The WHM Blog

September 11. 2011 will mark the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Flight 93. For those of us old enough to remember, that day will be forever burned in our memory. It was my day off, and I was planning to sleep in until my phone started ringing. I ignored the call, but my dad’s voice came over the answering machine (remember those?) and I’ll never forget it: “There’s been a plane crash in New York City and I think you’ll want to get up and watch the news”. I rolled out of bed and onto the couch, flipped on CNN just in time to see a second plane hit the second tower. This was no ordinary plane crash. We were under attack.

The way we understood the world changed that day.We began to think differently about freedom, security, family and community. Our God, however, who is Faith, Hope and Love, remains unchanged.

Ten Years Ago, the latest from the Skit Guys, captures what we felt that day, and where we’ve come in the last ten years, with beauty and great depth. You may notice that Tommy and Eddie are nowhere to be seen. While they played a major role in the writing and story development, the video was directed, shot, and edited entirely by the Skit Guys’ video producer, Brian Cates, and his wife, Jina.

The video is a really powerful telling of the story of so many of us who were touched by what happened that day from afar. See it here:

We’re thrilled to have Laura Story’s Blessings music video on WorshipHouse. Some really fantastic visuals bring the words of the song about finding God in suffering to life. At just the right times, lyrics burst onto the screen, making this a perfect video for reflection before or after a sermon. See it for yourself:

I find so much beauty and value in simple expressions of our faith. That’s why I really love The Lord’s Prayer. This short prayer is what Jesus taught his disciples to pray. In its lines we find adoration, a cry for the Kingdom, supplication, confession, and so much more. But, like anything simple and repetitive, we run the risk of missing its powerful meaning.

And that’s why I love this new video from Centerline. Through images, text and reflective music, the video confronts our familiarity with the prayer and gives its words new life. It can be used as an illustration to a sermon on prayer, or as a reflective worship piece:

Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of brave men and women have fought to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Floodgates’s In Their Own Words lets them tell their stories:

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13 provides the perfect framework for Memorial Day. I can think of no greater way to demonstrate real love than to give your very life for others. This kind of love is the same love that compelled Christ to endure the cross for humankind.

One of my favorite Memorial Day mini-movies is Eight Men from Centerline. A powerful historical narrative tells the story of America’s wars, and honors those who have given their lives for us. From Lexington to Iraq, this video remembers the brave soldiers who have lived and died by John 15:13. Check it out: