Greg Lorry and Harvest Ministries recommend a new resource from best-selling author Max Lucato dealing with your thought life.
So many people have Max Lucato books already in their library, but this is his brand new book to help you learn how to team your thoughts. Our thoughts really ultimately affect pretty much everything. And folks, we want to offer you this book by Max Lucato. Team Your Thoughts. for a gift of any amount at harvest.org.
While we're all still in a state of shock, Hearing of the tragic death, really the murder of Charlie Kirk. I met Charlie in Miami, Florida, some years ago. Wonderful young man. And it's so shocking to think that someone with so much of their life ahead of them would be taken from us and in such A horrible way. You'll read articles that will describe him as a conservative activist or a right wing activist and I think we need to understand who Charlie Kirk really was deep down inside and what motivated him.
Yes, he was a patriot. Yes, he was an American who loved his country. But first and foremost, Charlie Kirk was a Christian. It was his faith in Christ that motivated him to do what he did and why he accomplished so much in a relatively short life. He started Turning Point USA at the age of 18.
And he went to be with the Lord at the age of thirty-one. I think of a statement of a wonderful woman of God named Corey Tin Boom who said, A life is not measured by its duration, but by its donation. Without a mind, Charlie certainly made a great donation with his life. He made such a difference. I've seen so many videos of him on college campuses.
talking with students at Oxford, giving speeches. And he was such a powerful communicator because he could logically defend his position. And he did so with such courage and clarity, and I would even say compassion. I've seen videos of him, as I'm sure you have as well. of young people just insulting him to his face and he would smile and then respond to them.
He was very influential with younger people. With the generation of kids that primarily get their news from TikTok, they knew who Charlie Kirk was. And this is a tremendous loss. I think about when I was young. How we were impacted by the JFK assassination.
And I think for many young people, it'll have a similar effect on them. There's a resurgence of young people returning to church right now, especially Gen Z, and without question. Charlie Kirk had their ear and was influencing so many of them. At a time like this, we ask why? Why would God allow something like this to happen?
And I can't really answer that question. I know we grappled with that white question when our own son, Christopher. Aged 33 died in a Automobile accident seventeen years ago.
So we pivoted to The what question and the who question. First, the what question: what do we do?
Well, we need to turn. to God. And I think that we need to be inspired by Charlie's life. He was carrying the baton and. One would have thought he would have carried it for many more years, but now his race is done, but he hands that baton off, and we need to carry it to the next generation and call them to Christ and speak boldly on cultural issues and not be embarrassed or be ashamed.
But then there's the who. Who do we turn to? We turn to God. See, here's the thing. Charlie Kirk is in heaven right now.
He's safely in the arms of Jesus. The moment he took his last breath on earth, he took his first breath in heaven. The Bible says when we're in God's presence, there is fullness of joy and on his right hand there are pleasures forevermore. Charlie is safely in the arms of Jesus. And the Lord perhaps has already said to him, well done, good and faithful servant.
Enter into the joy of your Lord. But let's really remember to pray for Charlie's wife Erika and his two children, who will not understand why their daddy is not coming home. And what a tragedy and what a loss this is. But what a legacy he left with his life. I think of the words of Jim Elliott, who was martyred for his faith, and he wrote in his journal, I don't seek a long life, I seek a full one like you, Lord Jesus.
Charlie lived a full life. And he made a big difference with his life and his legacy. We'll continue on.
So we thank God for him. And we thank God for the influence that He will have. I think perhaps even more. In the months and years to come, because he left so much material behind. He was so active, so busy fulfilling the mission God called him to.
And I would close by saying this. I pray that there will be a spiritual awakening in America. I know that was something Charlie cared about and talked about a lot as well. You know, when I was younger, we had the assassination I already alluded to of President Kennedy. Then Martin Luther King was assassinated.
And not long after that, RFK, the brother of President Kennedy, was assassinated as well. And on the heels of that, a great spiritual awakening broke out in America called the Jesus movement. May God use the life and the legacy of Charlie Kirk. To remind America that we need to turn back to God.
So, why don't we just pray for that right now? Father, first and foremost, I pray. For Charlie's family, I pray for his wife Erika and his two children. You are the God of all comfort. Lord, comfort them as only you can.
in this time of deep, deep loss and sorrow and mourning. I pray for his organization, Turning Point USA, that you'll help them, Lord, as they continue to get the message. That Charlie so boldly proclaimed out to our nation and the world. And I pray, Lord. That you will send another Jesus Movement, another spiritual revolution to America.
We need it so desperately. Thank you for the life of this young man. and the influence he had. We pray all of this now. In Jesus' name.
Amen. Yeah, yeah.
