Dani Clark

Christ is Lord • wife • homeschoolin’, homemakin’ mama • sports fan • aspiring bookworm

[Brian Sauvé @Brian_Sauve]

My brand new album, "Long Days, Short Years," is now streaming everywhere!

I wrote these songs to help you cherish the glories God has woven into every one of your days—because they won't ever come again.

I hope you love it as much as I have loved making it.

[Brian Sauvé @Brian_Sauve]

I have a rule:

If one of my little people asks me to pick them up, I do it unless I absolutely can’t.

I do this, because I realized a while back that one of those times will be the very last time—and sooner than I think.

Already gone for half my kids.

[Michael Foster @thisisfoster]

Here’s something you’ll eventually realize, but if I do my job here, maybe I can help you get a little ahead of me.

The most difficult, stressful years of your life, the years when you’re buried under little kids, trying to buy a house, scrambling for resources, climbing the ladder at work, the years when there’s never enough time and you’re running around like a chicken with its head cut off… those years, believe it or not, are some of your golden years. Some of your best memories will come from there.

I remember being driven by one main goal: just get through. Survive these years. Make it to the other side, where things are easier.

And don’t get me wrong, it is good to be able make ends meet with some ease. It’s good not to live on the edge of financial disaster. It’s good to have some margin and some free time.

But that busy, crowded, stretched-thin season of life is full of blessings. And you usually don’t see how many until they’re gone.

I’ve heard a lot of people in their 20s and 30s talk about how mediocre their parents were, but how great they are as grandparents. A lot of that comes from regret. It’s the realization that you didn’t really enjoy what was right in front of you.

Every little step. Every first word. Their small victories... on the field, on the mat, in the classroom. Becoming a grandparent gives people a second taste of what they didn’t fully appreciate the first time.

Now, I don’t know that you can ever fully appreciate anything while you’re in it. But there are ways not to miss it.

One thing I started doing was rehearsing in my head the things my kids care about, the things they love. I try to meet them there. I try to connect with them along those lines. And then, as simple as it sounds, I try to enjoy them enjoying things.

Athan loves planes and wrestling. Gal loves art. Caed loves politics and debate. Cedar loves hanging out with her two friends (they refer to themselves as “the triplets”). Cyp loves Legos. Cyrene is in that “I’m a princess” stage. Foxe wants to do dangerous things.

There is more to my kids. So much more. But those are areas where I can check in:

“What’s the latest in the world, Caed?”
“Does anyone have a shot at state on your team, Athan?”
“Cyp, show me what you’ve built recently.”
“Gal, how’s your comic coming? Can I see?”
"Cedar, what have the triplets been up to?"

There are little doors into their lives. Some of their responses will be golden memories you treasure for the rest of your life.

That’s one of the quiet arts of fatherhood: learning to take real pleasure in someone else’s joy.

Here’s a practical tip. Set an alarm on your phone that says, “Ask one of my kids about their thing or their day. Then listen and ask follow-up questions.”

This will go fast. You can't even comprehend it. You will just have to trust me.

[Elijah the Middleborne @TheMiddleborne]

“So your master gave your buddies 10 and 2 talents but only gave you one.“
“Correct, Dave.”
“Are you going to invest it?”
“No, Dave”
“Put it in the bank to collect interest?”
“No, Dave”
“Please don’t tell me you’re gonna bury it.”
“I’m going to bury it, Dave”

[Auron MacIntyre @AuronMacintyre]

It’s time

[Douglas Wilson @douglaswils]

It is impossible to have a consistent "big God" theology if at the same time you treat culture and politics as a no-fly zone.

[The Middle-earth Mixer @MiddleearthMixr]

daily reminder that the Balrog was defeated before it even stepped on the bridge

you walk with the same spiritual authority brothers

[Erika Kirk @MrsErikaKirk]

Go to church.

[Jamie Bambrick @j_bambrick]

My dear American friends,

We British Christians would get excited when, once a year, Queen Elizabeth would make a mild but sincere reference to the love of Jesus Christ in her Christmas address.

In Charlie Kirks' Memorial service, watched by tens of millions, I just heard:
- Multiple clear presentations of the gospel from men like @robmccoyus and @DrFrankTurek with clear calls to repentance and faith
- Worship songs full of Scripture sung by tens of thousands live and millions at home
- Personal testimonies of lives transformed by the work of Christ and the witness of believers
- Demonstration and explanation of the value of marriage, child-rearing and family
- Calls to Romans 13 for the government to bear the sword for the protection of good and punishment of the wicked
- Declarations of spiritual warfare on the forces of evil and promises to endure no matter the cost
- Calls to be prophets and call the nation to repent
- More Scripture references and Bible readings than I can count
- And a widow publicly forgiving her husband's killer because Christ forgave his killers on the cross.

All of it done before, and by, the most powerful people in your nation and the world.

You guys should be on your knees thanking God for your country. It is a light to the world.

Never stop fighting for it.

[Pastor Rich Lusk @Vicar1973]

A few random observations after the Charlie Kirk memorial service:

I wish I was about 30 years younger so I could live for several more decades in the America we are on the cusp of creating. Obviously, things could get derailed. Nothing is guaranteed. But the trajectory we are on is encouraging. The future is bright. The Republicans are stacked with men who would make great Presidents and successors to Trump in carrying forward the MAGA torch. (Vance is my favorite at this point.) More importantly, it is obvious there is a renewed interest in Christian faith, not only as the way of eternal salvation, but as a civilization-building force. This is especially true of young men who have found in Charlie a man worthy of emulation.

Obviously not all the speeches were equally great, but many of them were explicitly Christian and proclaimed the gospel. To hear the VP of the United States openly declare that, "It is better to be persecuted for your faith than to deny the kingship of Christ” was quite amazing. Rob McCoy, Frank Turek, and Marco Rubio gave very clear gospel presentations to millions of people. The Secretary of War declared Jesus’ kingship. Tucker Carlson called on everyone to humbly repent of their own sin. Erika Kirk gave amazingly biblical counsel to men (“Be a leader worth following”) and women (“If you are a mother, that is the single most important ministry you have”). She was a model of what a godly wife should be in that situation. Trump Jr. displayed the kind of common sense we need - like the goal of making one income families the norm again and renouncing political violence. It was very impressive and encouraging overall.

Maybe the most powerful moment was when Erika Kirk talked about how her husband was trying to reach disaffected, missionless young men, precisely like the one who killed her husband. I know some people will criticize her for forgiving the murderer apart from his repentance. But I think that’s nitpicking. We should be willing to forgive, even if the transaction of forgiveness remains incomplete because the offender will not confess and repent, and she demonstrated that willingness. Also, from the sum total of the speeches, it’s obvious that personal forgiveness and civil justice (in the case the death penalty) are not at all at odds. A murderer can be forgiven while still suffering the consequences of his actions. The use of the sword to bless the righteous and terrorize the wicked is clearly built into the MAGA program at this point. MAGA is all about law and order, and restoring the rule of law in our land.

Charlie Kirk’s character and courage were honored. His political convictions were certainly clear in the service. But most importantly, his faith in Jesus was set forth as the center of his life and the key to everything he did. Charlie was honored; but Jesus was honored even more, which is what Charlie would have wanted. Charlie was presented as a Christian who was guided by his faith when he got involved in politics, not someone who instrumentalized his faith for political purposes.

The service showed how much a man with a vision and a work ethic can accomplish. It’s astounding to consider how much Charlie transformed our nation in his all too short life.

What we witnessed in the memorial service was Christian nationalism in nascent, immature form. Not everyone who spoke was a Christian - and Christian nationalism doesn’t require that. But what we saw is even people who do not share Charlie’s faith in Jesus showing open respect for Christianity. Everyone at the service was operating under the Christian gaze.

We cannot make America great again without making America Christian again, which means making America Biblical again. MAGA needs MACA and MABA.

Republicans in the past paid lip service to a god - a vague faith that never got defined. In this service, many politicians were explicitly Christian in their faith. It’s a remarkable shift in a very short period of time.

Whatever Charlie’s eschatology was, he was a practical postmillennialist.

As the left gets more Satanic, the right gets more consistently Christian. The lines are more clearly drawn than ever. The service and the events of the last 10 days clearly demonstrate that.

If ever the Christian right, as the Christian right, as a political movement, was going to resort to the kind of anarchic violence we see on the left, this would have been it. The most famous and popular rightwing Christian apologist was murdered in broad daylight. And yet what do we see? No riots. No gunshots. No violence. Instead, we got a massive prayer meeting in a packed stadium, live-streamed to millions more all around the world. And we saw a wife (now a widow) who forgave her husband’s killer. The two sides are not the same. There is no moral equivalence here.

Reformed Christians might be tempted to look down on the style of worship and music in the service and the imprecise theology on display. We should resist that temptation. What good is mature theology if you don’t enter the fray and get into the battle? Evangelicals charging the gates of hell with slingshots and BB guns are more effective than Reformed Christians who leave their jet fighters in the hangar and their battleships in the dock. An immature theology combined with courage and a willingness to act will always be more effective than mature theology and worship that never enter the fray. Reformed Christians love to be the Monday Morning Quarterback who criticize the normie evangelicals in the arena, but those who are in the arena are the ones through whom God is working to bring change.

Perhaps the most important thing of all is that Charlie Kirk’s legacy was accurately portrayed. Charlie always made clear the cultural, political, and civilizational impact of Christian faith. Charlie was willing to connect the dots in a way that many pastors are not; he linked his faith to his economics, to his convictions about marriage and family, to his views of immigration and nationhood, to his belief in limited government, etc. In other words, he presented the Christian faith as a comprehensive system of truth that works in the real world. He challenged people (especially college students) with a biblical worldview, showing that Christian faith answers coherently and compellingly all the pressing personal *and* political questions of the day. That came through in the memorial service, and for that I am grateful.

[Dani Clark @danicclark]

@josh1317clark None of your larking about

[A Time to Keep @no_grave_]

“Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the more important work” -CS Lewis

[Dani Clark @danicclark]

@SAMUELJWEINBERG What rights exactly are being taken away?

[Russell Brand @rustyrockets]

This is the day that the Lord has made; rejoice and be glad in it!

[Hi-Rez The Rapper @HiRezTheRapper]

The only abortion “women’s rights” video you need to see

[JD Vance @JDVance]

THANK YOU!

To my beautiful wife for making it possible to do this.

To President Donald J. Trump, for giving me such an opportunity to serve our country at this level.

And to the American people, for their trust. I will never stop fighting for ALL of you.

[David J Harris Jr @DavidJHarrisJr]

After Trump gave his victory speech, this began to ring out….
(They were all at the right rally!) 🙏🏽🔥🙌🏽

[Alex Clark @yoalexrapz]

.@McDonalds are you preparing your fryers for beef tallow yet?

[America @america]

President-Elect Donald Trump: “This will forever be remembered as the day the American people regained control of their country.”