Jeff Parrott
speaker
1,309 appearances
11 recordings
1 series
first heard Jul 2026
last heard 4d ago
Jeff Parrott’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
Trend
recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 11 in all, peaking in Aug 2026 with 4.
Appearances
These questions are heavy on many hearts and minds today as we remember the 25th anniversary of September 11th, a day marked by pain, loss, and the ache of a world undone by terror.
Today is a day to remember, to celebrate the heroism of so many individuals, and it is also a day to lament where we recognize that things are not the way they're supposed to be.
Now, there is no story, image, or devotional that can remove the gut-wrenching pain of September 11th.
And yet, we know that the real pain, loss, and ache, that they are not the end of the story.
We know that's true for many reasons.
But one of those reasons comes from the surprising story of the last living thing that was pulled out of the rubble of the World Trade Center.
In October of 2001, as crews excavated the rubble, they came across a tree peeking out of the debris.
Almost all the evidence suggested that this tree was dead.
The roots, the bark, and the majority of the branches were all compromised.
And yet there was this one tiny sign of life still present.
Projecting from the debris, there was just one obscure branch sticking out with leaves on display.
The senior director of design at the 9-11 Memorial reflects on the significance of this one protruding branch showing off its leaves, saying this, trees do not give off leaves in October unless the tree is dying and wants to live.
Unless the tree is trying to show the world, I still have life.
So with that one branch, this tree was proclaiming to the world, I still have life.
It was eventually removed from the rubble and relocated to a special area for rehabilitation.
And after the tree recovered, it was permanently placed at the 9-11 memorial.
While it still bears the scars of the tragedy it absorbed, it also displays signs of new life and bears the fitting name, the survivor tree.
Now, in some ways, the original obscurity of the survivor tree actually amplifies the majesty of its meaning.
Because this seemingly obscure, unremarkable, and broken tree tells us the true story that touches our real tragedies.
It's the true story that flourishing can emerge from fragmentation.
Showing 121–140 of 1,309 · page 7 of 66
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