This photo from Wiki

New 9/11 photos were released today. They were taken by Detective Greg Semendinger from a helicopter. He responded in 6 or 7 minutes and took the photos from 1300 feet while his co-pilot flew the chopper. For a look at the new photos and a full description of the helicopter flight from the pilot go to Telegraph.co.uk (posted photo is from Wiki – not from Semendinger)

Your Life:

David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Lord however according to David the Lord told him, You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. 1 Chronicles 22:8

So what did David do? He didn’t focus on what he couldn’t do but rather focused on what he could do. The Bible tells us that David organized labor in Israel to cut the stones for building the temple. He provided iron and bronze (more bronze than could be weighed), and made nails and fittings for the doors and the gates of the temple.  He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted. 1 Chronicles 22:5 says that David made extensive preparations before his death.

Shortly after 9/11 I joined a team of Christian firefighters and law enforcement personnel and we headed for ground zero. Although I prayed about going I really wasn’t convinced that we could help. I wondered what skills we brought to the table — we were a bunch of operational emergency workers who were used to responding to an emergency in progress, not helping out during the aftermath. But the leader of our team, retired Fire Chief and pastor Rick Hopkins, kept us focused on what we could do rather than what we couldn’t. So after receiving some training with Samaritan’s Purse we simply did what we could.

When we spoke with New York firefighters they told us that there were so many firefighter funerals occurring around New York that they were having to choose between which ones to attend. Do I go to my nephew’s funeral or my cousins? Do I attend my brother-in-law’s funeral or my Captain’s? They were in obvious pain. It was terrible. So, we dressed in our class A’s and attended funerals. We also served food to personnel who were working on the clean-up at ground zero at nearby Nino’s restaurant. (Nino’s served the workers for free BTW) We served food at the Medical Examiners post — which was overwhelmed. We did a few other odds and ends. We just did what we could.

Any time I’ve done something like this I find that I’m the one who winds up being blessed.

In any circumstance, when you find yourself faced with challenges or limitations, don’t focus on what you can’t do but rather do what David did.

Do what you can.

Applegate Christian Fellowship / Jon Courson