On September 11, 2001, the world witnessed the most horrible act of terrorism it has ever seen. The people of the United States were jolted into a reality, that until now was only witnessed from afar in other countries. This page is to honor the people on American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77, United Airlines Flight 93, the people of the City of New York, all the people who lost friends and loved ones to this unspeakable act and to all the people of the United States. We may be on our knees in prayer, but we will rise above the smoke and destruction as the great nation we are. This was drawn and sent to us by a 12 year old He Called Ten Thousand Angels September 11th, THEY captured our planes, And made them go astray, But under the wings, THEY did not know, A hand was holding them up that day. THEY did not guide our people to death, For death holds no victory, Those lost souls that stole our planes, Were left alone to make history. The first night, for me, was a nightmare, As I saw over and over gain, The plane go through the building And destroy my faith in men. I saw our pentagon crumble, And tumble to the ground, I heard the anguished cries from families, And Everyone, the world around. I saw the plane in Pittsburg, It was smashing to the ground, I heard the people screaming out, It was a terrifying sound! I prayed that God would help me, Understand why this took place. "Show me God, why let this happen, Way up there, so high in space?" The next night, my dreams were a vision, So Beautiful and so very serene, Right before the planes hit, God showed me the hidden scene. The planes were being gently held, In the palm of God's own hand, He released then thousand wings of doves, And the angel's formed a band. Right before the planes hit, And the fire and smoke took place I saw this scene before me. God showed me by his grace. Our loved ones floated toward the sky, There was no fear upon one face, Some rode the wings of a snow white dove, Some had angels take their place. I saw only fear in the eyes of the evil, When they knew they had to face, An angry God and all his angels, For what had just taken place. America always stands proud to say, We stand firmly by God's side, There's no where they can run, There's no where they can hide. Have no fear red, white and blue, Because united our country stands. We have faith in our president And our future is in God's hands!! Written by Gayle Clary (reproduced with permission of the author) World Trade Center The Pentagon MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news on September 11, 2001. Neither will I. I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say "Good-Bye". I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, "Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK...I am ready to go." I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night. I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help. "I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!" I said. "Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now." I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered. I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them. I was in Texas, Kansas, London. I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me? I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name, though not all know Me. Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor. Some sought Me with their last breath. Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; "Come to Me...this way...take my hand." Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there. I did not place you in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me? September 11, 2001 was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are "ready to go." I will be in the stairwell of your final moments. God Image courtesy of Designing Moments Image courtesy of Designing Moments These are the stories of selfless acts of bravery, heroism and everything that this great country is made of. Their stories give meaning to the word HERO Deuteronomy 32.11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings UNTIL THE BITTER END I was awakened by the sound of evil in my land, I peered out from my nest and looked all around. I stirred, I stretched, I rubbed my eyes, I could not believe. The scene that lay before me was if it were a dream. How dare you do this to my land, my people proud and free. Did you not for one moment know you would deal with me? Did you think I'd turn my back and fall right back to sleep? No, sir you are mistaken; 'tis Peace that I shall seek. I flew away to the place that you had brought destruction; saw that man was already there readying for construction. The Police, fireman, EMT's, volunteers galore, you can't ever keep us down don't TRY anymore. For I have seen my people weep the last time for your pleasure. If I were you I would prepare for justice without measure. I have been resting in my nest up in the Cypress tree, but be forewarned, I'm now awake and you will HEAR from me. I am not a hating bird, I do not like to harm, but what you did is beyond belief and and I am coming armed. So rest assured you've woken me, and now I cannot sleep; not until America to her my promise keep. I shall watch and I shall wait until you think we're through. But this my man, you should know simply is not true. I've got my talon's sharpened, my beak is to the wind, and I shall guard America until the BITTER END. Written for us by: Kathalise Martin September 18, 2001 (Not to be used without express permission from author) Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survivor and success of liberty. President John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address Washington, DC January 20, 1961 President Bush - Our Leader This was the same man who came within a hair's breadth of losing an election in November, who withstood the political chicanery of the Florida Democratic machine to fix the vote count. This was the same man who admitted to having a drinking problem in younger years, and whose happy-go-lucky lifestyle led him to mediocre grades in college and an ill-fated oil venture. This was the same man who mangled syntax even more than his father, and whose speaking missteps became known as "Bushisms". And on Friday, this man was the man who bore the weight of the world and the responsibilities of a generation with dignity, class, confidence, appropriate solemnity, and even much-needed wit. One thing struck me during the campaign, that difficult roller-coaster campaign that now seems years ago. It was that George W. Bush never seemed to get ruffled. Whether the theft of a campaign debate video or the sudden (some would say, vicious) release of a DUI arrest two decades ago at a key moment, "W" did not lose his cool. At times, his staff seemed over confident, as did many of us. A 350-electoral-vote win, they quietly implied...and we optimistically believed. Then they counted the votes, miscounted others, and re-counted still others. At the end, he was still there. Whereas Al Gore almost frantically huffed and puffed, trying to gin up something out of nothing. Bush quietly but confidently waited at his ranch. He didn't do nothing: that is the mistake people have constantly made with this man, confusing lack of bluster for absence of action. No, his team of attorneys and the iron-willed James Baker were carrying out his orders, but "W" stayed in the background, confident and faithful. You see, it is this faith business that confounded everyone. We have had such actors and liars in public office that we have looked skeptically whenever anyone used the term faith. But this was the same man who was the first politician ever in recent memory to name Jesus Christ as the lord of his life on public TV. Not an oblique reference to being "born-again" or having a "life change." He said the un-PC-like phrase, "Jesus Christ," to which his handlers and advisors, no doubt, off stage, were also saying, "Jesus Christ" in a much different tone. God has a way of honoring those who honor Him. David learned that while he was on the run from Saul's armies. Job learned that after his time of horrible tribulation. The Messiah said so Himself, many times. So this was the man who actually put faith into practice. He actually loves those who hate him. It is a staggering concept, so foreign in daily occurrence that few thought it anything but grandstanding. Even one of W's biggest supporters chided the President for adhering to his "new tone." Yet there he was, again and again, thanking the Democrats. Appointing his enemies to high places in his government. Inviting his former foes and their wives to private movie screenings, and (I know this is hard to stomach) even treating them with dignity. See, this was the man who learned early on how faith worked: by praying for his enemies, you "heap burning coals upon their heads." This was the man who named the absolute top people in national security and defense, then caught barbs from the politically righteous that this one didn't have the right view on abortion or that one didn't have the right position on guns. And on September 11, at mid-morning, this was the man thrust into a position only known by Roosevelt, Churchill, Lincoln and Washington. The weight of the world was on his shoulders, and the responsibility of a generation was on his soul. So this same man - the one that the media repeatedly attempted to tarnish with charges of "illegitimacy," and the one whose political opponents desperately sought to stonewall until mid-term elections - walked to his seat at the front of the National Cathedral just three days after the two most impressive symbols of American capitalism and prosperity virtually evaporated, along with, perhaps thousands of Americans. As he sat down next to his wife, immediately I knew that even if his faith ever faltered, hers didn't. I have never seen a more peaceful face than Laura Bush, whose eyes seemed as though they were already gazing at the final outcome...not just of this conflict, but of her reward in Heaven itself. In this marriage, you indeed got two for the price of one. Then came the defining moment of our generation. Some people fondly recall their Woodstock days. Others mark with grim sadness November 22, 1963, as the day America lost her innocence. But I firmly believe when the history of this time is written, it will be acknowledged by friend and foe alike that President George W. Bush came of age in that cathedral and lifted a nation off its knees. It wasn't so much his words, though read a decade later, they will indeed be as stirring as any. This conflict would end, he noted,"...at a time of our choosing." It certainly wasn't his emotion. What had to have been one of the stunning exhibitions of self-control in presidential history. W was able to deliver his remarks without losing either his resolve or his focus, or, more important, his confidence. It was as if God's hand, which had guided him through that silver-thin election, now rested fully on him. His quiet confidence let our enemies know...and believe me, they know...that they made a grave miscalculation. Now, this same man who practiced his faith through a tough election, who steeled his convictions even more in a drawn-out Florida battle, and who never once game in to the temptation to get in the gutter with his foes (well, ok, maybe the "Clymer" comment is an exception), this same man now lifted the weight of the world and the responsibility of a generation and put it on his modest shoulders as though it were another unpleasant duty. As he walked back to his seat, the camera angle was appropriate. He was virtually alone in the scene, alone in that massive place of God, just him and the Lord. But that's the way it's always been in his life recently. In that brief time it took him to return to his seat, I believe he heard words to the effect of, "You can do this, George. I am with you always. And you can do this well, because I am going before you. And don't worry about the weight. I've got it." And I saw in his eyes a quiet acknowledgement. "I know. Thank you, Lord." Back at his seat, when W sat down, George H. W. Bush reached over and took his son's hand. The elder Bush always struck me as a religious man, but not someone who shared his life on a daily basis with the Lord. George H. W. Bush treats the Father like a respected uncle, visiting Him on appropriate holidays and knowing the relationship is real, but not constant. Anyway, I believe that in that fatherly squeeze George H.W. Bush said, "I wish I could do this for you, son, but I can't. You have to do this on your own." W squeezed back and gave him that look of peace that Laura had kept throughout. It said, "I don't have to do it alone, dad, I've got help." What a blessing to have a professing Christian as President - one who is not ashamed to admit it! Please take a moment after you read this to pray for him - he truly does have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Pray that God will sustain him and give him wisdom and discernment in his decisions. Make no mistake about it - the decisions he makes in the coming days, weeks and months will literally define the future of our country and the free world. Pray for his protection and that of his family.
On September 11, 2001, the world witnessed the most horrible act of terrorism it has ever seen. The people of the United States were jolted into a reality, that until now was only witnessed from afar in other countries. This page is to honor the people on American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77, United Airlines Flight 93, the people of the City of New York, all the people who lost friends and loved ones to this unspeakable act and to all the people of the United States. We may be on our knees in prayer, but we will rise above the smoke and destruction as the great nation we are.
This was drawn and sent to us by a 12 year old
He Called Ten Thousand Angels
September 11th, THEY captured our planes, And made them go astray, But under the wings, THEY did not know, A hand was holding them up that day.
THEY did not guide our people to death, For death holds no victory, Those lost souls that stole our planes, Were left alone to make history.
The first night, for me, was a nightmare, As I saw over and over gain, The plane go through the building And destroy my faith in men.
I saw our pentagon crumble, And tumble to the ground, I heard the anguished cries from families, And Everyone, the world around.
I saw the plane in Pittsburg, It was smashing to the ground, I heard the people screaming out, It was a terrifying sound!
I prayed that God would help me, Understand why this took place. "Show me God, why let this happen, Way up there, so high in space?"
The next night, my dreams were a vision, So Beautiful and so very serene, Right before the planes hit, God showed me the hidden scene.
The planes were being gently held, In the palm of God's own hand, He released then thousand wings of doves, And the angel's formed a band.
Right before the planes hit, And the fire and smoke took place I saw this scene before me. God showed me by his grace.
Our loved ones floated toward the sky, There was no fear upon one face, Some rode the wings of a snow white dove, Some had angels take their place.
I saw only fear in the eyes of the evil, When they knew they had to face, An angry God and all his angels, For what had just taken place.
America always stands proud to say, We stand firmly by God's side, There's no where they can run, There's no where they can hide.
Have no fear red, white and blue, Because united our country stands. We have faith in our president And our future is in God's hands!!
Written by Gayle Clary (reproduced with permission of the author)
World Trade Center
The Pentagon
MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL
You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news on September 11, 2001. Neither will I. I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say "Good-Bye". I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, "Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK...I am ready to go." I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night. I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help. "I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!" I said. "Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now." I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered. I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them. I was in Texas, Kansas, London. I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me? I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name, though not all know Me. Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor. Some sought Me with their last breath. Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; "Come to Me...this way...take my hand." Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there. I did not place you in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me? September 11, 2001 was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are "ready to go." I will be in the stairwell of your final moments. God
Image courtesy of Designing Moments
These are the stories of selfless acts of bravery, heroism and everything that this great country is made of. Their stories give meaning to the word HERO
Deuteronomy 32.11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings
UNTIL THE BITTER END
I was awakened by the sound of evil in my land, I peered out from my nest and looked all around. I stirred, I stretched, I rubbed my eyes, I could not believe. The scene that lay before me was if it were a dream.
How dare you do this to my land, my people proud and free. Did you not for one moment know you would deal with me? Did you think I'd turn my back and fall right back to sleep? No, sir you are mistaken; 'tis Peace that I shall seek.
I flew away to the place that you had brought destruction; saw that man was already there readying for construction. The Police, fireman, EMT's, volunteers galore, you can't ever keep us down don't TRY anymore. For I have seen my people weep the last time for your pleasure. If I were you I would prepare for justice without measure.
I have been resting in my nest up in the Cypress tree, but be forewarned, I'm now awake and you will HEAR from me. I am not a hating bird, I do not like to harm, but what you did is beyond belief and and I am coming armed.
So rest assured you've woken me, and now I cannot sleep; not until America to her my promise keep. I shall watch and I shall wait until you think we're through. But this my man, you should know simply is not true. I've got my talon's sharpened, my beak is to the wind, and I shall guard America until the BITTER END.
Written for us by: Kathalise Martin September 18, 2001 (Not to be used without express permission from author)
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survivor and success of liberty.
President John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address Washington, DC January 20, 1961
President Bush - Our Leader
This was the same man who came within a hair's breadth of losing an election in November, who withstood the political chicanery of the Florida Democratic machine to fix the vote count.
This was the same man who admitted to having a drinking problem in younger years, and whose happy-go-lucky lifestyle led him to mediocre grades in college and an ill-fated oil venture.
This was the same man who mangled syntax even more than his father, and whose speaking missteps became known as "Bushisms".
And on Friday, this man was the man who bore the weight of the world and the responsibilities of a generation with dignity, class, confidence, appropriate solemnity, and even much-needed wit.
One thing struck me during the campaign, that difficult roller-coaster campaign that now seems years ago. It was that George W. Bush never seemed to get ruffled. Whether the theft of a campaign debate video or the sudden (some would say, vicious) release of a DUI arrest two decades ago at a key moment, "W" did not lose his cool. At times, his staff seemed over confident, as did many of us. A 350-electoral-vote win, they quietly implied...and we optimistically believed. Then they counted the votes, miscounted others, and re-counted still others. At the end, he was still there. Whereas Al Gore almost frantically huffed and puffed, trying to gin up something out of nothing. Bush quietly but confidently waited at his ranch. He didn't do nothing: that is the mistake people have constantly made with this man, confusing lack of bluster for absence of action. No, his team of attorneys and the iron-willed James Baker were carrying out his orders, but "W" stayed in the background, confident and faithful.
You see, it is this faith business that confounded everyone. We have had such actors and liars in public office that we have looked skeptically whenever anyone used the term faith. But this was the same man who was the first politician ever in recent memory to name Jesus Christ as the lord of his life on public TV. Not an oblique reference to being "born-again" or having a "life change." He said the un-PC-like phrase, "Jesus Christ," to which his handlers and advisors, no doubt, off stage, were also saying, "Jesus Christ" in a much different tone.
God has a way of honoring those who honor Him. David learned that while he was on the run from Saul's armies. Job learned that after his time of horrible tribulation. The Messiah said so Himself, many times.
So this was the man who actually put faith into practice. He actually loves those who hate him. It is a staggering concept, so foreign in daily occurrence that few thought it anything but grandstanding. Even one of W's biggest supporters chided the President for adhering to his "new tone."
Yet there he was, again and again, thanking the Democrats. Appointing his enemies to high places in his government. Inviting his former foes and their wives to private movie screenings, and (I know this is hard to stomach) even treating them with dignity. See, this was the man who learned early on how faith worked: by praying for his enemies, you "heap burning coals upon their heads."
This was the man who named the absolute top people in national security and defense, then caught barbs from the politically righteous that this one didn't have the right view on abortion or that one didn't have the right position on guns.
And on September 11, at mid-morning, this was the man thrust into a position only known by Roosevelt, Churchill, Lincoln and Washington. The weight of the world was on his shoulders, and the responsibility of a generation was on his soul. So this same man - the one that the media repeatedly attempted to tarnish with charges of "illegitimacy," and the one whose political opponents desperately sought to stonewall until mid-term elections - walked to his seat at the front of the National Cathedral just three days after the two most impressive symbols of American capitalism and prosperity virtually evaporated, along with, perhaps thousands of Americans.
As he sat down next to his wife, immediately I knew that even if his faith ever faltered, hers didn't. I have never seen a more peaceful face than Laura Bush, whose eyes seemed as though they were already gazing at the final outcome...not just of this conflict, but of her reward in Heaven itself. In this marriage, you indeed got two for the price of one.
Then came the defining moment of our generation. Some people fondly recall their Woodstock days. Others mark with grim sadness November 22, 1963, as the day America lost her innocence. But I firmly believe when the history of this time is written, it will be acknowledged by friend and foe alike that President George W. Bush came of age in that cathedral and lifted a nation off its knees. It wasn't so much his words, though read a decade later, they will indeed be as stirring as any. This conflict would end, he noted,"...at a time of our choosing." It certainly wasn't his emotion. What had to have been one of the stunning exhibitions of self-control in presidential history. W was able to deliver his remarks without losing either his resolve or his focus, or, more important, his confidence. It was as if God's hand, which had guided him through that silver-thin election, now rested fully on him.
His quiet confidence let our enemies know...and believe me, they know...that they made a grave miscalculation. Now, this same man who practiced his faith through a tough election, who steeled his convictions even more in a drawn-out Florida battle, and who never once game in to the temptation to get in the gutter with his foes (well, ok, maybe the "Clymer" comment is an exception), this same man now lifted the weight of the world and the responsibility of a generation and put it on his modest shoulders as though it were another unpleasant duty.
As he walked back to his seat, the camera angle was appropriate.
He was virtually alone in the scene, alone in that massive place of God, just him and the Lord. But that's the way it's always been in his life recently. In that brief time it took him to return to his seat, I believe he heard words to the effect of, "You can do this, George. I am with you always. And you can do this well, because I am going before you. And don't worry about the weight. I've got it." And I saw in his eyes a quiet acknowledgement. "I know. Thank you, Lord."
Back at his seat, when W sat down, George H. W. Bush reached over and took his son's hand. The elder Bush always struck me as a religious man, but not someone who shared his life on a daily basis with the Lord. George H. W. Bush treats the Father like a respected uncle, visiting Him on appropriate holidays and knowing the relationship is real, but not constant. Anyway, I believe that in that fatherly squeeze George H.W. Bush said, "I wish I could do this for you, son, but I can't. You have to do this on your own." W squeezed back and gave him that look of peace that Laura had kept throughout. It said, "I don't have to do it alone, dad, I've got help."
What a blessing to have a professing Christian as President - one who is not ashamed to admit it! Please take a moment after you read this to pray for him - he truly does have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Pray that God will sustain him and give him wisdom and discernment in his decisions. Make no mistake about it - the decisions he makes in the coming days, weeks and months will literally define the future of our country and the free world. Pray for his protection and that of his family.
