God Bless You Todd Beamer!
Rest In Peace, Our Friend!
Click on Any of the Graphic Images to hear Music
MERRY
CHRISTMAS
Freepers 
Lisa Beamer....
God Be With You
Posted on 12/23/2001 9:17:34 AM PST by LurkerNoMore!
A year ago, few Americans knew Todd Beamer's name. This week, polls showed the most admired people in the country were President George W. Bush, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and - hello - Todd Beamer, a computer sales manager from New Jersy.
Mr. Beamer has become a national hero for his effort with other passengers to stop the hijackers of Flight 93 on Sept. 11. Songs are being written about how he charged into the face of death with the words, "Let's Roll." His widow, Lisa Beamer, received a standing ovation from Congress.
It is believed that Mr. Beamer and the others kept the jet from hitting prime targets in the nation's capital, perhaps the U.S. Capitol or the White House. Instead, the plane crashed into the earth of rural Pennsylvania.
But there was more to the Todd Beamer story than his brave ending. The members of Princeton Alliance Church know better than anyone how the 32-year-old father of two was prepared for that moment. The prologue is telling.
According to John Edgar Caterson, the senior associate pastor, the Beamers had been members of the suburban church for about six years. The Beamers met as students at Wheaton College in Illinois, and both were rising stars at the Oracle Corp. until Lisa decided to stay home when they had children.
The Beamers were not just spectators at church on Sunday. Both were youth sponsors. Todd taught a class for high schoolers. Lisa is on the church's governing board. Along with several young couples, they were members of a "small care group," which met regularly for Bible study and prayer. Rev. Caterson was a member of the close knit group as well. He said Mr. Beamer was one of his best friends; he had introduced the minister to his wife and helped raise money for their honeymoon.
Rev. Caterson said Mr. Beamer applied the same gusto to his faith as he did to golf. In fact, the minister said, the photo of a smiling Todd Beamer that became familiar on front pages after Sept. 11 was from a golf trip with church buddies last summer. One of the last calls Mr. Beamer made from the airport before getting on the plane Sept. 11, was to leave a message for a member of the care group who was his "accountability partner," offering words of encouragement.
Students from Mr. Beamer's Sunday school class also told Christianity Today that he made an impact on their lives because he seemed to live his faith. One of them, now a Princeton sophomore, said that Mr. Beamer impressed him and his younger brother at a time when they were a little skeptical as teenagers about Christianity because "people said one thing on Sunday but would live differently the rest of the time." Todd Beamer walked the talk.
No, Rev. Caterson allowed, Todd Beamer wasn't perfect, nor was he holier than thou. He just tried harder than most to put God and family first, even scheduling business trips so he could be home on Sundays. He made an effort to spend time with his young boys - David, 3, and Andrew, 1 - during the day, popping home during the lunch hour just to see them.
The day of the terrorist attacks, Rev. Caterson was on a flight that was called back to the airport, he recalled last week. When he got the word his friend Todd was on a plane that went down, he made a beeline to the Beamer's home. All the women from the small group were already there to comfort Lisa. All the men arrived shortly thereafter.
Both he and Lisa dissolved into tears, he remembered, as they absorbed the news that Todd was gone. Lisa, 32, is expecting their third child in January. Though she has been the image of unflappable poise on Good Morning America and The Larry King Show,, he said, there have been plenty of moments since Sept. 11 when tears have flowed.
In the days since then, he said, they would all ask themselves, 'Why Todd?" Why one of the best among them? "Then we realized that Todd was the only one who had his house in order," Rev. Caterson said. "He had insurance and had taken care that his kids' education would be provided for. Even in his tithing, he was disciplined and always put God first. He had told me the first check he wrote every month was to the church because he had learned that from his dad. So he had things in order."
When Lisa Beamer heard that many of the other passengers on Flight 93 did not have adequate resources for their families, she started the Todd Beamer Foundation to provide for their children, carefully making sure that her children would be excluded to avoid any controversy.
And as the sadness of the loss settled in, Rev. Caterson said, each member of the care group had taken additional steps to "get their house in order" in case something happened to them.
He also recalled that Todd Beamer had helped him last summer as he prepared a series of sermons on the Lord's Prayer. At Mr. Beamer's urging, he prepared a bookmark that summarized his interpretation of the prayer.
The minister said Mr. Beamer must have had the bookmark with him that day, because he mentioned it to the GTE Airfone operator that he talked to when he couldn't reach his wife. He asked her to say the Lord's Prayer with him. And then he did what needed to be done.
This will be a bittersweet Christmas for many Americans, as they count the losses and blessings of this fall. The challenge in days ahead will be how to hang on to what we felt after Sept. 11 and put it to good use. Perhaps the gift of Todd Beamer is the reminder to use this time to get our houses in order, not to prepare for death, but to make life worth living.
Thank you for post this. It is reflected in the eyes of HEROES.
MERRY
CHRISTMAS
Freepers
VOA, I appreciate the research. I have saved the name and comment. Thx
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