Remembering Charlie Kirk

In 2022, when I decided to run for public office, one of the first things I did was send two campaign workers, Luke Eastman and Jackson Leach, to Tampa, Florida, to attend a Turning Point Conference and meet Charlie Kirk and his leadership team. Luke later went on to Forge Leadership in Ohio and then subsequently back to a Charlie Kirk conference. The episode yesterday involving the assassination of Charlie Kirk saddens the nation, the church, and the entire world. Last December, I met Charlie Kirk in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he was one of the featured speakers at the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, an organization consisting of state legislators and interested individuals, on which I have served on its governing board since its inception in 2020. Getting to meet Charlie Kirk and listening to him speak in person, as well as many times on TV was an honor. Charlie Kirk always put Jesus first and, after 2021, his wife and children second, and America third. Charlie was both an evangelist for the Lord and for America. He was a true patriot. Charlie represented what the First amendment is supposed to be about, free speech, wherein the public can share its ideas and thoughts, agreements and disagreements, without violence.

In recent years, we have seen Extremists jeopardize the safety of the public, the strength of our constitution, and the foundation on which this country was created.

Charlie was a tremendous advocate for liberty, sharing his thoughts and listening to others with a clear message that our liberty comes first from God, and then from our nation. Charlie was a messenger to young people in America who listened, learned, and advocated a conservative message that would carry forward for generations.

The bible says, "Blessed are those that mourn, for they will be comforted." Grief and mourning are real, so we need to continue to pray for his wife, his children, his family and friends, and for this nation. I know there was a celebration in Heaven yesterday when this temporary life of Charlie ended, and he stepped into the realm of glory forever. God bless the memory of Charlie Kirk.