Living in The After

When Charlie Kirk was assassinated, one of my earliest responses (in addition to grief, horror, and anger) was a realization that we are now living in The After. Things are irrevocably different than they were before one of the most prominent Christian conservatives was killed for speaking biblical truths. Because to be clear, Charlie Kirk was gunned down for his bold love for Jesus Christ—not for simply being a Republican.

I grieved as though Charlie was a family member, rather than someone I’d never met. The reason is that I did know him—he was a brother in Christ. As a Bible-believing Christian, I know that before Charlie was formed, God had numbered his days. If you’re unsure of that, consider these scriptures…

Psalm 139:16 (NIV)

“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Job 14:5 (NIV)

“A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.”

Though I believe God was always going to call Charlie home on September 10, 2025, it still hurts immensely that it was in such a brutal manner. But for me, what started as fear and grief, has transitioned to determination, strength, and a warrior-like mindset when it comes to making heaven crowded. So, here’s what I do now…in The After.

7 Things I’ve Changed Since Charlie Kirk’s Death…

1. I READ MY BIBLE: Instead of leaning on things I’ve already learned from reading my Bible in the past, I have been opening it more. A note on reading our Bibles: You can look up all the scriptures on a topic and take notes. You don’t have to read in any particular order (although there are countless suggestions for how to read your Bible). For example, you can look up everything the Bible says on forgiveness. Perhaps next time, you read the book of John. Then, at another sitting, maybe you research the fruit of the spirit. You see? We can read it any way we feel led. Otherwise, it can be overwhelming. The important thing is that you’re making the effort, and God sees that.
2. I’M FRUGAL WITH MY SPIRITUAL, EMOTIONAL, & MENTAL CURRENCY: I recently heard someone compare how we spend our time and emotions to currency. I love that visual! Imagine having a stack of dollar bills. Each conversation, hobby, movie, and relationship costs a certain amount of “money.” How do we want to spend it? The idea is that the currency is limited, so we need to be conscientious of what we use it on. That’s why I no longer death scroll online, watch movies or read books created by people who hate people like me (Christian conservatives). I try not to gossip, and I don’t engage in fruitless debates with closed-off people. I’m open for discussions, but not fights for the sake of sewing discord.
3. I LOOK FOR WAYS TO SPARK IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS: I accompanied my husband to the doctor’s office the other day. Rather than bury my face in my phone, I took a book by John MacArthur called Only Jesus and read while I waited. I did this in hopes of someone sparking a conversation or asking me what I was reading. No one did that time, but I expect they will eventually. The point is to try. Wear the bold shirt. Insert Jesus’s name into conversations. Be a light that shines so bright, people won’t be able to resist asking you what the source of it is.
4. I ASK GOD DAILY WHAT HE WANTS FROM ME: Charlie Kirk said that he was a lot less concerned with what he wanted from God, than what God wanted from him. I found that profoundly beautiful. Ever since then, I started adopting the same attitude. Each day, I ask, Lord, what do you want me to do with this day? How should I be using the time I have left to bring honor to You?
5. I KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR DISTRACTIONS: I typed in “What would you do if you were Satan” on CHATGPT. It was sobering when I read some of the responses. It said he would keep us busy so we didn’t have time to pray. That he would isolate us gently (a missed lunch with friends, a canceled call). He would send shame to keep us from confessing. That he would weaponize comparison (think social media and ridiculously perfect Pinterest posts). So, yes. I keep an eye out for distractions because there are many.
6. I OBSERVE THE SABBATH & KEEP IT HOLY: Because I work from home—and I find my work to be so fun—I often justify writing on Sundays. I figure it’s something I enjoy, right? Well, the Bible (specifically The Ten Commandments) tells us to keep the Sabbath day holy. So, now I do. We all need time to rest, reset, and connect with loved ones. The work will be there waiting for us on Monday.
7. I HAVE DISASSOCIATED WITH “THE WORLD”: There will be more blog posts (trust me!) about this, but for now…I have said goodbye to certain things that I have loved all my life. I’m not afraid to call anyone out by name, but there are too many to list here. For now, I’ll say that my all-time favorite Christmas movie has always been Christmas with the Kranks. I liked it so much that I even wrote a sequel and gave it to my daughter one Christmas because we both always wished there was a part two. Now, the book is still fine. But the movie? Jamie Lee Curtis hates everything Charlie Kirk stood for. She said it plainly and you can check it out. If she hates everything he stood for, then she hates me, too. Because I believe the things he believed. How can I watch a movie knowing the lead actress hates me? Oh, there is so much more to say. And I will. But for the sake of keeping this at a respectable length, I’ll end this point here.

I hope you’ll come along with me on my journey to make life (however much of it I have left) count! If you liked this blog post, head over to my Facebook page, The After Club, and let’s get some dialogue going. I want to know: What have you changed since Charlie Kirk’s assassination?