Eight years ago, on a bright, clear September morning, our lives were irreversibly changed.  Within hours, planes were grounded, the skies were silent.  By the end of the day, over 3000 of our fellow citizens had died in the unexpected attack. 

One of the pictures I will never forget is the image of the NYFD running into the World Trade Center.  Their fellow citizens were in trouble and their came to their rescue. With no regard to their own welfare, they risked their lives.  And in doing so, lost their lives.

September 11, 2001 was a defining time for our generation.  Much like the assassination of President Kennedy or the Challenger explosion, most people know where they were when they heard the news.  Defining moments change us.  We will never fly the same way again.  We cannot walk through an airport without removing our shoes.  Defining times bring forth character.  Men and women rise to the occasion.  We tend to call them heroes.  None are extraordinary people.  They are normal people reacting to abnormal circumstances.

Just as the firemen were on that fateful day eight years ago, you are surrounded by hurting people.  How are you going to respond?  Will you disregard your personal comfort to help them?  Will you reach out to a hurting world?  If you were in need, you would want someone to.

Affected or Effective?

We have all noticed how our circumstances affect our mood. We know that on bright, sun-shinny days we tend to beat more upbeat...eager to conquer the world. However, take that same day and make it cloudy and the eagerness turns to laziness.

Our environment tends to affect us. It affects our thinking patterns, our energy level, our desire to accomplish. We do not mean it to be that way, but it usually just happens. We take great effort to overcome those feelings; we press through trying to accomplish what needs to be done.

I am proposing we do something different. Instead of being affected by what happens around us, let's be effective. I do not want to be impacted by my environment. I want to impact my environment. That is what we have been called to do. That is the purpose for which we were created. Not to be tossed about by the wind, but to sail with a purpose.

Today, choose to be effective. Choose to make a difference in your workplace, in your school, in your home. Choose to pressure your peers instead of being pressured by your peers.

Choose to live your life with purpose.

Re-acquainting with Old Friends

Over the last few days I have become re-acquainted with some people I have not seen in over 25 years. It really does not seem that it has been that long. However, after we began to talk, it was hard to realize that time had passed so quickly. We began to talk about marriages and children...and even grand-children.

It is funny how people who are so important at one stage of life become mere memories when change occurs. The people I have "found" were friends I knew when my Dad pastored in Texas. We moved to Ohio and my friends stayed in Texas. Over the years, those connections wore away. But, due to the miracle of the Internet, we have re-connected.

Sometimes our relationship with our Creator is the same way. Things change in our life, and our connection with God wears away. We must refresh that connection. That takes some effort on our part to stay connected. My connection with old friends wore away because other things became a priority. We cannot afford for that to happen with our relationship with God. We must take the time to nurture that relationship. Connections with friends, relationships take effort. But in the long run, they are worth it.

Impact

I just came in from letting the dog out before going to bed. It is 10:30pm here in the mountains and it is 44 degrees outside. It is apparent that fall is on its way. There is change in the air.

Change is part of life. We cannot keep things from changing. Our children change; they grow up. We change; we grow older. Time continues to march on and we cannot stop it. We cannot even slow it down.

With change an inevitable part of life, we must ask one question: What are we doing about it? Life continues and we cannot stop it. However, our decisions can impact our lives and the lives of those around us. That is the only thing we can permanently accomplish in this life. We must live each day with the idea of impacting lives for eternity. We must impact lives around us for the Kingdom.

Choose to live your life with impact. Choose to make a difference in the lives of those around you. Choose to make your life count.

The Passing of Time

It is a funny thing....no matter how much planning, no matter how much anticipation, events pass as quickly as they got started. We spend weeks, and sometime months, planning and preparing for an event. The day arrives and all the weeks and months of planning are over. And in just a few hours the event is over as well.

That is a fact of life. We plan for events; we anticipate their arrival. And, when the day finally arrives, the event is over. All the planning sometimes seems to have been in vain.

The only thing for sure in life is that time never stops. It does not matter your economic status, your racial heritage, your income, the size of your bank account; time does not stop for anyone. We are all given the same amount of time: 24 hours in a day; 7 days in a week. What we do with that time is the only question that really matters.

What are you doing with the 24 hours given to you today? Once the minute is gone, we cannot get it back. You can spend the day sitting in front of the television watching the ball game or you can spend time playing ball with your family and friends. You can complain that your Congressman does not listen or you can pick up the phone and call them. The question becomes what are you doing to change your world. What are you doing to impact your world.

As a follower of Christ, I have an example of someone Who impacted the world around them. He was not just a bystander. He did not live His life in a vacuum. Jesus lived out His beliefs. And He calls us to do the same.

Live your life intentionally today. Impact your family. Impact your world. Do something to make a difference.