It has been more than a year since the terrible tragedy of 9/11 with over 3,000 lives lost from all three disaster sites. Even though it has been a year since this terrible thing has occurred the images of the airliners slamming into the World Trade Center Towers are still very vivid in our minds. I believe we all experienced a certain amount of fear even here in Sweetwater, Oklahoma far from where these attacks occurred. Immediately after the attacks, we had the anthrax mailings and more people dying and most of us realized that even we could be reached by this evil here in Sweetwater.

Thankfully, we have been spared further acts of terrorism in this country and things have returned somewhat to normal. There is still an uneasiness that we have and we are uncertain about the plans of Iraq and Saddam Hussein. However, for many the war on terrorism has come to a virtual halt and victory can be declared. We know that to stop now before the enemy has been eradicated from the Planet would be a mistake and would subject our country to additional threat and attack. We need to continue to pray for our leaders and the members of our armed forces during this time of uncertainty.

I want us to look more closely at the events of September 11 one year ago. In particular, one 16½ minutes of time. The attack on our country on 9/11 claimed the lives of 2,803 people at the World Trade Center alone. As we remember all too well the north tower was struck by the first hijacked airliner at 8:46 a.m. (7:46 a.m. CST). I had been having my quiet time and had spent some time in prayer and Bible reading when I turned on the TV close to 9:00 a.m. (8:00 a.m. CST). It was then that I saw a streak zoom into the south tower I was not sure what I had seen the newscasters were not sure either. In addition, some were trying to say it was only a small plane and another was saying it was an airliner and as the film was replayed in slower motion, it became obvious that this was indeed a large airplane and it too had hit the World Trade Center.

At that point, the painful truth was obvious to all of us that this was no accident and the next thought was how many other planes were there still out there. Apparently there were at least two others one crashing after the courageous actions of the passengers in Pennsylvania and the other slamming into the Pentagon. After the first plane crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center, it was only 16½ minutes later when United Airlines Flight 175 slammed into the south tower. During those 16½ minutes, the people in the upper floors of the south tower made life and death decisions which resulted in their escaping with their lives or resulted in their deaths. Many saw the flames of the north tower and the horrified looks on the faces of those who were jumping to their deaths to escape burning to death. To see that was enough for many to flee for their lives.

In life, we have only two choices. It may seem like we have many but really there are only two and the Bible describes those choices in a variety of ways. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes the choices as being between the wide gate with the "broad" way and the alternative, which is the narrow gate, and the difficult way, which leads to life. Jesus also describes this choice as being between building our lives on a solid rock and building our lives on a foundation of sand (Matthew 7:24-27).

We have a lifetime to make our choice but sometimes that time is very brief in which to make our choice and navigate our way to eternal safety. For the people in the south tower on 9/11 they only had 16½ minutes to make the right decisions and find safety. It was not an easy thing to do.

Some 1400 people fled to safety from the upper floors of the south tower even though the emergency speaker system was blaring, "the building is safe!" "The building is secure!" This was followed by a statement that it was safe to return to work in their offices. Some believed this was an order while others believed it was an option to return to their work areas. With only 16½ minutes, every action was vitally important to their survival.

Some immediately fled from the building. Others gathered up personal belongings or finished up some things they were working on. Others made phone calls delaying their exit. Some lost their lives while courageously trying to warn and save others.

Steve Miller who worked on the 80^th floor and survived said, "The conclusion that I've come to is: I think I acted smart, and I think it had almost no bearing on the fact that I survived. If you ran away, you survived. Everybody who ran away survived."

There is an immediacy, a great urgency that is needed because of what? Because of the great danger of delaying what we know we should do. There is a great danger that we will wait too long and the evil will overtake our lives and consume us. If you play with fire long enough you will get burned. None of us knows how much time we have.

On 9/11 those on the south tower had longer than many but those in the upper floors had at the most only 16½ minutes. Some saw the death and destruction, they saw the people jumping to their deaths and they fled for their lives because that was enough of a warning for them. We think we have much more time than that left to us - but we don't really know. The world cries out "your life is safe" "Your life is secure." But we have had our warnings too - haven't we? 9/11was a warning.

Do we think we are exempt from death? Do we think we are exempt from the chastisement of the Lord? Even the apostle Paul said, "Therefore knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men." Being struck blind by God tends to get a person's attention and Paul knew what it was like to be in the hands of the living God. It was a terrifying thing that Paul remembered very well.

It does not take much to miss escaping when you only have 16½ minutes. Finishing a phone call as one executive did was enough to result in his being trapped and dying. Tamitha Freeman, only 35 years old ran back to get her purse. She told a co-worker, "I have my baby's pictures in it." and that was enough.

But some were like Charles Veneziano who was on the 84^th floor of the south tower. He did not even hang up the phone after the first jet hit the north tower. He threw the receiver on his desk and ran. (Reminded of Joseph in the OT who fled the temptress.) Is there some little thing holding you back from escaping the terror of the Lord? There were heroes too that day. Several bosses did not make it out because they were warning their employees and everyone else to flee to safety. Other bosses did just the opposite encouraging employees to stay and work until it was too late to flee. One woman, Virginia Urzi, would not leave her husband - they both worked on the 87^th floor. They had agreed to meet if there was ever an attack or problem on the 86^th floor at Stairway C. Because she was not leaving the building without him.

That morning she ran to the rendezvous spot, crying, expect him to come down. He didn't. Two of her co-workers went back up to the 87^th floor and told her husband, Manny Urzi, you have to come down and help us deal with your hysterical wife. He did and they escaped.

(Maybe it is time for us to get hysterical about our friends that are lost?)

Welles Crowther, only 24 years old was one of the heroes he was an equities trader for Sandler O'Neil on the 104^th floor but he was also a volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Nyack, New York. Just after the second plane slammed into the south tower. Blood covered Ling Young's glasses when she regained consciousness lying facedown on the 78^th floor of the elevator lobby. Young looked up and there was Welles Crowther. "I found the stairs," he told young. "Follow me, and help the ones that can be helped."

After leading and helping several down a dozen flights of stairs Crowther told Young, "I'm going back upstairs to help." In the elevator lobby of the 78^th floor were close to 200 people who were injured or dead and that was where Young had been and that was where Crowther was going back too. There was smoke and fire all over but he still was going back. Crowther tied a red bandana around his face the one he always kept in his picket, regardless of how he was dressed.

Crowther found Judy Wein and Gigi Singer and led them out staying with them for 15 floors and then again turned and went back up intending to make a third trip. Shortly after exiting the building and being placed in an ambulance. As the ambulance pulled away with Judy Wein and Gigi Singer the south building collapsed. It collapsed with all those people still trying to make it out including the firefighters and including Welles Crowther.

We too can be and need to be heroes in the lives of those around us who have lost their way. (We have the Word of God, we have the tools/resources we need to be heroes.) As you are fleeing from the world, be a hero and take some people with you.

Where is it that we should flee, where can we run to escape? Jesus says, "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes (Matthew 24:15-17)." "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains."

We should run to the mountain. As the psalmist says we should run to God, to "His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth (Psalm 48:1b-2a)."

The world will continue to shout, "Your life is safe!" "Your life is secure!" "Your life is safe!" "Your life is secure!" We must ignore the world and flee from the evil, flee from the sin, flee from the fleshly, earthly desires and run before it is too late.

Run to the Mountain, to the Holy Mountain of God and there we will find peace, joy, and eternal safety in Jesus Christ.