-
A Light Named Al PRO
Contributed by Ken Sauer on Sep 2, 2002 (message contributor)
A LIGHT NAMED AL
On the morning of September 11, Jeannie Braca switched on the television to check the weather report, only to hear that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center.
Jeannie’s husband, Al, worked as a corporate bond trader for Cantor Fitzgerald. His office was on the 105th floor of Tower One.
Al had survived the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and had even helped a woman with asthma escape from the building.
Jeannie knew that Al would do the same thing this time, “I knew he would stop to help and minister to people,” she said, “but I never thought for a minute that he wouldn’t be coming home!”
A week later, like so many others who were in that building, Al’s body was found in the rubble. Al’s wife, Jeannie, and his son Christopher were devastated!
Then the reports began to trickle in from friends and acquaintances. Some people on the 105th floor had made a last call or sent a final e-mail to loved ones saying that a man was leading people in prayer.
A few referred to Al by name.
Al’s family learned that Al had indeed been ministering to people during the attack! When Al realized that they were all trapped in the building and would not be able to escape, Al shared the gospel with a group of 50 co-workers and led them in prayer.
This news came as no surprise to Al’s wife, Jeannie.
For years, she and Al had been praying for the salvation of these men and women. According to Jeannie, Al hated his job and couldn’t stand the environment. It was a world so out of touch with his Christian values, but he wouldn’t quit.
Al was convinced that God wanted him to stay there, to be a light in the darkness, and although Al would not have put it this way, to be a hero!
Al was not ashamed of Christ and Christ’s words…and he paid the price of taking up his cross daily. Al shared his faith with his co-workers….many of whom sarcastically nicknamed him “The Rev.”
And on that fateful day…on September 11, in the midst of the chaos, Al’s co-workers looked to...
Continue reading this sermon illustration (Free with PRO)Related Sermon Illustrations
-
A Few Years Back I Coached My Son's Little ...
Contributed by Greg Baskerville on May 19, 2005
A few years back I coached my son’s Little League Team. We spent many hours practicing. We practiced and practiced and learned the fundamentals; how to hit, how to bunt, how to throw, how to pitch and catch. We learned all of the secret coaching signs. We honed our skills day after day in the ...read more
-
Legend Has It That When The Famous Frontiersman ... PRO
Contributed by Bud Brown on Oct 14, 2004
Legend has it that when the famous frontiersman Davy Crockett was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1827, a newspaper reporter asked him if he’d ever been lost. Crockett had grown up in the woods and wilderness of middle and western Tennessee and was often gone out on hunting trips ...read more
-
Listen To This Dreary Inscription On A Gravestone ...
Contributed by Richard Tow on Sep 23, 2005
Listen to this dreary inscription on a gravestone in Britain near Windsor Castle: Pause, my friend, as you walk by; As you are now, so once was I As I am now, so you will be. Prepare, my friend, to follow me! A ...read more
-
Perhaps The Best Illustration Of How This Truth ... PRO
Contributed by Richard Tow on Sep 23, 2005
Perhaps the best illustration of how this truth can affect us is found in the sinking of the ship named Express of Ireland. As the ship began to sink in the cold Atlantic Ocean it was discovered that there were not enough life belts on board for all the passengers. On that ship were 130 Salvation ...read more
-
The Following Lines Were Discovered On The Dead ... PRO
Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Mar 26, 2004
“The following lines were discovered on the dead body of an American soldier killed in action in North Africa, in 1944. They were found by a corporal in the Royal Army Medical Corps and were printed in a Tunis newspaper. They found their way to Britain through the United States. A friend of the ...read more
Related Sermons
-
Change, Change, Change! Series
Contributed by Jeffery Anselmi on Aug 20, 2010
If we are going to help change peoples destiny we need to change some things also.
-
What Are We Saved From? Series
Contributed by Jeff Strite on Jun 14, 2016
What exactly does God save us from and how can that effect how I share my faith with others?
-
Stewards Of The Good News Series
Contributed by Ken Mckinley on Jan 10, 2010
The second in a series on the book of 1st Thessalonians. This sermon discusses how we as Christians are stewards of the Gospel. We are to share it, no matter the cost.
-
The Heart Of The Matter Series
Contributed by Kevin L. Jones on Aug 19, 2013
A sermon examining Jesus' teaching about the condition of one's heart.
-
God's Love Song Series
Contributed by Jeff Strite on Feb 3, 2019
C.S. Lewis called Psalm 19 “the greatest poem in the Bible.” It speaks of God's majesty and power and tells us HOW God has shown His love for us.