I was getting ready for work that day watching tv, the news.  I heard that one of the twin towers was billowing smoke and was presumed to be on fire.  At this point there was no known cause.  Then as I was driving to work the assumptions began.  As I arrived at work we turned on a portable tv, rabbit ears and all, and saw that there were now two towers on fire and a plane had been seen flying into the second tower.  That day all I could do was listen or watch the constant news about the events of the day. Of course I would find out that there were two other planes and one hit the pentagon and the other downed in an open field, though intended for the Nation's capital.  I wasn't necessarily drowned in sorrow, but rather just numb.  That day was a day I will never forget!  It was a day when security seemed distant, heroes were redefined, and hatred entered our Christian world in new ways.

Ten years have passed.  Our country still stands.  The church still thrives.  We take security for granted once again.  Heroes still emerge in the most unlikely of places.  Hatred and fear still consumes us globally.  In the past ten years I have married, had two children, moved to a new city and a new job, completed a new degree, and have been tested and grown in my faith.  Our country has seen some really dim times where people have taken advantage of others financially, our country has chosen great debt over less spending, and we continue to fight the war on terror.  The church has found new ways to be globally involved, make faith and justice a priority, and be more vulnerable to pain and sorrow while still claiming Jesus as ultimate victor. While many things have changed in ten years some things stay the same.  I appreciate things that are consistent and rally for things that need to change becoming better and different.  On this anniversary we must all remember that lives were lost and lives forever changed.  We must remember that the world is still and will always be broken and we need God more than ever.  We must remember that heroes still emerge through the grace of Jesus Christ.  We must remember that whether things go the way we plan or great trials change our path, God's eternal promises are still the same.

I will never forget that day!  I will never forget, because I choose to remember.  I will never forget in honor to those who were taken from us too soon.  I will never forget because it reminds me that this world is a temporary dwelling and where I truly want to be is with Father, Son, and Spirit for eternity.  So on 9/11 this year I will pray for the families who have been forever altered by that day.  I will choose to be grateful for the life I have been so graciously given. I will continue to place my trust in God, worship the Lord Jesus Christ, and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.  I will never forget!

This past weekend one of our dear members died in her sleep after countless years of health problems.  She leaves behind 3 teenage girls.  I have been in year-round ministry since 1996.  This is the fourth time I have had this happen in my ministry.  It is never easy and there are never any "good" words to say.  Sometimes that is just what we need to know.  Our verbal vocabulary cannot do justice to death, loss, or grief.  We cannot answer for God and the mystery of grief is overwhelming.  The one thing that I have continued to learn in my journey in ministry is that the older I get, the more knowledge I have, the less I know.  There are no words for when people suddenly die.  There are no words for when little children become consumed with Cancer that won't go away.  There are no words for families shattered through broken covenants.  There are no words for being lost in a pile of bills with homelessness in the near future.  There are no words for genocide, abuse of women and children, racism, hatred, and any circumstance that seems to be out of our control and outside the values of God.

With grief there are no words, but there are some simple actions that help others in a time of distress.  One of the best things people can do is be a quiet presence.  A hug, a handhold, or an arm around a shoulder can bring a sense of calm to a chaotic soul.  Also, you can pray (silently).  Pray for the family, pray for God's comfort/peace, pray for their grief to be healthy.  Words will not be remembered, but actions will.  Love is the best sermon ever given.  God is love and when we are love to those in grief, we become, through the Holy Spirit, the presence of God in a difficult time.  

There will be a time later, when words are needed.  When those that have grieved will need words of encouragement, words of wisdom, and maybe even explanation.  However, in the midst of the heartache, fill the void with love, not words.

As for other atrocities that plague people like some listed above other actions are needed.  But that is a blog for a different day.  Today I mourn for these girls and their sweet mother and the whole family who have lost a loved one.