What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Saturday, September 11, 2021

I Didn't Want to Remember Today - Originally Written 9/11/2011 and Updated each year

UPDATE:  September 11, 2021...20 years ago today...   The "war in Afghanistan" that began 20 years ago as a result of the attack on 9-11 is supposedly over...at least that is what the government would like us to think. We've pulled out our troops and brought them home, but we've left the country in a terrible, terrible mess, perhaps worse than it was 20 years ago. The enemy is in charge there...the terrorists that were behind the plot to destroy our country on 9-11, 2001, are now the ones in "leadership" in Afghanistan, and not only have we left the country, but we left all of our weapons and military bases there for them to use against us in the future.  We've left many innocent people behind as well, who now must cower in fear under the tyranny of this evil government. It is not a good thing. Our own nation is severely divided about this and many other things.  The current leaders in our government are sadly incompetent and even dangerous to the well being of this nation.  If ever our nation needed prayer, it is now.   When I first began this post on September 11, 2011, I ended it with this verse:

"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, 
then I will hear from heaven, 
and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  
2 Chronicles 7:14

We need to pray for our nation, our government, our world even more than ever. We need to examine our own hearts, and see if there is any wicked way in us, and repent and pray for forgiveness, before God can heal our land.  Healing begins with each one of us, when we truly seek God's face and turn away from the sins that so easily beset us.  

Dear friends, let us pray!

The Lord's Prayer
"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
 Give us this day our daily bread.
 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: 
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever." Amen.
(Matthew 6:9-13)

Read on for what was written originally and in each subsequent year on this date:

September 11, 2020...19 years ago...and today more than ever we need to remember what happens when terror is allowed to attack our nation, our spirit and our personal lives. We've been living in a different kind of terror this year,  an "invisible enemy" known as Covid 19, which many believe was in reality a terrorist attack on our country and around the world. Our people have suffered, many have died, our economy has taken a direct hit, and it may take years for people's lives to get back to some kind of normal, if ever.  The attack on 9-11 in 2001 was sinister and evil, and it destroyed our sense of security and innocence forever. The attack of Covid 19 is also sinister and evil, and our lives will never be the same.  But we are resilient people. We will not allow the enemies of our great nation continue to destroy us from without or within. The home-grown terrorists who continue to riot and pillage our great cities, destroying people's livelihoods and making people afraid to come out of their homes while they burn and bully and tear down businesses and statues and try to remove our history must be stopped, and they will be.  We The People must not give up hope. We must stand up and fight against tyranny in all forms. And we must remember what happened on 9-11, 2001, and realize once again that we are "One nation, under God, indivisible, the liberty and justice for all."


September 11, 2018...17 years later and we will remember this day forever in our hearts. Our world was sadly changed that day...and it has affected every American in one way or another. I love this quote by our then President George W. Bush...it speaks to the heart of every American:  "We will not tire, We will not falter, We will not fail.  United We Stand".  I pray that every American reading this today will realize that we must stand united if we are going to be able to fend off the enemies of our nation, who are still out there, chipping away at our freedoms, our way of life, and our resolve to stand strong together.  I implore you today, remember 9-11, and let us stand strong and united once again.  


September 11, 2016, The Fifteen Year Anniversary of 9-11.  I just saw this scroll by on our TV:
This is the name of my husband's 1st cousin, who was killed in the twin towers on 9/11/2001.  There is more information further down in my previous post about this.  Seeing his name scrolling across our television causes us to pause and pray again for his family and the families of all those affected by this horrible tragedy.  Let us never forget.

September 11, 2014
I guess I'll just keep re-sending this each year...still can't believe this ever happened. Please continue to pray for our nation, and the families that are still today hurting because of the great loss they suffered on this day.  Praying for peace...and wisdom for our leaders.  Things appear to be getting worse in the world...not better.  Looking upward and waiting for the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...very soon. 


Update again 9/11/2013: 9-11 Timeline from "The Morning Cruise" of the JoyFm on 9/11/2013 (click on link to listen)
I listened to the above "9-11 Timeline" on my way to work this morning on my favorite radio station, the JoyFm, and I was not prepared for the flood of emotions that overwhelmed my soul as I listened. You would think after 12 years that it would not have that kind of effect on me, but it did. I guess it always will. And maybe that's a good thing. We need to never forget what happened to our nation on that fateful day. We need to remember those who died that day, and continue our fight against tyranny and terrorism in our nation and our world...but also be prepared to meet our God and Savior at any moment...in a twinkling of an eye...at the last trumpet (I Corinthians 15:50-58)...and also as foretold in I Thessalonians 4:16-18 ~ 

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them 
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore comfort one another with these words."
 "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin



9/11/2012--- I wrote this post last year to commemorate 9/11/2001 on it's 10th Anniversary.
I still feel the same way today...I still don't want to think about this day, but at our
office Staff Meeting this morning our Pastor asked  us each to share where we were on that morning 11 years ago today.  I was at work at my job at a technical college.  When the news came to us via phone calls and radio broadcast after the first crash (we didn't have a TV in our office), I knew something very bad was happening and started to pray.  Then a few minutes later when we heard the 2nd crash, my co-workers and I gathered together in a circle (in a public school!) and joined hands and prayed.  No one stopped us.  No one told us that we weren't supposed to be praying in a public school. As a matter of fact, people kept praying all day long. I believe that was the closest to God our country had been in many years, and we probably haven't been that close since.  But every year on this anniversary, we tend to get very patriotic and in our own way, draw very close to God.
I pray for our country today. I pray for our leaders, both current and those to come.
I pray that we will turn our eyes back to Jesus and refocus our hearts and lives on Him.
I pray that we will never forget that we are
"One Nation, Under God, Indivisible,
with Liberty and Justice for All."
Amen!


"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden."  Matthew 5:14

I did not want to remember 9-11 today, 9/11/11, the 10th anniversary of the horrific tragedy that struck our nation and has forever changed the way we live in America.  You may ask why I didn't want to remember...
Well, I just couldn't deal with the emotional toll of reliving all the pain, terror, sadness, anger, fear, and agony as it was shown over and over again throughout this past week.  No matter where you turned, it was there. People talking about where they were when the World Trade Centers were hit by terrorists.  How they felt when the reality hit that this was indeed an act of war and aggression against our nation, and that so many innocent lives were taken, leaving a gaping wound not only in the skyline of our great city, but in the hearts of all the American people. 

A Cross in the rubble at Ground Zero
made from the steel beams...a poignant reminder
that God was there in the midst.
Even though I was hundreds of miles away, safe in my own little world when this took place, somehow I felt violated, raped of my innocence and feelings of protection from the horror of these things that only happened in other parts of the world.  I mean, look at our history...not since the Civil War had our land been literally and physically injured in a great war.  Yes, I know our grandfathers and fathers and even perhaps our brothers and close friends had fought and died in war zones throughout history (and still going on today).  But those battles were fought on other soil...we didn't have to see the battlefields and hear the bombs going off and see the destruction all around us. This was America the Beautiful!!! We were isolated and protected from those acts of aggression.  Those things just aren't supposed to happen here.

Like the proverbial ostrich I wanted to put my head in the sand and pretend all was well in our world.  I wanted to go back to life as usual...where the birdies sing and the butterflies flutter about from flower to flower drinking in the sweet nectar of life. I wanted to forget 9-11 and the war on terrorism and get back to "normal" living again.

But 9-11 has forever changed that...especially in the lives of thousands of families across our land who lost loved ones so tragically that day.  Even our own family was not untouched by this grief as my husband's first cousin was killed in the World Trade Center. (Click on this for a blog written in memory of William R. Steiner) Although our families were not real close and my husband had not seen this cousin since their childhood, it still struck home.  It hurt deeply.  This man left behind a wife and children and his parents.  His father literally died of a broken heart not too long after. The sorrow was just too much for him to bear.

So this morning my first thought was I really didn't want to watch any more programs on TV about this, and I didn't even want to go to church because I thought it would be too emotionally draining.  But then I had a change of heart. I thought that instead of being so self-centered I needed to stand united with my country and my church and show my support. As we sang patriotic hymns and the Star Spangled Banner, pledged our Allegiance to the Flag and bowed our heads in prayer for our country my spirits were lifted.  I was proud of our nation and its strength of character in the aftermath of this tragedy. I was thankful to be a part of this great nation. 

But with these good feelings is also the sober warning...our country is living on borrowed time. It is only a matter of time before some other evil force will take vengeance on our land and try again to strike us down.  We need to remember that there is a much bigger battle going on here...a fight between the forces of good and evil...God and Satan.  I don't care what church you may attend or what religion you may adhere to. I really don't care what political party you belong to or who you voted for.  The war that is going on here is much larger and in a different plane than we can see with our human eyes.  The real battle that matters here is the battle for our own hearts and souls.  When that issue is settled, the world conflagrations will still rage on, but we will have peace within. 

I'd like to close this with an old hymn that comes to mind that asks the question :

"Is Thy Heart Right with God?"

"Have thine affections been nailed to the cross?
Is thy heart right with God?
Does thou count all things for Jesus but loss
Is thy heart right with God?

Chorus:
Is thy heart right with God?
Washed in the crimson flood,
cleansed and made holy,
humble and lowly,
right in the sight of God?

Hast thou dominion o'er self and o'er sin?
Is thy heart right with God?
Over all evil without and within"
Is thy heart right with God?

(Chorus)

Are all thy powers under Jesus' control?
Is thy heart right with God?
Does He each moment abide in thy soul?
Is thy heart right with God?

Chorus:

Is thy heart right with God?
Washed in the crimson flood,
Cleansed and made holy,
humble and lowly,
Right in the sight of God?
(Elisha A. Hoffman 1839-1929)

No matter what Satan or the world terrorists throw at us or do to us, what really matters is where we stand in our personal relationship with Christ.  When Christ abides in our souls, we need not fear what man can do to us. 

I like what 2 Chronicles 20:12 and 15 says when Jehoshaphat was faced with a great enemy and did not know what to do:
"O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." (verse 12)
And the Lord answered and said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's." (verse 15)

The key to peace within our hearts and our nation is to have peace with God...and to put our trust in Him.

2 Chronicles 7:14 says:

"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Amen. 

 

 






20 comments:

  1. Oh, MY! Pamela. Just wow! See what comes out when we are squeezed. What a beautiful tribute and share for our RJD. Sweet friend, I appreciate you taking the time, thinking outside the box and joining in despite feeling a bit squeezed before I squeezed you more! But I know good stuff is in you and putting on the squeeze allowed for this beautiful blessing of a post to be shared. Just pressed out, squeezed, grace filled, beautiful words spilled out right here. Thank you.

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    1. Thank you, Dawn, for "squeezing" me and causing me to remember what I needed to do. I have an obligation to stand strong in the midst of chaos...as a representative of Jesus Christ on the front lines. I dare not shirk my responsibilities. We each must do our part to fight this enemy called "darkness"...we must spread the Light! God bless America!!!

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  2. Hi Pam! You know, just this date will never be 'just another day'. You say "September eleventh" and everyone knows what you mean. And what a powerful connection you have to all the sadness of that day.

    I know what you mean about wanting to stick your head in the sand. It's just so overwhelming and hard to understand. I will keep you and your husbands family in my prayers today. All those people died because of hate. We have to remember the power of love, and how it can overcome that hatred.
    I pray your heart will be eased today,
    Ceil

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    1. Thank you, Ceil. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Let us never forget the price that has been paid for our freedom...both nationally, and spiritually. Such a debt that can never be repaid.
      Thank you for your understanding today.

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  3. Pam:
    This is writing from your heart. It is very well stated. I couldn't watch the television about 9/11; I would have gotten to emotional. I really didn't stick my head in the sand but I didn't think I could deal with it. I will have to work on that issue about me.

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    1. No, there are some things that we don't need to apologize for. God knows your heart. He also knows what you can and can't do. He will give you the strength you need to grow in the areas that are needed, but not everything is as important as WE make it out to be. Remember, God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. (II Corinthians 12-9).

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  4. My heart will always be heavy remembering that terrible day. God have mercy on us. As I wrote that last sentence I remember from the Book of Psalm...His mercy endures forever. Thank You Lord Jesus.

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    1. Yes, "His mercy endures forever!" Praise God. We are not left comfortless.

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  5. I well remember that day. It began sad to begin with as this would have been the first wedding anniversary after my husband's passing. I visited his grave on the way to work and later it all stopped being about my sadness. It was an awful day. I knew no one who lost their lives during the attacks but it felt like an attack on me and all I held dear. Thank you for sharing your heart.

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    1. I am so sorry about your great loss and how this day now reminds you of that as well. Praying that God will continue to comfort your heart and give you peace and strength for each new day. (((hugs)))) to you today dear friend.

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  6. Pam, I'm sorry to be two days late in reading and responding. Thank you for sharing this heart-felt post. I'm sorry for your loss that day. 9/11 is one of those defining events that mark a generation. Ideally, the events of that day should have called us back to God, as a nation. Sadly, that didn't happen--it seems like the exact opposite happened.

    Blessings!

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  7. I will never forget that fateful day, and those innocent lives cut short, affecting the lives of the uncountable friends and family left behind. May God preserve us from such terror in the future, and make our entire country a shining city on a hill. Praying with you this day, Pamela.
    Blessings!

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  8. This is a hard day, every year, but it is good for us to remember, turn it over in our minds, and continue to make progress with each passing year to be more like our Lord Jesus Christ in the face of disaster and chaos.

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  9. Your husband's first cousin. That hits home. It is too close.

    Horrible day. When the towers fell I couldn't quite comprehend it. I thought everyone was out. It was just unbelievable.

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  10. Terrorists who hate the very fabric of our country, both foreign and domestic -- it's such a heavy weight on many good hearts. I love the posts you wrote, although of course it's very sad and stressful to relive it all and it takes a lot of gumption to remember and to FEEL it all again. Your remarks about looking to our hearts, making sure we are right with God, were echoed this week in the priest's homilies, where he implored us to be aware of OUR end times and urged us to find the strength to be examples of goodness and to never pass up a chance to spread the Good News.

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    1. Wonderful words of advice from your priest. Yes, NEVER pass up the chance to spread the Good News! Jesus has come to set us free from the sin and darkness of this world. He is coming again to redeem us to Himself. We must let others know this Good News before it is too late. Thank you, Holly.

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  11. Oh, how our country needs prayers, Pamela. May there be repentance and revival throughout the land. And may we never forget.
    Blessings!

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  12. Hi Pam, I enjoyed reading your post today. Only the Light of the world can save us.

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  13. I'm so touched by your words, Pam. And feeling blessed to be among like-minded friends. Every anniversary feels as acute as the one before -- there's no lessening. But my pain is their remembrance; I'd have it no other way. PRAYING!

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