Core Scripture: “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” (Colossians 3:12)

Message: Our world is a mess. 

Just look at the recent national headlines.  The death of Charlie Kirk shook me to the bone.  Nobody deserves to die like that, but what struck me even more was how our country reacted to the senseless shooting.  Left wingers were celebrating, and the shooting video went viral.  It disgusted me.

My 23-year-old niece innocently opened her social media to see the revolting video of Kirk being blown away in the neck without even searching for it.  My 9th grade son saw it at school from a friend.  I have no interest in looking it up myself, but I heard there are plenty of shots to choose from.  I saw this YouTube video explaining it all, and you will be happy to know that they chose not to put any of the morbid clips of the assassination to see.

So many questions arise.  Why would someone kill another person simply based on their political views?  Why would the video be posted to social media by someone?  Why would social media not block that in the first place?  Why are innocent people now being subjected to view the killing without even knowing?  Why would Democrats celebrate someone being killed or say that he deserved it?  Why are people looking to make money based off Charlie Kirk’s death?  WHY? 

What hurts me most is the thought of Kirk’s adorable wife and two sweet little girls.  Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, not only has to shield herself from all social media postings, but she also must live with media swarming her, knowing that half the country is … rejoicing?  How sick and twisted is that?  How will Erika explain that hate to her girls as they grow up?  Will those innocent girls be subjected to bullying from classmates who are bred by left wingers?

Why all this hate when the world is in desperate need of love?  You can search far and wide for that conquering love and hope for the future, but here is the thing … that love can ONLY come through the perfect, unconditional, all-powerful, never-ending, constant love of Jesus Christ. 

His teachings are revolutionary.  They sound pretty crazy to the world.  Pray for your enemies?  Respond in love?  Turn the other cheek?  Be merciful?  Kind?  Humble?  Gentle?  Patient?  How do you live this way when your flesh is craving revenge through feelings of anger, resentment, and frustration? 

I cannot do this on my own.  Nobody can!  When I see the videos of people celebrating Kirk’s death, I want to troll them right back.  I want to give them the one-fingered salute and battle them.  But would that response reflect what Jesus wants me to do?  How would Jesus want me to respond?

I look to His Word.  James 1:19 says for me to be “quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.”  Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”  Finally, Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

This is just scratching the surface.  So, what do I do?  I flush out all that sickening worldly gunk from my heart.  It is so thick!  Black as tar.  Bubbling with acid that chews away all that is righteous and holy.  I give my tainted thoughts to Jesus, and I submit to Him, allowing Him to decide.  His voice is clear in my heart, and it comes through the Holy Spirit.  THAT is what should make my decisions every day. 

All day long.

I have to be honest here.  My reactions were not the best when I heard about Charlie Kirk.  I complained a bit to close friends and family.  I stereotyped liberal Democrats into a single defamatory category.  And I never once prayed for the suspected killer or for our country or for anything.  Life went on. 

Today I had so many things on my agenda, and I was stoked to utilize my day off to get cranking on them!  But I stopped.  I went to the Lord in prayer.  A half hour later, I got to my to do list, and I tell you what, I was certainly better off then than where I was before.

My prayers led me to reach out to a few friends, letting them know I was praying for them.  The whole experience grounded me.  It slowed me down.  And I began to propel myself purposefully to all those tasks on my agenda.  I was rooted in Jesus, and He was rooted in me.  Spilling forth wisdom on how to proceed through my day.

I read a passage this morning about Jesus calming the storm in Matthew 14:22-36.  What stood out to me was a small verse at the beginning of that passage that said Jesus went up to the hills to pray.  Sometimes I skip over these verses, but think about this … How many times does Jesus do this in the gospels?  A TON! 

I just googled that right now.  AI tells me it is 25 times, but keep in mind, these were only the recorded times He prayed.  Prayer was a lifestyle for Jesus!  Every stinking waking second of His life.  Prayer connected Him to the Father continually, and He submitted Himself fully to the responses God gave Him. 

All the way to Calvary where He was put to death for us.

 Prayer.  Prayer is always the answer.  1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “pray without ceasing.”  How do I define this?  I almost see it like a running dialogue with God.  All day long.  You come across a plethora of choices throughout your day, giving each to Him.

Let’s apply this from here on out, the rest of my day …

I am cut off by a speeding motorcycle on the highway, but I don’t flip him the bird.  I pray he doesn’t get hurt.

I see the BioLife employee that is normally smiling is distracted as I donate plasma, and I ask her how I can pray for her.

I see a YouTube Short video of a Democrat laughing at Charlie Kirk’s death, and I quietly pray for that person’s heart.

I am lost in deep thoughts, harboring bitterness toward people who have hurt me, but I turn that bitterness over to God, letting Him dissolve it.

I see the attractive woman jogging on the street, and although my flesh craves to look, I cry out to God in desperation, averting my eyes back to the road as I drive to pick up my boys from school.

I think the song on the radio is a pretty sweet tune, but the lyrics are trash, and I feel God prompt me to change the station to K-Love or Life 88.5.

I want to relax and find a new show to watch or grind on the new Ultimate Golf game I downloaded on my phone, but I instead pray for God’s guidance on how to spend my time.  He tells me to take my son swimming at my next door neighbor’s pool one last time before it closes.

We did that, by the way.  It was absolutely glorious.  I played him in a game of pool basketball.  There is only one way to play pool basketball … no fouls.  No rules.  No holds barred.  My brute Shaquille O’Neal force versus his lanky Steph Curry agile body.  It didn’t matter who won.  What mattered was that moment was the highlight of my day.  So much better than any fulfillment Hulu or Ultimate Golf would have brought me.

That, my friends, is what I see as praying without ceasing.  It is a lifestyle that submits every word spoken, every step forward to the Lord of our lives, Jesus Christ.  Sometimes I think our lives are so busy that we forget to slow ourselves down to pray. 

Maybe God is calling you to do the same?  Slow it down today.  Get off your own agenda.  Cast ALL your anxious thoughts on Him, because He cares so deeply for you.  More than you would ever know.

Challenge: Stop racing through life.  Enjoy a sunset.  Notice the leaves that are changing to brilliant colors of orange, red, and yellow.  Breathe deeply.  Be okay with the quiet around you.  Allow the cool fall breeze to tickle your skin.  Relax.  Pray.  Or, if you are feeling up to it, get off your duff and play your son in a game of pool basketball.  Who knows?  You might just enjoy it.

Bible study: Read Matthew 14 and journal about or discuss the following questions.

• How would Jesus feel after the death of John the Baptist? 
• Although mentally drained from the news, Jesus went ahead and fed the 5000.  Would you serve others during a time like this or retreat?
• After feeding the 5000, you would think Jesus might catch a quick nap.  What does He do instead?  Where does He go?  Who is with Him?  (That may or may not be a trick question.) 
• Do the storms of life frighten you as the disciples were frightened in their boat at 3 in the morning?
• Why do you think Peter walked out on to the water but lost faith and sank?
• Peter was rescued by Jesus after crying out, “Save me Lord!”  What do you need Jesus to save you from today?  What is preventing you from crying out to Him as Peter did?

Video application: God bless Charlie Kirk and what he stood for.  I just caught this video today.  What a phenomenal use of apologetics to diffuse an atheist’s arguments!

Prayer points: Lift up the following areas to the Lord …

• Pray for EVERYTHING revolving around the death of Charlie Kirk.  For the killer.  For the reactions people have.  For comfort for his family and friends.  For his death to unite our country in mourning for him. 
• Pray for our country and the world in general as we continue seeing senseless gun violence, crime, and darkness.
• Pray without ceasing in constant communication with God throughout your own day.

Just for fun: I just got back from donating plasma.  As I lay in my spot, I noticed the dude across from me was a doppelganger for my friend Vaughn at work.  We struck up conversation, and as he was leaving I had an idea.  I asked him to look at a picture of good ol’ Vaughnie, and the guy agreed they did look quite a bit alike.  I then took his picture, making him pose like Vaughn always poses.  GQ style.  What do you guys think?  Can you tell which one is the imposter?  Scroll down to find the answer.

Prayer: Lord, may You always be in my heart, guiding me with wisdom, encouragement, and love.  Thank you for Your constant love and that you are available to me 24/7.  Amen.

Alright, go ahead and scroll down …

Which Vaughn did you choose?  Number one, two, or three?

Will the real Vaughn Johnson please stand up, please stand up, please stand up!

Keep scrolling!

Alright, time to reveal the magic.  Number two is his doppelganger.  One of my sons thought it was number three.  The other one got it right.  After looking at the pictures for at least 30 seconds, he knew the right one.  How?  My son used his Sherlock Holmes skills. 

“Dad, it was easy if you think about it.  You were donating plasma, and that guy has a bandage on his finger.”