I first met Charlie Kirk early in his work to get TPUSA up and running. We drove up to Steamboat Springs for a conference and spent several hours talking and winding through the mountains. His energy was captivating. For years after that he always made a point of saying hello even though I didn’t have anything to offer him. He was just that kind of guy: intentional, determined, kind.

His passing is too tragic for words. Today two children lost their father and a young wife lost her husband. Many friends and colleagues at TPUSA lost their leader. They are who we pray for today, for the strength in the days ahead.

For the rest of us it once again tears open the wound revealing how deeply fractured our nation truly is. Forces beyond politics have torn us apart in a thousand different directions. Healing does not come from the election or defeat of any party, but comes from a re-commitment to the ideals that hurled America to the forefront of nations:

• Faith
• Family
• Community
• Craftsmanship
• Kindness

These are not partisan ideals. These are the expressions of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

We need a new compass that points us towards a new wholeness and rejects the metastasizing secular, intentional hollowing out of our institutions.

We need a new line of sight, one that is not narrow but broad. Not jealous but ambitious. Not angry but intentional. One that re-unites us around what is good, true, and beautiful.

For me and my family, that line of sight points towards Jesus Christ. I believe Jesus was here on earth, God in flesh. I believe he was crucified, died, and was buried. I believe — as crazy as it sounds — that he rose from the dead and walked out of that tomb.

If those things are true, then it changes everything. It changes our viewpoint on success and tragedy. It changes how we relate to people around us, not as fellow globs of organic goo but as reflections of the divine. Fellow children of God.

I pray for an end to all political violence. I pray for an end to the justification of evil. And I will do my part today to build community and point towards truth, beauty, and goodness.