9-11-11

This afternoon I want to share with you a few elements of the 9-11 memorial chapel that occurred last Friday at LeTourneau.  Corey Ross, the dean of students, led the 10:50 am chapel while many students and faculty shared their memories in a video.  Mr. Ross described the events of the day in a very engaging manner.  Personally, the event became real to me in a way that had not happened before.  We prayed for peace, justice, and our enemies. We thanked the firefighters and police force present in chapel. Near the end, a student played Amazing Grace on the bagpipe while we walked out to the mall (grassy area, not shopping center).

On the way out of chapel, each student present at the chapel service was given a gift. I don't remember the exact number, but LeTourneau had made over 2,200 flags, one for each person who died in the terrorist attacks. Each flag represented the soldier's country, and some flags had the names of the soldiers so that we could pray for them. These flags and names served to remind those of us at chapel that this event ten years ago was not only America's problem, it was a problem for the whole world.

So there we stood in silence, listening to the bagpipes playing, watching the flags keep coming and being placed in the ground.  The sight was beautiful of all of the flags was sobering, yet beautiful.  Once every flag was put in the ground, the only thing then separating us from lunch or our classes was a singing of the national anthem.

Here are some of the pictures of all of the flags:

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At LeTourneau, there is a bell tower in the mall. On that Friday, instead of ringing every 15 minutes, it rang every ten seconds, once for each person that died in the attacks. The bell did not stop ringing until after 8:30 that night. Again, I do not recall the exact number, but that day the bell was constantly vibrating in sound for more than 9 hours. It was a sober reminder of the suffering of many inflicted by a few individuals.  It was a sober reminder of the fragility of us humans, and for me, it was a startling realization of how much we need God.

I end with a picture from the previous week.  As you may know, the wildfires had been raging in all of Texas.  The combination of dry weather, heat, and strong winds can be explosive when a stray spark breaks loose.  In the end, this meant troubled breathing and loss of possessions by many people.  It is just another sign and reminder of the distress in our world today.  Dr. Lunsford, the president of LeTourneau, had a different perspective on the smoke that he spoke about during that memorial chapel service.  The haze reminded him of the black smoke that took place ten years ago.  Dr. Lunsford said that it was almost like God was holding a divine memorial service in memory of 9-11.

Herein is where the controversy starts.  9-11 was a terrible day for humanity.  Inevitably, God steps into the subject manner.  He is discussed in a variety of different ways.  Some people say it is religion's fault. Some others say it is the Muslim's fault.  Still others claim suffering proves either the nonexistence, flawed morality, or impotence of God.  Nevertheless, people continue to turn to Him in times of suffering.  The truth is that we have a choice, everyday.  We can choose to follow the ways of death, or the ways of life.  We can choose to follow darkness, or follow light, realizing that God is just; He lets actions have consequences.  Bad behavior produces bad results.  Humanities collective hurt is self inflicted.  The terrorists need Jesus just like the rest of us.  These are the ideas we should learn from these sad events.  This is what I thought of as Corey Ross spoke about 9-11.  I am sure that God is heartbroken over these events of ours.  He smells the smoke too.

So today, think of these things, and remember our other hurts that have been prevented by the bravery of our armed forces and firefighters.  John the Baptist once said: "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given to him from heaven." - John 3:27

Everything we have is a gift:

Life

Liberty

And the pursuit of happiness