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9.11 Anniversary Memorial at Shepherd of the Hills Church

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Teary eyed, I made my way out to the memorial knowing that all of those flags, which really seem like too many to actually count, each stood for one of the victims of 9/11. They were color- coordinated. Red is for the firemen and on those that were part of the Emergency Response Team. Blue ribbons stand for the police officers. Green ribbons highlight the men and women in our military who died in the Pentagon. Yellow ribbons represent civilians who died in the towers, and purple ribbons mark those who were on one of the four airplanes.

Here are the exact numbers:
37 Port Authority
23 NYPD
125 Pentagon
246 Airplanes
343 Fire Department – FDNY
2606 in the World Trade Center Towers
Total of 2977.
The pictures above are pictures of the flags that we put in front of our church this weekend. There is one for each of the 2977 victims with ribbons flying. We placed them four flags deep, and it is the length of almost THREE football fields. I know….. because I measured it myself.
And today we are giving 9.11% of our offering to help start churches in New York City.
May you take a moment today to honor them.

They are NOT just numbers. These were normal people like you and I who went to work ten years ago, people who loved their families, country and community. And terrorists decided to take their lives and change our country forever.

My prayer is that God would bring comfort and provision to each of their families, asking that they would never be forgotten.
Praying that God would protect our nation and that this nation would once again seek His protection.
Praying that each person reading this blog will say a prayer for our military, members of our police and fire departments, our government, and our President.
Praying that each of us would humbly bow before our heavenly Father and simply worship Him.

Then live your life in such a way that it brings honor to God, to country and to those 2977 who lost their lives on that fateful day.

The Flag still flies!

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William Vanderbloemen writes the following…

As we stand on the cusp of the 10 year anniversary of 9/11, I thought I would repost this illustration about the US flag, faith, and undying hope:

If you have ever been to a veteran’s funeral, you have probably seen the casket draped in a United States Flag. I remember presiding over both of my grandfathers’ funerals and watching the servicemen carefully remove, fold, and present the flag to grandmothers at each service.

I often wondered, why do we keep the flag? Why not let the fallen soldier take it with him to his grave? Many times people send mementos to accompany the departed. Whether it was enormous treasures for Pharaohs in Egypt, or horses buried with departed generals, or even a stuffed animal with a deceased child, we have a history of burying belongings with the dead. So why not the flag for the fallen soldier?

Some years back, a friend of mine explained it to me. “We don’t bury the flag, because we believe that even though the soldier has fallen, the flag still flies.”

What a great message to have in mind as we remember the tragedy of 9/11 and celebrate the fact that our flag still flies.

And can’t you see the parallels to the Gospel?

The soldier may have fallen, but the flag still flies. We may suffer losses that are here and now, but the everlasting cause is won. It may seem like Good Friday to you on a day of mourning, but those who know the Savior know that Sunday is coming.

Take a minute today and remember the day that the we were attacked. Thank God for those who have laid down their life to preserve our national freedom. And let that theme guide you to reflect on and give thanks for the God-man who laid down His life to preserve our eternal freedom.

No matter how dark it seems now, the flag of that eternal freedom will never be buried. It will fly in the Heavens for eternity, alongside all of those who have chosen to follow the Way of the freedom giver named Jesus.

I came across the above article from William Vanderbloemen (you can follow him at WilliamVanderbloemen.com or his company at http://findourleader.com) He helps churches and their staffing. I have never met him but hope to one day. You know my love for the flag www.flagrespect.com and I am praying that we will have a growing respect for the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. May this article bless you!

Praying for our Military!!!

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Today was a very difficult today because of 30 United States Soldiers that were killed (along with seven Afghans that were with them) in Afghanistan today when their helicopter was shot down.


I read these words in an Internet article “It was the largest number of American troops killed in a single day in the war. U.S. officials said the helicopter appeared to have been felled by enemy fire, and the Taliban quickly claimed responsibility. Seven Afghan commandos and a civilian interpreter also were killed, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said.


No member of the Bin Laden raid team was among the dead, said a Pentagon official briefed on the casualties who was not authorized to speak publicly while families still were being notified. But he said 22 of the 30 were Navy SEALs, and a significant number were members of SEAL Team 6, the unit that conducted the Bin Laden raid and is made up of just a few hundred of some of the best-trained fighters in the U.S. military“.


My heart is heavy and my prayers are for all of our soldiers who are sacrificing their lives for the sake of our country. Whether it’s one or 30, it is the ultimate sacrifice. May God grant comfort to the families of the men and women who lost their lives today.

Freedom can never be taken for granted. We owe a debt to all who serve. Please keep all our soldiers and military personnel in your prayers. www.flagrespect.com

The ACCURATE Story behind the Star Spangled Banner

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This has been quite the journey! About 2 years ago we produced a video on the Star Spangled Banner just for our church. We had some of the facts wrong so we did a second version of it. Some how (we don’t know how) someone got a hold of the inaccurate version and posted it on youtube and the video went VIRAL on us. Over 1.7 million hits. Only problem is was NOT the corrected version.

For the last 6 months we’ve done two things. 1) Tried to get the wrong version PULLED from the Internet, which is almost impossible. 2) We have produced a THIRD VIDEO which is the ACCURATE Story Behind the STAR SPANGLED BANNER. We researched and triple checked all of these facts.

And one of the AMAZING details is that it’s exactly 9:11 in length. Does 9-11 ring a bell?

This video is a moving, heart stirring video that we pray leads to people all around the world having respect and honor for the FREEDOMS that our country holds dear.

Join us in getting this ACCURATE VERSION of this story into as many hands as possible.

This weekend is so critical that we should NEVER FORGET! We are all blessed by the sacrifices of those who fought for this country and for our freedoms.

Thank yo to all who fought, to all who gave and to all your serve!

DVD copies are available for purchase at www.flagrespect.com

The Story Behind the (Wrong) Story

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I wanted to share an apology for something I did wrong. I don’t know how to reach everyone that was offended, but hope that you understand the intent of my heart. For those of you who have NO IDEA what this is about… I produced a video on the story behind the Star Spangled banner and the story I told was NOT factual. Please watch this video to learn of the story behind the (wrong) story.

In GOD We Still Trust

Written by admin on . Posted in flag, honoring God, trust, USA. 2 Comments on In GOD We Still Trust

1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, 1780, 1781, 1782, 1783, 1784, 1785, 1786, 1787, 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795, 1796, 1797, 1798, 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815, 1816, 1817, 1818, 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833, 1834, 1835, 1836, 1837, 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844, 1845, 1846, 1847, 1848, 1849, 1850, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1856, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865, 1866, 1867, 1868, 1869, 1870, 1871, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007!! In GOD We Still Trust (yes, I typed all these numbers myself)