The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.- PSALM 18:2

I almost missed it.

Today, it was my day to get the kids ready and off to school. I’ll be the one solving the near-impossible task of getting three kids to three different soccer practices. I know, child’s play for many of you. For me: I think I’ve developed an eye tick, no doubt due to the low-level anxiety that has me believing I’ll leave one of my kids behind, or deliver someone to the wrong field. I know Saturday’s games will only exacerbate the whole issue. Amanda’s out of town this weekend. My awe of single parents, like my own mom, is not in short supply. Once everyone was accounted for this morning, I scurried off to the church office, anticipating meetings and preparation for Sunday’s message.

Then, I set out to write this brief note. At the top of my document, I typed the date: September 11th.

It is the date of a generation. Until I typed it, admittedly, I hadn’t paid much attention to it. But, this year, September 11th comes on the heels of a speech from the president about taking action against a new global terrorist threat. We re-learn what we’ve always known, but can blithely forget in the midst of all the stuff we have to take care of: the world is an uncertain place populated by human beings who occasionally act out in unthinkable ways. Whether it’s global terrorism, the threat of disease, or domestic violence, we long for an often elusive stability and peace.

It’s not surprising then, that in the ancient world, the ways in which God was described by his own people had less to do with his nebulous philosophical attributes (i.e.: omnipotence, vastness, etc.) and far more to do with concrete imagery. God gets words like: shield, rampart, fortress, or rock to describe Him. Whether the world is crazy somewhere far away — way out there — or it’s crazy right here, we cry out not for the all-knowing God but for the “strong-tower” God. That’s who we need, even in the midst of all that other important stuff we daily scurry around to accomplish.

This weekend, we’ll continue to aim our hearts at God and his wisdom as we continue our series: YOU MAKE THE CALL.

See you Sunday,
– Jeff