Like many of you, I’ve been glued to my phone over the last 24 hours, poring over news updates and the articles and posts from friends sharing their memories of Charlie Kirk. Some of these are rich with articulate, highly descriptive prose, summarizing a phenomenal man whose impact we’ve only begun to see the fruits of. They describe him as a lion, a faithful servant of Christ martyred as he dutifully, joyfully, compassionately fought for the soul of this nation through ideas and conversation.  These articles from friends and heroes to me, Bradley Devlin, Ben Shapiro, Jack Posobiec, and dozens of others, are far better at capturing Charlie’s enormous achievements and impeccable character than I have the capacity to produce. I didn’t meet Charlie through a Turning Point event. I’d seen clips and speeches of his, of course, and though I had been writing and publishing very small-time education and political analysis, I was more likely to watch conferences and events from my laptop in Indiana. I wasn’t a member of Turning Point, though many of my friends and fellow writers at Lone Conservative were. When I launched an education publication to amplify ignored and censored voices in education, it came with a podcast I didn’t want to launch—a simple interview segment that grew a bit. We talked about inviting Charlie on, but he was considered “far too big a fish” for us to land as a guest.Eventually, my whistleblowing critical race theory as an administrator at Indianapolis Public Schools got me suspended from the school district in 2021. Suddenly, my hobby of writing and publishing I’d enjoyed had become my only lifeline to a job, my wife was nine months pregnant with our first and struggling with preeclampsia. We were worried. I had been told that I’d set my family’s well-being on fire for “15 minutes of fame and appearing on Tucker [Carlson Tonight].”I’ve never admitted this before—but there were times I thought they were right. I weighed the idea of quitting, of trying to fade into obscurity and take any job to feed my growing family. It was at this time I received a text from Charlie Kirk. I don’t know who gave him my number, I never found out, but he asked me if we were doing alright. Someone out there had told him some of the more particular details of our situation, and he reached out to a nobody to check on him and make sure he and his wife were OK. Who does that? Charlie Kirk did. It wasn’t a one-time thing. Over the next few months, we built a cordial via-text friendship. He invited me down to a Turning Point event and kept tabs on Chalkboard Review. He amplified and talked about our work ending a racial discrimination policy at an Indiana university. We traded lyrics from a Getty song that we both felt refreshed and convicted by. He teased me about his speaking at my alma mater before I did. When I had to make the hard decision to sell Chalkboard Review and submitted an application to work at The Daily Signal, he offered to be a reference for me. I never had the chance to repay his kindness. I have no major financial or political capital, not that he coveted such things. He wouldn’t have accepted any repayment could some be contrived. I have had the chance to read through what feels like hundreds of stories just like mine. Charlie Kirk never lorded his influence over anyone, never dismissed a single person. He personally looked after, encouraged, laughed with, celebrated with, and challenged untold numbers of us. It is clear to me, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the unique spiritual gift God imparted to Charlie was encouragement—and my, how he used it! My heart grieves for the loss of a Christlike man I am truly honored to have called a friend, grieves for Erika and his two wonderful children. My eyes look to the Eastern Gate, where I can’t wait to thank him for the number of times he challenged me to be a better husband and father. My thanks are to those who continue to share their stories of Charlie, and to my Savior for allowing me to have known him. Charlie’s steady encouragement continues. It urges us forward to fight for this nation, for our families, and by God’s grace we will share his same fire for truth, liberty, and the love of Christ with others. — When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast. When the tempter would prevail, He will hold me fast. I could never keep my hold, Through life’s fearful path. For my love is often cold, He must hold me fast. He will hold me fast. He will hold me fast. For my Saviour loves me so, He will hold me fast. “He Will Hold Me Fast,” Keith & Kristyn Getty. The post Charlie Kirk, the Encourager appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Southern Poverty Law Center rightly condemned the horrific assassination of Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk Wednesday, but if the SPLC is serious in opposing political violence, it should do one better: It should remove Turning Point USA from its “hate map,” which plots Kirk’s organization alongside Ku Klux Klan chapters. The FBI is currently searching for the suspect who shot and killed Kirk, and Americans do not know this person’s identity, much less his motive. There is no evidence that the SPLC inspired this assassination. That said, this isn’t the first time a shooter has targeted an organization on the “hate map,” and that map clearly contributes to the political hatred that makes events like the Kirk assassination thinkable. In 2012, a terrorist opened fire at the Family Research Council’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. He carried a semiautomatic pistol and a bag of Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches. He told the FBI he targeted the Family Research Council using the SPLC “hate map” and that he intended to kill everyone in the building and smear a Chick-fil-A sandwich in their faces. He did so at a time when LGBTQ activists condemned Chick-fil-A for funding socially conservative causes. The SPLC condemned this act of terrorism, but it has kept the Family Research Council on its “hate map” ever since. In 2017, 66-year-old James T. Hodgkinson opened fire at a Republican practice for the Congressional Baseball Game, nearly killing then-House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and wounding four others. Hodgkinson targeted Republicans in the shooting and had “liked” on Facebook the SPLC, which had repeatedly attacked Scalise. Then-SPLC CEO Richard Cohen condemned the attack as a “sickening and cowardly act of terror that must be condemned by everyone across the political spectrum.” The SPLC’s ‘Hate Map’ The SPLC knows what it is doing with the “hate map.” The center gained its reputation for suing Ku Klux Klan chapters into bankruptcy in the 1980s, and it developed the Klanwatch project to monitor Klan groups. “Klanwatch” morphed into “Hatewatch” and the “Intelligence Project,” which publishes an annual map of “hate groups” and “antigovernment extremist groups” across the country. Yet the map includes far more than just truly racist and hateful organizations like the Klan. Starting in the early 2000s, the SPLC added organizations that oppose illegal immigration to the map. In 2010, it added a host of “anti-LGBT hate groups” to the map, including the Family Research Council. It added organizations that oppose radical Islamist terrorism, such as the Center for Security Policy, as “anti-Muslim hate groups.” In recent years, the “hate map” has grown even more expansive. The SPLC put Moms for Liberty and other parental rights groups on the map in 2023, just two years after the National School Boards Association compared concerned parents to domestic terrorists in a since-retracted memo. This year, the SPLC added Turning Point USA to the “hate map.” The SPLC does not call for violence against organizations on the map, but it has repeatedly stated that the map reveals the “infrastructure upholding white supremacy.” The comparison between mainstream conservative organizations and the Ku Klux Klan is arguably defamatory, and the SPLC is currently defending itself in court after calling the Dustin Inman Society, which opposes illegal immigration, an “anti-immigrant hate group.” The SPLC’s Influence While the SPLC adopts a slimy legal argument in the courtroom, claiming that its “hate” accusations are a matter of opinion and not a statement of fact, its cultural cachet belies this fatuous defense. Big Tech companies like Amazon have used the “hate map” to screen program recipients. Companies like Eventbrite, PayPal, and Hyatt Hotels have relied on the SPLC’s “hate” accusations. Donor networks worth billions have pledged to keep charitable funds out of the hands of SPLC-accused “hate groups.” Then-SPLC President Margaret Huang bragged in a 2021 donor meeting that “many agencies in the new Biden administration” reached out to “solicit our expertise” to “help shape the policies that the new administration is adopting to counter the domestic terrorism threat.” That wasn’t hyperbole. The Justice Department received a briefing from the SPLC shortly after it added Moms for Liberty to the “hate map” in June 2023. The FBI cited the SPLC in its notorious memo on “radical-traditional Catholics.” Law enforcement agencies do not take briefings on mere matters of opinion. Companies do not blacklist charities based on matters of opinion. SPLC Must Remove Turning Point USA The SPLC’s “hate map” encourages Americans to look on well-meaning law-abiding conservatives with suspicion and contempt. It advocates removing people from polite society because they disagree with the Left’s agenda on LGBTQ issues, immigration, parental rights, and more. This deluge of vitriol the SPLC systematically publishes far outweighs its pitiful statements condemning political violence against the Right after violence has already taken place. If the SPLC is serious about bringing down the temperature, cooling our passions, and actually resolving our political divisions, it can take one small proactive step in the direction of proving it: remove Turning Point USA from the “hate map” immediately. This will not undo the damage the SPLC has already done, and it will not restore the reputations of so many good conservatives the SPLC has systematically smeared, but it will prove that the SPLC’s commitment to fighting political violence is more real than a couple of words on a page. This is one concrete step an influential leftist group can take to combat the worsening polarization that seems to be driving us toward civil war. I pray that the SPLC takes this opportunity. The post PROVE IT: If SPLC Wants to Oppose Political Violence, It Must Remove Turning Point USA From the ‘Hate Map’ appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Democrat Gerontocracy: Hell No, We Won’t Go

Axios, Too: 'MAGA Siege Mentality'

Meta AI shockingly failed to acknowledge the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, while even communist China’s DeepSeek AI got it right. On the 24th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, which led to the deaths of 2,977 people, one AI chatbot, Meta AI, stood out from the rest in failing to find anything significant about the date. MRC Free Speech America researchers asked a variety of AI chatbots “What makes today significant in America?” on what has been officially called Patriot Day since Dec. 18, 2001. Meta AI’s response to the prompt was brief and startling. Continue reading on MRCFreeSpeechAmerica.org. 

In the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, there were surely many people who would have liked to speak with President Trump. So, it's notable, for better or worse, that the president apparently accepted Joe Scarborough's call.  On today's Morning Joe, Scarborough described some of their conversation, noting that the president called Kirk "a great man," and gave him credit, with his organizing and fundraising efforts, for making the difference in some of the swing states.   Scarborough also commended MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler for having condemned the words of Matthew Dowd on Katy Tur's MSNBC show yesterday, in which Dowd grotesquely speculated, “We don’t know if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration.” Oddly, Scarborough didn't mention that Dowd has also been fired by MSNBC. He said "Matthew Dowd, yesterday, came on and made a wild speculation that was obviously wrong and extraordinarily hurtful to many people. And Rebecca Kutler said so last night, came out and condemned his words in the strongest terms. So we're glad that she did that." The panel was dressed in somber tones, and the tone of their comments was also generally appropriate to the occasion. The only somewhat discordant note came from Willie Geist, who, while condemning political violence, went out of his way to note: None of this is an endorsement of his views. Certainly not that. But the point is, it's a condemnation of using violence to settle your disagreements with somebody over their views.  I think most of us at this table disagree with a lot of what Charlie Kirk would say. We often describe people making statements like that as "maintaining their liberal street cred." In this instance, it seemed superfluous. Anyone with the slightest familiarity with Morning Joe is well aware that the show has anything but a conservative bent. Here's the transcript. MSNBC Morning Joe 9/11/25 6:02 am EDT JOE SCARBOROUGH: You know, I said here, I spoke with, we talk to the president from time to time. I certainly spoke with the president after Butler, Pennsylvania, calling to offer my condolences, and did the same thing last night, because I knew he was close to Charlie.  And he said, Charlie was a great man. And Willie, he talked about how he was a singular talent for this time, especially for the conservative movement. And President Trump even talked about how Charlie Kirk played a huge role in helping him get elected. The voter registration drives, going to college campuses.  You know, before the election, we were talking about how Republicans were depending on young men to get out to the election. And, you know, that's that hardly ever happens. It's usually you focus on older voters to get out to the polls and vote. And high propensity voters, Younger men, college students, were always lower propensity voters. And after the election, people stood back and were shocked. So why did this happen?  Well, Donald Trump explained last night one of the reasons that happened was told me it was because of Charlie Kirk.  . . .  WILLIE GEIST: Of course, there are always people on the fringe on social media who are going to be idiots and celebrate the horrible moments like this. But there is near universal condemnation from political leadership for this act of violence and all acts of violence. And this is a really important moment for our leaders to step up and say that again and again. Speaker Johnson said it yesterday. And then Minority Leader Jeffries said almost the same thing. So we're getting it from both sides of the aisle. And let's hope that holds.  SCARBOROUGH: Let's hope that holds. And also from leadership of this network. Somebody came on, Matthew Dowd, yesterday, came on and made a wild speculation that was obviously wrong and extraordinarily hurtful to many people. And Rebecca Kutler said so last night, came out and condemned his words in the strongest terms. So we're glad that she did that.  And we're going to be getting into just what he did. So those who don't understand the extraordinary impact Charlie Kirk has had on American politics will have a better understanding that this guy that was a podcaster for two hours a day, that's a job in and of itself. He ran organizations all over college campuses, the best organized person. Democrats would have loved to have, for their version of Charlie Kirk. A fundraising operation, Jonathan, where, you know, raised well over $100 million and used so much of that to get out the vote.  He organized for the six swing states. And again, as Donald Trump told me last night and told other people, was the difference maker in some of those states. . . .  GEIST: I was struck yesterday by how young men I know, teenagers, were hit by this. And again, none of this is an endorsement of all of his views. Certainly not that. But the point is, it's a condemnation of using violence to settle your disagreements with somebody over their views. I think most of us at this table disagree with a lot of what Charlie Kirk would say.  MIKA BRZEZINSKI: But this is not the answer.  GEIST: This, obviously, is not the answer. This cannot happen. 

The left-wing media continued to Trumpwash the horrific murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on Tuesday’s edition of The 11th Hour. MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle hosted a panel, including a segment on state-federal law enforcement cooperation and the recent stabbing in Charlotte with former Senator Doug Jones (D-AL), and the two of them griped about the kind of attention the murder was receiving, including from President Trump. Jones compared apples to oranges by referring to a past experience of his when a crime-ridden city reached out for federal support, neglecting the actual instigator of National Guard presence: When I was the United States Attorney—a long time ago now, 20 something years ago—we had joint federal-state investigations. We had joint federal state—not just that we had task forces, we had folks working together, particularly. We had a program specifically that dealt with illegal guns. We trained local law enforcement officers. That program came because the city of Birmingham came to me and said, “We need help. We need the power of the federal government to help us with this.” But we were strategic. We had law enforcement agents that were helping to train, working together, investigative agents, using the resources of law enforcement. We didn't call in the National Guard.     Birmingham hadn’t achieved the results it sought out. Good thing the National Guard strategy may be implemented. Jones continued to ignore the intended purpose of the National Guard’s presence in D.C., cracking down on crime, to which Ruhle appended by indicating the cost of the measure: JONES: I think I'm glad the president went out to dinner. I go out to dinner all the time in Washington, D.C. A lot of people do, especially when you got Congress in session. The National Guard has been wonderful up there to help spruce up the flowers and to put mulch around the flower beds. But it's ridiculous to have a non-law enforcement, a military agency in there to try to help a crime problem. RUHLE: And ridiculously expensive, Doug? JONES: Ridiculously expensive. Property crime and murders had dropped since the National Guard’s entrance into the nation’s capital. Ridiculously frugal. Ruhle switched the subject to the recent murder of Ukrainian refugee Zarutska, huffing about the kind of attention it was receiving and giving Jones another opportunity to butcher common sense. Jones’s faux impartiality on the evil of murder was betrayed by injecting Trump into the issue (Click “expand”): RUHLE: Today, the man accused of killing a 23 year old Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte, North Carolina, was charged with a federal crime. This is an absolutely horrific crime. How do you navigate, ensuring that justice is served without allowing this young woman's horrible murder to become hyper-politicized on the national stage? JONES: Well, unfortunately, it's been the President who's hyper, you know, has gone crazy with this, with this one murder. And it was tragic. It was horrible. I am glad the feds have stepped and investigated this, to make an example. To show that the federal government is doing something other than just patrolling the southern border. That they are actually doing things to help state and local law enforcement in a community. I think that that's a good thing. And they can use the federal government resources. But the problem you've got and the President's speech about this, the president's comments about this, was just pandering to a base of folks throwing red meat out there to try to use this for political advantage. That is not appropriate. This is the criminal justice system. Even the defendant is-is even, although he is on videotape, he's still under—in this country, in the eyes of the law, innocent until proven guilty. Blind justice may still stand, but Jones clearly wasn’t. Jones decided to save the worst for last, speculating that the murder would not have been picked up by the media had the victim been black: "But now this has become such a political issue, that I—and there's so many others. You know, I wonder, I wonder, Stephanie, would this have been such an issue if this hadn't have been a pretty blonde, Ukrainian and was a poor black woman coming up in the subway just trying to get home from a domestic help. Would that have been publicized? I doubt it. I doubt it seriously." Ironically, even in the face of Jones’s twisted theory that nation’s attention on the Charlotte murder was racially-charged, Ruhle failed to push back. MSNBC had failed to provide honest coverage of two major stories by allowing politicians to do just that: politic. The transcript is below. Click "expand" read: MSNBC’s The 11th Hour September 9, 2025 11:12:34, p.m. Eastern (…) STEPHANIE RUHLE: Doug, what do you make of city leaders that say they absolutely want help from federal agents, they welcome it—but an occupation of federal troops isn't the answer in their city? FMR SEN. DOUG JONES (D-AL): Stephanie, that's been the situation for years. When I was the United States Attorney—a long time ago now, 20 something years ago—we had joint federal-state investigations. We had joint federal state—not just that we had task forces, we had folks working together, particularly. We had a program specifically that dealt with illegal guns. We trained local law enforcement officers. That program came because the city of Birmingham came to me and said, “We need help. We need the power of the federal government to help us with this.” But we were strategic. We had law enforcement agents that were helping to train, working together, investigative agents, using the resources of law enforcement. We didn't call in the National Guard. And I'm sure you know Washington—look. I think I'm glad the president went out to dinner. I go out to dinner all the time in Washington, D.C. A lot of people do, especially when you got Congress in session. The National Guard has been wonderful up there to help spruce up the flowers and to put mulch around the flower beds. But it's ridiculous to have a non-law enforcement, a military agency in there to try to help a crime problem. RUHLE: And ridiculously expensive, Doug? JONES: Ridiculously expensive. RUHLE: Today, the man accused of killing a 23 year old Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte, North Carolina, was charged with a federal crime. This is an absolutely horrific crime. How do you navigate, ensuring that justice is served without allowing this young woman's horrible murder to become hyper-politicized on the national stage? JONES: Well, unfortunately, it's been the President who's hyper, you know, has gone crazy with this, with this one murder. And it was tragic. It was horrible. I am glad the feds have stepped and investigated this, to make an example. To show that the federal government is doing something other than just patrolling the southern border. That they are actually doing things to help state and local law enforcement in a community. I think that that's a good thing. And they can use the federal government resources. But the problem you've got and the President's speech about this, the president's comments about this, was just pandering to a base of folks throwing red meat out there to try to use this for political advantage. That is not appropriate. This is the criminal justice system. Even the defendant is-is even, although he is on videotape, he's still under—in this country, in the eyes of the law, innocent until proven guilty. But now this has become such a political issue, that I—and there's so many others. You know, I wonder, I wonder, Stephanie, would this have been such an issue if this hadn't have been a pretty blonde, Ukrainian and was a poor black woman coming up in the subway just trying to get home from a domestic help. Would that have been publicized? I doubt it. I doubt it seriously. And so, you know, I think people have to see this for what it is. It is a tragedy. They're doing what they should be doing. But don't make—don't make it the kind of national issue that we have. Let the local law enforcement do their jobs. (…)

“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1).Why we should read this reminder: God is sovereign over suffering and, in His time, repurposes unspeakable evil for redemptive good. The question of evil appears to be eternal, but evil did, in fact, have a beginning. And just as evil had a beginning, it will have an ending. Evil is not eternal.Evil may wound, but it cannot win. Pain may overwhelm, but it cannot overcome the resurrection hope we have in Jesus.On Wednesday, my heart was shattered. Charlie Kirk and I had been texting late Sunday night, finalizing details for his surprise appearance at our Prestonwood Biblical Worldview Conference. Just hours later, our brother and friend was ushered immediately into the presence of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:8). His life was cut short in an act of unspeakable evil. He was brutally murdered and assassinated.When we are struck by evil atrocity, our hearts cry out: Why, Lord? We feel the weight of grief pressing down, and worry and fear become destabilizing forces. But in these moments, we need a deeper anchor for our souls.George Müller, the great 19th-century prayer warrior, once said: “My faith is the same faith which is found in every believer. It has been increased little by little for the last 26 years. Many times, when I would have gone insane from worry, I was at peace because my soul believed the truth of God’s promises.”Müller’s words remind us of a vital truth: Peace is not found in explanations but in God’s promises.Worry, even fear, is destabilizing so many of us right now. We need a steady anchor for our souls to stabilize our emotions and help us put one foot in front of the other today.Oh, how we all need the reminder that our God weeps with us today. Through His Son — and now through His Spirit — God has entered our world of suffering. In the midst of heartbreak and loss, He offers His presence, His peace, His hope, His joy, and the promise of eternal life, even when life makes no sense.Evil does not make sense, so there is no spiritual value in trying to understand or make evil make sense. Evil is a disruption in all the good God has created for us.RELATED: Charlie Kirk: Loving father, fearless communicator, happy warrior — 1993-2025 Rebecca Noble/Getty Images We also do not have the right words. That's OK. Scripture reminds us, “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words" (Romans 8:26).In light of this, I want to share four biblical anchors that can steady our souls as we grieve Charlie’s loss and face the problem of pain and evil.1. God allows and is in control of all my challengesWhen Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and cast into prison, he suffered unjustly for 13 long years (Genesis 39). Was he in God’s will? Yes. Was God still sovereign? Absolutely.Only years later, standing before his brothers who had betrayed him, Joseph declared, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). What was meant to destroy Joseph, God used to save a nation and preserve the line of promise that would lead to the Messiah.The same God is at work in our pain today. That situation in your life that feels unbearable, even senseless — He is still in control. He is not absent. He is bringing good out of evil in ways we cannot yet see.Please join me in praying for Charlie’s precious wife, children, and family. We cling to the promise that “the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). And we take comfort in the truth that “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).2. When evil strikes, we live on promises — not explanationsUltimately, there is little spiritual value or peace from explanations. Explanations rarely heal a broken heart. In fact, answers alone fall flat in the face of evil. But the promises of God never fail. As seekers of truth, we will find the assailants and pray they are brought to justice, but as a pastor, I know more peace will still be needed when “those questions” are answered.To experience peace, we must learn to live by faith in the promises and character of God. No one lives by having faith in explanations. All of the faith heroes of the scriptures (many who greatly suffered) lived by faith in the promises of God. Faith is taking God at his word, not asking him for an explanation. That doesn’t mean we cannot ask God, “Why?” But in my experience, God wants us to trust him in the moment, rather than ask for an explanation.When we suffer, we realize how insignificant our lives are apart from living them in the will of God.Here’s the key when evil strikes: Living by faith means obeying God’s word in spite of feelings, circumstances, or consequences. It means holding on to God’s truth no matter how heavy the burden or how dark the day, knowing that He is working out His perfect plan.It means living by promises and not by explanations.We may never know why Charlie’s life was taken so horrifically. Evil does not make sense, nor should we expect it to. Our hope is not in explanations but in the unchanging goodness of God.3. Suffering can confirm my faithSuffering strips away our illusions of self-sufficiency and reminds us that apart from God, our lives are fragile and fleeting.Think of Abraham, who was asked to sacrifice Isaac — the very son of promise (Genesis 22). That moment of unimaginable testing revealed the depth of his trust in God. And in the right time, God provided a ram.In the same way, when trials overwhelm us, we are given the opportunity to see God as our true provider. Suffering, as painful as it is, refines our faith, anchors our hope, and draws us closer to the Lord who holds our days.When we suffer, we realize how insignificant our lives are apart from living them in the will of God.When we walk through suffering, we are reminded how small and fragile our lives are apart from the will of God. Trials strip away illusions and reveal that the true value of life is not found in the temporary, but in what is eternal.4. Someday everything will become clear, and God’s ultimate purpose will be accomplishedBiblical heroes like Abraham, Joseph, and Job did not understand their trials while they were in the midst of them. Clarity only came later, when they could look back and see the hand of God at work in the crisis.Even our Lord Jesus entered the depths of sorrow.On the night before His crucifixion, He confessed to His disciples, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (Matthew 26:38). In agony He prayed, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). Only hours later, He would endure such profound abandonment that He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).In our darkest moments, we discover this unshakable truth: Jesus understands, Jesus remains, and Jesus redeems.This week, with the heartbreaking news of Charlie’s murder, we feel that same weight of sorrow and confusion. Like the great saints of old, we don’t yet have clarity on why such atrocities happen. But we cling to the same promises they did.The writer of Hebrews reminds us: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15).And we hold fast to God’s unchanging word: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).Charlie loved Jesus and was unashamed of the gospel. Today, we grieve his loss, but not as those without hope. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we know this is not the end. The God who provided for Abraham, who redeemed Joseph’s suffering, who restored Job, and who raised Jesus from the grave will one day wipe away every tear.Until that day, we trust His heart, we rest in His presence, and we lean on His promises.And God promises us still: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).In our darkest moments, we discover this unshakable truth: Jesus understands, Jesus remains, and Jesus redeems.A final wordIn this season of heartbreak, let us cling to Christ, our unshakable anchor. Evil may wound, but it cannot win. Pain may overwhelm, but it cannot overcome the resurrection hope we have in Jesus.Until that day when faith becomes sight, we will trust His heart, rest in His presence, and hold tightly to His promises.

A day after the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk, the organization he founded released a poignant statement predicting that his legacy would continue to influence millions beyond his untimely death.Kirk was shot and killed while debating Wednesday at one of his celebrated campus events at Utah Valley University. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has joined the massive manhunt for the shooter.'Charlie loved America, its people, its Constitution, its freedom, and the limitless good all of them have done for the world. But above all, Charlie lived every day with an overflowing love of the Christ he knew he would one day get to see.'On Thursday, Turning Point USA published a touching statement on Facebook celebrating the life of their founder."Every one of us at Turning Point USA is crushed and devastated by the hateful murder of our founder and guiding light, Charlie Kirk. All of us have lost a leader, a mentor, and a friend. Above all, our hearts are with Erika and their two children," the statement read.The organization asked for prayers for Kirk's family and called Kirk a martyr for free speech."More than anyone, Charlie believed in the power of argument and good-faith debate to find the truth and guide people towards, if not agreement, then at least mutual understanding. Charlie was no stranger to threats. He received thousands throughout his life. But he always prioritized reaching as many young Americans as possible over his own personal safety. Now, Charlie has become America's greatest martyr to the freedom of speech he so adored," they continued."In his thirty-one years, Charlie lived more than any of us will in a hundred. He had an overwhelming passion for life and a deep belief in his power as an individual to make a difference," the statement read. "With the spirit of a pioneer, Charlie launched Turning Point out of his parents' garage as an 18-year-old with no money, no name recognition, only a dream. His energy and drive were awe-inspiring, without equal and deeply infectious. Charlie refused to squander a single day of his life. He was a natural builder and problem solver, who loved a challenge and saw every setback as a chance to learn, grow, pray, and try again. He was fundamentally decent, always eager to make new friends and allies and to support and defend the ones he had already made. His values were timeless American ones: Honesty, forthrightness, duty, loyalty, and fair play."The statement then focused on his Christian faith."Charlie loved America, its people, its Constitution, its freedom, and the limitless good all of them have done for the world. But above all, Charlie lived every day with an overflowing love of the Christ he knew he would one day get to see," the organization continued. "When asked, Charlie said that above all he wished to be remembered for his faith. Far more than any political victory, Charlie wanted to see a spiritual revival among America's youth. He wanted a nation of happy, thriving families who loved God and each other. At his final public speech, just days before his murder, Charlie witnessed to Christ to an audience of nonbelievers. Even in his very last moments, Charlie was professing the Gospel. He ran his race well all the way to the end.""Now, he goes to his heavenly reward."RELATED: 'It's the death of free speech!' Jay Leno expresses his shock at killing of Charlie Kirk "Although Charlie is gone, his legacy will endure," the statement concluded. "He shall not grow old; age shall not weary him. For all time, he will remain the brave young man who inspired tens of millions of Americans to better themselves and take action to better America. All of us will miss Charlie. None of us will ever forget him."Authorities released images of a person of interest being sought in the investigation. No one has been arrested yet.President Donald Trump has announced that he would posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.Kirk was 31 years old.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

San Fran. Chronicle’s Political Writer Blames the Right’s Fury for Escalating Tensions After Kirk’s Death