Todd Beamer

September 11, 2026
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When Courage Is No Longer Optional. When evil takes control and fear is overwhelming, will your faith give you the courage to act? Todd Beamer's story challenges Christian men to move beyond belief into courageous action, leading others, standing against evil, and trusting God under tremendous pressure. Listen and consider where God may be calling you to stop hesitating and take action. “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.” (Psalm 56:3–4)

Full Transcript

Every story begins with the belief that God can use a testimony to change a life. Will you help us  keep these stories free for people all around the world? Join the 500 People Challenge.  To be a ministry partner, simply visit 365christianstories.com.  Welcome to  365 Christian Men, where every day we aim to inspire and encourage with real-life stories about  men.  Todd Beamer was an account manager with Oracle Corporation who sold systems applications. He also  taught Sunday school, worked in the youth ministry, and played on the church softball team. Todd  rooted for the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls, and Chicago Bears. Todd was an ordinary guy.  An ordinary guy who had entrusted his life to Christ. On one of the bleakest days in the history of  the United States, Todd demonstrated courage under tremendous pressure. On this date,  in 2001, Todd Beamer stormed the cockpit of United Airlines Flight 93 to San Francisco.  Act courageously against evil. Leave a lasting legacy.  In the wreckage, they found Todd's watch. On September 11th, Todd made a decision,  and his decision saved a lot of people's lives. If someone asked, do you know where you were on 9  -11? Most of us would answer, yes. That day, the tragedy of terrorism shocked America into  stillness. Todd, his wife Lisa, and their two little boys had returned from a trip to Italy on  September 10th. The next morning, Todd went back to the airport to catch United Airlines Flight 93  for a day trip to San Francisco. Todd flew often. This was just one more business trip.  But about 45 minutes into the flight, four men with red bandanas tied around their heads stormed  the cockpit and killed the pilot and co-pilot. They announced they had a bomb on board and made  the five flight attendants and 33 passengers move to the back of the airplane so they'd be out of  the way. In the back, the passengers were able to talk to each other and call their loved ones.  Lisa, Todd's wife, was expecting their third child, and so Todd chose not to call her,  knowing it might upset her and affect her pregnancy. Instead, he hit zero on the phone and  connected with Lisa Jefferson, a telephone switchboard operator. Quietly,  Todd explained to her what was happening. In that 13-minute conversation, he asked Lisa to say the  Lord's Prayer with him and recite Psalm 23. Before his life-ending act of courage,  Todd found strength in the Word of God. One passage in particular gave Todd courage. Psalm 56,  verses 3 and 4.  In God whose word I praise, in God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?  Based on the calls Todd and the other passengers had made, they knew about the two planes hitting  the World Trade Center. They knew this was part of a larger plan. So they decided to storm the  cockpit. Todd took one final look at his fellow passengers before he uttered his final words on  Earth. You ready? Let's roll.  That day, Todd and his fellow passengers fought back against the terrorists of United Airlines  Flight 93. The band of brave passengers shoved their way into the cockpit and stopped the terrorist  mission to destroy a target in Washington, D.C., presumably the Capitol Building or the White  House. Instead of hitting the target, the plane crashed in a field in Somerset County,  Pennsylvania, killing all the passengers. But hundreds, maybe thousands of lives were saved.  by the courageous acts of a few gritty passengers. On that field, rescue crews found Todd Beamer's  watch, which now sits in the National 9-11 Memorial Museum. It's a two-tone Rolex,  broken and charred. The crystal is missing, as well as one of the hands. You can't tell the time by  looking at it, but you do know the day. In a corner of the watch's face, you see the number 11.  A fitting artifact, since Todd made the most of his time.  What would you do in a situation requiring a courageous choice?  Act courageously against evil. Leave a lasting legacy.  Hey man, Chuck Stecker here with The Chosen Generation. What a privilege it is to be here with you.  I'm so grateful for this ministry and the leadership of this ministry, and I think we all should  be. I'm a better person because of that, and I'm hoping you are too. But let's dive into our story,  a powerful story today, September 11. or what's known around the world in many places as 9-11.  The day that two planes were crashed into the towers in New York, a plane was crashed into the  Pentagon, and this plane here that Todd Beamer was on, who our story is about,  crashed into a field in Somerset, Pennsylvania. You know, this is very significant for me.  I've been to all of those locations. I've stood the ground in New York. I've stood at the Pentagon  where I once served long before this. My wife and I have walked through the memorial in that field  where that plane was crashed. You know, our story starts off, do you know where you were at on 9  -11? That's a significant question. Here's where I'm at on this.  We could spend the next two or three hours and still not touch the importance, all of the  importance of the Todd Beamer story. You know, the pilot of that plane actually lived in the  neighborhood that I live in now. So there's a lot of connections there. But here's the thing that  kind of grabbed onto me again. And that is when he made the decision and he said,  let's roll. Let's roll. Let's take action. Something needs to be done.  And so, you know, I kind of look at these things with the questions of when we look at the world  that we live in today and the things that need to be done. And they're all around us. From the very  simplest of things to helping a person. I think of walking out of a grocery store and I watched  this young man walk over and help an older lady. Say, can I push the basket for you and help you  with that? And the smile on her face, take action. Let's roll. Let's do something.  And you know, when I look at everything that goes on, if it's not now, when are you going to take  action? And if it's not here, where you're at, where's it going to be? Where do you have to go?  And if it's not you, who is it going to be? You know, in that case, all of those questions were  answered by Todd Beamer. And let's not lose sight of the fact that there were a lot of other people  that charged that cockpit with him. That in his leadership, he rallied other people to do this with  him. And you know, when I look at this right now, countless lives were saved.  There's some indication of where they thought the target of that plane was supposed to be. Nobody  knows for sure, but here's what we know for sure. Had that plane been allowed to continue,  all the lives on that plane would have still been lost, but perhaps hundreds or thousands of other  lives could have been lost as well. You know, in the world that we're in right now, maybe it's just  one life that could be lost if you don't say, let's roll and help them understand the power of  knowing Jesus Christ. Are we the men that are to take action today to do one thing,  one thing, whatever that is. So men, let's roll. God bless you.

Every story begins with the belief that God can use a testimony to change a life. Will you help us

keep these stories free for people all around the world? Join the 500 People Challenge.

To be a ministry partner, simply visit 365christianstories.com.

Welcome to

365 Christian Men, where every day we aim to inspire and encourage with real-life stories about

men.

Todd Beamer was an account manager with Oracle Corporation who sold systems applications. He also

taught Sunday school, worked in the youth ministry, and played on the church softball team. Todd

rooted for the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls, and Chicago Bears. Todd was an ordinary guy.

An ordinary guy who had entrusted his life to Christ. On one of the bleakest days in the history of

the United States, Todd demonstrated courage under tremendous pressure. On this date,

in 2001, Todd Beamer stormed the cockpit of United Airlines Flight 93 to San Francisco.

Act courageously against evil. Leave a lasting legacy.

In the wreckage, they found Todd's watch. On September 11th, Todd made a decision,

and his decision saved a lot of people's lives. If someone asked, do you know where you were on 9

-11? Most of us would answer, yes. That day, the tragedy of terrorism shocked America into

stillness. Todd, his wife Lisa, and their two little boys had returned from a trip to Italy on

September 10th. The next morning, Todd went back to the airport to catch United Airlines Flight 93

for a day trip to San Francisco. Todd flew often. This was just one more business trip.

But about 45 minutes into the flight, four men with red bandanas tied around their heads stormed

the cockpit and killed the pilot and co-pilot. They announced they had a bomb on board and made

the five flight attendants and 33 passengers move to the back of the airplane so they'd be out of

the way. In the back, the passengers were able to talk to each other and call their loved ones.

Lisa, Todd's wife, was expecting their third child, and so Todd chose not to call her,

knowing it might upset her and affect her pregnancy. Instead, he hit zero on the phone and

connected with Lisa Jefferson, a telephone switchboard operator. Quietly,

Todd explained to her what was happening. In that 13-minute conversation, he asked Lisa to say the

Lord's Prayer with him and recite Psalm 23. Before his life-ending act of courage,

Todd found strength in the Word of God. One passage in particular gave Todd courage. Psalm 56,

verses 3 and 4.

In God whose word I praise, in God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

Based on the calls Todd and the other passengers had made, they knew about the two planes hitting

the World Trade Center. They knew this was part of a larger plan. So they decided to storm the

cockpit. Todd took one final look at his fellow passengers before he uttered his final words on

Earth. You ready? Let's roll.

That day, Todd and his fellow passengers fought back against the terrorists of United Airlines

Flight 93. The band of brave passengers shoved their way into the cockpit and stopped the terrorist

mission to destroy a target in Washington, D.C., presumably the Capitol Building or the White

House. Instead of hitting the target, the plane crashed in a field in Somerset County,

Pennsylvania, killing all the passengers. But hundreds, maybe thousands of lives were saved.

by the courageous acts of a few gritty passengers. On that field, rescue crews found Todd Beamer's

watch, which now sits in the National 9-11 Memorial Museum. It's a two-tone Rolex,

broken and charred. The crystal is missing, as well as one of the hands. You can't tell the time by

looking at it, but you do know the day. In a corner of the watch's face, you see the number 11.

A fitting artifact, since Todd made the most of his time.

What would you do in a situation requiring a courageous choice?

Act courageously against evil. Leave a lasting legacy.

Hey man, Chuck Stecker here with The Chosen Generation. What a privilege it is to be here with you.

I'm so grateful for this ministry and the leadership of this ministry, and I think we all should

be. I'm a better person because of that, and I'm hoping you are too. But let's dive into our story,

a powerful story today, September 11. or what's known around the world in many places as 9-11.

The day that two planes were crashed into the towers in New York, a plane was crashed into the

Pentagon, and this plane here that Todd Beamer was on, who our story is about,

crashed into a field in Somerset, Pennsylvania. You know, this is very significant for me.

I've been to all of those locations. I've stood the ground in New York. I've stood at the Pentagon

where I once served long before this. My wife and I have walked through the memorial in that field

where that plane was crashed. You know, our story starts off, do you know where you were at on 9

-11? That's a significant question. Here's where I'm at on this.

We could spend the next two or three hours and still not touch the importance, all of the

importance of the Todd Beamer story. You know, the pilot of that plane actually lived in the

neighborhood that I live in now. So there's a lot of connections there. But here's the thing that

kind of grabbed onto me again. And that is when he made the decision and he said,

let's roll. Let's roll. Let's take action. Something needs to be done.

And so, you know, I kind of look at these things with the questions of when we look at the world

that we live in today and the things that need to be done. And they're all around us. From the very

simplest of things to helping a person. I think of walking out of a grocery store and I watched

this young man walk over and help an older lady. Say, can I push the basket for you and help you

with that? And the smile on her face, take action. Let's roll. Let's do something.

And you know, when I look at everything that goes on, if it's not now, when are you going to take

action? And if it's not here, where you're at, where's it going to be? Where do you have to go?

And if it's not you, who is it going to be? You know, in that case, all of those questions were

answered by Todd Beamer. And let's not lose sight of the fact that there were a lot of other people

that charged that cockpit with him. That in his leadership, he rallied other people to do this with

him. And you know, when I look at this right now, countless lives were saved.

There's some indication of where they thought the target of that plane was supposed to be. Nobody

knows for sure, but here's what we know for sure. Had that plane been allowed to continue,

all the lives on that plane would have still been lost, but perhaps hundreds or thousands of other

lives could have been lost as well. You know, in the world that we're in right now, maybe it's just

one life that could be lost if you don't say, let's roll and help them understand the power of

knowing Jesus Christ. Are we the men that are to take action today to do one thing,

one thing, whatever that is. So men, let's roll. God bless you.