Being a pastor can sometimes be just as perilous and scary as walking a tightrope high above the streets of New York, without a net, without a safety harness. You need to focus on moving whichever way you need to without intentionally upsetting everything going on around you. The fact of the matter is that no matter which way one moves, it will upset something else. If you thought Newton’s Third Law of Motion (every action has an equal and opposite reaction) only applied to the worlds of theoretical and practical physics, you would be mistaken. I know. At this very moment in time, I am stuck between two competing worlds. Each one of them is right and are not willing to give an inch.
We are taught at a very early age to ‘turn the other cheek’. This is one of those times where people quote, thinking it is in the bible … and it REALLY is! In fact, it is directly from Jesus’ mouth to our ears: “But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also (Matthew 5:39 – RSV);” But sometimes it is very hard, even for someone who is supposed to live their life so it reflects everything God commanded and Jesus taught us.
Earlier in September 2025, there was a murder in Utah that rocked the United States. A man named Charlie Kirk was gunned down while he was delivering a talk Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Kirk was a right-wing activist and while not a member of the United States government, was influential to a brand of politics now in office. Kirk was also the co-founder of conservative organization Turning Point USA, an organization popularizing extreme conservative viewpoints especially to high school and college aged people. As part of that organization, there was also a website called “Professor Watchlist“, which singled out college professors they deemed not worthy of holding the title because in the opinion of Turning Point, they were discriminating on the basis of:
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Anti – Judeo Christian Values
- Feminism
- Abortion
- Socialism
- Racial Ideology
- LGBTQ+
… just to name a few. Unfortunately, inclusion on this list came at a cost to those listed there. These professors were intimidated, threatened and a few times subject to threats and physical harm to themselves and their families.
I am writing this because we all need to understand the person I am talking about.
My struggle is that this was someone who may not have said the words but suggested to the people who followed him to go further than he was; This was someone who claimed to be a Christian, suggesting action is the most un-Christian way. In my eyes and my eyes only, this was a person who was not looking to compromise, this man wanted change on his terms and his terms only, regardless if it was directly against biblical teaching.
So when I was leading worship the other day, someone wrote in the prayer book asking for prayers for ‘Charlie Kirk.’ I did not pray for him by name, and that hurt the person who wrote that name in the book. Instead, I prayed for peace; I prayed for understanding; I prayed for people to not let violence and anger rule the day; I prayed for compassion and understanding. I did not pray for Mr. Kirk by name because I would in turn need to pray for each and every woman, man and child effected by gun violence throughout this country. I did not pray for him because the flags of this country were ordered lowered to half-staff by the president, even though he was essentially an ordinary citizen. Yet, when a Congresswoman from Minnesota and her husband were murdered and a state Senator and his wife were injured, the same president didn’t even acknowledge it or attend the funeral.
But here’s the hard part … Jesus uses each of us and sometimes we don’t know it. I have told many that my life verse is Luke 23:34(a); “And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” I have translated it for myself as ‘love them anyway.’
For me, I was clearly told twice in the same day by different people half a continent away from each other to get on with ministry. The first was the person who wrote Mr. Kirk’s name in the book. Even though the words were not spoken, I heard the message loud and clear. Sometimes a pastor needs to be pastored and I thank this person (I am not going to reveal names). The second time was when I was watching the news and I watched Mr. Kirk’s wife publicly forgive the gunman on television. If she had the heart to forgive a gunman, then I can forgive him and pray for him and the family he left behind as well.
We live an a socially charged time right now. People find themselves on one side or the other with no middle ground. I beg you to not fall into the same trap as I did. If Jesus could ask for forgiveness for those who sent him to die; if the spouse could offer forgiveness who took her husband and children’s father from them … then you too can seek to look for high ground and stand above it all. I beg your forgiveness as I too look for a strong footing while crossing the great unknown on the thinnest of wires. The good thing is that I have a net – Jesus the Christ, looking out for me.
Call (574) 896-5927