Charlie Kirk’s assassination marks a turning point

It was supposed to be a normal Wednesday.

I arrived at work like I usually do. It’s taping day. I need to put in the ads. I need to post some Facebook clips. I have the “4 Minute Buzz” to produce. What stories am I going to discuss? It’s been the same stories for the past couple of days. Maybe I can find something else to discuss. I need to. I wish something would drop. Nothing major, but maybe a Trump executive order announcement. Something interesting.

I also need to run prompter for Glenn Beck’s special. I’m nervous about the delay due to Glenn being remote at his ranch. I know it’s annoying when I’m not fast enough. I need to be better. Man, I wish I didn’t have to run this prompter right now. That was my thought.

You did not destroy his legacy; you ensured that it will never die. Charlie Kirk and his impact will live forever.

And at that moment, I learned. Just as we all did. Charlie Kirk was shot, and it didn’t look good.

And the conservative movement was forever changed. We lost a courageous leader, somebody who spoke the truth and didn’t care. Somebody who used his platform, first and foremost, to share the good news of Jesus Christ. To spread the Great Commission. Somebody who portrayed Christ in every video.

If you examine my writing over the years, you’ll see I’ve been struggling in my faith walk. To be honest, the first legitimate prayers I’ve prayed in years were praying to God that Charlie would pull through. I needed him to make it through this. I’m not sure where I’m at now that those prayers were answered in the way I dreaded.

Because Charlie is me. I saw a post on X that took my breath away. It read:

Charlie was my age. He was a father just like me. He was a Christian just like me. He had no beliefs more extreme than I hold. I can only assume this means they want me dead as well.

Charlie and I were the exact same age. I went home to my son at the end of that horrific day. Charlie didn’t. I held my son, and I cried. I put him to bed, and I wondered: Will I get to see him wake up tomorrow? I may not be the Christian I once was, but I still hold strong to the core beliefs. What Charlie preached, I agree with. He was murdered because of his beliefs.

Who’s next? Is another conservative commentator next? Am I spared because I’m not as commonly known as Charlie Kirk? If they knew me, if they knew I believe everything Charlie believed, would they kill me too?

Looking back, the stress that I had going into the day, everything within me wishes I had dealt with only that. I wish I struggled with what stories to discuss. I wish I had to run prompter. The minor inconveniences of my job, what I dreaded going into the day, I would trade the world to have experienced them. Anything to avoid what happened. I’ll always hate that day.

This loss will resonate forever with the right. This truly is a turning point in American politics and discourse. I pray that Charlie’s atrocious and horrific assassination will only cement Charlie’s legacy forever.

RELATED: ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’: Remembering Charlie Kirk

Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

To the coward who took Charlie’s life, who took a woman’s true love and robbed two innocent children of their father: You failed. You did not remove his voice; you amplified it. You did not destroy his legacy; you ensured that it will never die. Charlie Kirk and his impact will live forever.

I’m telling myself this now, and I urge readers: Go to church. Get healthy. Start a family, or continue your family. Charlie stood on principle, and the least we could do is to ensure that his passion lives on for generations.

We owe that to him. His legacy must continue. This will be a turning point. Let’s make it a good one.