Sept 11, 2025 – Edits
One of the reasons I hesitated to dive into the world of blogging is because of editing. I didn’t want to be tied each day to the words I’d posted. I wanted the liberty to rewrite or add to the text like you can when writing a book. But then I realized that eventually the writing has to be complete if I ever want to send it for publishing; so, I decided that blogging would be good practice for me to do my best to write in the best way each day and then move on to the next day and the next project. I’ve done that pretty well, until today when I felt compelled to add to yesterday’s post. There were a few things I had left out, because I was trying to respect the reader’s attention span and not run long; but, because of the shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk yesterday, I went ahead and added to and rewrote a couple of paragraphs.
People are lamenting about how awful the times are that we are living in, but I would remind us all that tragedies and cruelties have been with us since the Garden; it’s just that there are more people in the world now and therefore more hate and intolerance that is broadcast more immediately to us 24/7. For those reasons, it does seem worse than in the past; however, I wouldn’t have wanted to live in Salem, Massachusetts during the witch trials or on the prairie defending my land from thieves.
The news and experiences we have are all relative to our time and place in history; but, as Winston Churchill rephrased from a line originally said by the Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” And the sad case, that some broadcasters are currently pointing out during their on-the-street and beach interviews, is that many people don’t know history at all. I admit that I’m one of the guilty ones who doesn’t remember much of what I was taught. I think most people who are well versed about the events from the past have heard it on TV and/or have read and studied on their own rather than relying on classroom teachings. Might be time to pull some of those books off the shelf or for some of us to go buy some! There are many interesting options out there besides school books.
Because I need to leave early this morning for my small group, I will look to Jesus Calling to start my day, for now, and maybe add to the blog later:
JC – “Rejoice in Me always! No matter what is going on, you can rejoice in your Love-relationship with Me. This is the secret of being content in all circumstances.” I haven’t watched or listened to Charlie Kirk very much these years as he has become more present in the media, but what I did hear, at times, made it clear that he had great faith and great passion for preserving and encouraging American values and ways. He can no longer edit anything he has written or said which is a poignant message at least to me to be intentional in what I say and write. By our earthly standards, he was robbed of a long life here on earth with his family and friends; and, I’m very sad for that loss, but he is with our Father now experiencing what we all look forward to as we grow in our faith and learn more about God’s love for us. I’m sad, and I pray, for those who are left behind to live this life here without him.
