It's hard to believe seven years have passed since that horrible morning in New York and Washington. I remember standing on the steps of the church I was serving in New York as hundreds of people walked north, away from the attacks. Some were barefoot, their shoes shredded by the long walk. Buses, so loaded with people, passed by, the bottoms almost scraping the pavement. The faces looked numb but determined -- determined to get as far away as possible from a disaster of unimaginable proportion. As a minister I experienced an overwhelming helplessness, even though my church immediately began to respond in many ways to the immediate needs. But what about religious leadership in the long run in a world recast by the events of 9/11? As we religious leaders look back over the past seven years, how do we judge our presence and our actions in leading our congregations into a clearer understanding of what needs to happen to close the gap between the real world of hatred and violence and God's peaceable kingdom? That's the question I live with on this infamous day.