It has taken me a long time to process what I witnessed during the week I spent at Restoring Love back in July. So long in fact, that it is now almost 2 months since I was there! But in all honesty, I needed that time to process. There was so much depth to the event that I just couldn’t wrap my mind around it. But now: I unveil to you what my thoughts and experiences were on the final night of Restoring Love.
I was all jittery inside as I walked into the stadium. I had watched Restoring Courage from afar the year before. This time I would be a part of this amazing experience. I could hardly believe it. I knew where our seats were. I had made sure to get floor seats –my Father’s Day present to my dad since he loves the Cowboys. We sat down and chatted for a while with the gracious couple sitting next to us who were thrilled to be there as well. It still wasn’t totally feeling real to me.
But then the lights went down…..and the jumbotron (and boy is it jumbo!) began to show a clip that just broke me. It is the first video at the bottom of this blog. (Sorry, it won't let me put it within the text). Watch it and then read what my thoughts were as this overwhelming event full of patriots began.
Ok so just the music in that video makes me cry! So beautiful! But what really gets me is Glenn's devout love for our country because it's exactly how I feel. And because before 9/11 I totally had a very childlike, superficial love for America. But now…now I find it very hard to tear myself away for an entire year because I believe so much in this country- at least what it was designed to be like. It's like Glenn says in the video, America did horrible things…but America also did glorious things. We had amazing men and women who were there when we needed them most. I admire them so much and find myself wishing I had been able to shake their hands (one day!).
After the video, the National Anthem was sung (and everyone cried- I kid not) and then……Beck came out! Overwhelming to be sure! Then it's interesting because he starts talking about how when he had the idea for Restoring Honor (the first in the series of events), he had no idea that God had actually already given him the blueprints for the next few years. Beck had these posters in his studio at FOX for a long time with pictures of Washington, Sam Adams, and Franklin and the words Faith, Hope, and Charity. Little did he know that those prints would tie in with his trilogy of events. And that got me thinking! Looking back I can see how God was preparing me YEARS AGO for what I am about to embark on. There's a reason He shut certain doors and opened other ones in my past. I wanted so bad to join YWAM after high school and wait to go to college but my father wouldn't let me. I was quite angry for a while because I didn't understand why. I had felt God calling me to missions for a long time and to have the door shut in my face hurt. All through college, I would look up mission trips through my church, through Focus on the Family, anything and everything. I was determined to go and not satisfied with where He had put me. And now I look back and laugh because the World Race- is exactly what I have been waiting for…and this time the door has swung wide open!
Another thing that struck me at Restoring Love was one particular part where Beck begins to talk about/ show all these historical artifacts that are incredbily inspiring. He talks about the Honus Wagner baseball card which is the most valuable baseball card out there…and for a strange reason. Wanger's card isn't the most valuable because he was an awesome player. It's valuable because he stood up for what he believed in. Wagner, a devout Christian man, didn't smoke or drink, or do a number of other things (not that doing those means you are a bad Christian). To him though, it wasn't right. Well Wanger's baseball cards are printed and on the back is a advertisement…..for a cigarette company. He was devastated. He didn't want his name to be associated with that! And so, he had them remake his card- because he believed in standing up for his beliefs. What an inspiring man and story. I wish I had his card! Then he brought out Eisenhower's helmet from D-Day. WOW. Lincoln's desk where he sat as a young Senator contemplating how to end slavery long before he made it to the White House, the original "Prayer at Valley Forge (the proof one) that tells us that life is still a process- its not perfect, and the I AM A MAN poster carried at MLK's last march all made an apperance at the event. Talk about inspiring and thought provoking. I could write a blog on each of these by themselves!
One thing that hit me hard was his comments about Lincoln. Lincoln once said, "With malace toward none, and charity toward all." You know, people hated Lincoln. They despised him. They tried to kill him- and succeeded eventually. And still, he knew that he had to do what was right. He had to stand firm for what he believed in. And then, after all the slander he took because of his stance, he came out on the other side able to say those words. "With malace toward none…and charity toward all." Man, am I able to say that….ever? Let's just be honest and say no. It's hard to live up to that statement! I even have it written down practically everywhere as a reminder and I still fail every time. But what inspires me to keep trying is that Lincoln never gave up. He never backed down and he could still say that line even after everything. What a testimony.
The part of the event that I think had the most profound impact on me though, was the video of John Winthrop and the pilgrims as they crossed the Atlantic. Watch it below and then come back!
This video had an impact on the entire stadium. We all know the famous "And we will be a shining city on a hill" line. But this took a different spin from the way we normally think they must have said that. In this clip, you can hear the humility in Winthrop's voice as he says it. I think they knew what they were getting themselves into because they followed that shining city on a hill with an “and all the eyes of the world will be upon us.” They knew that they would get great blessings, but everyone would be looking to them. That is a great blessing, but it is a profound responsibility. You know, even today the world looks to us. The shining city is still ours to build….but have we kept that covenant that the Pilgrims made with God so long ago? Are we worthy of being that city on a hill? It makes ya think! But I could watch and rewatch that video over and over again. I get something new out of it every single time.
Overall, I saw how easy it could be to restore love in America. I saw thousands of patriots do it through acts of service! I truly believe that love will hold us together in the end if we can stand through the flames. I came away inspired, energetic, and rejuvinated. I wanted to get down and dirty right away. I wanted to share with everyone how incredible the experience was. And it made me excited to do the World Race where I would get a chance every single day to show the love of Jesus Christ through service to others. d
There was so much more to Restoring Love than I could have possibly shared with you here. I wrote the entire thing down when I rewatched it after I got home (because it was only online for a little while before they took it off- they only keep so many weeks of Beck's shows and such up). I wish you could see the entire thing.
I took away so much from this event. It was a week I will always remember and never be able to thank my father enough for taking me all the way to Dallas for it. I was surrounded by patriots for a full week who were doing selfless acts of service for others and who were kind to each other. It was a utopia. So thanks Dad, for taking me and for spending all that money so that we could share these memories that will last for a lifetime. Thanks to all the fellow patriots that joined us at the event and renewed my faith in the American people. Thanks Beck- for your love and service to our country no matter the cost. And thank you JESUS for getting us there and back again safely and having your hands in everything that happened that week.
