by Meg Storm
In the wake of what proved to be a truly historic week of service and charity, we sat down with Glenn to get his thoughts on how Restoring Love completes the Restoring trilogy he began two years ago in Washington D.C., how he feels coming out of this remarkable chapter of his life, and what comes next.
Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 2010, Glenn looked out at the hundreds of thousands of people standing on the National Mall in Washington D.C. and reminded them that this was not the end but the beginning:
This wakeup call will fade if it was just about today. And the critics will be right that it was meaningless – that you have wasted your time. But if in fact you choose today to change your lives and root them in faith, hope, and charity, we will change the world. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, the world will little note nor long remember what we said here. It’s what we do from here that matters.
A little less than two years later on July 28, 2012, standing in the round at Dallas Cowboys Stadium, surrounded by tens of thousands of friends, Glenn once again harkened President Lincoln to remind the crowd that the real work had just begun:
And for Lincoln, the mission of the living was written by those who came before. “The world will little note, nor long remember what we said here.” But rather what we dedicate to do here. History is a guide not a guarantee… That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
“It was interesting to me that I started this trilogy by quoting Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address, and I ended this trilogy by quoting him without even knowing,” Glenn said in retrospect. “That’s what happened. It’s how I know it’s done. It’s just done.”
When you look back at the three summers of events, everything begins to fall into place. “It’s like I said on the stage. It is faith, hope, and charity. Without faith, hope, and charity you don’t succeed. You don’t make it. You don’t have America, at least,” Glenn said. “I really, truly believe that that was the message from God the whole time: faith, hope, charity – honor, courage, love.
“That is our charge. That is our duty. That is our blessing with malice toward none and charity toward all let us tonight restore love,” Glenn told the crowd at Cowboys Stadium. “For love will hold us together. Love will make us a shelter from the storm. I will be my brother’s keeper. The world will know once again that they are not alone. The Americans again have arrived with honor, courage, and love.”
The themes of service, hope, and decency that were personified by the Restoring events will continue to play a key role in Glenn’s plans even though the Restoring trilogy is complete.
“We are going to do service,” Glenn said about his future endeavors. “I am going to take something I learned over in Israel. Their Independence Day is preceded the 24 hours before with Memorial Day, so it gives them a chance to serve and reflect and then celebrate. I am going to try to start that tradition here in America. I think that is the best tradition ever: serve and then celebrate. We are going to reinforce this and make it an American tradition.”
“But we are also going to reinforce the service and the political activism starting in September on GBTV [TheBlazeTV],” he continued. “I think we are planning on kick starting it in Ohio.”
While his staff spends the days and weeks leading up to these types of event running around and trying to make sure they actually happen, Glenn’s job is involves a vision that is much more long term.
“Like right now I am already working on next summer’s event,” Glenn said. “The Monday after the event I called everybody in from all the divisions and said, ‘Here’s where we are going for the election, for the Christmas holiday, and for next summer.’ It just begins again for them, but now is my time to try to get everybody together and convince them that we can do it, and it will be great.”
There is no way to really describe all that has happened since January 2010, when Glenn announced his plans to hold a rally on the National Mall that summer, to last week, when he completed the trilogy with the tens of thousands gathered in Dallas, Texas. But one thing is for certain, Glenn was standing exactly where he needed to stand, saying exactly what he needed to say, and that is all anyone could ask for.
“I wouldn’t change a thing we’ve done because we did it with pure intent,” Glenn said. “What an amazing three years. It all fits together. Only God could have done this.”
