Glenn shares highlights from Rev. Billy Graham’s 95th birthday party

November 08, 2013

Writer

Glenn was broadcasting from Ashville, North Carolina this morning because he attended Reverend Billy Graham’s 95th birthday celebration last night.

“I'm still in North Carolina. I was at Billy Graham's birthday party yesterday. You know, he's 95-years-old. I hope I'm as sharp as he is at 95. He was crystal clear in his presentation last night. You could see it,” Glenn said. “He's a giant of a man, one of the most humble people… But last night I was thinking about this… because as I was sitting there in this room and, you know, Sarah Palin was there, Lindsey Graham surprisingly didn't show up, but Rupert Murdoch was there, Kathy Lee Gifford… And I know Donald Trump… Greta van Susteren was there.”

“And I'm watching this video and everybody in the room felt small… When we first came in, there were these big video screens that were just showing pictures of his life,” Glenn continued. “The only thing he was missing was, like, a picture of him standing with Gandhi or, you know, trying to shield Bonhoeffer from the bullets. I mean he has done, been, met everyone, everywhere, and he has led. And so you're just watching this, and I'll bet ya Rupert Murdoch felt small, just watching this accomplishment of this one man's life.”

Glenn had only met Rev. Graham once before. What was scheduled to be a half hour meeting at Rev. Graham’s home, turned into a five hour lunch in which the men bonded over their shared faith and their hopes for the future. During the meeting, Rev. Graham shared with Glenn that he believed he had one final sermon left in him to deliver. And last night served as the forum from which he would present it.

“He is just so down to Earth and so real, and the message is not about him – never is about him,” Glenn said. “There was so much to learn… Really just a great and amazing message.”

The message, as Glen described it, focused on the importance of getting America back on the right track and re-orienting with God.

“When I met with him three years ago, he said, ‘I have one more message for America and the world, and I just don't know how I'm going to give it,’” Glenn explained. “And we talked a little bit about it, and he's very concerned about America and he's very concerned that we have turned way too far away – that, you know, as we were talking about, the Western way of life. If the [poll] numbers for the crack-smoking mayor [in Toronto] go up, then Billy Graham is exactly right. And there is nothing or no one that can fix this country or this way of life. Only God can.”

After leaving the event last night, Glenn spent a good amount of time reflecting on what he is supposed to take away from Rev. Graham’s message and the brief time he was able to spend with him.

“Last night in my diary I wrote two words. I'm trying to think what is it that I was supposed to learn from Billy Graham, and I want you to know I can't claim him as a friend. I wish I could. I can't claim him as a friend, I can't claim that he really knows me or I really know him,” Glenn said. “I've met him twice. And I had a five-hour lunch with him one time, me and my family, and I feel as though I know him, but I don't know him. I know his heart, and I know what he gave to me and that is confidence. He told me he had the same fears when he was my age, and he struggled to hear the Lord, too, and it didn't make sense to him… And the gift that he gave to me is incomprehensible, quite honestly.”

“And so this is what I wrote in my diary last night, when I had to figure out what was it I was supposed to take away from Billy Graham, a man I would hope that I could see him again, but I probably never will: Grace and humility,” Glenn continued. “That's who that man is.”

Glenn had the good fortune of being seated with Rev. Graham’s daughter, Ruth, last night. And at one point during the festivities, Ruth asked Glenn whether his children struggle with his public persona the way she and her siblings have struggles over the years.

“At one point, Ruth looked at me and she said, ‘Do your children hate this as much as I do?’ And I knew exactly what she meant,” Glenn explained. “And I said, ‘Yes, but I fear they don't handle it with as much grace as you do.’ And she looked over to her father and she looked back at me and she said, ‘I never get to see my father.’ Families sacrifice so much. Children lose so much because everybody loves their dad or everybody hates their dad. Whatever… They become this public thing and they don't get to be just a normal family very often.”

As Glenn was getting ready to leave, Ruth thanked him for traveling all the way to North Carolina to be a part of her dad’s special night.

“I tell you, it broke my heart when she said that because I haven't done a good enough job of telling her. And I said, ‘Ruth, you don't understand how much your friendship, how much you inviting me to sit with your family, and how much your father has meant to me and how much I've learned. It's an honor to be here,’” Glenn explained somberly. “Grace and humility. The meek, the humble, the broken will be the leaders of tomorrow. They will be the ones that help heal the world. I pray that the Lord breaks me more, should it work to his advantage. And the good news is I know there are lots of people in the world that are praying for that as well – possibly for other purposes.”

TheBlaze will be broadcasting Rev. Graham's final sermon this Saturday, November 9, at 7pm ET in a special called The Cross. Not a subscriber? Start your 14-day free trial of the TheBlaze TV HERE.

Remembering Charlie Kirk: A tribute through song

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On September 17th, Glenn commemorated his late friend Charlie Kirk by hosting The Charlie Kirk Show Podcast, where he celebrated and remembered the life of a remarkable young man.

During the broadcast, Glenn shared an emotional new song performed by his daughter, Cheyenne, who was standing only feet away from Charlie when he was assassinated. The song, titled "We Are One," has been dedicated to Charlie Kirk as a tribute and was written and co-performed by David Osmond, son of Alan Osmond, founding member of The Osmonds.

Glenn first asked David Osmond to write "We Are One" in 2018, as he predicted that dark days were on the horizon, but he never imagined that it would be sung by his daughter in honor of Charlie Kirk. The Lord works in mysterious ways; could there have been a more fitting song to honor such a brave man?

"We Are One" is available for download or listening on Spotify HERE

Has free speech been twisted into a defense of violence?

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Celebrating murder is not speech. It is a revelation of the heart. America must distinguish between debate and the glorification of evil.

Over the weekend, the world mourned the murder of Charlie Kirk. In London, crowds filled the streets, chanting “Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!” and holding up pictures of the fallen conservative giant. Protests in his honor spread as far away as South Korea. This wasn’t just admiration for one man; it was a global acknowledgment that courage and conviction — the kind embodied by Kirk during his lifetime — still matter. But it was also a warning. This is a test for our society, our morality, and our willingness to defend truth.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently delivered a speech that struck at the heart of this crisis. She praised Kirk as a man who welcomed debate, who smiled while defending his ideas, and who faced opposition with respect. That courage is frightening to those who have no arguments. When reason fails, the weapons left are insults, criminalization, and sometimes violence. We see it again today, in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Charlie Kirk’s life was a challenge. His death is a call.

Some professors and public intellectuals have written things that should chill every American soul. They argue that shooting a right-wing figure is somehow less serious than murdering others. They suggest it could be mitigated because of political disagreement. These aren’t careless words — they are a rationalization for murder.

Some will argue that holding such figures accountable is “cancel culture.” They will say that we are silencing debate. They are wrong. Accountability is not cancel culture. A critical difference lies between debating ideas and celebrating death. Debate challenges minds. Celebrating murder abandons humanity. Charlie Kirk’s death draws that line sharply.

History offers us lessons. In France, mobs cheered executions as the guillotine claimed the heads of their enemies — and their own heads soon rolled. Cicero begged his countrymen to reason, yet the mob chose blood over law, and liberty was lost. Charlie Kirk’s assassination reminds us that violence ensues when virtue is abandoned.

We must also distinguish between debates over policy and attacks on life itself. A teacher who argues that children should not undergo gender-transition procedures before adulthood participates in a policy debate. A person who says Charlie Kirk’s death is a victory rejoices in violence. That person has no place shaping minds or guiding children.

PATRICK T. FALLON / Contributor | Getty Images

For liberty and virtue

Liberty without virtue is national suicide. The Constitution protects speech — even dangerous ideas — but it cannot shield those who glorify murder. Society has the right to demand virtue from its leaders, educators, and public figures. Charlie Kirk’s life was a challenge. His death is a call. It is a call to defend our children, our communities, and the principles that make America free.

Cancel culture silences debate. But accountability preserves it. A society that distinguishes between debating ideas and celebrating death still has a moral compass. It still has hope. It still has us.

Are Gen Z's socialist sympathies a threat to America's future?

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In a republic forged on the anvil of liberty and self-reliance, where generations have fought to preserve free markets against the siren song of tyranny, Gen Z's alarming embrace of socialism amid housing crises and economic despair has sparked urgent alarm. But in a recent poll, Glenn asked the tough questions: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from—and what does it mean for America's future? Glenn asked, and you answered—hundreds weighed in on this volatile mix of youthful frustration and ideological peril.

The results paint a stark picture of distrust in the system. A whopping 79% of you affirm that Gen Z's socialist sympathies stem from real economic gripes, like sky-high housing costs and a rigged game tilted toward the elite and corporations—defying the argument that it's just youthful naivety. Even more telling, 97% believe this trend arises from a glaring educational void on socialism's bloody historical track record, where failed regimes have crushed freedoms under the boot of big government. And 97% see these poll findings as a harbinger of deepening generational rifts, potentially fueling political chaos and authoritarian overreach if left unchecked.

Your verdict underscores a moral imperative: America's soul hangs on reclaiming timeless values like self-reliance and liberty. This feedback amplifies your concerns, sending a clear message to the powers that be.

Want to make your voice heard? Check out more polls HERE.

Without civic action, America faces collapse

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Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

I slept through high school civics class. I memorized the three branches of government, promptly forgot them, and never thought of that word again. Civics seemed abstract, disconnected from real life. And yet, it is critical to maintaining our republic.

Civics is not a class. It is a responsibility. A set of habits, disciplines, and values that make a country possible. Without it, no country survives.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Civics happens every time you speak freely, worship openly, question your government, serve on a jury, or cast a ballot. It’s not a theory or just another entry in a textbook. It’s action — the acts we perform every day to be a positive force in society.

Many of us recoil at “civic responsibility.” “I pay my taxes. I follow the law. I do my civic duty.” That’s not civics. That’s a scam, in my opinion.

Taking up the torch

The founders knew a republic could never run on autopilot. And yet, that’s exactly what we do now. We assume it will work, then complain when it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the people steering the country are driving it straight into a mountain — and they know it.

Our founders gave us tools: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, elections. But they also warned us: It won’t work unless we are educated, engaged, and moral.

Are we educated, engaged, and moral? Most Americans cannot even define a republic, never mind “keep one,” as Benjamin Franklin urged us to do after the Constitutional Convention.

We fought and died for the republic. Gaining it was the easy part. Keeping it is hard. And keeping it is done through civics.

Start small and local

In our homes, civics means teaching our children the Constitution, our history, and that liberty is not license — it is the space to do what is right. In our communities, civics means volunteering, showing up, knowing your sheriff, attending school board meetings, and understanding the laws you live under. When necessary, it means challenging them.

How involved are you in your local community? Most people would admit: not really.

Civics is learned in practice. And it starts small. Be honest in your business dealings. Speak respectfully in disagreement. Vote in every election, not just the presidential ones. Model citizenship for your children. Liberty is passed down by teaching and example.

Samuel Corum / Stringer | Getty Images

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Start with yourself. Study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state laws. Study, act, serve, question, and teach. Only then can we hope to save the republic. The next election will not fix us. The nation will rise or fall based on how each of us lives civics every day.

Civics isn’t a class. It’s the way we protect freedom, empower our communities, and pass down liberty to the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn's Show Prep

Glenn shares highlights from Rev. Billy Graham’s 95th birthday party

Remembering Charlie Kirk: A tribute through song

Has free speech been twisted into a defense of violence?

Celebrating murder is not speech. It is a revelation of the heart. America must distinguish between debate and the glorification of evil.

Charlie Kirk’s life was a challenge. His death is a call.

For liberty and virtue

Are Gen Z's socialist sympathies a threat to America's future?

Without civic action, America faces collapse

Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Taking up the torch

Start small and local