It’s hard to believe that 21 years ago the September 11th attacks
happened. I remember that morning so vividly that it seems
like it was yesterday, and I will never forget how I felt watch-
ing it all unfold on television. I will never forget how inspiring
September 12, 2001 was, as I watched the country come togeth-
er united, as we should be, helping others. The churches were
filled, there were lines at blood banks, and the list of people
wanting to help was long. The only question people wanted to
know was “how can I help?” The courage of the folks on flight
93, and of course all of the rescue workers that rushed to those
horrific scenes, will be forever engrained in my mind. Always
look for the good, no matter how bad or evil, the situation is.
When you look for the good, that is where you will find Him!
One of my favorite gospel readings was proclaimed today! We
hear of the Pharisees questioning why Jesus was hanging out
with sinners, and the theme; the lost one has been found.
Boy…can I resonate with being the lost one. I think everyone
can, if they are being honest with themselves. It’s so easy to fall
away from our faith, and it is way to easy to stay lost. Howev-
er, there is nothing easy about living without our faith in
Christ. The road without Jesus is a long, lonely one that keeps
us from living in joy! When we lose our faith we see our hope
diminished. We than live in sadness and depression, and in
constant anxiety. Our world is living in this state of darkness,
and it is a direct result of not having God in the center of our
world!

We can not navigate this life without Him. It is impossible.
Why? Because when life hits us in the face we need Him to
help us through it, and to find our way back to peace. We need
His love and mercy to fill what was taken from our hearts. We
can’t do this alone, and we cannot expect those around us to fill
our needs. That is an unfair expectation to place on someone’s
life; especially since they are dealing with their own emptiness.
Therefore we can never stop seeking Jesus, because He is out
here in the wilderness with us. He is calling us by name! By
our name! He knows each and every single one of us, and He
will never give up trying to bring us back to the Father. Even
when we try to give in, He never will! What can you do today
to stop, and listen, to His voice calling you to Him? Are you
willing to be “found?”

I want to wish all of our teachers and students an amaz-
ing school year!! The past two school years were riddled
with pandemic challenges, so we pray that this is the
best school year yet! So much is asked of these teachers
and children that we need to hold them all up in prayer!
Also I want to give a hardy “welcome back” to our reli-
gious education students! We pray that we see you
around the church, and that you join us as we worship
our amazing God! A HUGE thank you to all of our PSR
teachers!!! You are the glue that holds our programs to-
gether, and we are so grateful for all of you!!!
As we get ready to enter into the Fall Season,
I pray each of you is safe and filled with His
peace!