A RESEARCH SERVICE OF FACTS & HUMOR FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERS

September 2021 Issue 1

EMOTION: On 9/11, the main news anchors of Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, and Tom Brokaw provided Americans with news and commentary throughout that tragic day. They seemed impervious to the emotions we all felt, yet Brokaw explained this summer that he went home after about 12 hours of being on the air and wept for 40 minutes. Emotions impact us all, regardless of who we are or what we do. Beaumont Enterprise, 9/5/21, p.A13

FOCUS: The National September 11 Memorial Museum has an exhibit devoted specifically to the dogs that played such a vital role in the search for survivors. Dr. Lisa Murphy, a veterinarian, said, “The dogs are so focused in terms of doing their job…They would gladly work 24 hours a day if you would let them.” Editor’s Personal Experience

FOCUS: The Justice Department reported that 2002, the year following 9/11, had the lowest crime rate since it began its tracking in 1973…the year the Twin Towers officially opened. A unified focus reaps positive outcomes. Beaumont Enterprise, 8/24/21, p.B5

HOPE: Afghanistan has taken centerstage once again just as the 20th anniversary of 9/11 arrives. In the midst of the fear, heartache, and chaos occurring there, we can be reminded of an Afghan proverb that is posted on the opening banner of the Afghan House Church Network website: “The world is alive with hope.” khabarkhush.org

LIFE: Above the name of Todd Beamer at the 9/11 Memorial is an unforgettable reminder: Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas And Her Unborn Child. During our visit to the site, we were overwhelmed by the power of that statement, and learned there are ten other such inscriptions surrounding the two waterfall “voids.” The state of New York has negated the existence of human life in the womb by legislating the legality of abortion right up to the moment of birth. Yet at the heart of NYC is a permanent and undeniable declaration that life existed within one woman who died in the 1993 attack, and ten more on 9/11. Each year we’re reminded about the horrors of 9/11 when 2,977 people perished during the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, but political leaders insist it’s immoral to deny the right for nearly that many lives to be aborted every single day. Editor’s Personal Experience

PERSEVERANCE: Billy Graham’s wife, Ruth, grew up in China and knew the language. Dr. Graham came to learn that the characters used to describe perseverance are a knife and a heart. We all know what it is to feel either a knife in our heart, or a knife hanging over our heart. Persevering doesn’t mean we wait until the threat is passed; it means we press on with the lingering dagger. Hope For The Troubled Heart, Billy Graham, 1993, p.109

RESILIENCE: On the grounds of the 9/11 Memorial is one Callery pear tree, known as the Survivor Tree. It was discovered among the wreckage with missing limbs and charred bark, but still bearing leaves. It was transported to a Bronx nursery where it was cared for by the Department of Parks & Recreation. New growth erupted from the gnarled stumps and it was replanted as part of the 9/11 Memorial in 2010. Hundreds of swamp oak trees fill the space dedicated to those lost on 9/11, but this solitary pear tree stands in their midst to symbolize resilience and new life. 911Memorial.org SACRIFICE: was a 24-year-old equities trader working on the 104th floor of the South Tower. The Boston College graduate’s dad was a banker who was also a volunteer fireman. Welles followed in his father’s footsteps and worked as a volunteer firefighter as well. When American Flight 11 hit the North Tower, Welles called a friend and explained he was heading over there to help. But before he could make it down, United Flight 175 slammed into the South Tower. His training kicked in and he donned a red bandana over his nose and mouth to stave off the smoke. Around the age of 6, Welles received a red bandana from his dad. Jeff always carried a blue bandana in his pocket and Welles wanted to be just like his dad. Everywhere Welles went he had a red bandana, and anyone who knew him would smile about that constant companion. Welles found the only open staircase available to those trapped above the plane’s impact. He assisted people down the stairs and is known to have carried an injured woman down 17 flights to safety before heading back up to help more people. Multiple survivors talked about the man in the red bandana who aided their evacuation. One of his spare red bandanas is on display at the 9/11 Museum and a 4-minute video tells his story of courage and sacrifice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBTsWBU-MQM. As noted in one video about Welles Crowther, it’s significant to notice not only the names at the memorial, but consider the names that are not written there…the names of those who were saved by people like the man in the red bandana. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice with blood that stained the ground red so our names wouldn’t be identified as those who were lost. Are you helping people find that Savior? No Day Shall Erase You, Alice Greenwald, 2016, p.109

SERVICE: Captain Joshua Byers gave his last full measure of devotion in Ar Ramadi, Iraq on July 23, 2003. The West Point graduate was the Commander of Fox Troop. Just four months into the 9/11 war with Iraq, a bomb exploded underneath him as he led a convoy near their base camp. Before he died, Josh gave one last command to his troops, “Keep moving forward.” That critical order, the last words he spoke, saved the lives of two other soldiers. He was the only one killed in action that day because of his final act of service. His parents have written a marvelous book about their son, and they remind us that an integral part of life is following that exhortation to keep moving forward because giving up doesn’t serve us or others. Keep Moving Forward, Lloyd Byers, 2011, p.xv

TIME: 90% of Americans witnessed the news of 9/11 on television. That’s why one of the most repeated phrases on that day was, “Turn on your television.” Today, roughly 90% of us absorb news on a phone or tablet and just 10% ingest news via TV. Times change and time passes quickly. One-fifth of Americans are too young to remember 9/11. That’s why 9/11 Museum Director Alice Greenwald has said, “they don’t have that memory. For them, it’s history.” Beaumont Enterprise, 8/29/21, p.A11; USA Today, 7/22/21, p.4A

VISION: On September 18, 2001, just one week after 9/11, architect David Childs sketched out a rough idea of what the rebuilding of the World Trade Center complex could look like. The centerpiece was the towers’ footprints and he imagined a new skyscraper of about “2,000+ feet.” It’s uncanny how accurately it reveals what ultimately evolved, and even includes the re-creation of Greenwich & Fulton streets, which were displaced by the Twin Towers. He became a lead architect for , which opened in 2014, and is now the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the 6th tallest skyscraper in the world. Vision isn’t always found on a refreshing retreat; it’s often created in the crucible of harsh reality. One World Trade Center, Judith Dupre, 2016, Preface

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