In Remembrance of 9/11

As this 14th 9-11 Anniversary dawned in NC, the skies were almost identical to those on that horrific day fourteen years ago! Beautiful, clear and blue!  Fourteen years ago, my wife, children and I were on the west coast of the United States, three hours earlier, in the Pacific Time Zone.

That morning, I’d just dropped off, at the Portland Airport, the last speaker from our Northwest men’s conference (Men With A Mission).  Once I’d assisted in getting his luggage safely through curbside check-in, I said my goodbyes, then slid behind the wheel of my Ford f-350 pick up truck for the 20 minute ride back to our travel trailer home.  In an effort to check the early morning headlines, I punched the dial on the radio, ultimately hearing George W. Bush say, “This was a deliberate terror attack!”  Those words, initially, didn’t shock me, as I assumed that he was referencing an attack in some distant land.  However, the longer I listened, the more painfully aware I became of the fact that he was speaking of something that was actually ongoing within the United States!

The rest of that day, and the days that immediately followed were ones of anger, adjustment to life in a NEW United States, and attempts to comprehend the pure evil that could motivate such a catastrophic event!  Having friends within the FBI, I was given a first hand account of the events in NY–the incomprehensible heat inside the Twin Towers, the falling bodies of those who chose to die by fall rather than fire, the ultimate collapse of those landmark buildings, and the aftermath of sifting through rubble and body parts!  In all honesty, those descriptions are as fresh and vivid in my mind NOW as they were THEN!

In retrospect, what has been difficult to process is the fact that a mere seven years after those life-altering events, the citizens of the United States elected a man who is complicit with the very individuals who did us so much harm on 9-11!  A strong statement? Yes, INDEED!  But for it, I make NO apology!  Barack Obama, the son and grandson of a
Sunni Muslim father and grandfather, has repeatedly demonstrated his disdain for America, his defiance of God, his friendship with Muslim doctrine, and his moral debauchery! Obviously, I am privy to much information about him that would not be suitable for sharing here!  However, to even the casual observer, it is readily apparent that this
man is NOT a friend of faith or freedom!!!

So, as we commemorate the 14th Anniversary of those nation-changing events in 2001, I pray that this nation’s leaders admit the glaringly obvious about the current resident of the White House! More importantly, may the people who were heinously deceived enough to elect him TWICE, have the scales of diabolical deception removed from their eyes!  And, may God’s preachers be infused with Divine courage–the kind that will lead their people to the truth and allow them to drink deeply from that well!  The truth, plainly preached, about ALL things, including the
state of our nation and what is necessary for a return to God’s blessing, MUST be heard from America’s pulpits!  We, the proclaimers of truth, DARE NOT shrink back from our sacred and solemn responsibility!  Our congregations not only NEED to hear the truth, they are longing for it!

I am more encouraged than ever about the remnant of God’s men (a great group of which I spent two wonderful hours with yesterday) who get it!  They are compassionate men with volcanic hearts of love for God and His
word!  May we all fear the face of a thrice holy God, and NOT the faces of men–even those in our church bodies who are ignorant of the realities facing us!  May we be willing to LEAD our people in righteousness, rather than allowing ourselves to be led by the godless fear of man!  These are days for courageous faith, committed focus, and
conscientious and fearless leadership!  Our God will make us sufficient for the task!

Dave Kistler
President, HOPE Ministries International
President, North Carolina Pastors Network (NCPN)
Co-host, Stand In The Gap Radio