In the aftermath of the attacks that toppled the World Trade Center, an Israeli company is offering high-rise workers a new security option. APCO Aviation is now marketing a parachute for those fear terrorist attacks on skyscrapers.

The Executive chute was designed, tested and marketed in three weeks. The safety chute weighs four pounds and is available in the United States and Japan. The ripcord can be attached to heavy furniture, so it opens automatically when the wearer jumps out a window.

The managing director of the company says the parachute uses a military style round canopy instead of an aerobatic rectangular design. He says a round chute makes for a reliable, but hard landing from a minimum height of 10 stories. The company admits it is unlikely a user will know how to do the standard "paratrooper roll" upon reaching the ground, but they figure, "a twisted ankle is a small price to pay for life."

Parachutes and increased precautions may provide a degree of protection, but they cannot remove every ounce of fear. Jesus offered these words of assurance to those living in an unpredictable world. "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33.

—http://dailynews.yahoo.com November 12, 2001. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Residents of New Hampshire woke up on Saturday, May 3rd to find one of their icons was gone. A natural stone profile, known as The Old Man of the Mountain collapsed into an indistinguishable rubble after a storm pelted the area with heavy rains, freezing temperatures, and high winds. The icon, located 1,200 feet above Interstate 93, in Franconia Notch north of Concord, was New Hampshire’s most recognizable symbol.

In the nineteenth century, the rocky profile inspired statesman Daniel Webster to write, “In the mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men.” The governor of the state quickly declared the face should be “revitalized.” He was meeting with officials to determine if and how a restoration should be done. Governor Benson said, “The old man is counting on us not to forget his legacy, and we won’t let him down.”

State Parks Official Mike Pelchat says there was only so much that could be done. He hiked to the area Saturday looking for signs of foul play. The collapse ended nearly a century of efforts to protect the 40-foot landmark from the same natural forces that created it. Recent efforts to stabilize the structure included cables, and epoxy. Pelchat said, “We always thought it was the hand of God holding him up, and he let go.”

—Associated Press, N.H.’s Old Man May Be Rebuilt, Albuquerque Journal, May 4, 2003. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

I’m glad we don’t serve a God that lets go, aren’t you? Our God never lets go—His grip is strong. His grasp is secure.

Psalm 37:24 NIV “If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”

A 63-year-old homeless Russian man went from living on the street to speculating on the stock market after he capitalized on habits of those trying to escape worries over the economic downturn that hit the country last fall. Leonid Konovalov said he collected around 2000 empty alcohol bottles every day and turned them in for cash. The former beggar says his grandchildren encouraged him to invest in stocks, and the decision paid off. His first transaction was a share purchase worth approximately $74,000 US dollars.

Russia’s homeless people often dig through the garbage to find bottles or tins, which they can trade for money. A glass bottle is worth 2 rubles or about six US cents. Konovalov, a former engineer from eastern Siberia said, “Russians are drinking a little bit more due to the crisis, and this helped me get out of the rubbish dump.”

--Rags-to-riches tramp bags fortune in bottles, http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091013/od_nm/us_russia_tramp; October 13, 2009, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Proverbs 10:30 (GW) “A righteous person will never be moved, but wicked people will not continue to live in the land.”

Michael Vick is the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s hard for him to stay in the game, because he’s hard to protect. Why? Because…
• He won’t stay in the pocket.
• He won’t stay behind his offensive line.
• He keeps running away from his protection.

When he runs, all of the rules that protect the quarterback are removed, he becomes like any other player. He’s a man with a target on his back. Mike has been injured many times because he outruns his protection. As long as he’s in the pocket he’s protected.

But, as soon as he starts running, he’s in trouble. --Jim L. Wilson and John W. Wells Jr.

--http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1325021-how-is-eagles-qb-michael-vick-getting-hurt-and-what-must-he-do-to-stay-healthy

God is our protection. When we walk in obedience to Him, when we love and serve Him, He promises His protection. However, when we rebel and reject Him and His word, we move out of the pocket and become a running quarterback that is a sure target for the enemy.

Psalm 27:5 (ESV) For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

In 2013, Bernadette Tenegra, huddled with her family in their shanty, praying they would survive Typhoon Haiyan. Most of her family survived, the home didn’t. They Typhoon swamped the home with incredible speed, and swept the family away. Her husband and one of her daughters scrambled to safety, but the current caught her younger daughter.

“I crawled over to her, and I tried to pull her up,” Tenegra said. “But she was too weak. It seemed she had already given up.” The daughter said, “Ma, just let go. Save yourself.”
What would you do? Could you hold on?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/philippines/10442174/Typhoon-Haiyan-survivor-I-thought-it-was-the-end-of-the-world.html

I am sure she couldn’t do anything to save her daughter, but I can’t imagine the agony she suffers as she thinks of that fateful day. —Jim L. Wilson and Larry Tong

John 10:28-29 (NRSV) I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. (29) What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand.