Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”
Psalm 46: 1-3 (ESV)

“This is a time for American heroes. We will do what is hard. We will achieve what is great. This is a time for American heroes, and we reach for the stars.”     
The West Wing

I wonder how many this week will pause to remember.

Remembrances of that day—September 11, 2001—seem to be different, and fewer, than those which occurred in the days and early years which followed those attacks on our nation. 

I wonder if complacency and apathy now rule the day. Of course, neither of those is worthy of this great nation and the people who have gone before us. 

On that day, twenty-three years ago, attacks on our land did occur. And they continue. They continue coming from the outside through unsecured borders and illegal entry by others hoping to overwhelm us, those seeking to hurt us through terrorism, drugs, and a myriad of reasons and activities causing illegal crossings into our nation. 

But attacks to harm us are also coming from within the walls of our institutions and foundations of our Country, those who do not believe in American exceptionalism, and seek to undermine and destroy the values and heritage of this great republic, God’s gift of America.

We did not seek nor deserve the attacks on our freedoms or way of life on September 11, 2001. America may have lost something on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, but it will never lose the solid foundation of those who have gone before, or our heroic heritage, and the God we have trusted since our inception 248 years ago.

And in moments like today, this week and the days ahead, the true measure of our nation’s strength—and each one of us individually and together—is found and demonstrated in how we rise out of the troubles of the day into all we were meant to be by our Creator, individually and as a nation unified together.

Michael W. Smith honors the symbol of our nation—our American flag—in his song, “There She Stands,” reminding us that whatever we go through as a nation, she is an example for us to aspire to, and to stand through whatever we face, as he shares—

“When the night seems to say,
All hope is lost, gone away.
But I know, I’m not alone,
By the light she stands…
There she flies, clear blue skies.
Reminds us with red of those that died.
Washed in white by the brave,
In their dream she stands…
We’ve seen her flying torn and tattered.
We’ve seen her stand the test of time.
And through it all the fools have fallen.
There she stands.
By the dawn’s early light,
And through the fight, she stands.”

There she stands. Our inspiration and aspiration—time for us to stand, again.

No matter what and who we face, when we stand, we remember and honor all those who lost their lives that day in horrific acts of cowardice and war, and all those others who gave their lives that day in noble acts of courage in time of need. 

When we stand, we remember and honor all those and more who have stood in the gap for us and this great land, throughout our history. 

Today, and every day, is a time to remember, a time to rise, a time to stand, embracing all we are, and striving to be the best we can be together as a people, and as a nation. 

A time to remember. 

A time to rise.

A time to stand. 

This is a time for American heroes. We will do what is hard. We always have. We will achieve what is great. We always have. 

This is a time for American heroes. And we will reach for the stars, and as we do together—we will touch the face of God.

In His Name–Scott

Take a quiet moment and watch, listen to, and be blessed by this video arrangement by Michael W. Smith of his song— “There She Stands.”