One time I was looking into improvisational acting and learned that one of the rules is to never say “but,” in response to an acting partner, only “and.”
“But” makes the conversation into an argument and dialogue into defense.
I also find that “but” means what was just said before is dismissed, invalidated. Recently in my Bible study a woman was confiding in us that her investments were waning and she was unsure about her finances. She said, “I believe God can take care of me, but . . .”
I somewhat too vociferously said, “Saying ‘but’ takes away the truth of what you just said.”
Not one of my finest moments of empathy (although I should say the woman has told us this frequently)
But ….
Two things can be true at the same time.
This statement about “but” is too simple. And it can cause us not to listen.
“I know God will take care of me, but . . .”
That could be the introduction to . . . a confession of fear . . . a true denial of God’s care . . . a questioning of God’s means . . . self-serving statement . . . a musing about one's own faith.
So we come to the event of the week:
“Charlie Kirk’s death is a tragedy, but . . .”
Have said too many people in the “medias” (social and professional).
What they don’t get is what Charlie meant to young people.
What they don’t get is that Charlie was more than a MAGA booster.
What they don’t get is that Charlie had a way of engaging with people.
What they don’t get is that their opinion doesn’t really matter and they should keep their mouths shut.
I suppose I could put a few things in the but end of that statement, but (sorry) who cares? I listened to an interview Ben Shapiro did with Charlie after the 2024 election. Charlie was young; he was excited that their efforts for mobilizing voters worked so well; he was perhaps overwhelmed by his entrance into such powerful places. He said something about how the senators whose constituents voted for Trump need to realize they must give Trump the cabinet he wants, Tulsi Gabbard and RFK, Jr. and Pete Hegseth. That showed a lack of discretion, considering the lack of experience (and ethics) these three display.
I would hope Charlie would have matured in his viewpoints and realized that Donald Trump was not the answer, but that (most of) the ideas he (Charlie) defended were.
My first thought when I heard that he died was, “Jesus and he are having a talk now, and Jesus might be saying, ‘Well done on testifying to the gospel, modeling outreach to those different from you, trying to brings righteousness to your culture, and taking care of your family and friends. But son, you went too far in your admiration of a deeply flawed and potentially dangerous man.’” I say potentially; only the power of God can restrict our president who likes to break things. Charlie just gave Trump too much authority in his life.
Charlie is not a martyr. He shouldn’t get a statue in the capitol. He didn’t serve in the military. He didn’t run for office. He was smart, despite may I add, not earning a college degree. He did have the courage of his convictions to talk to people who disagreed with him strongly and ultimately violently. He showed young people a different way to be who they were. And he loved Jesus; I have no doubt of that.
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