Jim Van Gelderen
Welcome to the Thee Generation podcast. This is Jim Van Gelderen and I am podcasting from Dowagiac, Michigan. But today’s podcast, we’re going to do something. I don’t know that I’ve done quite something like this and I’m very much looking forward to it. I have invited Ryan Swanson, who is, of course, leads the podcast Satisfied on the Thee Generation podcasts. And he’s with us as well as the director of Thee Generation, Bobby Bosler, who

Of course you hear on his podcasts as well every month. And the reason I brought them aboard is because yesterday something really significant happened in our culture. I have lived over six decades and I think I can say safely that I have never observed a cultural phenomena like I witnessed yesterday. Of course, most of you know I’m talking about Charlie Kirk’s memorial service and I watch most of it.

and of course my own heart was stirred in many different levels. I understand from what Turning Point is saying that 100 million people tuned in and they don’t even feel like that’s everybody because there’s other platforms in which this was streamed. Just quite unusual. Anything like it would have been probably a revival service of the big citywide campaigns that have occurred several decades ago.

But those, of course, were even different. This was just an unusual phenomena, and I was struck by the fact that God is doing something. So I’ve invited Ryan Swanson aboard because he was there. So we have an eyewitness, somebody in the audience, somebody who experienced, how do we say it, the electricity of the crowd. It’s something you can only pick up watching it, but he was there. So we’ll ask him a bunch of questions. Of course,

I have Bobby Bosler aboard because we believe God’s doing something, and as the director of The Generation, he has burdened about your generation reaching your generation. And so we believe that God is doing something, and now is a very important time to consider that. And so I’d like to start with just, and we’re going to just probably ask Ryan a bunch of questions, make comments in between. And humanly, I don’t know how long this podcast is going to take, but it might go for a while because we’re excited.

Jim Van Gelderen
about what we believe God is going lead us to talk about. So, Ryan, if you just want to give a first-hand account of what happened, then we’ll just start asking you questions.

Ryan Swanson
Sure, well I think I’ll just preface by saying I really feel like I’m still soaking up and trying to figure out what it is I witnessed. And maybe this podcast will actually help with that as we talk through and answer direct questions and work that through. But my purpose in going was really more of a personal quest than anything else. Many of us young men who are Charlie’s age, I’m 31. so many of us who are, especially those of us who are his age,

are asking a lot of questions right now comparing our life trajectory and our accomplishments for the Lord with His, which is a pretty high bar, but it’s one that I really want… I had some questions I wanted answered personally. There were a lot of things I respected in His life, and I didn’t even know the guy. And so…

A big reason I was going is just to find out more about this guy that I respect so much, and I’m drawn to his testimony somehow. Somehow this is very… There’s something about him that is so Christ-like that I just didn’t want to miss it. And I think that was the driving purpose. I just had to be there.

Jim Van Gelderen
yet did you sense how do i i know the electricity may not be the right word but they’re had to be audience of vibes what did it feel like

Bobby Bosler
Well, several folks just remarked that the Holy Spirit was there, even speakers and so on. Like how did it feel? Yeah.

Ryan Swanson
Yeah, that was really from the beginning. There were claims of the Holy Spirit being there, and we all hoped he was. I wondered, as with any music service can be, and with the way this started out, if there were some emotional vibes that were contributing to the alleged nature of the Holy Spirit being there. Though again, I really was praying the whole time that the music was going on that the Holy Spirit would show up for the gospel that

we all were was praying was coming. I just didn’t want anything to hinder that, of course, and so was just praying that the Lord would use whatever it means he wanted to in order to infiltrate that stadium of 70 plus thousand people who were there in the directly within eyesight there within the stadium. so initially, I think it was it was anticipation was a lot of the electricity.

not knowing exactly the direction that this was going to take, but it became very apparent, Dr. Jim, as we probably get into, that my heart of desperately hoping and praying that the gospel would be presented was the pervading feeling of the audience in that room.

Jim Van Gelderen
yeah amen i sense that and i guess my concern coming into it from a distance was as an evangelist and i know bob would feel the same way we love the gospel i know you do too we all feel the same way we love the gospel we want to be clear we don’t want to be compromised or watered down and i was very concerned that it would be clear and i was so encouraged that so many speakers were clear and people that honestly as public figures you’re like wow

where did that come from? And I’m sure some of them were probably being the boldest they’ve ever been in a public venue with the gospel. I know God did something in their hearts because that’s what it does. the few that, you I realize not all speakers may have known the Lord. I recognize that some were politicians, but those that did were clear and those that may not have been clear were not… the clarity of the others just overwhelmed it. I felt like, hallelujah.

the gospel was clear.

Bobby Bosler
What were some high points that you felt as far as the clarity of the gospel in your observation, particularly being there, being able to see people respond? You know, what, was that sense?

Ryan Swanson
know, if it were not for a pastor, I believe his name is Pastor McCoy at the beginning, who was Charlie Kirk’s pastor, if that wasn’t right at the beginning, I would have been on the edge of my seat the entire time waiting and hoping desperately praying that the gospel would be clearly presented. The fact that they had that right at the beginning, it just set the stage so incredibly well. Now, when it comes to gospel presentations, I can easily be critical myself because I

enjoy presenting the gospel. I think the three of us here would say we share a gifting of presenting the gospel, the gifting of the evangelist. And so I guess it’s rare that I hear someone else’s gospel presentation and think that, man, this could have been a little bit different, or this couldn’t have been stronger, or I wish he said this, or the call to action could have been better. But I just…

getting into the end of that and it was only I don’t know maybe five minutes or something he he just had a short amount of time I felt like he used those five minutes in the absolute best way he possibly could I had no critique I’m telling you being there it was it was just so powerful and he had the hardest job being the first one to address it he the boldness came from him everyone else it could have just been going with the flow because it became apparent that’s what the crowd wanted but not the case for him

He didn’t know what to expect there, but he’d launched right in with a gospel presentation that was just phenomenal, even leading it to the call of action of inviting people to stand. And of course, we all kind of expected the opposite, maybe stand if you’re a believer and get the crowd excited, but it was the opposite. Believers, you stay seated, and if somebody’s going to declare their faith in Christ,

Why not do it in front of 70,000 people? I just, I love that. I’ve struggled sometimes with the getting past our lots of times, at least in our calls to actions for salvation, it’s head bowed and eyes closed. And then the next step we want to lead them to is baptism in front of the whole church. And sometimes that makes the transition difficult. And I don’t know what the solution to that is, but I’m telling you, I thought that was just brilliant.

Ryan Swanson
that these people, I mean, it’s on live television all around the world, and so why not go on for Christ if you’ve already declared it in that extent? Then he had opportunity for people to pray with them. I got to pray with a couple, Felipe and Guadalupe, that both stood together, and so I went and knelt with them. Just a precious time. Wish I could have had more time with them, but… And then putting up on the screen there, Pastor McCoy put on screen a QR code to scan to get help and discipleship. I mean, it was just…

Jim Van Gelderen
Amen.

Ryan Swanson
absolutely phenomenal, and again, I think set the stage for everyone else to go and continue presenting the gospel throughout the day.

Bobby Bosler
So I have a question. I was watching it. was watching on YouTube and I think the devil’s in YouTube a little bit because an advertisement came. They had an advertisement on this live stream. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an advertisement on a live stream, but it was like right at the worst moment. I think it was right around the time. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. And it was right at the QR code moment. Okay. So, okay. So I say all that to say I’m desperately waiting for the skip.

Ryan Swanson
Wow. Were you watching on the Turning Point livestream? Really? Wow.

Bobby Bosler
button to come because I want to see what happens. The camera angles from the live stream, I had a hard time seeing how many people stood. I know God knows their hearts and so on, but just from your standpoint being in there, what would you say happened there?

Ryan Swanson
Right, yeah.

Jim Van Gelderen (10:26.544)
Yeah, that’d be interesting.

Ryan Swanson
I mean, it had to be over a thousand people stood, I would say. And it’s so hard to guess in that moment, but I can think of just in the vicinity of people around me, I can think of four people that were just within arm’s reach almost of me. And so I’m thinking there had to be well over a thousand people. And again, this was, there could have been, there’s always a margin of confusion maybe in some people that had maybe, in fact with this couple I spoke to, I think they had recently been saved, maybe even as a result of the testimony of Charlie Kirk within their own church, they had just joined a church, and so I think for them it was just declaration of recent faith in Christ, but maybe not new faith in Christ, like really the call to action was there. So there’s a margin of that.

But you can’t really go wrong. I don’t care who stood. If they did it to declare faith in Christ, then it’s a victory.

Bobby Bosler
Yes. Amen.

Jim Van Gelderen
Amen. Was there any other moment in the memorial service where you felt there was a rise with the presentation of the gospel? I know the other ones weren’t there to present the gospel, but many of them did, and I’m just curious if there’s some that just stood out to you as particularly powerful.

Ryan Swanson
I think everyone, I think the reason that not particular, one in particular is coming to mind is because everyone after that, I thought, wow, this is incredible. This is, I’m going to remember this. And then the next guy does it just as clearly and the next guy does it just as clearly. It was just over and over and over from so many people. I think I had, I was trying to keep account in the moment. It was like maybe seven, like clear declarations of the gospel from different people, seven different people, some of which, and we can talk more about this, I don’t know that they know Christ.

Jim Van Gelderen
Right, right.

Bobby Bosler
Yeah

Ryan Swanson
It just, it just, I don’t know if I’ve ever considered that phenomenon. I think it could be for a couple reasons. One of which, dad, you mentioned it could just, there could have been some politics involved. It was the right thing. Could have just been showing respect to what they know. Charlie Kirk was all about, and it’s just the right thing to say. but then there’s another aspect where I think some of those people legitimately feel like they know Christ just because they know Charlie Kirk. They were so close to him.

Jim Van Gelderen
Right, and he’s given him the gospel, yes.

Ryan Swanson
They can speak! Yes! They could literally give the gospel themselves because of the amount of times they’ve heard it from Charlie Kirk. And I think that is a wonderful point of testimony to him. You had other people that were other speakers that said, you know, I’ve never been this bold about my faith. And of course, referring to faith, they could be just speaking broadly about religion, again, not knowing how much of a personal relationship. But I was toying with the idea.

Bobby Bosler
Amen.

Ryan Swanson
if somebody there for the first time was convinced enough in their heart that they were willing to say on air, do believe in Jesus and this is the gospel, it just presents some interesting questions about, was that their declaration of faith if that was maybe for the first time themselves saying this is true. So yeah, right. Yeah.

Bobby Bosler
saved by preaching the gospel.

Jim Van Gelderen
Well, Philippians chapter 1 indicates that that occurs to some degree. People that are not necessarily, they give the gospel for the wrong motive and it still has power because it’s the message.

Ryan Swanson
Yes. And I’ll say one more thing to that. think if also in Philippians in referring to the promise that there’s going to be a day when every knee shall bow and tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of the glory of God the Father, I think some of what we saw reminded me of that a lot because you had, it was just the thing to do to confess Christ. But I wondered if you had some confessing Christ with their tongue that had not yet bowed the knee and surrendered to him.

Bobby Bosler
Hmm. Sure.

Ryan Swanson
which also was a theme of the day, surrendering to God’s will. But I think that’s maybe part of some of the speakers that maybe don’t quite have a relationship with Christ themselves, have not personalized it for themselves. They’re willing to speak, though. when you had some talk show hosts there that, I mean, I didn’t even know were Christians, but I think you’re going to know now because they have made that public. It’s established. I think you’re going to hear more and more from them.

Jim Van Gelderen
No, I agree with you. I agree. I was struck with, I think it was Benny Johnson, you know, and he’s talking about how he was a wicked man, profligate, alcohol, I think. Yeah, I thought, wow, that was powerful because he didn’t avoid his own issues and how Jesus saved him. So some were very clear like that, and of course you resonate with it, and I agree. Others you just didn’t know, but you were thrilled that they’re on the journey. If they’re not there yet, they are at least comprehending the Gospel or parts of it.

Ryan Swanson
Benny Johnson, yes.

Bobby Bosler
Yes.

Ryan Swanson
What a testimony.

Yes.

Ryan Swanson (15:21.794)
Absolutely.

Bobby Bosler
interesting there were a few that you could definitely tell and we won’t name any names necessarily but there were a few you could definitely tell they’re doing everything they can to try to be positive about this whole thing but clearly they don’t have a clue about the guy i’d hate to be one of those folks to have to speak in this context because like literally the the freight train of the gospel is barreling down the track and here i am getting up to speak and have nothing to say

Ryan Swanson
I don’t want to get too much into the politics over this, but I think one of the statements that the crowd loved the most was when Donald Trump Jr. that to say it was something like to the effect of to say that Charlie Kirk knew more about Christ than I do is like saying that Donald Trump knows more about the presidency than Kamala Harris.

Bobby Bosler
Yeah. Yes, that’s good.

Jim Van Gelderen
Well, did the audience laugh?

Ryan Swanson
They erupted at that. was good. It was a good tension release point. Yeah.

Jim Van Gelderen
Well, you have to have tension, tension, please.

Bobby Bosler
So speaking of which, speaking of which, so one of the things from the live stream, which I’m sure is how most people watched it, the audience was a little bit more on the quieter side, just with the way everything in the stadium was mic’d. And so it was a little bit, I mean, you could hear a little bit of a, you know, but you couldn’t really hear it. What was your sense? Like what was the crowd audibly responding to the most throughout the whole time?

Ryan Swanson
Yeah, you had kind of three things. You had exciting moments like Donald Trump walking out on stage. So everyone’s gonna be excited about that and get loud about that. You had really deep emotional moments such as when Erica Kirk stated her forgiveness of the assassin. That was probably the deepest moment. But the crowds, I don’t know the word for this, but the most passionate times.

of shouting in agreement were always, always for statements of faith. So it was always for declarations of dependence upon Christ, of declarations of the gospel, of declarations of being available for God’s will, which was a strong theme there. Here Am I was a strong theme of Charlie Kirk, so that was brought up a lot. But that’s when I personally, that’s when the crowd was the loudest, was for moments like that.

which struck, I I posted that before the day was even done. It was that, or before the time the funeral was done, because it was so obvious that I’ve never been in a situation, especially with so many people, where the most common or the most appreciated thing or person, the greatest person in the room, we could say, was Jesus Christ. He’s the one that everyone wanted to lift up.

Jim Van Gelderen
Amen.

Bobby Bosler
Hmm. Hmm. Wow.

Jim Van Gelderen
I don’t know if you’re ready even to answer this yet, Ryan, but what was your personal, what did God do in your own heart? Were you walking out of there, and I know you’ve had now a few hours to kind of think about it, is there anything that particularly just struck you or struck your brother?

Ryan Swanson
Yeah, and I forgot to mention I was there with my brother, which was very helpful because we’re comparing the notes the whole time. And he asked that question, which I appreciated when we left, is what’s the takeaway? Because we all know what it’s like to be stirred to something or even challenged, but not to make any steps of change. And for many of us young people in the position where we are challenged by Charlie Kirk’s testimony, that is a danger.

that we need to address. And I feel like I’m in a moment right now where if I don’t take specific action right now, then it’s just going to breeze past. I mean, I’ve been stirred before. So I do appreciate you and my brother asking that question. And there are things, but I still am seeking the Lord, and was even spending in prayer on the drive today, for what exactly that is going to look like. I think there’s the…

Jim Van Gelderen
Amen.

Ryan Swanson
The main thing that for me and many young men have been challenged by is the focus and the urgency to the point where there’s just no time to waste. It used to be that a man could, if a man wanted to get the feeling of accomplishment, he had to really work for it. But nowadays, that feeling can come in an instant through so many forms of gratification.

that we are not as driven as men as we used to be. We’re not willing to work for a level of accomplishment that used to be worked for. And Charlie was just, for lack of a better term, just a workhorse. He just was going to get it done. Now, one thing that is a common theme today amongst young men is the idea of I’m going to work as hard as I can right now.

so that someday then I’ll be financially free to the point where then I can invest my time into things that really matter for eternity. And so then we’re spending time with family, for some that’s when we have kids, and others it’s that’s when I’m going to spend more time in ministry and that kind of thing. One thing that struck me right at the beginning was what if Charlie had done that?

Ryan Swanson
If he had waited to spend time with his family until this was all done, if he had waited to love his wife the way Christ loved the church until he was financially free, if he had waited for all these things, he took his time as a gift from God, enough time to accomplish everything that he needed to each day, and somehow he got it done. And we can’t find one point, one area of his life he compromised to accomplish what he was supposed to in each of those areas.

Bobby Bosler
Well, that is powerful.

Jim Van Gelderen
Yeah, that is good. That’s excellent.

Well, know a takeaway from a distance that I had was the fact that Charlie was bold with the gospel. It was clear, clear to me. I don’t care if it was President Trump, Vice President Vance. He was very much out there with the gospel. That’s where he went. And I believe it’s bearing fruit and it’s going to continue to bear fruit. And some of these men that aren’t saved, I wouldn’t be shocked that they’re going to get saved. But it just stirred me, you know, so often we’re not bold with the gospel. And that’s where you gotta go even when there’s political differences or people don’t like the Bible and are debating something in the Bible like the transgender issue or whatever. He would, you know, get a beeline to the gospel. I think that’s my takeaway. I gotta get more bold with the gospel.

Bobby Bosler
Yeah. Yeah. You know, I’ve been thinking about this and just thinking God is doing something big here. bigger than I know a lot of folks are thinking of Charlie Kirk, which obviously he was the focus focal point of it. And it was a memorial to his life. And because he exemplified…

Ryan Swanson
Yeah. Yeah. That’s good.

Bobby Bosler
boldness with the gospel. He himself exemplified surrender to Christ in many ways. And yet I really think this is bigger. You know, everybody’s talking, you know, even just the headline turning point put out ahead of time that more people were going to hear the gospel through this than they had. I don’t know what the timeline was of that, that particular graphic that they put out ahead of time. Sure.

Ryan Swanson
in human history. It’s more than ever in human history. At one time, greatest audience of the Gospel in human history.

Jim Van Gelderen
At one time, yeah.

Bobby Bosler
And it’d be so easy to point to a moment or to an event as being the big thing. And it was, it was a big thing as much as any person stepping out of their comfort zone and sharing the gospel is a big thing, but on a massive scale. But I really do think this is just one part of the bigger thing that God is doing in our world right now.

Ryan Swanson
Yes.

Jim Van Gelderen
Amen.

Bobby Bosler
I’ve said to several folks over the last year or two, there has been a cultural swing towards get married, have a kid. You heard that there, right? Get married, have a kid, love Jesus, go to church, that kind of thing. So much so that just to be perfectly honest with you, I’ve heard that, and I think I’ve even voiced this to each of you separately in private conversation. I’ve been a little suspicious that this is just the cultural thing to do, right?

And there may still be some of that in some people.

But this whole event has, I think for me, taken what I held as a little bit suspicious. Like this is just surface level Christianity. This is just cultural Christianity because people needed that to get Trump in office or whatever. And I think it’s deeper than that. think it’s bigger than that. I think the spirit of God is moving in our country in ways that aren’t connected to just a certain set of names or even a political party.

you’ve probably seen all across the internet and again, a lot of it was prompted by this. and even folks celebrating his death and so on and people being like, I don’t want anything to do with that. I’m going to church today. And part of me thought, they’re going to church because the liberals are wicked or cause these people are being wicked, whether they’re liberal or not.

And you could look at it as a reaction to a moment in history, or you could look at it and see the fingerprints of God all over it for this moment in history. I don’t know. What are you seeing? What are you seeing? Like even just after the fact, like, you know, yes, there was the event, but like, what, what was it like there afterwards?

Ryan Swanson
I think a big question that many of us are asking is this stirring within us, is this a stirring to the same passions that he had, for example, in politics? Because I don’t get as passionate in politics as Charlie Kirk did. But I don’t think that’s really the point of it either. So I didn’t say this earlier, but I think the best way I can describe the first time that I…

heard about Charlie Kirk’s death, unfortunately saw the video come up and just that, you know, really an anger inside of me, just how, how evil, how wrong this is. But the, the feeling that that turned to was really shame because what it felt like was my buddies, my age went off to battle and died in war while I’m sitting at home.

That’s what it felt like. Like, what am I doing to be a part of this? And it’s not just the battle of politics, because that’s what I had to ask the question. And as we’ve learned more and more about Charlie Kirk, that’s been very, very obvious. But what it is, like what Dr. Jim mentioned, is the unashamed bold pursuit and declaration of truth, which I think is why you’re seeing a rise right now. It’s because people are so in a world in which truth is so relative or claimed to be, then it’s a breath of fresh air to just hear truth being proclaimed unashamedly. I had an opportunity the night before the memorials of Saturday night at the headquarters of Turning Point to take the Turning Point mic and street preach. It was a crazy opportunity there.

that’s what I focused on with the crowd, was simply there’s no way that what we’re seeing right now could be anything other than the evidence of truth. That’s why people are rising to this all around the world. It’s not just because Charlie said something that he was passionate about, but because he was so convinced that it’s bringing people together around the globe because it is absolutely true and it’s okay to live your life based upon facts.

and truth and be unashamed to declare that.

Jim Van Gelderen
Amen. I think you’re saying in a certain sense that we have seen in the decades preceding this the death of dogmatism. And dogmatism has almost become the opposite of a virtue. It’s like it’s a bad thing. And yet we know when it comes to truth, there’s no other response than to be dogmatic. And that’s really the truth of the Gospels, the core of it. It’s right for us to be, no, this is true. Jesus is the only way to heaven.

Bobby Bosler
Yeah.

Jim Van Gelderen
and we’re sinners, we’re all sinners. And I do agree with you, Ryan, that even as I heard some of those speeches, it resonates with you when they are bold and they declare it out there, and you’re saying, wow, this needs to be said. In my life, I’ve never heard a politician in a public venue be that bold about the gospel. I was like, wow, some of those men will never be the same, I’m sure.

Bobby Bosler
Yeah. I think too, it’s the boldness is resonating even with the lost. I think there’s a sense in which, like what you’re saying, Dr. Jim, folks have been so used to everybody being mealy mouth and postmodern and all that stuff. And people are coming out and their boldness is intersecting with the spirit of God moving. And I mean, that’s the way it ought to be. Right. And I think there is, and again, I, I

Jim Van Gelderen
Right, absolutely.

Bobby Bosler
I’ve been going back and forth in my mind the last couple of minutes, whether to share this, here this afternoon, there was a fella who’d been coming ever since Charlie Kirk was shot. He’s been coming to our church for every single service. Isaac was preaching for me. I was gone last week at a revival meeting and, Isaac royalty and he, and Elise, they were here. Isaac was filling my pulpit and he met the guy shared the gospel with him. He wasn’t quite ready, but he was in such deep distress of soul.

And I don’t know, I guess I just kind of had assumed that he was there because of all of what was happening, like what was in the news and so on. He came, he was there on Wednesday night too. He was there this past Sunday and talked to him, shared, you know, the gospel with them some and just not pushing them into a decision. He texted me today. He wanted to meet. We sat in my office right here where I’m at right now for over an hour. And I just explained the gospel. This guy is literally under some of the most intense.

heavy Holy Spirit conviction I have seen outside of a war. Honestly, just this guy’s lived under it for days and he came, he came to salvation, but right before he did, he told me, he says, I just want you to know, I didn’t want to get into politics here, but I’m not a Trump fan. I don’t like Charlie Kirk. I’m not, I think he said some things I’m not sure I agree with.

And yet the spirit of God was working. wasn’t because of a man. It wasn’t because of a memorial service. That’s why I, in my heart, I’m thinking, I think God’s up to something right now. And that same boldness that Charlie had that those men at that memorial service had is intersecting with what the spirit of God is doing. And I’m personally motivated. Let’s get out there and go for it.

And be bold in dependence upon the Spirit of God because he’s blowing right now. Let’s set our sails and go. I’m just I’m stirred right now.

Jim Van Gelderen
Yeah, well I believe that’s the right window to go out of. just like anything, it was such an unusual situation. When you have probably unsaved people on the same platform as saved people, it was just so unique and yet God was moving in and out of particularly what the gospel being given.

Ryan Swanson
If I could say one more thing as a challenge to especially young men that I think is a key takeaway would be if we could call it grassroots Christianity, which grassroots was a big thing for Charlie Kirk. It was being willing to start something that has not yet been proven.

And in many cases, we as young men, especially in today, we’re a bit soft. We’re waiting for someone to tell us exactly what God has for our life and how to do it and how to fund it and what direction and where to take it and everything. And then we’re willing to jump on someone else’s, what they’ve got going on. But it’s very likely that the Lord has something for you as a young man that has not yet been proven in ministry.

There was a time when there was not a war of special forces. There was a time when there was not a Thee Generation. There was not a Cord app. These are things that are scary because they’re not proven. And being willing to, just based off of the Lord’s leading, the Holy Spirit’s leading in your life, make key decisions—not that you don’t get counsel or help or guidance, but we’ve got to stop waiting around. Again, I think urgency

would be a key takeaway from Charlie Kirk’s life and testimony. There’s no time to wait around. It would be better, I think I read a, if I can remember this, a quote just today based on everything that’s happened that said, a missed opportunity hurts worse than a failed attempt. And you can learn from a failure.

Jim Van Gelderen
That’s true. That’s true.

Ryan Swanson
if it doesn’t work out and then refocus and regroup and maybe pivot a bit if it’s something a little bit different that the Lord wants you to do. But the worst thing you can do right now is nothing.

Jim Van Gelderen
Amen. Well, that’s great. Well, this has been a great discussion, and I really appreciate both of you men coming aboard here. And is there anything else you want to say before we sign off here, either of you? And I know our hearts have been encouraged even just chatting for these few moments.

Bobby Bosler
You know, I think we got an opportunity every day to see God work. there are people in our lives that if we’ll just take that step and go, God will use us in it. And that urgency, that’s a part of surrender being surrendered not only to the general big picture, but to the rate, the pace, even the risk, of, going. And, I want to be risky.

I was even talking to you, Dr. Jim, about a couple of things. I’m even in the church here. I’m thinking we’ve got to take a step of faith and take a risk here. Let’s go for it. it’s easy to explain all the reasons why it shouldn’t work.

Jim Van Gelderen
Well, it’s particularly exciting because you guys both are, you know, a younger generation, and that generation, over the years people have been concerned about. But I do sense that God is doing something in that generation that could be literally generation-altering already has begun to be.

Ryan Swanson
Yeah, very good. I think get to know Charlie’s God and you will find a passion he has and a vision for your life in the same way. Charlie did what he did because he could do no other. He was so compelled to do so because it based out of his relationship with the Lord. And I think each one that wants, has a desire for a passion for a vision, it has to start in the same way.

Jim Van Gelderen
Well, thank you, men. It’s been a blessing and young people. know there’s and by the way, if you’re teenager and you have an older brother and there’s 20s in a certain sense, this podcast is for them too. And, and even older sisters in their 20s that that that’s the time in your life where you begin to set direction and make very important steps in your life. You teenagers are making it as well. So I’m hoping both of those groups will be able to listen and be encouraged.

but we of course here at the generation want to continue to encourage you to be completely surrender to the Lord that’s what it’s all about surrender what God’s will is for your life then depend on Him to use you supernaturally do what only He can do and may the Lord bless you young people.