What Do You Remember of 9-11? What Difference is it Making?

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when you 1^st heard the news about the planes being hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center, Pentagon and the field in Pennsylvania? 

I remember it vividly. I had spent that previous weekend at Salem Lutheran Church in Tomball, Texas just outside of Houston. I had just packed up from my hotel room, and was standing outside when the guy I roomed with told me the news of the crash into the 1^st tower of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and all flights being cancelled. I was to fly out that evening. I sat there at the end of the bed seeing the picture of the hit on the 1^st trade center and watching the TV when the 2^nd jet slammed into the 2^nd tower. It was numbing. It was shocking. It was overwhelming, and I don’t about you, but it still is for me. 

So was the journey home. I rescheduled 4 times with the airlines, and flights kept getting cancelled. I had the 1^st flight out when they were going to lift the initial grounding of the planes on September 12^th, but they didn’t lift them. I kept calling, rescheduling, and the flights kept getting cancelled. Finally, when they said they couldn’t get me to San Diego until 10:45 a.m. that Sunday. I rented a car. I called Budget, they had 5 cars. I could have a Ford Focus if I got there in an hour. I was there in a half hour. They had 2 cars and my Ford Focus had grown up into a Ford Explorer. 1 of the guys with me was from Tucson, so off we drove. After 1300 miles, 64 ounces of circle K cappuccino coffee, I made it home in time to catch the prayer service our staff had planned. It was an incredible moment, one I will not forget.

My favorite illustration I used after 9-11 is a daughter who complained to her dad about how hard things were. “As soon as I solve 1 problem,” she said, “Another 1 comes up. I’m tired of struggling.”

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen where he filled 3 pots with water and placed them each on a high fire. Soon the pot came to a boil. In one he placed carrots. In the 2^nd, he placed eggs. In the 3^rd, ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

The daughter impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After a while, he turned off all the burners. He fished out the carrots and put them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and put them in a bowl. He poured the coffee into a cup. He asked, “Darling, what do you see?”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied. He asked her to feel the carrots. She said they were soft. He asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling, off the shell, she felt the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled, as she tasted its rich flavor.

She asked, “What does this mean, Father?” He explained each had faced the same adversity – boiling water – but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong and hard, and unrelenting, but after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg was fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. By being in the boiling water, they changed the water. He asked his daughter, “When adversity knocks on your door, which are you?”

10 years ago adversity slammed into the door. The suicidal pilots believed their killing themselves and others were straight tickets to heaven. How different is the way of our God. Instead of sacrificing our lives, Jesus sacrifices his own that we might have life with God.

In driving through West Texas nearly 10 years ago, the only thing the car radio picked up was Talk Radio. No matter who the host was or what he said, 1 response was repeated, “Nuke ‘em.” Even when we didn’t know who ‘em were, most callers were ready to let the nukes fly. There was a desire for revenge. For some perhaps this past May when Osama bin Laden met his demise, revenge came. My guess is even that victory left an empty feeling.

Today we remember 10 years ago thousands died from the actions of a few, and 2,000 years ago 1 died for the actions of us all. What do you remember from that day? What difference is it making in your life today?

Soul Food for Friday: “Turn out the lights”

This week’s Soul Food for Friday is inspired by the power outage San Diego County had for 12 hours and the start of the NFL season.

As Dandy Don Meredith used to crone, “Turn out the lights the party’s over.”

Sunset in San Diego

Yet in San Diego in some ways it had just begun as the lights went out. Driving home was a lesson in patience and prayer. I have never been so thankful for green lights as for the 3 I caught driving home, as well as navigating the 2 that were out.

Kept thinking as the power was out, and the neighbors were outside how different life was. No TV, but families playing together. Generations interacting. Appreciating the light of the sun, and the beauty of a night time sky.

Sharon fortunately had done a great job of preparing us for emergency times. Our one mistake was our 9 volt batteries for our radios had expired in March of this year. We hadn’t needed them for so long.

I hear I missed a great 1st game of the season between the Packers and the Saints, but there is still plenty of football left. The power is back and appreciated. Kids are happy because though we don’t have snow days in San Diego, we do have power outage days and its a day off for many.

Dandy Don used to think when the lights went out, the party was over. For many in San Diego, when the lights went out, the party had just begun.

Thanks San Diego Gas & Electric for getting us back on line in 10 hours (our power was back on by 2 a.m.), and for getting everyone’s power back up by 4:30 a.m. Great job!

So are you ready for when the lights go out?

Secretariat: Heart of a Champion

Back in 1973, I fell in love with Secretariat. I’m not a big horse racing fan, but I remember watching Secretariat win the Belmont on June 9,1973. I was almost 14 years old, and I remember watching Secretariat pull away and win by 31 lengths. It was a dominating performance. No one has matched such racing dominance since.

A few years ago ESPN did 50 specials on the 50 greatest athletes of all time. Secretariat was one of the 50. I watched and was again mesmerized by what one horse could do. It was during that special I learned that when Secretariat died they discovered he had a heart twice the size of other horses. He had the heart of a champion.

Last year when Disney came out with the movie Secretariat, I had to go see it. Most movies qualify for waiting for DVD or Netflix, not Secretariat. There I learned the incredible back story of Secretariat’s owners, of Mrs. Tweedy and her commitment, vision and influence on Secretariat. (For pictures of Secretariat go

When flying to India this past January, it was one of the movies to watch on the flight. I was again mesmerized. Then again this past Saturday it was on one of our Direct TV channels, and I was watching again. Knowing exactly what was going to happen, but enjoying and embracing the sight of a champion at work.

Great leaders often have a great heart. They have that look in their eye. They have that commitment to push. When at their best, they not only show their best but bring out the best in others. Secretariat did that for himself, for his owner, for her family, for his trainer, for his rider, for his sport.

In watching Secretariat again, I was reminded of that June 9th Saturday in 1973. It was a great day. It was trumped 11 years later, when I got married to Sharon on June 9, 1984. I think how much my life changed in those 11 years, and realize the great work God did for my heart, and wonder now what will be my story 11 years from now.

For the ultimate heart of a champion is the heart of the God who loves you and me. The God who comes transforms our hearts with His new birth, with His life, with His presence. How our lives are ultimately changed by our connection with Him.

What’s transforming your heart? Who is the heart of a champion that still inspires you?

Lincoln’s Greatest Speech

While on a “stay-cation” a couple years ago, I was wandering through Upstart Crow, one of my favorite book stores that’s in Seaport Village in San Diego. Over the years, I’ve always enjoyed the eclectic selection of books. It’s not a large book store, but it serves a great cup of coffee and has a collection of titles that catch my eye that I don’t usually catch online or in the “chain” book stores.

That’s what happened while browsing the history section upfront. I saw, “Lincoln’s Greatest Speech“. I thought I knew the answer to that one. What would you say is Lincoln’s speech?

Gettysburg Address, right?

That’s what I thought. But author Ronald C. White Jr. says, it’s Lincoln’s 2nd inaugural address. Really? Really! And after reading the book, he’s right.

You probably know at least one phrase from the 2nd inaugural address, but perhaps like me didn’t associate it with an inauguration speech. The best known phrase I had heard was “with malice toward none, with charity for all.”

What makes this 2nd address interesting to me is the theological tone of what Lincoln says. As a pastor, that grabbed my attention. White does a great job of analyzing the speech, phrase by phrase, mining it for its worth and highlighting Lincoln’s gift of turning a phrase while also being willing to address the theological undertones of the speech. Phrases like …

1. “Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God …” Before Lincoln’s 2nd inauguration, there had been 18 inaugural addresses. Each one had made a reference to God in some form or another (Washington, “Parent of the Human Race” or Buchanan’s “Divine Providence”). Each of these references had been a desire for divine guidance. Typically they came at the end of the speech.

Only John Quincy Adams (a daily Bible reader) had specifically quoted the Bible (Psalm 127:1). Lincoln affirms here that in the bloody battle of the civil war, both sides looked to God for guidance. Both sides read the same Bible. Both sides asked for God’s blessing as they battled the other side.

Unlike other inaugural addresses Lincoln thinks theologically as well as politically. That’s why this speech and White’s book intrigued me. The Bible provided a common book to again rebuild a divided people. Such is its power, such is its message. To that power, he also refers to prayer 3 times. He wisely observes, “the prayers of both could not be answered that of neither has been answered fully.”

2. “The Almighty has His own purposes …” Lincoln makes God the center of his address, the primary actor in the battle of a divided country. Each side believes its cause to be just. Each side suffers in judgement. At this point in the war, it looked like the north would finally have victory. Most had expected the 2nd inaugural to rub the impending victory of the north into the wounds of the south. But Lincoln does not claim God to be the God of the North vs. the God of the South. He argues for an inclusive God over America, a God who is willing to deal with our offenses. A prime offense is that of slavery, caused not just by the south but also by the north.

3. “With malice toward none; with charity for all …” Perhaps most shocking to his hearers were words of forgiveness, when his audience was waiting for vengeance, even divine retribution. Lincoln does not seek to blame his enemies as he seeks to build a path of forgiveness and grace. In Lincoln’s speech, both sides are blamed, both sides need forgiveness. In the land of Red States and Blue States, when was the last time you saw that in American politics?

That’s why I agree with White, that this is Lincoln’s greatest speech. Since reading Lincoln’s Greatest Speech, I have looked for other books that dig deeply into great speeches and provide insight analysis. None has captured my attention as much as this one.

As we celebrate our nation’s freedom, may their be a greater recognition of the work of the divine in our midst and even more bringing the divine work of charity to all as we live out the gift of freedom.

As you celebrate the 4th of July, what gift of freedom speaks to your heart this day?

Memorial Day: Remember and Give Thanks

Memorial Day for most people is a Monday holiday, a brief respite before the last push for the end of the school year. For some people Memorial Day is best known as the 1st day of summer, than a day to remember those who gave their lives for the cause of freedom. Being in San Diego, we remember the military and their faithful service for the cause of freedom. We remember and give thanks, not because we love war, we don’t. We remember because we recognize sacrifices have been made that we might be free.

Often it is the ultimate sacrifice we remember, life lost on a battle field — a son who will not be back, a husband who will never return, a father who will not see his little girl grow up. We remember, we grieve, and we give thanks.

Having seen the memorial at Pearl Harbor and conducted graveside funerals at Fort Rosecrans, I am moved by sacrifice and service. Some died in battle, some died later in life. All sacrificed. All served. We remember and we give thanks.

Thanks for Image: scottchan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Leadership involves tough decisions, especially when it comes to issues of war, freedom and peace. It’s why most of us don’t want to be president, and pray for wisdom for those who do.

Recently I found AmericanRhetoric.com, among its features are the top 100 speeches of the last century in America. Kennedy’s inaugural address, Martin Luther King Jr.’s, “I have a dream speech”, as well as speeches in times of war and significant moments in American history.

I listened to FDR “day of infamy” speech in declaring a state of war with Japan after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Though way before my time, it defines the church I serve. Our founding pastor and his family were getting ready to move from the mid-west to La Mesa. Their former church was having a going away party, it was during that party they heard the news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He and his family made the sacrifice still to come. During a time of war, a church of hope was born.

Unfortunately we still find ourselves at a time of war, and fortunately we still are a church of hope. Instead of France and Germany, Guam and  Midway, our nation’s armed forces are in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other places were evil and terror rear their ugly head. We still need hope. We still pray for peace. We still need to remember and give thanks.

As a Christ follower, I recognize war is part of our sinful nature — man’s inhumanity to man. God desires peace for us His children and the world He created. I also realize that our God has made the ultimate sacrifice. He gave His one and only Son in the war against sin, that we might have freedom, that we might have lasting peace. This gift especially we must remember and give thanks. It is the one war that will end all wars.

Thank you to those who serve so honorably in our armed forces. Thank you for the sacrifices your families make in time away, holidays together missed, and for your being willing to go in harm’s way that we might be safe, that we might be free. This Memorial Day, I again remember and give thanks. How will you remember and give thanks this Memorial Day?