Remembering 9/11 after 25 Years: The Story of “God’s Mailman”

There are certain national events that you never forget, if you lived through them. Often you remember exactly where you were when you first heard the news. For my parents’ generation, one of those events was the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. My generation remembers the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in the same way.

And, of course, the events of 9/11 are seared in our memory—at least those of us who were old enough to understand what happened. On September 11, 2001, commercial planes were hijacked and flown into the two towers of the World Trade Center and into the Pentagon ... and another was forced to crash in Pennsylvania when its heroic passengers overcame the hijackers and forced the plane out of the sky.

On the morning of 9/11, I was out running near our home and my wife, Barbara, came to pick me up. Her first words were, “We’ve been attacked!” We returned to our home and sat watching events unfold on television.

Nearly 3,000 people died that day. This included 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 city police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers in New York City, killed mainly in the shocking collapse of the Twin Towers. 

It’s hard to believe, but today it’s been 25 years since 9/11. It’s not an anniversary to celebrate, but it is one to remember.

When I arrived at work later that morning, one of the first decisions we made was how to respond with our nationwide radio program, FamilyLife Today. The problem was we normally taped our episodes weeks and even months ahead of the actual broadcast. It was too late to stop the episodes airing that day, but we did decide to create special programs to pre-empt our scheduled broadcasts for the next few days.

Recognizing that our audience was shocked by these events and needed some wise, spiritual shepherding, we started by calling a number of evangelical leaders and asking them to lead our audience in prayer. We hurriedly put together an episode for the next morning featuring Henry Blackaby, Bill Bright, Kay Arthur, Jack Hayford, Michael Easley, and Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

It was a powerful time to remember God was in control even in horrible circumstances. I ended the broadcast that day by encouraging our listeners to lead their families in prayer and to “be open to what opportunities you have to present hope where there’s despair, to present the gospel for that person who is lost ... and to use this opportunity to seize the moment and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no other hope than God.”

A more difficult decision was whether to cancel a special marriage event in Chicago called “I Still Do” scheduled just 11 days after 9/11. We didn’t know if anyone would show up. But we decided to proceed with our plans, and that turned out to be one of the most emotional and memorable days of my life. Thirteen thousand people came, and it was a powerful, unifying experience to give thanks to God in the midst of a national crisis.

We all heard stories about heroes on 9/11 and in the months afterward. Today I want to share some other memories ... stories you likely haven’t heard, about how God worked in the midst of those events.

We don’t know why God allows events like this to occur.  But we know He always uses them in His way ... to touch hearts, to show people He is real, to provide love and comfort and encouragement. And we know He uses His people during crisis.

One of those people is Lynn Juckett, and in the months after 9/11 he was “God’s mailman.”  My radio cohost Bob Lepine and I asked FamilyLife Today listeners to send us cards and letters that we would then take to first responders in New York City and Washington, D.C.  We were amazed at the response—we received over 35,000 cards, posters, quilts, and letters.

Entire classrooms of schoolchildren wrote to us as a class project. 

But we realized we had a big, big problem. We had no idea how we would get all this into the hands of the first responders!

We assigned this task to Lynn Juckett, who had tackled large, complex projects for FamilyLife. He also is a native New Englander, and when you hear him speak you have no doubt he fits right into the culture of northeast United States!

A decade earlier Lynn and his wife Karen were living in Londonberry, NH, where Lynn worked in heavy construction and ran a crane, helping building skyscrapers in Boston. When they attended a FamilyLife Weekend to Remember marriage conference, they found encouragement for their marriage and family. Then they exhibited courageous faith by responding to God’s call and raising their own financial support to join the FamilyLife team in Little Rock, Arkansas. Lynn and Karen served in the spiritual construction of homes for over 30 years … key leaders in building tens of thousands of marriages and families here in the USA, but globally in more than 100 countries.

We asked Lynn to handle this post-9/11 project because he was a master planner. It turned into a story of God leading someone to the right people, in the right place, and at the right time. Lynn had what seemed like mountains of boxes of mail, cards and gifts ready to take to New York City, and he had no idea who he should call to make it happen. All he could do was start making phone calls and ask for contacts.

One of those names was Tom Mahairis, a pastor and evangelist in the New York area. Lynn called, introduced himself, and explained his mission.

Mahairis immediately volunteered to help, and even picked Lynn up at the airport when Lynn made his first trip to New York City. Lynn quickly learned that Mahairis was one of those guys who seems to know everyone. The next day they were in the mayor’s office handing out Bibles. And from there a police detective escorted them to One Police Plaza, the New York Police Department headquarters so heavily guarded that it was nearly impossible for outsiders to visit. 

While meeting there with one official, Lynn happened to see, in an adjacent room, some of the boxes—filled with cards and letters—that FamilyLife had sent to the NYPD. Lynn said, “I see you have received our boxes,” and she replied, “So you’re the one who sent those.” She promised she would distribute the cards and letters to police officers in all five boroughs of New York City. Really amazing!

For Lynn, the theme in experiences like these was “God opening doors.” Mahairis and others helped him establish the contacts he needed to get the cards and letters and gifts distributed.

These contacts also helped Lynn on another project in response to 911. FamilyLife partnered with Chick-fil-A to hold two Weekend to Remember marriage getaways specifically for first responders and their spouses—and they could come free. Hundreds of couples attended the two seminars just nine months after 9/11.

The comments we received expressed how much the couples appreciated the opportunity to get away together and learn more about what God could do in their marriage:

·      “September 11^th threw a lot of pressure into our marriage—a lot of grief, sadness and loss which put distance between us. This weekend is the first time since September 11^th that we have spent time alone together.”

·      “Although we have a good marriage and strong friendship, 9/11 made life very difficult. The time pressures and pandemonium of that day stressed us beyond any other experience in our lives. We needed this time together. We actually discussed issues which have caused problems in our relationship. We have a plan. We have hope.”

·      “Since 9/11 our lives have been on a merry-go-round. Short getaways like this give us the chance to remember why we got married in the first place.”

·      “Thank you very much for this weekend. What you do for God’s glory is not done in vain. We appreciate the way you remembered us here in New York.”

Don’t miss these stories and more in my YouTube interview with Lynn Juckett, called “Inspiring Courageous Faith.” We just posted the episode and you don’t want to miss it!

When people are going through a crisis—whether it’s an individual, a marriage, a city, state, or nation—there is an enemy, Satan, who wants to convince you that people don’t have any needs in their souls and that you can’t make a difference. That’s a lie, because in a crisis people are looking for answers, for direction. They are confused.

National catastrophes and personal crises are a time to reach out to people and address the needs of their souls. That’s what happened after 9/11, and the church of Christ responded.

Regardless of where you live and what’s happening in your life, you probably live within an arm’s reach of people who have all kinds of needs, questions and fears. They need someone who can point them to the Good Shepherd.

Is there a personal “Ground Zero” near you that you are aware of? Perhaps you can make a difference too. Why don’t you courageously step out like Lynn and Karen did?

If you haven’t been to my new YouTube channel, Inspiring Courageous Faith, you’re missing weekly videos that challenge you to walk courageously with Christ.  Check out our messages and videos, and be sure to subscribe!