Remembering 9/11

On September 11, 2001, I was at work, teaching a small group of special needs children.  My paraprofessional left the room and returned a few minutes later with a worried look on her face.  She called me to the side and informed me of the news that the Twin Towers in New York City had been attacked.  That's all we knew.  We could only presume.  Were we being attacked by another country?  If so, what country?  Why would someone deliberately attack us?  What had our country done?  So many questions raced through our heads, but no answers.  

Every American felt the terror, which was exactly what the terrorists wanted. To inflict pain, death, and terror on America, which had long been the land of the free and home of the brave.  

So many lives were lost that day.  It was horrific to watch the towers burning, people jumping out the windows to their deaths, and then the towers falling to the ground in a pile of rubble.  Not only were the Twin Towers attacked, but also the Pentagon, and then of course, flight 77 which crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.  

September 11 is now called Patriot Day.  Americans will remember the victims and their families.  We will also remember the brave men and women who saved many lives, but lost their lives in the process. 

I remember after 9/11 church attendance went up.  Congress came together on the steps of the Capitol building and were united.  They even prayed together.  American flags were flying everywhere you looked.  America was united after this terrible tragedy.  Patriotism was at an all time high.  In the midst of it all, Americans were rising up.  It was a good feeling, but that feeling is now gone and America has returned to business as usual.  What am I talking about, you might ask?  I'm talking about church attendance dropping.  Why did America quit going to church to hear the Word of God and worship the God of hope and Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life?  We were headed in the right direction, but now we have returned to our old ways.

We are living in the last days before Christ returns.  These are troubled times.  The economy is failing, the government's debt now tops 16 trillion, millions of babies have been aborted, marriage is being redefined and what constitutes a family, many worship at the altars of materialism, prayer has been taken out of our public schools, but is allowed in Congress and in other institutions, pornography continues to rise and threaten our children, crime continues to rise at an alarming rate, drugs have ruined millions of lives, homes, and families, and we continue on as if everything is okay.  

America needs to wake up!  America's homes, families, and churches need an old fashion Holy Ghost revival!  We have been lulled to sleep by the enemy.  Dad's have forsaken their little innocent children and the devil is coming in and destroying them.  We must return to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  We must bow our knees in humble submission to God and cry aloud in repentance before it's too late.  Souls are dying all around us.  We must reach them with the good news of the gospel~ that Jesus saves and in Him our hope is found.  We can turn it around, but we must repent of our evil ways and follow Jesus Christ!

I'm reminded of a song we use to sing in our church when I was a child.  It's called, "In Times Like These."  Listen to these young girls, the Cadet Sisters as they sing this song so beautifully.  This song tells us exactly what we need, and His name is Jesus. 

If you don't know Jesus, you can know Him.  Just repent of your sins, and invite Jesus to take control of your life.  You've made a mess of everything you've tried to do.  You have no hope, but He is your hope today.  He will turn everything around and you can begin again, because you will be born again in Him.