Monday, September 22: I live in what I refer to as a ‘Cottage For Two,’ indicating its size. The walls in the main space are painted yellow with white trim. It brings energy to me, especially in the day light where the suns shines through the windows and lights everything up.
This morning I came into this area in brightness and looked out the window to see if anything looked changed. I expected nothing less after spending about five hours at a revival service yesterday for Charlie Kirk.
Listening to the music and the opening ‘sermon’ by Charlie’s pastor, I thought, how might I take in this experience to bless my life and heal me? I hoped to find that quiet place within and take unto myself the gift of this communion of believers that love the Lord.
The witness that Vice President, J.D. Vance and Secretary of State, Mark Rubio gave renewed my belief that though this feels like the ‘worst of times’ we have these men of faith leading the country.
I know because I read, that the country has gone through division before. Yesterday’s service for Charlie Kirk was, in many ways, a mirror held up to America. Our nation is battered by division, mistrust, and a kind of cultural weariness that tempts us to wonder if we can ever heal.
Remember, America has been here before. The Civil War tore our very Union in two. The Great Depression pitted class against class and tested our faith in democracy. The Civil Rights era demanded courage while exposing our deepest wounds. Vietnam split families, Watergate shook confidence in leaders, and the Iraq War reopened old scars.
These were seasons when the nation seemed impossibly divided. And yet, we lived through them. On the other side, we remained America.
Charlie Kirk’s service became a witness to something larger than politics: the stirring of a spiritual life in America that cannot be extinguished. It was a reminder that beneath the noise and anger, there is a deeper current, a longing for God’s presence and for a common life rooted in truth.
If history teaches us anything, it is that division does not have the final word. Faith and perseverance do. America has always been a nation capable of rising again, not because we are flawless, but because we are called to something greater than ourselves.
We are Americans first. And if yesterday marks a turning point, if hearts turn back toward faith and renewal, then this season of division, too, will be remembered as one we survived, and from which we emerged with a stronger spirit.
In every dark season of our history, someone has carried a candle forward. Yesterday felt like such a moment. A life was taken, but a light was lit. If enough of us tend it, perhaps this flame of faith will grow until it steadies us again as one people.
In order to write well you must read well – I’m still working on that. Here are some of my books that have enriched my life.
Main Street Rocky Mount 