think God dwells intimately. Thanks be to God.
Yes, a day to remember with sorrow, but it has a joy for my heart as well. Two years ago today, my first (as I have hopes of more) great granddaughter was born. Her birth preceded a hurricane hitting Houston, and therefore she, together with her parents, stayed in the hospital an extra day, only to come home to a damaged house. I hope to live long enough to tell her about my birth during the blizzard of ’36 in Iowa.. she will be taught about -9-11-01, but she will also be told of the joy of 9-11-08…..
I remember that day for many, many reasons, but one of the strangest is that Tuesday at that time was my day off. I happened to be sitting at my desk, looking at the TV that morning.
I saved the transcript from the chat I was involved in that morning, and rereading it still sends chills up my spine.
The country was asleep and caught completely by surprise.
When I heard the unthinkable — that some Arabs had hijacked and crashed an airliner into the WTC on purpose, not a Cessna hitting it accidentally — I knew. It was payback for our foreign policy. Spent the rest of the day in semi-shock, thinking the buildings were full and 10,000 were dead. I was relieved the towers had mostly been evacuated.
A shining moment for America’s peace officers particularly the FDNY.
And for American men generally. Todd Beamer: ‘Let’s roll!’
Thing that makes Lee Greenwood’s song true: the lack of anti-Muslim revenge crimes. Almost all Americans are smarter than that.
Come home, America: bring the soldiers back, out of the Muslim holy land and out of countries that didn’t invite us, and stop propping up Israel. And yes, get any surviving people who did this.
I was a senior in college at the time. At my college, it was the week of the 150 anniversary of the college. As it turned, the college had intended 9/11 to be Founders’ day. Dignitaries and alumni were present, there was to be a big hoopla, starting off with a chapel service about 8:30 in the morning. I remember getting up to get ready (I was running late as usual), and my roommate had the TV on. The first plane had apparently already hit, and he called my attention to it. We thought it must have been some air traffic control accident. I was about to walk out the door for chapel, and we watched the 2nd plane hit. Still, at that point, we didn’t know what was going on, didn’t think it was that serious.
We went to chapel, and had most of the relatively joyous Founder’s Day chapel service, and near the end, the President of the college got up, and said, “I’ve just been handed a message…The Pentagon has just been attacked.”
Everyone went deathly silent. In the span of like 10 seconds, people went from jolly celebration to what I can only describe as “war mode.” When I hear people talk about 9/11 changing the world, I actually got to see it happen in the faces of all the people in the room.