9/11 Remembered

Ten years ago today I was about to catch a flight to New York to interviews "spokeskids" for Operation Christmas Child with my buddy from Samaritan's Purse, Paige Greene. My next stop was to have been Washington, D.C. I had no idea the severity of the airplanes crashing into the World Trade Center--or that they were terrorist attacks--until a colleague from work called me and said, "This is a terrorist attack and you are not going to New York today. Turn your car around and come into the office."

What followed was a marathon week at work as our entire PR staff worked with media around the clock to provide them with voices of faith and comfort for their programming. We provided interviews with spiritual leaders like Franklin Graham, Bill Bright, Greg Laurie, and even Jerry Falwell--each one of them in demand as Americans asked, "Why, God?" I remember the producer from Wolf Blitzer's show on CNN calling me on 9/11 and asking to interview Franklin Graham. She was crying on the other end of the phone line and in an anguished voice asked, "Why? Why is God letting this happen? I don't understand." People were looking for answers.

Three weeks later I finally made it to New York for those interviews. Flying into Manhattan, I was in disbelief over the vast smoking craters marking the earth in the place where the Twin Towers once proudly stood. The amount of smoke and haze over the city, even three weeks later, was shocking. I had the opportunity to spontaneously join a team from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for midnight visit to Ground Zero that evening, where we simply walked the perimeter of the site, offering prayer to firemen and visitors alike. The stench was something I'll never forget.

Fast forward ten years and the quest for spiritual knowledge of the God of the Universe has slowly dissipated in our country. That's why I was so proud last night to be affilated with the Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie as they held an evangelistic outreach in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium on the even of 9/11. Not surprisingly, LA media didn't pay much attention to this gathering; but they should have. More than 50,000 people packed into the stadium, seeking answers to why tragedy occurs and how they could have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Nearly 6,000 people responded, making it the biggest altar call in Harvest Crusade history. Coincidence? I think not. God is the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.