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- Greetings from the world headquarters of
APeX Ministries. We hope that in this time of tragedy (and triumph)
you have been surrounded by the love of family and friends.
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- Stuff about what has been going on this summer
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- APeX Recommends This
is a new feature in DAA. Each month we are going to offer books,
movies, music, and just about anything else which have touched
us. (This isn't a one way street. Send us the stuff you have
found that helping you to grow.)
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- Web Page The
web page is being up dated a bit at the time as we clean it up
and add new stuff (look for a photo gallery of Gene's pilgrimage
next month). Make sure you check out the changes.
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- Christian Vaudeville
Vaudeville, where is that at, over by Centerville? If you are
confused by why we describe our style as Christian Vaudeville
check out this story from APeX Attacks. http://apexministries.com/APeXAttacks/number04/Vaudeville.html
Your brothers in Christ
Gene and Brad
PS: Don't forget to forward this on to your friends who would
appreciate it.
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- While brooding at a coffee shop I had just a thought
by Gene David Monterastelli III
A most unusual thing has happened in the last few weeks. I have
been left speechless. In the wake of the tragedy that happened
in New York, Washington, and rural Pennsylvania I was left with
no words.
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- The day before it happened I flew to Alaska
to get ready to work for the Diocese of Juneau. Then it happened.
So there I was, stuck in a house with no TV, in a town that the
only way you can get in and out was by ferry or plain. There
are no roads to Juneau. Just the day before I took a short cut
through the Pentagon parking lot to get to get some lunch on
my way to the airport. A day later I was over 3000 miles from
home, a home that had just been attacked. I called a friend on
Wednesday at work. He was staring out the window of his office
and said, "I am looking at the Pentagon, and it is still
on fire." He was right there, and I couldn't have been farther
way. I felt so helpless. I have no idea what I would have done
if I had been there. I couldn't have put out the fire. I couldn't
have saved lives. But I knew in Alaska I could do nothing. I
couldn't even give hugs. So I thought, "I know. I am a storyteller.
I will sit down and write." But nothing came. Every few
hours I checked my e-mail to find a few more notes. Like everyone
else, I received prayers, articles, pictures, artwork, and stories
of great heroism. As I read these I realized more and more I
had nothing to add to this cannon. I had no new perspective,
no new ideas, and no new comfort to offer. So day after day,
hoping to be able to do something, in an empty house I stared
at a blank computer screen. Wishing I could do something, anything.
I realized that I was so helpless that I couldn't offer on of
the things I think I am good at, words.
-
- Saturday after the 11th, I was still in Alaska.
Because I am a Washingtonian, I was asked to speak at a prayer
service. I didn't know what to say. It was still so unreal. (To
be honest I don't think it became real until after finally getting
back to DC. I went down to the Pentagon. Like Thomas, I had to
put my hands in the holes.) So I started to reflect on the events
of the week that really touched me. I realized that I had no
real emotional response to the attack it self (maybe because
I still have such a hard time believing it is real). What I did
respond to was all the stories that were coming out of how people
were responding. I heard stories of people who drove 20 hours
to NY to help the dig. I read of a 12 girl who made raisin cookies
and walked then down to the site for the relief workers. I heard
of a group of kids in NC who opened a lemonade stand and were
selling lemonade and cookies for ten and twenty dollars. They
had raised over $1000. I was listening to NPR (my only real source
of news while in AK). Each hour they were having call in, asking
a different question. One of the questions was, "How are
you responding to the tragedy?" A sixteen year old called
in and said something like, "Tomorrow if are in Masa, AZ
we are having a car wash at the AM/PM." There was such a
heart felt chuckle from the host. In his laugh was contained
the thought, "this kid has no idea he just invited the whole
country to a car wash," combined with, "I wish I could
drive my car to Masa tomorrow." I know I wish I could of.
There was such an outpouring of wanting to help that in NYC they
were turning people away because there was just too many. In
all of it I learned there is lots of suffering in the world,
but there is even more getting over suffering.
-
- The outpouring of help to NYC and DC has
been wonderful. The tragedy is so graphic. We want to help because
in some way we too have been attacked. Since the tragedy I have
been in Alaska, Washington DC, Texas, and Okalahoma. People have
asked me what they can do to help my community. It wasn't until
a friend of mines father died this past week that I had an answer.
In the last few weeks there has been great suffering in NYC and
DC. It is a suffering that needs a very personal response from
us. Not to over state the obvious Sept. 11th was not the first
(or last day) of suffering in our midst. Suffering is not contained
to NYC and DC. Just in the last two weeks there has also been
suffering in Carroll County, Maryland where two sons unexpectedly
lost their father from complications of knee surgery. There has
been suffering in Laraime, WY as eight college students were
killed in a drunk driving accident. There was suffering in Garland,
TX in a nursing home where a 78-year-old lady sat in her room
looking out the window, just hoping someone would come by and
just say "hi". In no way do I want to minimize the
help that has been poured out on DC and NYC. There are many times
in the last two weeks I have been brought to tears thinking of
all of the wonderful gestures people have made. I know in my
own life that it is very easy to help those so far away. If I
put $50 dollars in an envelope then I am helping, but I don't
have to interact with the personal suffering. What is really
hard for me is to help the people close to us. There are countless
people in my life who are suffering, who need my help.
-
- So what can you do to help out my community?
Help out your community. Each one
of our towns is nothing more than a neighborhood in the City
of God. It is wonderful to help out with those who have lost
family members in New York, but don't walk past the people in
your own town who need help to help those so far away. If you
are going to send a hundred dollars to the Red Cross, then also
give 4 hours to a local soup kitchen. If you are going to give
blood for the injured, give some time to lonely souls who are
heart broken. I know it is much harder to help those who are
at home. We see their face. We hear their story. We begin to
understand that we are much more like then than we thought. It
is harder to forget about then when we leave. They become part
of our lives.
-
- The bumper sticker which reads, "We
are all Columbine" started appearing all over Denver after
the Columbine massacre. It's true. We are all Columbine. We are
all New York City. We are all Washington DC. But we are also
all Chickasha, OK. We are all Casper, WY. Because, "We are
all the City of God."
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- © 2001 APeX Youth Ministries, Inc.
-
- --"Preach the Gospel at all times. If
necessary, use words."
- St. Francis of Assisi
- http://APeXMinistries.com
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While
brooding at a coffee shop I had just a thought
APeX Recommends
Up coming
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Web Page Updates