It is the ten year anniversary weekend of 9-11. We don’t actually mention the year when we talk about it, because the day is forever etched in our minds due to the heinous acts brought about upon our country by Muslim extremists.

Regardless of who we are, all of us have been affected by the actions of a few upon that day. Most of us, with the exception of a few toddlers, or perhaps some living in far away lands, can tell you what happened on 9-11 by just mentioning the date.

It has changed the way all of us live our lives to some degree, and for many of us we can tell you exactly where we were when it happened. Our memories take us back to that very moment without much difficulty.

We Remember Where We Were When…

It is actually hard to believe it has been ten years, unless I stop and think about it. Over the last few days, there has been lots of commentary online, on television,  and wherever else we get our news. We talk about it with friends and family, and perhaps think back to the day and can tell you where we were, and what we were doing, and how we reacted the moment we heard.

Most of us had never really been affected as much by an event in our lives, on a particular day, until that moment. Yes, we can remember births, deaths, and other moments in our lives, but events that really change who we are, don’t happen very often.

I could tell you in detail the exact moment I heard about 9-11. I know where I was, what I was doing, and how I was drawn to the ongoing news about it. I couldn’t drag myself away from the television for several hours. It affected me. Our country had been attacked.

Yes, there were many who lost their lives, or loved ones upon that day, who were more deeply affected than I was, but the shock of it all will forever be a moment I won’t forget.

It reminds me of hearing stories from my parents and others when I grew up of the assassination of JFK. To this day, my dad could tell you, where he was on that moment.  I remember stories from teachers and family who would talk about the great depression in similar fashion.

These were events that altered the course of their lives. But, when those hijacked jet airliners hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9-11-2001 all of us had the course of our lives altered.  Even those yet to be born will be affected by that day, and will study about it in school history books for years to come. It changed our lives.

 

I Remember…

Maybe it was the news coverage, maybe my own thoughts, or perhaps a dream, but I woke up around 3:00 AM this morning, thinking about all of this. It brought me back to a memory of another time and another place where I was preaching about ‘Memorial Stones’ in a church where most of my family attended.

I recall the day I was supposed to preach going down by the river and getting several large stones to set up by the pulpit as a visual aid for my message. I wanted the message to impact those who heard me.

I really don’t know if anyone remembers it, but I do. In Joshua chapter four, the scripture talks about the children of Israel getting ready to go into the promise land, and Joshua commands twelve men to take stones with them, and leave them by the banks of the river Jordan.

⁶That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?

⁷Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. Joshua 4:6-7

 

Memorial Stones

We all have moments in our lives we remember. Most of the time when we talk about memories, we talk about the good times. We don’t use stones to help us remember, but most of us have photos, or some other token that will remind us.

In fact, there are entire businesses built upon this fact. Who hasn’t went on vacation somewhere and brought back some small souvenir. Maybe a t-shirt, or perhaps a small icon of a monument, and most of us also take lots of photos.

For those of us who have become friends on Facebook, occasionally someone will post a photograph of a church camp, or some other moment captured in time, and we can look back on that image and recall good times in that place, or with those people.  It is a good thing to remember.

Of course, not all of our memories are good, but it is still good to think about moments in our lives that changed the course of our destiny.

Maybe we can think back to the day we first went to school, or when we graduated for sure.

For some of us, we remember fondly back to the day we got the Holy Ghost or were baptized. Maybe it was in our local church, or perhaps at camp meeting. I recall very vividly to this day my experience at camp meeting. I can still recall the yellow shirt and white jeans I was wearing in the tabernacle at Rocky Mountain District Camp. Camp on the Boulder.

It was a good place, and many of my family and a lot of friends remember good times at that place. The power of God was so strong there. Many miracles took place there. I heard many great messages there from many men who have become leaders and icons of our faith, and I am forever grateful for the messages that they preached that impacted my life.

I know many who were there that it forever changed the course of their lives.  There are some, as well, who I recall pouring out their hearts before God, but yet, they live a far different life now than they seemed to want then.

 

Where Were You When…

Was it simply that their lives were not as impacted as it seemed at the time? Or perhaps, other events occurred later that also changed the course of their life?

Last night I watched part of an interview with Piers Morgan. The man he was interviewing owned a company that was in the World Trade Towers at the moment the planes struck the towers on 9-11. More than six hundred of his employees died on that day.

That particular morning he would have been there as well, but it was the first day of kindergarten for his son.  He had chosen to be there for his son’s first day of school and he showed a photograph of the moment. Little did he know at that very moment the terrorists had plunged one of the airliners into the first tower at World Trade Center.

When I woke up at 3:00 AM, I wasn’t thinking about all the people who lost their lives on that day, or that it took our country into two wars, or the effect the event had on this man particularly. I was thinking about his son.

What stories did this little boy hear growing up? His son would be a teenager now. What did he hear from his dad and others about what happened? He lost an uncle in that event, but how else was his life affected. What was he told? And is he living the life his father expected for him before that event?

 

Has It Changed Anything?

Sure, forever there are little things that have changed. Like all of us, getting on an airplane now is different. Probably, due to the changes in his dad’s company, it has changed some things. But is his life better or worse because of it, or do they even still talk about it? Is it just an after thought?

I could ask those reading this the same questions.

I remember some who were so full of excitement, and love for God and their families when I remember back to church camp. It was more than just a religious experience for those of us who got to attend, it was indeed, life changing. There are memories from those days that will forever be fond for me.

There were a lot of fun times, a few times when not everything was so fun. I recall one year when most of the camp ended up leaving sick due to some bug in the water system. But for the most part I remember good things.

For some though, I wonder if those moments meant as much as they did to me?

I also recall moments at the church I attended where lives were transformed. Messages that some individuals preached with anointing from the same pulpit I did. Some of them have passed now, but I can still recall moments of their messages that deeply affected me.

I recall my uncle preaching one Sunday, on ‘A Piece Of An Ear.’ He’s passed on now in a much better place and I am looking forward to the moment I see him again. I recall him with great love and fondness for the impact he made on my life.

Others I recall with great detail about the way they dressed up to make a point, or what happened at the end during the altar call. I remember praying for some and seeing change in them.

But where are they now? Although the message was impacting for me, and changed my life, did it change theirs? Sure, I realize other events have happened in their lives since. I know that some of them went through hardship that seemed to have no limits. But when they look back at the ‘memorial stones’ in their lives, what do they recall?

 

How Did It Affect Them?

The teenage boy whose dad took him to kindergarten on 9-11, has his life been good? Is he headed in the direction his dad had in mind for him on the morning he documented with a photograph at his child's school? Is he happy?

Or has his path taken a direction that his father would never approve of? Is his son now involved in drugs or some other situation that his dad only hopes will change before it is too late?

We all have events like this. Moments in time that altered our lives, sometimes shattered them. But how has it affected our children? Are they ok? If we could go back to the moment our life was changed, what were we thinking would be the outcome then? And what about our leadership? Are they leading us in the direction we should be going?

Politically, I am sure not many of us would say yes. I think most of us had a different future in mind when we look back to the moments the course of our lives changed.

I wonder if the spiritual ‘us’ from those moments would be happy with where we ended up?

 

Is Who We Are Who We Were Meant To Be?

If we could step back to some of the moments in time to where we were happy, where good things were happening, would we look forward to the moments we had children and be proud of where they are now? Or would the ‘us’ from that moment not be happy with the outcome of our lives or theirs.

Has our leadership taken us the wrong direction? Watchmen, what of the night? Are you leading us in the direction that is right for our souls? In Isaiah we can read of them setting the watchmen on the wall to keep their eyes open in case something happens. There is a reason God sent forth preachers and ministers. they are not just there to say a pretty message on Sunday. They are supposed to be watching for our souls and leading us in a direction that will ultimately take us to the promise.

Sadly, some have gotten more caught up in personality and performance more than in protection.

Just as 9-11 has affected all of us, the direction the ministry set for our churches also affects us. It can alter our destiny. Are we heading the direction we are supposed to be, or have we ended up off track and are just riding the rail into a path of destruction? Are you happy with where your church is? Are souls being reached? Are lives being changed? And more importantly, is it a good change?

Watchmen, what of the night?

But, it doesn’t just fall to the ministry.

When Joshua commanded them to set memorial stones, he left a lot of the responsibility on the parents. Whether or not we like it, or even accept it, it is mostly the responsibility of those of us who are older to prepare the way and direct the course of those who come after us. If we are parents, it is our responsibility to give proper direction to  our children. We should be leading them in the paths that will not only benefit them in this world, but in the world to come.

 

Where Are You Now?

Are you where you expected you would be ten years ago? Fifteen? More? Is this the course you set for your life?

Philosophers, politicians, and others in our daily lives have led us in a direction that tends to blame the responsibility on others. It is our parents fault that we ended up this way or that. Or it is the fault of the former leader because he didn’t direct us the way we now think he should have. It is very easy to look back and cast blame for our current situation.

To some extent, they may be right in a global sense, but in personal responsibility, the blame should be cast upon ourselves.  Sure, if our lives are not where they need to be, some of the responsibility can fall on our parents and leaders. We are supposed to set the direction for the generations to come. But ultimately it all comes down to personal responsibility.

Whether we are talking about our emotional, physical, secular needs or our spiritual needs it is our own responsibility to take charge of where we are. But it is still up to those who have gone before, especially our parents, to guide us in the proper direction.

So, I ask you, did you point your children in the right direction? Are you truly happy with their lives? If you could go back a few years, would you still be happy with their lifestyle? Would you do anything different? And are you happy with your own life? Is this where you thought you would end up?

 

Where Are We Headed?

The course of action that father took on 9-11 forever changed the direction his son’s life will take, just as much as the terrorists who hijacked those planes.

Some sacrificed their own lives to save others. While they are remembered as heroes and possibly protected us from what could have been an even greater tragedy, it still changed the lives of those they interacted with. Many of our military have also made sacrifices for our freedom that personally changed the lives of those who knew them, but it also changed the course for the rest of us.

Each of us holds the responsibility for what happens to the next generation. It doesn’t matter if we are parents, ministers, friends, teachers, or we just pass someone on the street.

The words that come out of our mouths, and the actions we take will affect someone else’s destiny.

Cain, after slaying his brother, asked God, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ YES!

We truly are our brother’s keeper. What you do today, no matter how significant it seems, it will have an effect on someone. We all have responsibility for our lives, for the lives we touch, for our family, for the generations to come.

What will your answer be, when someone asks…

 

Where Were You When?