35W Bridge 1 - Surprise

Living in the Twin Cities, I suppose any respectable blogger should comment on the 35W bridge collapse a week ago. There is all kinds of symbolism with a bridge. So I may have a few posts.

But I want to make clear that using an event as an object lesson does not necessarily disrespect those involved. For some families, the event was a traumatic tragedy. And I feel for those. Indirectly thousands of people have been effected. I indirectly see it as traffic patterns have shifted. I cross the Mississippi at least twice every day. And that morning, I ended up crossing three times in the morning as I checked out a potential route to work. I have used the bridge that collapsed many times. And if there hadn't been road construction slowdowns, I would probably take that route fairly often for work.

The following days, crossing bridges was a little different. And it is now a little more eerie sitting in traffic under a bridge.

The bridge collapse caught millions by surprise. But God wasn't caught off guard or by surprise.

For those unfamiliar with Teen Challenge, it is an organization that has great success radically changing lives caught in addictions and other destructive behavior. The key that sets them apart is that they advocate a heart change. By letting God work in a person's life, they have the power, and desire, for radical change to a healthier life, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

A staff worker at Minnesota Teen Challenge takes the bridge home every day after work. But she sensed that Wednesday that just for one day she should take a different route. She followed that Holy Spirit prompting and lived.

Separately, a van from Teen Challenge takes a group of guys to a class every Wednesday. They always cross that bridge on their route. But that day, the driver (or another staff person) felt that they should take a different route just for that one day. The van load of people survived and thanked God for his leading and protection.

Many gatherings of Christians include occasional prophetic words. Usually they are something related to a current situation. But once in a while they refer to future events. Three months ago an interesting word was given. During a staff meeting of a local ministry, a prophetic word was given about a disaster or destruction that will occur in the University, 35W, and bridge area. As prophetic words go, it was pretty specific about location.

At the time, the interpretation was that it would probably be due to terrorism. What else could bring a huge bridge down? And that could still come out as a factor. Although the NTSB has a history of covering up things like that.

But regardless of the cause of the bridge collapse, it is interesting that a group of committed Christians learned about the future event three months before the collapse. God wasn't surprised.

God is still very aware of what is happening in the world. He is also very aware of what is going on in your life, including your thought life. He doesn't seek to condemn. He longs to bring you closer and higher towards your destiny. He knows it all and is trustworthy, and merciful.

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14 August 2007

Regarding the NTSB comment:

I believe with at least 99% certainty that the 35W bridge collapse was due to wear and tear and possibly some design issues. The main terrorist connection is that people around the world saw how easily major bridges can come down. Little or no explosives are required.

The National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB, is made of people, sinful like you and I. Government is filled with politics and spin. That said, I know for sure there are some very honorable people serving the greater good through government positions.

The main event that made people suspicious of the NTSB was TWA flight 800 that went down in New York. Eyewitness accounts of things going up to the plane were ignored. John Kerry said on TV that a missile had hit the plane (before the spin doctors got the "official" story coordinated). At the same time, the Navy was having major war games exercises in the area. So it is even possible one of our own accidentally (hopefully) knocked it down. Read more details using the links below.

The eyewitness accounts of the plane going down in New York on Veterans Day 2001 were also largely ignored. The official conclusions ignore the explosion/fire ball accounts from people on the ground. The fear of the public after September 11th had to be controlled.

The NTSB probably does a good job with most investigations. I am just a little skeptical of some of their conclusions.

TWA 800 site with numerous links: http://www.twa800.com/index.htm
AA 587 articles: http://usread.com/flight587.html