9/11 Archives - Grace Alone...

September 11, 2011September 10, 2011

Do it Again, Lord

The below prayer was written and shared by Max Lucado as America Prays, a national prayer vigil held Saturday, September 14, 2001. Permission to copy not only granted but encouraged; MaxLudado.com

Dear Lord,
We’re still hoping we’ll wake up. We’re still hoping we’ll open a sleepy eye and think, What a horrible dream. But we won’t, will we, Father? What we saw was not a dream. Planes did gouge towers. Flames did consume our fortress. People did perish. It was no dream and, dear Father, we are sad.

There is a ballet dancer who will no longer dance and a doctor who will no longer heal. A church has lost her priest, a classroom is minus a teacher. Cora ran a food pantry. Paige was a counselor and Dana, dearest Father, Dana was only three years old. (Who held her in those final moments?)

We are sad, Father. For as the innocent are buried, our innocence is buried as well. We thought we were safe. Perhaps we should have known better. But we didn’t.

And so we come to you. We don’t ask you for help; we beg you for it. We don’t request it; we implore it. We know what you can do. We’ve read the accounts. We’ve pondered the stories and now we plead, Do it again, Lord. Do it again.

Remember Joseph? You rescued him from the pit. You can do the same for us. Do it again, Lord. Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? You protected their children from the angel of death. We have children, too, Lord. Do it again.

And Sarah? Remember her prayers? You heard them. Joshua? Remember his fears? You inspired him. The women at the tomb? You resurrected their hope. The doubts of Thomas? You took them away. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.

You changed Daniel from a captive into a king’s counselor. You took Peter the fisherman and made him Peter an apostle. Because of you, David went from leading sheep to leading armies. Do it again, Lord, for we need counselors today, Lord. We need apostles. We need leaders. Do it again, dear Lord. Do It Again, Lord.

Most of all, do again what you did at Calvary. What we saw here on that Tuesday, you saw there on that Friday. Innocence slaughtered. Goodness murdered. Mothers weeping. Evil dancing. Just as the ash fell on our children, the darkness fell on your Son. Just as our towers were shattered, the very Tower of Eternity was pierced.

And by dusk, heaven’s sweetest song was silent, buried behind a rock. But you did not waver, O Lord. You did not waver. After three days in a dark hole, you rolled the rock and rumbled the earth and turned the darkest Friday into the brightest Sunday. Do it again, Lord. Grant us a September Easter.

We thank you, dear Father, for these hours of unity. Disaster has done what discussion could not. Doctrinal fences have fallen.Republicans are standing with Democrats. Skin colors have been covered by the ash of burning buildings. We thank you for these hours of unity. And we thank you for these hours of prayer. The Enemy sought to bring us to our knees and succeeded. He had no idea, however, that we would kneel before you. And he has no idea what you can do.

Let your mercy be upon our President, Vice President, and their families. Grant to those who lead us wisdom beyond their years and experience. Have mercy upon the souls who have departed and the wounded who remain. Give us grace that we might forgive and faith that we might believe.

And look kindly upon your church. For two thousand years you’ve used her to heal a hurting world.
Do it again, Lord. Do it again.
Through Christ,
Amen.

September 10, 2006

The Narrow Gate

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
~ Matthew 7:12-14

As the blogging comminity reflects on the 5th anniversary of the frightful attack of 09/11, I can’t but wonder how lives have changed for many Americans. Has it really changed for them? Has it changed my life?

I have to say yes and no…Growing up in Germany in the 60’s and 70’s, terror attacks were nothing new. It makes you realize that your life can end any minute, because someone thinks that you don’t deserve to live; you have no right to think and stand up for your beliefs. Was the attack on 9/11/2001 any different? No. Because a group of people believe that America stands for Christianity, and the ‘enemy’ has to be destroyed.

But looking at a survey conducted in 2001 (sorry couldn’t find anything newer — quickly), Christianity only grew by 5% within a 10-year-period. Do you want to guess which religion/belief system grew the most over the same time period? No, it is not Islam either. It is called “Deity/Deist” (not sure if that would qualify for Christianity, but I leave that up to my readers to decide)…The other religion that grew the most in the US was/is Sikhism. To me, it is very interesting that many religions grow in the US in leaps and bounds, but Christianity.

I think we are all scared to share our faith with others, because it is ‘politically incorrect’ to be ‘narrow minded’. But it is not us who say that there is only one Way to heaven…Read the above Scripture again…These words are Jesus’ words….

Do many Americans still travel the ‘broad road’ after 9/11 because it is more comfortable to be politically correct than to share the ‘narrow gate’? As for me, I have become bolder and yes, I ‘argue’ with people (if they want to know), that Jesus is the only Way to heaven. Call me narrow minded, call me anything you want, but for the first time I my entire adult life, I stand up for what I believe in…

Do you have more questions about the narrow gate? Are you ready to see what salvation is all about? Move you cursor to my Sidebar and click the big, red “Ready” button…And if you have more questions after that, please leave a comment and I will get back to you…

Sig Tag

September 9, 2006September 12, 2006

Harry Goody III (*1951 | â€ 2001)

I have to admit that I don’t know too much about Mr. Goody, but with help from a friend, I can share some personal information about him with you:

“Goody, known to friends as “Chuckie,” worked for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.
Harry Goody liked nothing more than polishing his mountain bike and taking long treks through Brooklyn. Rain or shine, Saturdays were always the same for Harry Goody III. He would wake up early, break out a can of wax for his silver and chrome mountain bike, then take his
favorite ride, through the streets of Coney Island all the way to Prospect Park.
And if there was anything the 50-year-old Coney Islander liked as much as riding, it was immersing himself in hour after hour of science-fiction shows on TV, his way of shedding the stress that came with working in the state’s tax and finance office on the 86th floor
of 2 World Trade Center. The addiction was one so intense that Mr.Goody’s three children nicknamed him “Sci-Fi Man” and told jokes about his penchant for buying science fiction-themed gadgets — the pen he loved because he could use it standing upside down just like the
astronauts, or the Superman ring he wore nearly every day.
He is survived by his wife, Brenda and three children, Alexis, Johnathan, and Demetrius.”

Sometimes I can’t help but wonder what all the people who died in the World Trade Center thought when the plane crashed in the building. Some might have died instantly, but what about the people who tried to get out and couldn’t? It makes me sad to know that some of them had to suffer a cruel end to their earthly life. And I hope that most of them were able to make peace with their Maker…

“And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’
~ Luke 23:42-43

Remember today the victims of this cruel attack. The are all missed by their families and friends, but the will never be forgotten…To read tributes to all 2,996, visit the homepage of Project 2,996.