Date: 9/11/2007
<br>Author: Devin Pickard
<br>Title: September 10, 2007
<br><br>“Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day....Out in the yard with your wife and children....Working on some stage in L.A.....Did you stand there in shock at the site of that black smoke rising against that blue sky.....Did you shout out in anger in fear for your neighbor......Or did you just sit down and cry.....Did you weep for the children who lost their dear loved ones.....And pray for the ones who don’t know.....Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble and sob for the ones left below.....Did you burst out in pride for the red, white, and blue.....The heroes who died for just doing what they do.....Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer and look at yourself to what really matters?”<br><br>“Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day....Teaching a class full of innocent children.....Driving down some cold interstate.....Did you feel guilty cause you’re a survivor.....In a crowded room did you feel alone.....Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her.....Did you dust off that Bible at home....Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened.....Close your eyes and not go to sleep.....Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages....Speak with some stranger on the street....Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow.....Go out and buy you a gun.....Did you turn off that violent old movie you’re watching and turn on “I Love Lucy” reruns....Did you go to a church and hold hands with a stranger....  Stand in line and give your own blood.....Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family....Thank God you have somebody to love....”   (“Where Were You?” - Alan Jackson)<br><br>Do you remember where you were on September 11, 2001 at 7:45 (cdt) in the morning?  I bet there is not a one of you reading this who can’t remember almost exactly what you were doing when you heard a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Centers.  Soon after, there were probably many of you who, in terror, watched on live television as the second plane rammed into the south tower.  At the end of the day, right at 3000 lives were lost and America would never be the same again.  All of a sudden, patriotism was at an all time high, terrorism became a household word and Osama Bin Laden became public enemy number one.  <br><br>Following the tragedies of 9/11, churches all across America experienced a tremendous surge in attendance.  People “found” Jesus again.  God would probably tell us that he began hearing from people who had not spoken to him in years.  Priorities changed and the prodigals finally came home.  The Almighty was now everyone’s best friend.<br><br>Do you know what I do when I drive past the scene of a bad traffic accident?  I pull my seatbelt a little tighter and ease my foot off of the accelerator a bit.  Do you know how long that lasts?  Probably about as long as it has taken you to read this article.  It’s our nature to straighten up and fly right for a little while, then it’s back to the ’ole 6 and 7.  Where is your spiritual life today?  Are you safely traveling down life’s pathways or are you once again speeding down the “broad way”?  Let us not allow the “fear of the Lord” brought about by that tragic day to fade away until the next time an enemy of peace comes into our camp.  Don’t forget, God is the same God today as he was on Monday, September 10, 2001.  How many people do you think rung his phone that day?  But again, everything was alright that day, or so we thought.....  <br><br><br><br>Go the extra mile - Devin