With no apologies, I offer this requiem for a Man of God

For most of the fourteen years I have been doing theleansubmariner, I have tried to stay on topic. Whether it was the original content about lean manufacturing principles or historical stories about submarines and navy related topics, my voice has mainly been to celebrate a heritage that was part of my life.

Having just returned from a national submarine conference, my mind was filled with submarine stories from old and new friends. I was reminded about how many adventures we experienced but also how close we were to the dangers that come from traveling in the deep oceans around the world. After all, we were traveling in man made submarines in oceans that can be unforgiving and unexpected. One day, you might be cruising comfortably at a deep depth and the next you may fine yourself cruising in a raging storm that has the power to break even the mightiest vessel ever created. You just never know.

Life is like that.

One day you are riding high with the wind to your back, and everything seems like nothing could spoil the moment. Here in South Carolina, I call it a Blue-Sky Day. This week we are reminded in grim detail that nothing could be further from the truth.

I had not thought much about the events of 9-11 since last year. Maybe its in our nature as humans to compartmentalize in order to keep our thoughts and feelings in check. After all, the death and destruction of so many people and structures in a single morning are not something American’s are used to. The wide-ranging oceans on either side of the mainland and the isolation of our far states and territories had always been a soothing defense mechanism. With the exception of the sneak attacks of World War 2 in Hawaii and our territories, the mainland had been secure for many decades.

The illusion of security was wiped out forever on that bright blue day. I was remarking to Debbie how blue the sky was yesterday here in South Carolina. I was genuinely at peace up until the internet started buzzing with stories about Charlie Kirk being shot at a rally in Utah. The buzzing grew louder and louder as details started to flow about the time, the place, his condition, desperate requests for prayers and confusion about the shooter and the event itself.

Then time stopped.

The President announced that Charlie Kirk had died. Just like that. We watched the TV for hours and finally I had to turn it off. My heart hurt just that badly as I am sure many others experienced.

I have mostly stayed off of social media today since the hate filled posts and bitter people who hated him could not contain themselves for even one day. In between the hopefully genuine words of politicians on both sides of the divide we live in, there started to break free some of the most vile and evil statements from people who are equally vile and evil. As Charlie’s wife tries to catch a breath between the grief, people from all walks of life try to justify the silencing of a man who was first a servant of Christ, second a devoted husband to his loving wife and equally devoted father to his two young children and third, a man who loved this country with the energy of a lion.

Someone said this about the event: “Abraham Lincoln was killed by a Confederate sympathizer. John F. Kennedy by a communist in Dallas. Robert Kennedy by a Palestinian activist. Martin Luther King Jr. by a white supremacist who wanted to silence the voice of civil rights.”

Now Charlie Kirk joins that tragic line — not felled by debate, but by a sniper’s bullet.  Cold-blooded. Professional. Intentional.

This morning as we prepared to pray, I had to turn both the television off and put my phone away.

The convergence of the two events of the day (9-11 and the assassination of another Christian) were almost too much to bear. Before we even started, my voice betrayed my sorrow and the tears flowed.

One thing came in to my mind at that moment that I have been struggling with since yesterday. They hate us because we are Christian. They hate us because we follow Christ. They hate us because someone has taught them how to hate.

It is an irrational kind of hate.

The creatures who planned and executed 9-11 surely had hate as their driving force. How else could you possibly think driving an airplane filled with innocent people into a building is a rational thing? How else could you look forward to the thousands of deaths you were going to cause without having some sense of doubt or regret. We were not in a declared war with anyone on that blue sky day. Or were we? Investigations after the fact showed clearly that the agents of evil were at war with us. It was the great Jihad and we were the great Satan. “The religion of peace” created an atmosphere of hate inspired by dark forces that have been with mankind always. The lives of the infidels have no value or meaning to the true Islamic warriors and this was just another battle for them.

Evil has many faces

Never forget that it was the same evil force that drove the terrorists on October 7 against the little Satan. Scenes of the destruction and knowledge of what they did to women, babies and men will never leave my mind. Yet today around the world, people fly the flag of the killers and demand some kind of justice. Liberal college students whose minds have been poisoned by even more radically liberal leftist “teachers”. Blinded by an innate hate for this country and for Christians, these educators try to brainwash the children we have been sending to them for decades.

The reason they hate Charlie Kirk and those of us who believe nearly everything he stood for is because he told the truth and they live a lie. The Bible is the word of God given through the men he elected to transcribe it. Jesus was crucified, died, buried and rose again from the grave. With his sacrifice, He took on all of the sins of the world. He conquered death and all who follow Him will live in the place that is secured for them and live eternally.

God created man and woman. He also created them in His own image and set them forward to procreate and fill the world with loving children.

Somewhere along the way, Satan was really angry that things were going so well. So, Satan allowed people to question all of creation. He helped to spawn every manner of perversion and alternate lifestyles. Lies became truth and truth became lies. Just like in the bible, when the evil spirits are shown the light, they squeal and shriek. Violence becomes their tool in the face of love. That was in evidence every time Charlie spoke his truth. No one likes to hear the facts if they are living a lie.

Make no mistake, just like on the day of 9-11, we are at war right this moment.

This is not a war of our making. Most of us have just quietly sat by while the children have been lured into a make-believe world that will ultimately destroy both their earthly blessings and possibly deny them from the eternal blessing of knowing Christ. Charlie Kirk faced that silence and those lies head on. He challenged the contemporary acceptations and stared Satan in the face every day. They writhed with senseless anger as he questioned everything they stood for. That had to suck.

So, they came for him.

But guess what?

His tragic death will strengthen our resolve. This is an amazing verse that assures us that not only has he defeated them in words, but his words will live long beyond his death.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

II Timothy 4:7-8  

What about those of us who are left to grieve?

We did devotions today as we always try to do and the two bible verses that came to us were from Psalm 34 verse 18 and 2nd Corinthians 1 5-10

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Just like after 9-11, we as a country find solace in knowing that God is still in charge. He lifts us all up when we seek him in our prayers and our hearts.

2nd Corinthians 1 3-11

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. 8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

Being a Christ follower, a good family person and a patriot does not prevent us from facing the unexpected in this life. The chaos and hatred that comes from those who have rejected all three (both foreign and domestic) will continue until Christ returns. And He will return on the day and time apportioned. Do not be deceived. By the way, at some point, you may be forced to pick a side. Quiet complacency will be an option the radicals take away from you.

The devil is very active. But in the end, God wins. Stay faithful.

Mister Mac