Latest / The Daily Article / The sudden deaths of Sen. Lindsey Graham and actor Sam Neill: A reflection on hope and the transforming presence of God

Transcript

The sudden deaths of Sen. Lindsey Graham and actor Sam Neill: A reflection on hope and the transforming presence of God · The Daily Article

• 0:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: Good morning and welcome to the Daily Article podcast from Denison Forum.
• 0:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's Monday, July 13th, 2026.
• 0:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is an automated reading of today's Daily Article authored by Dr. Jim Denison.
• 0:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: Today's article is titled, The Sudden Deaths of Senator.
• 0:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Lindsey Graham and actor Sam Neal.
• 0:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Lindsey Graham, a longtime Republican Senator from South Carolina, has died.
• 0:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: His office said early Sunday morning.
• 0:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: He was 71.
• 0:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: Senator Graham was a former presidential candidate and a strong advocate for the war with Iran.
• 0:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: He had been in Ukraine on Friday to meet with President Volodamir Zelensky.
• 0:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: He died after a tear in his Aorta, according to a preliminary medical examiner's finding.
• 0:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Mr. Graham was first elected to the Senate in 2002.
• 0:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: He was a strong supporter of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said his country
• 1:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: He chaired the Senate Budget Committee and was a regular presence in the media.
• 1:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: In fact, he had been scheduled to appear Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press.
• 1:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: In other news, legendary New Zealand actor Sam Neal, best known for his Jurassic Park Rolls, died Monday and Sydney, Australia at the age of 78.
• 1:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: The loss was sudden and unexpected, his family said.
• 1:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Gunfire at a street festival Saturday night in Toronto killed at least two people and injured at least four others.
• 1:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: and a huge fire engulfed a bar in Bangkok, Thailand.
• 1:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: Late on Sunday, killing at least 27, and leaving 22 critically injured.
• 1:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you're like me, you are hoping for a more hopeful word to start your week.
• 1:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: I had no intention of writing about sudden deaths this morning, and which the news had prompted a more positive direction.
• 1:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: However, from a personal perspective, I can pivot quickly from these headlines since none of them directly affects me.
• 1:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: I don't live in South Carolina, Toronto or Thailand, and I did not know personally any of the people in these stories.
• 2:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is the way many of us navigate the news every day.
• 2:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: When something good happens, we embrace it.
• 2:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: When something bad happens, we try to ignore it.
• 2:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not sure how it could be otherwise.
• 2:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: We all have what my seminary faculty colleague Oscar Thompson called, concentric circles of concern radiating from ourselves to family, relatives, friends, neighbors, and associates, acquaintances, and those unknown to us.
• 2:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: We process the urgency of news and events accordingly.
• 2:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: If what happens in Thailand affected us as personally as what happens in our immediate family, we'd soon be overwhelmed.
• 2:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: Of course, God is not limited as we are.
• 2:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: because He is not bound by time, knowledge or love.
• 2:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: He has all of eternity to hear your next prayer and to engage in your life this very moment.
• 2:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus is praying for each of us as if there were only one of us.
• 2:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: He is with us and in us every moment of every day.
• 3:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: Because we are in His hand, nothing can happen to us that does not happen to Him.
• 3:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: He weeps as we weep and walks with us through the floods, fires and fears of life.
• 3:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Here's the problem.
• 3:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: I want to process God's presence in my life in the same way I process the news on my computer screen.
• 3:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is not just a theological error, it is the catalyst for every spiritual failure in my life.
• 3:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: When I need his help, I'm grateful that God is as close as my next prayer.
• 3:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: When I'm grieving, it is wonderful to know that he shares my pain.
• 3:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: When I experience joy, I'm thankful that he is the giver of every perfect gift.
• 3:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: But when I want to do something, I know he does not want me to do.
• 3:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Or not do something I know he wants me to do.
• 3:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: His presence in my life is a problem.
• 3:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: Our father knows when a sparrow falls to the ground.
• 3:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: Sin grieves and stifles his indwelling Holy Spirit.
• 4:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: But we can ignore these facts when we wish.
• 4:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: If the temptation we are considering does not seem to lead to tangible or public consequences, we can simply confess it later and be forgiven.
• 4:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: If we are going to be our own God, we cannot share our throne with anyone else.
• 4:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: From events in the news to people in our lives, to even the God of the universe, we need to relate to the world on a spectrum of personal relevance, engaging with what advances us and ignoring what does not.
• 4:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: But imagine for a moment what today would be like if the all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful God were truly in charge of it.
• 4:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: Imagine following his perfect will in every decision.
• 4:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Imagine receiving his omnipotent strength in every need.
• 4:49
  [SPEAKER_00]: Imagine being more than conquerors in all things.
• 4:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: Imagine Jesus continuing his earthly ministry through us as his body in the world today.
• 4:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: This, and nothing less, is what the Christian life is supposed to be.
• 5:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: Not just salvation from hell, but a joyous partnership with the King of Kings that
• 5:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Dwight Moody's advice is both logical and transforming.
• 5:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let God have your life.
• 5:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: He can do more with it than you can.
• 5:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Who is on the throne of your heart right now?
• 5:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for listening to the Daily Article Podcast.
• 5:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: For links, scripture references, or to find out more about Denison Forum, visit us at DenisonForm.org or click the link in today's show notes.