Cover,  1,   2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  10,  11,  12,  13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  18,  19,  20,  21,  22,  23 From the Editor

God Lights the Shadowlands

"We live in the shadowlands." These words from the late C. S. Lewis aptly describe how we have lived since 9/11. Shadows blur the differences between good and evil, love and hatred. No black and white. Just gray. Shadowlands.

Life has changed forever. Long lines wait at airport security checks. Everyone in hijah dress is suspect. Maybe there is no other way, but, in the interest of security, the government spies on us, and we are asked to spy on our neighbors. Patriotic fervor still waxes strong, but as the war on terrorism drags on, the voice of the doubters grows louder. Of course, doubters offer no answers … just don’t fight violence with violence. The shadows darken.

We are warned that another 9/11 may be imminent. But we see another form of terrorism in corporate greed that ravages 401(k)s and pension funds. The same lawmakers who benefited from the greed flail away too late at solutions. They do not understand that decency and compassion cannot be legislated. We wonder. Perhaps financial chaos is the next 9/11. We looked to the enemy without but failed to see the enemy within.

But much light does penetrate our shadowlands. The heroism of many on 9/11 remains bright in our memory. We must never forget the heroes of that tragic day. Acts of heroism continue, not only by our armed forces, but by many among us. Judea Pearl, the mother of murdered journalist Daniel Pearl, seeks no revenge for her son’s death. Instead, she challenges the people of Pakistan to resist terrorism and "to make the voice of tolerance be made loud and clear." And then there is Pat Tillman, 25, premier defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals football team. He turned down a $3.6 million contract to become a U.S. Army Ranger—a pay cut of $3.54 million over three years. "Ask not what your country can do for you …"

What about another 9/11? A discussion group at the 48th NACCC Annual Meeting was asked how we should prepare for the next act of terrorism. The subject drew little attention. Not surprisingly, there were no suggested solutions. How could there be? But a strong statement of faith did emerge: "In the midst of chaos, God is still in control."

Keynoter Lottie Jones Hood made an even stronger statemen

"No matter what thunderclouds are hovering over our heads—overcast and ominous, dark and dreary, forbidding and foreboding—we know that they can only temporarily prevent us from seeing God. We know that he is still there, and that God loves us, because God is good."

C. S. Lewis said, "We all live in the shadowlands." But he also said, "Somewhere the sun is always shining."

That sunshine is God’s light shining through the shadows, on you and me.

—JBP

(contact Joe Polhemus at JBPedit@aol.com)