September 11th and September 12th.
Most people remember 9-11 and they have vivid recollections whenever they just hear the date, September 11th. And for good reason. That was the day that some 3000 lives were lost in a day of TERROR here in the United States of America. As you watch the news today, you will note that there are MANY reports here in L.A and around the world to help us remember those who lost their lives on that tragic morning, and it is my prayer that we will never forget that moment when our COUNTRY was attacked. I always pray that we will seek God the way we sought Him on 9-11.
September 12th. Does that date ring a bell? It should. September 12th, exactly ONE YEAR AGO, was the day we had a tragedy in our own backyard. That was the horrific day where 25 people lost their lives when a collision took place between Metrolink and a Union Pacific train. Tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. on September 12th, 2009 there is going to be a memorial service at Stoney Point Park in Chatsworth.
There will be several speakers and they have asked me to do the invocation, which I will be honored to do, of course, and they will be dedicating some type of plaque to memorialize those who died.
I wish to list their names so that we will never forget.
Christopher Aiken
Dennis Arnold
Dean Lafoy Brower
Alan Lloyd Buckley
Yi Chao
Spree Desha, LAPD Officer
Walter Arney Fuller
Ronald Grace
Michael Hammersley
Jacob Hefter
Chen-Yuan Kari Hsieh
Ernest Stephen Kish II
Gregory Lintner
Paul Long
Manuel Macias
Aida Magdaleno
Beverley Rivers Mosley
Charles Peck
Howard Barry Pompel
Donna Lynn Remata
Robert Martin Sanchez
Doyle Jay Souser
Roger Spacey
Maria Elena Villalobos
Atul Vyas
It is difficult for me to even type out those names. Although we are grateful to have a memorial to honor them, those who lost their loved ones on that day that will grieve again, and hurt again, and cry again, and we will mourn again with them. And more than anything else we will wish they were with us once again.
I pray that tomorrow will surely honor those who have died.
May we remind ourselves of how brief life is. The Bible says that our lives are like a vapor or a mist, because we are here but for a few minutes and after that we will all face eternity. Jesus tells us in John 14:6 that He is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE and it’s through Jesus that we can have the assurance of everlasting life.
May not just ONE day be seared into our consciousness, but may BOTH dates be in our hearts and minds. September 11, 2001 for the 3000 who died and September 12th for the 25 who were simply living their lives when a tragedy took their lives and devastated their families. It’s times like this that I pray that we will RUN to GOD and not away from Him.
He is truly the ONLY ONE who can TRULY HELP US.
If you can NOT attend the service in the Morning then at least take a few moment of silence in their honor and remember them, and then LOVE on your own family friends because we never know when it could happen to you or to me.
http://www.s2cphotography.com/ The picture above came from Stewart Uy who started this photography site which stands for Savoring Christ “2” gether.
