Glenn Beck's 8/28 Restoring Honor Event

Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor 8/28 event began at 10 AM EDT and lasted until about 1:30 PM. I couldn't afford to go, but the event was broadcast live both on Facebook and on CSPAN. The media estimates about 500,000 in attendance at the event. More than 100,000 more watched the event live on Facebook. I watched it on CSPAN; reports are not in with regards to how many watched there (I'm guessing it will be one of CSPAN's most popular broadcasts of the year though). Throughout the event, Glenn Beck honored God and our military. It was certainly an event to remember.

The Restoring Honor event began with the question "Where are the heroes today?" After the Pledge of Allegiance, Glenn Beck arrived on the stage, remarking that he thought of this event when his son Rafe didn't think that David could be a hero when he slew Goliath because he did not have a cape. We were able to see real heroes at the Restoring Honor event.

After the opening prayer, we were introduced to Colonel John Carney Jr., who is retired from the US Air Force. He is the president of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. They are currently supporting 133 in college, and have the responsibility for helping another 571 children who have lost a parent in the Special Forces. They have already supported 156 graduates through college. Colonel Carney introduced us to Debbie Argyl-Bastian, whose son Derek died and left a 10 month old son behind. When Derek was a boy, he told his mom "Honor is your promise, your word. You must never ever break your promise." Derek Argyl made a promise to himself to join the military. He did, joined the special forces, and then died for our freedom. The audience was asked to text SOWF to 85944 to donate $10 to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

Glenn Beck came back to the stage and spoke of his week in Washington. He visited the National Cathedral, where at a certain kind of day, statues of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln had chests that glowed red. The source of the glow was from the light that came through portraits of their wives, Martha and Mary, that were embedded in a stain glass window. I never had noticed before that two of our greatest presidents had wives named Mary and Martha, the two friends of Jesus that would often have him over at their house.

He introduced Sarah Palin, not as a politician, but as a mom of a warrior. She proclaimed "we must restore America and restore her honor!" She introduced Marcus Luttrell, who was in Afghanistan when his company came across a goat farmer. Rather than kill him, they showed mercy on him; he was on the enemy's side, however, and called over 100 Taliban troops, who ambushed the troops. Many were killed. She introduced James Eddie Wright, who lost both hands while defending our country. She introduced Tom Kirk, a retired US Air Force colonel who spent time in the Hanoi Hilton with John McCain. People in the crowd started chanting "USA! USA!"

Glenn Beck came back to award the Faith, Hope, and Charity Medals of Merit. The Faith recipient was Pastor C.L. Jackson, who has written 18 books and planted 19 churches in the Houston area. Albert Pujols, who is a baseball player who started a charitable foundation to help people with down syndrome, was awarded the Hope Medal. When accepting his award, he proclaimed that "My job as a believer is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ." John Huntsman received the Charity Medal, although he couldn't accept the award (one of his 56 grandchildren was getting married).

Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King Jr., then came to the podium. She introduced Angela Tucker, who sang "Rebuild". A preacher came up and read Ezra 6:8. Next, Vanessa Mitchell sang "Unity". Alveda then spoke. She had her own dream, similar to the dream that her uncle had.

Glenn Beck gave his keynote speech. He noted that at the top of the Washington Monument, in Latin, it says "Praise be to God." He told the crowd that "We must get this poison of hatred out of us" and that "We must look to God and look to love." "We must go to God boot camp," he noted. As a helicopter passed overhead, he remarked "Must be a big crowd because they've violated the air space to get a shot of it."

Over the past year, he had been telling us of our history, including that of the Black-Robed Regiment, who helped America win the American Revolution. "The Black-Robed Regiment is back again today" he proclaimed. "See what the Lord is putting in front of you now."

He told the story of John Newton, the slave ship captain who left his despicable life when he turned to God. He then wrote "Amazing Grace." Beck noted how well it sounded on bagpipes. A bagpipe player came out, and the crowd sang the song.

The 8/28 Restoring Honor event was a fundraiser to benefit the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Because of the gifts from people all over the country (and probably throughout the world), this event was able to raise five and a half million dollars for the charity, with more money coming in.

The closing prayer was said by Dave Roever. As a soldier in Vietnam, he lost most of his face in a grenade attack. He tried to kill himself at one point, but then he turned his life to God, and is now a preacher. In his prayer, he brought up Romans 8:28 - "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." While I have heard that verse many times before, I had never connected the verse reference to the date before. How appropriate.

After the closing prayer, Glenn Beck dismissed the audience, admonishing them to "Make your choice, set people free, and spread the word. God bless."

As people left, singers sang "When I Think About the Lord". Jo Dee Messina followed up with a rendition of "America the Beautiful" and included the fourth verse:

"Oh beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years.

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears.

America! America! God shed his grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhoodFrom sea to shining sea."