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Our Daily Thread 9-11-13

Good Morning!

On this day in 2001 four coordinated terrorist attacks occurred. The attacks were carried out by al-Qaeda, an Islamist extremist group. The attacks killed 2,977 people.

“On the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists from the Islamist extremist group, al-Qaeda, hijacked four commercial airplanes, deliberately crashing two of the planes into the upper floors of the North and South towers of the World Trade Center complex and a third plane into the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. The Twin Towers ultimately collapsed because of the damage sustained from the impacts and the resulting fires. After learning about the other attacks, passengers on the fourth hijacked plane, Flight 93, fought back, and the plane was crashed into an empty field in western Pennsylvania about 20 minutes by air from Washington, DC.

The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people from 93 nations. 2,753 people were killed in New York, 184 people were killed at the Pentagon and 40 people were killed on Flight 93.”

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Quote of the Day

“Are you guys ready? Let’s roll!”

Flight 93 passenger Todd Beamer

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Since today is a day of remembrance for many people, I’m skipping the music today. Instead, a reminder of why today is marked, and of all those who lost their lives in this senseless attack.

The following video comes with a CONTENT WARNING! for obvious reasons.

The attack as it happened. From AAP Video

And the victims.

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Anyone have a QoD?

25 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 9-11-13”

  1. Chuck Findley played “God Bless America” by Kate Smith this morning on WHKP. I wonder how many other stations did that.
    This, as Aj points out, is the 12th anniversary of the attack.

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  6. I have a QOD that you may choose or choose not to answer.

    What should a minister’s role be in a crisis or facing death?

    As many of you know I went to an Independent Methodist Church School k-11th grade. The school is not closed, but the church, First Independent Methodist is still around. Mama R and Daddy J attend this church. For several years she has been telling me how wonderful the minister is and kept asking me to come visit. For various reasons I didn’t.
    Yesterday afternoon the minister and his wife came to see Daddy J. We were all in the “Sympathy Room” on the same floor as Daddy J’s room. The doctor came in to ask the family if he should go ahead with the procedure. Older sister rushed in to tell us that we didn’t have to make this decision today that we could wait 2 or 3 days. Younger Sister (the one with medical power of attorney) asked the doctor if she was making the right decision. He nodded his head and walked over to Mama R and spoke to her, tel told her he would do everything he could but ultimately it was between Daddy J and God. THIS is when the minister spoke up and said to Mama R, “You know he won’t live 2 hours after you do this. The nurses told me he hasn’t breathed two hours on his own since he has been here.” Mama R started sobbing.
    To shut him up I asked him if we could please pray while we still had the doctor in the room. I grabbed the Hospice Director’s hand and someone elses and everyone made a circle and were treated to a long winded diatribe of how the minister just kniew if it were God’s will J will wake up and walk out of that room and come back to church and help us for a few more years.
    Later the minister had the older daughter (who also attends his church) out in the hall explaining to her that they can only give a person in Daddy J’s situation so much oxygen and once they reach a saturation point they can’t give any more. He was really stirring the pot, trying to upset her in my opinion.
    Finally I spoke up and asked him shouldn’t we be praying for peace and comfort as Daddy J transitions to heaven? After all we know he knows his Savior, he is 81 years old. Let’s lovingly let him go. Minister Man told me NO we shouldn’t, we should pray for a miracle of healing.
    Daddy J did have a seizure after they took the traech out. They gave him some anti-seizure meds and he was sleeping peacefully when we left.
    At some point during all of this, I was in the Sympathy Room sitting on the sofa when younger daughter came back in sobbing. I opened my arms and she sat down beside me and curled up. I just kept repeating that I knew how hard it it is to lose the first man you ever loved, to love the role model of Prince Charming, your first defender and protector.

    While they were doing the procedure I told Mama R I wanted her to tell me the story of how she met Daddy J. She told me she couldn’t remember, so I sat down and held her hand and told her the story. You should have seen the smile on her face as I told her and she started to remember.

    This is just all so sad, yet it has a certain beauty when a bride of 57 years sits by her husband’s bed repeating over and over that she loves him.

    So back to my question. What do you think of this minister and what should a minister’s role be in this situation? Should he be giving his medical opinion or offer comfort?

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  8. Kim, in my opinion that Pastor has lost his way. Maybe he has some kind of mental defect that kept him from acting appropriately. He did not minister with the Word or comfort. It seems he was more led by what got to Adam and Eve, pride of wanting to be in control and doing whatever is necessary to have one’s own way. I am so sorry y’all had to suffer him on top of the dire situation.

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  9. The minister has two roles when a family or congregation calls on him for help in death or disaster. He can lead in prayer and speak comfort and strength from the Word of God. For any other aspect ministers need to remember that they have no more authority than anyone else. Sometimes less, as a doctor knows far more about death and a first responder knows far more about disaster. I have stood by more than one family deathbed, and there has never been a minister there at the last moments. Never outside of the family, that is – we have plenty of ministers inside the family. In one case, the son was a minister, in another, the brother, and they grieved alongside the rest of the family. If a minister is not close enough to have some small share in the grief – even just to feel pain that his friends are suffering grief – maybe he shouldn’t be there.

    He certainly should not express a medical opinion and I am shocked that the nurses would give this minister such detailed medical information – such information should only be released to the proper family members. It doesn’t sound like he understood it though, since the limits of how much oxygen to give certain medical conditions isn’t based on the length of time the oxygen is given, but on the volume of oxygen pumped through the tubes [severe COPD patients, for example, shouldn’t receive more than 2 litres of oxygen per minute, but they could theoretically receive that amount for years]. Medical information from the wrong source can do more harm than good.

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  10. I believe his role is to comfort and to offer hope. I think that the hope in this case would be that Daddy J would no longer be suffering, and would be in the presence of his Lord. Sounds like you fulfilled the role of minister and comforter in this situation. I think that is why we are exhorted to always have an answer for the hope that is within us, so that we can “step up” when others do not.

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  11. Roscuro, the nurses didn’t give this man any information. There is a list of people at the nurses station that can obtain information. I am one of them but choose to take a background role. I have not asked the nurses anything except to come check on him because I didn’t know what was normal and not normal. (He was gurgling).
    Mr. P was a respiratory therapist in the military so when I told him what the minister had said and done he started explaining it all to me in medical terms that made my eyes glaze over. 😉

    Luckily this is a Catholic Hospital so there are Bible verses on the walls and prayer rooms available. Daddy J’s sweet nurse sang to him yesterday. She sang In the Garden and a few other good old ones. It really seemed to calm him down.

    The hospital has chaplains on duty. I would much rather take my chances with a Catholic chaplain than this man again, but not my call.

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  12. Sorry, Kim, that sounds like the minister spread more discord and discomfort than peace and comfort. 😦 Seems to me he should have been slow to speak and quick to listen. It would have given him much more discernment.

    But JanetG may be right, it sounds as if perhaps there’s could be a personality quirk there, perhaps age related (?), that caused him to behave in such an aggressive way.

    AJ, thanks for the intro today, very fitting. I’ll admit that after the first several years had passed, I tended to avoid watching the anniversary day’s endless memorials, but we should take a few moments to remember that horrible day.

    Praying for peace today, but I won’t be surprised if some kind of attack occurs (or at least is attempted) like Benghazi. Let’s hope we handle it better this time.

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  13. I am tired of “God Bless America”. The song, that is. As well as the attitude of most of those singing it at sporting events and other venues. Most want God to bless them as they are, ignoring the fact that He is a jealous God who only wants us to worship Him. How many singing that song today do that? We worship money, business, sports, Hollywood celebrities. But God is forgotten. No, it is not time to be asking God to bless this nation where 4000 innocent children are murdered every day before they even see their mothers’ face. Where homosexuals are allowed to flaunt their sinful lifestyle and be recognized as married couples. Where adulterous movie stars are viewed as wonderful people because they know how to act like someone they are not. Where the news media reports on them as if they are not sinful in their unmarried relationships. No, God cannot bless us because we ignore Him.

    Read Psalm 79 today and weep for your nation, Americans. Note especially verses 3-6 (ESV):

    3 They have poured out their blood like water
    all around Jerusalem,
    and there was no one to bury them.
    4 We have become a taunt to our neighbors,
    mocked and derided by those around us.

    5 How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever?
    Will your jealousy burn like fire?
    6 Pour out your anger on the nations
    that do not know you,
    and on the kingdoms
    that do not call upon your name!

    Yes, God will hold accountable those nations that do not know Him. And this nation is becoming one of those nations.

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  14. Kim, to answer your question…this man should not speak….at all…..it appears he is making this more about him and his divine wisdom than the dying process of Daddy J and the grieving process of his loved ones.
    When my Daddy was dying, the (Catholic) hospital chaplain held me and let me sob and cry……..Daddy’s pastor was no where to be found….she came to the hospital once…and spoke to my Daddy like he was a child and totally ignored the entire family….that was probably a blessing….
    I am glad you were there to minister to the family….even while you yourself were processing loss….Bless you sister….

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  15. Kim – I agree with others that the minister overstepped his bounds. But maybe he truly thought his advice was what was best.

    It sounds like you were a healing, comforting balm to them. You are such a sweet lady, & I’m glad you were there for them.

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  16. I remember the night my nine-week-old niece died. By the time I arrived at the hospital, the family had already been ushered into a private waiting room. The only non-family member in the room was a quiet middle aged black man that I assumed was a hospital chaplain. He hardly said a word but when the nurse told us the baby had died, he cried as well. They brought the baby out for my sister to hold and she asked me if I would baptize her. My sister’s in-laws were Catholic and she knew it would give them comfort. I turned to the man and asked him if he were the chaplain and if he would baptize the baby. He did so in the sweetest way. He even seemed to have everything he needed in this pockets. I took my mother and sister home shortly after that and I never got chance to thank him again but in my opinion he acted perfectly.

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  19. The minister missed the opportunity to bring comfort and help the family accept the coming loss of a family member. It sounds like he is of the persuasion that believes that God will heal if you just pray hard enough. Sorry, if that were true some people would never die. Part of accepting God’s will is to follow the advice of the medical professionals. God can and does heal, but not at our command. When my mother had the stroke, no one believed that she would last more than an hour or two off of the ventilator. God didn’t heal her, but he did keep her alive for 2 1/2 more days until I could get there.

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  22. Good Afternoon, Y’all!
    A somber day today. Peter…very well said.

    If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
    2 Chronicles 7:14

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  23. This afternoon’s report is that Daddy J is progressing into the next stage of death. His breathing is slowing and other “signs” are there.
    Younger Daughter told me that she is as prepared today as she will be in three more weeks. She is OK with letting him go.
    I would appreciate you continueing to pray for peace and comfort.

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