9/11 Revisited....

As I watched the news media today on the 5th anniversary of this tragic event, I could not help but go back to about 18 years ago and a mission trip I made to South Africa. Immediately upon landing in Johanesburg we were met with increased security like I had not seen in the U.S. There were soldiers all through the airport with automatic weapons and dobermans on leashes as well as inspections of cameras and electronics and luggage searches. Later in the week, we visited a large office building with an observation tower on top. There was tremendous security and searches to go into the building. You were asked your business there, how long you would be in the building, and then issued an ID badge. We went to a mall and went through a security check going into the mall. We flew back through London Heathrow on Pan Am a week or so after the Lockerbe crash and encountered dramatically increased security. I remember thinking at the time, "thank goodness we don't have to go through all this in the U.S. Well all that changed with 9/11. We lost some of our innocence on that day.

What can we do? One thing we can and must do is not allow what has happened to cause us to button down the hatches and withdraw. We must step out with boldness and keep on keeping on, no matter how much more difficult it has become to function in this world. We must attack the forces of darkness with light.