Where were you that day?

I dropped my sons off at school and was back home, cleaning my kitchen. I chose to watch Good Morning America for some company but quickly noticed something big had happened. 

I walked over to the back of the sofa with a dish towel in my hands so I could see the television better. The show had switched to a live broadcast, and the two commentators were trying their best to fill the airtime with conversation. 

No one understood yet what the fire meant. 

About that time, I saw the airplane fly into the second tower, and I knew we were in trouble. 

I ran to the phone, called Jim at the church, and told him to turn the television on.

Another plane crashed into the Pentagon and then another, near Philadelphia. 

What did you do that morning? 

I tried to call my folks and then remembered that my parents were in Philadelphia that day, on vacation. They didn’t own a cell phone, and I didn’t know where they were staying. I felt sure they would be fine, but I couldn’t be certain. 

I wondered when my boys would hear the news. I remember wanting to drive up to the school and bring them home. I also remember telling myself that would be the wrong thing to do—so I stayed home, glued to the television, wishing the school would call. 

I watched the news for the next couple of hours until I couldn’t watch any longer. 

I didn’t know what else to do. I just knew I needed something else to do. So, I filled my car up with gas. I went to the bank and withdrew some cash. I went to Sams and bought plenty of canned protein, fruit, and water. I remember the hushed lines, the worried looks, and the uncertainty of those hours. 

Doing those things didn’t alleviate my fears, but they refocused my thoughts for a little while. 

What were you most afraid of? 

9/11 was a day of uncertainty. There were a lot of reasons to feel afraid, angry, concerned, powerless, and deeply sad. 

But, the strongest memory I have of 9/11 was my first and greatest fear of the day. 

I watched the plane fly into the second tower and was overwhelmed with the thought that I had two teenage sons and our country might be at war. I didn’t know what the news that day would mean to our family in the future. 

There were other thoughts, but none more consuming than that one. 

What did you pray for? 

I stood behind my sofa, wringing the dish towel in my hands and begging God to stop our enemies. I prayed for God to protect us and give wisdom to our leaders. And I pled with God to protect my family. 

As the days moved forward, I prayed hundreds of prayers. But, I don’t think any of those prayers were offered with the same intensity of those first moments. 

I begged God for his divine protection on 9/11. I was truly afraid for the future. 

What did you learn? 

God never stops teaching us. God never stops caring. God is always in control and at work remodeling the moments of this life for his greater good. 

But, God takes his time. 

We all wanted answers, but sometimes there was only information. 

We all wanted peace, but all these years later, we are still at war. 

We all wanted miracles, be we didn’t get all the miracles we wanted. 

We all wanted the Bible verses to comfort, but sometimes reading those verses disappointed instead. 

Did you wonder what God was doing on 9/11? 

I learned something about God during those days, weeks, and months of uncertainty. That lesson has been one of the most valuable spiritual lessons of my life. I struggled to trust a verse, so I learned to pray it instead. 

Those prayer times with God gave me comfort. Knowing the verse was only the first step. It was praying the verse that made the difference. That lesson has changed and strengthened my spiritual life more than I can say, mostly because it was a lesson I thought I already knew. 

Truthfully, I didn’t really learn it until I lived it. 

My life verse for fear 

If you have read my blog for a while, you know I sometimes refer to a “life verse.” Most of the time, I call it a life verse because it changed my life. 

I will probably always watch the videos of 9/11 with tears in my eyes. I feel those news reports. But, the Lord retaught me a verse during that time, and I have carried his lesson ever since. 

The verse I prayed and learned to obey because of 9/11 is the life verse that carried me through my son Ryan’s cancer—and I truly mean the word carried. 

Psalm 56:3 says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” 

  • This verse says “when” not “if.” Fear is part of living on this side of heaven. We will all live with fears, but there is something all of us can do.
  • The action words are “I put.” Fears involve our free wills, our right to choose. I don’t really ask God to “take my fears away” anymore. I believe the Lord has instructed us to make a choice when we are afraid. God asks us to put our fears down, at his feet, and back away. He won’t “take” them because we are supposed to give them.
  • We try to control our fears, but that is the opposite of what God intends. He wants us to trust him enough to put them down and step away from them. When Jesus said, “Do not fear” (Matthew 10:26, 28), he said it as a command. Our best choice is to obey Psalm 56:3.
  • Knowing this verse won’t calm your fears as much as praying and obeying its words. It is obedience to knowledge that makes all the difference. 

When you are afraid . . . 

Are we waiting for the next 9/11? Maybe. 

Are we waiting for the next senseless shooting? Yes. 

Are we waiting for the next hurricane? Yes. 

Are we waiting for the doctor to call? Someday. 

The best time to get ready for moments of fear is before those fears come. 

Do you really believe God’s instruction in Psalm 56:3? 

You will know it the next time you are truly afraid. For now, pray that verse until you know and trust the words. Then, when the “when” happens—make your choice. 

For now, make your commitment: “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.” 

I hope that verse will change your life too.

That First Fire of the Season

I peeked at the thermostat and shivered. It was 48 degrees on Saturday morning at Possum Kingdom Lake. So, I turned on the coffee and reached for the fireplace remote. A few minutes later, I sat quietly with my warm mug, watching the flames and enjoying every moment of the morning.

October was a blur. Travel always seems to do that. Those days in Israel were amazing, but sitting in my favorite spot at the lake was a great reminder that my life is abundantly blessed. It’s November and I have a lot to think about. A warm fire and a hot cup of coffee create a perfect setting for those thoughts.

I’ve always been an early riser, but my parents were up even earlier. Almost every winter morning, I would come down the hall and see my mom and dad sitting by the fireplace, drinking their coffee. I remember thinking, “One day, when I get married, I’m going to sit in front of the fireplace and drink coffee with my husband too.” That didn’t work out very well. Jim gets up earlier than I do. He finishes his daily article, posts it to send, podcasts the content, and then takes off for his morning walk. AND, he doesn’t even drink coffee! (That’s probably a good thing . . . I’ve often remarked that no one would want to try to keep up with Jim—after caffeine.)

That said, God has provided me a lot of mornings to sit quietly, alone with my thoughts, a good cup of coffee and a fire on cold winter days. It is during these moments that God is most likely to place a person on my mind who needs prayer or a quick email of encouragement. God often uses these moments to direct my thoughts to what I should teach, write, or say that week. I read different devotionals and emails, and I almost always read Jim’s article and Craig’s First 15. I’ve found that if I can have my morning moments, the rest of the day just seems to work better.

I’m picturing all of you today, reading this email after listening to the morning news. I’m sure the news reports are filled with election results and opinions about those results. Some of you are waiting on your kids to get downstairs so you can run them to school. Many of you are grabbing your cup of coffee in a commuter cup so you can drink it on the way to work. I encourage all of you to carve out some moments of quiet in your busy day. God made us to be still.

Scripture doesn’t suggest “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Scripture flat out commands it. I’ve often said that if we don’t find time to be still, other things will become a god to us. If work or family needs are more urgent than spending time with God, then work and family have become gods. The television, the computer, social media, and cell phones can all become gods if we take time to be still with them instead of the Creator of all things. God doesn’t demand we spend time with him. Instead, he taught us a result of spending time with him. We will know that he is God.

I’m grateful that you read this blog each week, and I hope you will continue. But, I want you to close the computer and be still with God as a result. He has so much to say to you, from the pages of your Bible and from the quiet thoughts the Holy Spirit will author as you take the time to be still with your Creator. Quiet is a powerful spiritual discipline. No wonder our world seems to get a bit noisier and a lot busier with each passing year.

Each year I write an Advent devotional for our ministry. I hope it will help you include a word about Christ into each day of your busy holiday season. The title of the devotional this year is Joy to Your World. Joy is an ongoing theme in the Christmas story and throughout Scripture. This year I rewrote Joy to Your World so that kids could have the devotional for themselves. That edition is available as well, offered from our ChristianParenting.org ministry.

If you would like to request a copy of either edition, we would love to send it to you. The children’s edition has a limited quantity, so don’t wait too long if you want that one. I hope these Advent devotionals will be a blessing to you and your families.

The quiet moments with God are the most important moments with God. I hope you will find some time to “be still” and embrace the joy of spending time with your heavenly Father. He adores you and wants nothing more than to fill those moments with his Presence.

I don’t sit by my fire with Jim in the mornings, but I don’t sit by my fire alone. Set your alarm, get the coffee ready to go, and crank up the fireplace if you have one. It just takes a little effort to be still, and God is waiting to make himself known to you in new and fresh ways. I wish you his great peace for today and the holiday months ahead.