The direction the refugees are going says something.

Something to Think About for September 11, 2015:

Something To Think About, The Shadow of the Cross:

A couple of caveats: America is not a Christian nation.  Europe certainly is not a Christian continent.  The New Testament presents a way of life that is counter-cultural.  "Christian nation" is an oxymoron. I speak as a citizen of the United States when I say, our record, and that of other so-called Christian nations, even our recent record, is not spotless.   With that said, I notice on this anniversary of 9/11 that thousands of refugees are boarding rickety boats and leaky rafts.  Some are getting into the back of crowded trucks or walking many miles.  Fathers are selling everything they own and borrowing everything they can, in order to take their families from one place to another.  Many are dying in the attempt.  Keeping in mind my caveats, it is still undeniable that the flow of these refugees is moving away from nations where there have been years, even centuries, of attempts to obliterate the influence of the cross, into lands where the cross still casts a long shadow.  The case can be made that "Christian" nations need to do more to welcome these folk in such great need.  Still the contrast is stark when one compares what these nations are doing with what wealthy Islamic nations aren't doing.  The heritage of the West to show kindness to those in need has developed under the shadow of the cross.  The influence of Christianity has led to protections for the weak, and freedoms for minorities.  While our history is full of grievous examples of "not living up to what we claim to believe," it is that system of ethics that flowed from Christian principles that led us to outlaw the evil of slavery, and take steps to recognize the value of all people regardless of race or religion. Even diminished as that influence has become over the last century, those who are desperately looking for a safe place to raise their families see lands where the cross of Christ still casts a shadow as a haven.  The Good News that changes people's lives, leads to a better world.   It's STTA.   On this page there are multiple options.  All of them point to how the message of the cross can change your life. Some of you wonder what you can do to help the refugees of Islamic persecution.  There are many good ministries.  Global Partners for Peace and Development has worked with those fleeing persecution for years.  Here is their website.

9/11

Something To Think About 9/11

Those who were born on 9/11--The 9/11-- are thirteen years old today.  When the planes hit the Pentagon, the Twin Towers, and another airliner, because of the heroism of the passengers, crashed in a field in Pennsylvania,  my grandson was just starting his school career.   Now, he is a young man who is on his own.  President Bush had just begun his first term as president.  On this anniversary, Barack Obama is in the middle of second term.  It's been a while, yet the news is still current. Thirteen years after the attack America has again been insulted, if not assaulted. The Islamic extremists  who have recently beheaded two of our countrymen go by a different name, but their ideology is the same. Not just in a patriotic way, or in the sense of military preparedness, it is important that we remember.  Lessons learned from 9/11 need to be a permanent part of our thinking.   Not all religions are the same.  Christianity rests on the foundation of Jesus Christ, Who gave His life so that others might truly live.  Millions of Christians have followed in their Lord's path, willingly giving their lives so that others could hear the life-giving message.  The brand of Islam represented by ISIS considers themselves bound to take life--even of children--in the pursuit of earning their salvation.  It is clear.  Somebody is wrong. This world is not a safe place.  While God is sovereign, He has made this world in such a way that the decisions of people, even horrible decisions like those that led to 9/11, have real consequences, sometimes deadly consequences. If we put our hope in this world, even in the parts of this world that seem indestructible, our hope is terribly misplaced.  Everything in this world will be reduced to fine ash.  Unless we have a hope and purpose that goes beyond this mortal life and the crumbling world where we live our lives, we really have no hope and purpose. All of us desperately need a soul-satisfying, time-defying, totally real hope.  We need something in our heart that will keep us from doing horrible things in a vain attempt to find peace, and that will secure us against the attacks of those who carry depravity to its logical conclusion.  People need the Lord. It's Something to Think About.

Thoughts on 9/11:

It was Tuesday. I was in my office working. Kathy called and told me there was an explosion or something in New York. What I did next says a lot about me, and the condition of our world. I just confirmed my recollection by looking at a list of terrorist incidents that took place in the time just before 9/11. (also here) Bombs--suicide, car, and otherwise--attacks on trains, buildings and historic monuments, and man-made tragedies of all sorts had become common place. Less than a year before the USS Cole had a massive hole blown in its side. Distance and repetition had removed the terror from terrorism for me. The flow of blood in the newspaper and on the news, combined with troubles closer to home had made me more numb than I wish I were. I just kept working.


As I remember, Kathy called me again a few minutes later. Like many of you, she had been watching the horror unfolding. I heard an emotion in her voice that I had only heard at times of family deaths or other major troubles. I knew that this was beyond the wickedness that, for me had become the new normal. I came home and struggled to take in the magnitude of what had just happened.

It is a balancing act with which we all need to struggle. Somewhere, right now there is likely some atrocity that is being planned, carried out, or just inflicted on innocent people, yet this morning I need to take a helium tank back to a vendor, return some borrowed equipment we used at a church event last night, and do this STTA. My wife is going to the dentist. While I type she and I are discussing what we need to do this evening. Life goes on. I can't just quit. On the other hand the numbness to the pain of so many that too easily hardens my heart is troublesome.

I want to be more like my Lord, who when "He saw the multitudes . . . was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." (Matthew 9:36) I know my capacity for meaningful empathy is infinitely less than Christ's, but I pray . . .

Lord, help me to see and be impacted by the needs of others, and show me what I can do to make a difference. Amen



It's STTA.