Nine Eleven....

Two numbers together will never carry the same meaning as "nine eleven". I remember talking to my mom in high school about pivotal moments in history she will never forget and wondering if there would be something so profound and lasting that I would remember each detail of the morning. Just a few weeks after I started my freshman year at UT, I had just such an experience. My pot-luck roommate and I watched the Today show every morning as we got ready for class. That morning, for some unknown reason we didn't. I walked to my Biology class that morning and things seems normal. A classmate walked in and said "Someone flew a plane into the World Trade Center." We all responded with something along the lines of "What a dummy! How did you not see the building?" We did not understand the gravity of this situation. Our professor walked in and said, "We are still going to have class. They have not cancelled class yet so let's get settled and get to work until we know more." Time stood still. We still did not know exactly what was happening but we suddenly realized that this was not someone simply not seeing a building. Class was not productive so our professor finally started sharing the bits and pieces he knew. Class ended and we flocked to common areas where we could see news footage and it was chaos. The news in Austin was reporting that this was an attack against Bush and since one of his daughters was a student at UT, there was a fear that Austin could be a target. This was all speculation, of course, as this was a very deliberate attack on the nation--not a personal attack on our president. Regardless, this was enough to scare all of us (many of whom had just embarked on this new college freedom) into a panic. It's interesting to me that so many details are etched into my mind even from the early morning before I knew anything bad happened--and I was no where near the attacks. I can't imagine being in New York or D. C. and witnessing any of this in person.

People fled to church and our country went in search of God to explain this and bring them comfort. And now, we have morphed back into a country that strives to maintain the status quo so much we don't dare mention God or Jesus for fear we might push our beliefs on anyone. Think about this: Coca Cola is not worried about offending those who choose not to drink caffeine or prefer Pepsi. Sports teams sell their clothes and logos without concern that fans of their biggest rival might get their feelings hurt. Burger King advertises their burgers without regard to stepping on the toes of vegetarians. Why? Because they are standing behind something they believe in--regardless of how you or I feel about them, they believe in it and stand behind it.

Well, I've got something I not only stand behind, I stand ON. Wanna know what it is? It's Jesus, it's my Savior, it's my Heavenly Father, the Creator of Life. My life is not void of struggle, it's not candy and rainbows everyday...but I have HOPE no matter what happens that one day, the New Heaven and New Earth will be reality and I will live in a world as God intended it to be. There will be no more tears, no more pain and no more evil!

Before I really knew what it was like to walk with Jesus, I approached God as "Dr. God" or simply a therapist. But I was missing the real, daily, in-the-trenches relationship everyone can have by accepting Christ into their hearts. As a nation, we ran into the arms of Jesus when things were hard and have run out of them just as fast. I pray that all of the tragedy around the nation and the globe points every heart back to God. And for those who don't agree with me, that's ok. Part of what makes America great is our ability to have our own opinions....everyone is afforded this right....not simply people who agree with me or with you.

180 degrees away from mourning the tragedy of the 9/11 attack....the Nixon house also celebrates life....today is Paul's birthday. I am so blessed to have this man in my life and to be known as his wife. We are looking forward and excited to see what the Lord does in our lives between now and Nine Eleven 2012!!

"I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, 

and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."

Genesis 9:11, ESV

"But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hand, that is, not of this creation) he entered once and for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, 

thus securing an eternal redemption."

Hebrews 9:11-12, ESV