I can remember probably, four famous people at whose deaths
I cried.
One was Don Knotts - my favorite comedian, hands down, ever
- humor at its finest; the other was Antonin Scalia who was all about American
justice and preservation; and of course Billy Graham, who needs no explanation
- for me, his death seemed the end of an era. Reverend Graham's death was
expected, so I think I was crying more about the ending of that era.
The fourth one I cried about was Andrew Breitbart. I had
barely gotten to know him, it seemed. He was a warrior. I almost always cry at
a warrior's death. He was crass, and flippant, and a bit Trumpean before there
was Trump. But boy did he have a message. He didn't simply deliver it, he was
also in the battle. And for that, he had my respect. No, he wasn't a
politician, but he did so very much for a righteous cause....kinda like Trump.
He has come to mind the last few weeks, because of all that is happening in our
nation. And then, as I was reading another author last night (a Christian
author writing about the mess we are in today), he too, mentioned Andrew
Breitbart and Andrew's book from 2011 - "Righteous Indignation". I
was thankful someone remembered, like me.
If we think that all of what is occurring today is new; and that
this is something that is happening only because of President Trump, (and blaming
him for the division) we are extremely deceived. This is a decades old battle,
exacerbated under President Obama and now merely heating up further, to
explosion status, fueled by a media that seems to have only one agenda - destroy Trump
or America, whichever comes first.
For those interested, I highly recommend Breitbart's book
"Righteous Indignation". It will seem a bit dated now. But just
replace the labels of then, with the labels of today and it will all fall right
into place. It's a book by a man wakened from the liberal agenda to become one
of America's greatest warriors for truth. He exposes the deception of the
media, the agenda of the left, and the Saul Alinsky tactics they use. It
explains then, exactly what is happening now.
From his book:
"It's a long war. I know. I've lost friends. I have the scars. My wife married an almost inappropriately always-lighthearted guy fourteen years ago. Now she wakes up next to a fire brand who is one of the most polarizing figures in the country.
But I have also met the America that was rendered silent by the media and is now shaking itself to life again. These are the years that we will look back on and question whether we did enough for our country and for our children. That's why I'm so determined, so [angry], so righteously indignant."The war continues; Even more, today it rages. Personally I believe we need more "fire brands", like Andrew. Some will not understand, or agree with me. Some may criticize me for looking to a worldly view, or source, for something that needs a Godly answer. But I think there is a place for both and truthfully, and I do not look to anyone for the answer. For the Christian, EVERYTHING is about God. It is ok to look at the sacrifice or work of others. I do not have to check my faith at the door and be silent about the turmoil of the day. In my opinion, silence is what got us here. No one should render us silent, whatever our beliefs are.
I think history will one day look back at President Trump in
the same way that I look at Breitbart. He is an imperfect warrior fighting for the soul
of America, and for that I am grateful. It certainly isn't the first time God
used ungodly men to bring about all that He is orchestrating. For one thing,
it's how we know it is God that is the One who is behind it.
Anyway, Andrew died way too soon. Now I really don't know if
Andrew Breitbart was saved. I kinda think he wasn't. He never made public,
that faith statement. Perhaps that is why I cried so hard when I learned of his
death. But, truthfully, I have no idea what may have happened on that morning
walk, when his heart failed him. Maybe God reached him. Maybe he had given his
heart to God a long time ago. Or maybe at some point in the tumultuous trials
and hatred he faced, he one day reached out to God. I just don't know. I simply
believe God used him, regardless.
One thing I do know for certain, is when I think of Andrew's life and death, sometimes I
still cry - in fact, this morning. I think the reason for that is because of all
the reasons I stated in the beginning of this post: Humor, Justice, A Fight to death for our
nation; AND our God. I shared the people I loved, who remind me of each of those characteristics. But the truth is, Breitbart's life encompassed all of them in one way or
another. He just did things BIG. Read the book; you'll get it. ;-)
Here's to the warriors that encourage us to the battle, in
whatever capacity that might be.