Craig Finnestad
  • Home
  • #BeKind
  • Create A Ripple
  • Books
  • Ildsjel Coaching
  • The Water’s Edge
  • About
  • Home
  • #BeKind
  • Create A Ripple
  • Books
  • Ildsjel Coaching
  • The Water’s Edge
  • About

Craig Finnestad

Culture

19 Years Ago

written by Craig Finnestad September 11, 2020

I can’t believe it’s almost been twenty years. I was driving south from Spencer on Highway 71 to my “other job”. I scanned the radio stations in my 1987 Volvo. I thought it was odd the hosts on the Christian radio station were praying on the air. Not odd that a Christian prays. They just usually played music.

They were praying about an airplane crash in New York City. It seemed terrible. Then things went from bad to worse. A second plane crashed into the other building. I was smart enough to know this wasn’t a crash. I changed the radio to the news station as I turned west on Highway 3 to Cherokee. The United States was under attack.

I arrived at my job site. A series of old, gothic buildings carved into the Iowa prairie were serene and beautiful. The place opened in 1902 as the Iowa Lunatic Asylum. In the 1940s, over 1,700 patients would pack into these cold, institutional buildings. Big pharma changed psychiatric care and the population in 2001 was a fraction of that.

I was the chaplain to these patients every Tuesday. It was my third day on the job and ended up being the most surreal day of my life. The next eight hours would be spent crowded in front of 19 inch televisions in various common areas with men and women hospitalized with schizophrenia, bipolar disease, borderline personality disorder, and deep depression. My job was to care and not to cure. I prayed with a lot of people that day. We had a worship service at noon. A few of the patients had paranoia—I tried to calm them down.

I left the hospital late in the afternoon and headed back to my church in Spencer. They were waiting. We had a prayer vigil that night. I tried to offer a few words of comfort. No idea what they were or if they were remotely helpful. These people could pray and they did. Peace isn’t the absence of problems. Peace is when you discover God is bigger than your problems. The faithful men and women blessed me with peace that night.

I arrived at the parsonage a little after nine. A little boy was there, Benjamin. Three and a half months old. I held him and inhaled a whiff of his baby smell as I ran my fingers over his fuzzy head. I looked into his blue eyes and thought this wasn’t the world I wanted for him. Innocent lives lost. Fear. Hate. Uncertainty.

And then the next few days stories of courage and heroism and hope emerged. Police officers and fire fighters. Ordinary citizens. We were all in it together. New Yorkers and the rest of us. Democrats and Republicans. Things like the color of our skin didn’t matter.

I remember standing behind the pulpit that Sunday. Clearing my throat one last time and reading from the Gospel:

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. –John 16:33

America is more untied than united 19 years later. The coronavirus has replaced terrorism as our enemy. But, have peace and take heart, because Jesus still overcomes the world. His power and his presence is always greater than our problems.

So hold the babies and anybody you love a little tighter. Do something daily to unite. Avoid saying or typing anything that unties. Believe the Gospel and accept the peace Jesus offers.

19 Years Ago was last modified: September 11th, 2020 by Craig Finnestad
PeacePrayerSeptember 11
0 comment
2
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Craig Finnestad

previous post
Two Years

You may also like

Four Ways to Have a Lousy Christmas

December 5, 2018

Thoughts on the Election

November 11, 2016

Four Ways to Be a More Interesting Person

October 8, 2018

Buy A Book. Build a Church. Be a Blessing.

Prayers from The Water's Edge is an engaging collection of prayers and writings for those who wish to dip their feet in the water of God's renewing grace and all who seek the depths of God's heart. All proceeds from the book go to The Water's Edge building fund.

Order a signed copy from weomaha.com
Order a softcover book from Amazon
Order an eBook

Subscribe to Updates

About Me

About Me

Craig Finnestad

Child of God, recipient of grace, and a peddler of hope.

Tweets

  • America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.… https://t.co/EQliD7e17y

    07-Jan-2021

    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • Not sure which is more competitive this year: winning the #Heisman2020 or being the MVP at #Alamaba #RollTide.

    06-Jan-2021

    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • Sometimes I take my dogs for a walk. Except on mornings when they take me for a walk. #Newf #SnowDay https://t.co/zxEtGEPDBr

    29-Dec-2020

    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • Game of the year candidate. #MIAvsLV https://t.co/SkUYbLqcMX

    27-Dec-2020

    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • A #ChristmasMiracle just happened: the #Amazon truck passed our house and didn’t stop. @WestOProblems

    15-Dec-2020

    Reply Retweet Favorite

On the Future of Methodism

I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out. -John Wesley

Categories

  • Book Reviews (1)
  • Coaching (10)
  • Create a Ripple (1)
  • Culture (5)
  • Family (15)
  • Food (4)
  • Humor (5)
  • Ministry (17)
  • Parenting (1)
  • Photography (12)
  • Prayer (6)
  • Prayers (24)
  • Renewal Leave (16)
  • Sausage (2)
  • Sermons (7)
  • Spiritual Formation (100)
  • The Forgiveness Project (6)
  • The Water's Edge (61)
  • Trampled By Geese (2)
  • Travel (10)

Other Links

  • The Water’s Edge Church
  • Historical Blog 2006-2016

Popular Posts

  • Ten Characteristics of a Humble Person

    February 3, 2018
  • Five Ways to Know If Your Life is Out of Balance and Eight Ways to Get it Back

    July 27, 2017
  • John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer for Today

    December 29, 2016
  • Thoughts on Tonight’s Debate

    October 19, 2016
  • When Tragedy Happens

    June 19, 2019

Me On Instagram

No images found!
Try some other hashtag or username
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
  • RSS
Footer Logo

@2016 - Craig Finnestad. All Right Reserved.


Back To Top