It’s sometimes hard to realize it in the moments they occur, but we are living tumultuous times. How do you reach back in America’s long history and try to harmonize our times with the rigorous and dangerous times in America’s past? Pearl Harbor perhaps? Only a few of us are still living who can remember that dreadful December day in 1941. It’s now long past. But I certainly remember Pearl Harbor.

Like you, I can for sure remember where I was, what I was doing that pretty morning in September when the hateful Taliban, just like the Japs in 1941 struck a sneaky and hateful blow to the heart of New York City. A very special place we are all proud of whether we have been there or not. In the case of 1941, we lost the heart of our Navy and over 2,000 young sailors and others of our military in that sneak attack. On September 11 we lost, in a few moments, the lives of 2,977 innocent civilians.

In 1941, I was safe and sound in the church building that housed the church family of First Baptist Church of Centrahoma as the Japs made their attack. I couldn’t imagine where a far-away place named Oahu was. Nor was I actually aware at the age of 6 what the implications of the attack were. My grandpa who attended church with us that December morning simplified it for me. “If those Nazi Tanks come rumbling down Highway 3, we’ll all understand.”

That beautiful morning on September 11 I was, again, safe. I didn’t understand what the implications were either that scary morning. I don’t think anyone could make heads or tails of the deadly terrorist attacks. My thoughts that morning were random. “How many more attacks?” “Where might they strike next?” “Who, exactly, is doing this?” “What is my President doing?” “Where is he?” The TV showed live pictures of White House cooks fleeing the building. Many terrified government employees running for their lives on reports that the attacks were heading for them. Live TV of the Pentagon smoking and in chaos. The face of war. And this war is coming for sure, I thought. To all of us. And I was right.

Twenty years of this difficult war in the countries that we deemed at hosting these terrorists left us with another long list of heroes who perished trying to protect us from harm. They join another long list of heroes from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and other places who died heroes. Another even longer list of servicepersons who suffered physical and mental wounds from battle exists. But the victims of the battlefield in New York—those who suffered death and injury in the attack on a site forever in our hearts the New York World Trade Center are front and center in my thoughts right now.

We see now that New Yorkers have up and rebuilt the destroyed parts of the city America loves. The Financial and Social Center of America once again looks great and perhaps that old tee shirt I have somewhere is still pertinent. It says “I Love New York” with a big heart in its center.

I love America, too, and some of what I see on ^th anniversary of this 20 the attacks on New York is just as troubling as the pictures we still have of the Trade Center Towers ablaze and collapsing. What I see are resident enemies of our country taking advantage of these tumultuous times to advance their own political agendas by promoting racial hatreds, class envy and political divisiveness. Even using the ongoing Covid pandemic for their political purposes and to divide us.

It’s time we remember who we are, what we stand for, and calm down. America is by far the best place on earth to live. We need to, once again, pull together. I urge each of you to go to the Community Church Services this Sunday (September 19 ^th ) in the New Gym in downtown Allen at 10:30.

Our churches need this support. Our country needs it too.

Jeremiah 29:11

Wayne Bullard, DPh

cwaynebullard@gmail.com