Presby-Musings

Sixteen years ago today, on September 11, 2001, the world was forever changed by an unspeakable act of terrorism and violence.   I remember parts of that day clearly, but most of my memories are less about the details of the day, and more about how I felt in the moment.  The feelings of disbelief and horror... the sorrow and loss... it was all overwhelming.   At some point during that morning, my wife Merideth and I decided that we needed to get my son from school.  He was six years old at the time--a first grader.  I don't really remember how we decided it, but it felt right to get him out of class and take him home with us.   When the world feels like its falling apart, you want your loved ones close to you--particularly your children, no matter how old they are.   When the winds of Hurricane Harvey began to howl through Texas, I took a lot of comfort in knowing that all my boys were under one roof together with us.  My greatest desir...

I've been reading tweets, blog posts and the like from pastors who are preaching tomorrow on the 10th Anniversary of September 11th.  Many of us are struggling with these sermons.  I've more than a few friends who have decided to basically let the anniversary go, and give it a cursory mention in their worship services tomorrow.  I've also noticed a few others who are using the opportunity to preach sermons about how awful America is.  That came out a bit harsh.  I think I'll leave it though.  It's true. When I saw that the 10th anniversary of 9/11 was falling on a Sunday this year, I knew that to ignore it would be a huge mistake.  For the past few weeks there have been countless documentaries, news stories and the like on the upcoming anniversary.  It's made all of the memories of that Tuesday morning come rushing back for both myself and my parishoners.  When pastors make the decision (out of hubris) to completely ignore what's ha...

This Sunday is the 10th Anniversary of the September 11th. Most of us remember vividly where we were on that Tuesday morning ten years ago. There's something about the tragedy of that day that was---I don't know--- more tragic than anything most of us had ever experienced before. It haunts us, and we live with the reality of the new world it created each and every day. On Tuesday, September 11th I was working at my desk in the church where I served as the Director of Christian Education. For some reason, there was no one else in the office with me that day. I think the secretary had a doctor's appointment and our very part time interim pastor wasn't there either. We shared office space with the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes branch, and the secretary who worked there came to office with an ashen look on her face to tell me the news that an airplane had crashed into the World Trade Center. We didn't have a television in the office and our interne...