Just Jan

By now, the entire world has to know about the senseless killing of a young man who was a son, husband, father, and foremost a Christian. Charlie Kirk dedicated his life to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and encouraging young people to lead successful lives. I have been too numb to even write about this amazing young person until now.

It breaks my heart that his adorable son and daughter will have to do without their loving daddy. They will certainly know him through videos, newsreels, and countless photos and articles. They will know what he stood for—their mother, Ericka, will keep the Christian faith that she shared with her husband. But they are forever deprived of his loving arms around them. He will not be in attendance for their baseball games, recitals, plays, and so much more.

I cannot imagine a mind so twisted that a person could think they have the right to end a life. So many–more eloquent than me–have posted wonderful tributes to this amazing young man. The wonderful things people are doing in an effort to comfort Charlie’s family are so amazing, But sadly, nothing changes the fact that we have lost a young man who served the Lord, loved our country, and was committed to the youth of our country.

The mission of Turning Point states their goal “to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government”. Charlie believed that by hosting conversations with young people, it could lead to new insights . He shared his personal experiences and encouraged others to share theirs and debate with him when they disagreed. And yes, he wanted to influence their views through education and discussion–not violence. Violence was in no way a part of his platform. Charlie was a champion of free speech and died for exercising his right to speak to students about the beliefs he held dear. Students were not forced to listen to Charlie at Utah Valley University. We have the freedom in our country to make our own decisions.

When I was 10 years old, we lived through the unspeakable assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. That was followed on April 4, 1968 with the killing of Martin Luther King Jr. Then on June 5 –only a few months later, Robert F. Kennedy was killed. These great men stood for God, faith, freedom, and peace . The loss of their leadership left our country deeply wounded–five horrible years of violence that hung over America like a dark cloud.

Charlie Kirk’s death comes on the heels of our outrage and grief over the August 22 murder of Ukrainian refugee, Iryna Zarutska on a train in North Carolina. Then on August 27, two children ages 8 and 10 were killed and 21 others wounded on an attack at a Catholic Church in Minnesota during mass! Most Americans are furious about this horrendous murder; yet, some Americans are actually celebrating! Ironically, a lot of hurt and confusion has been caused by churches who have ignored this opportunity to denounce evil and pray for the Kirk family. This is about the battle between good and evil. Jesus teaches us that you cannot take a neutral position in the spiritual battle between good and evil. “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. ” Luke 11:23

In the face of this tragedy , many are turning to prayer as the reality of our nation’s culture continues to erupt in violence and hate. It was wonderful that so many NFL Teams had a moment of silence to honor Charlie on Sunday. Hollywood personalities such as Charlie Sheen and Jamie Lee Curtis have put politics aside to express their outrage. Charlie Kirk promoted Jesus above all else. Whether you liked his policies or not, we need to stand united against violence. We are called to ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ( Mark 12:31).

Wake up America! Let’s unite and pray for our country!!