{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Paul Truesdell Podcast","title":"Sticks and Stones May Break One's Bones, but Words Will Live Forever","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":718,"description":"In this edition of the Paul Truesdell Podcast, I will forgo the usual disclaimer and closing. What follows was sparked by inspiration during—and reflection after—Charlie Kirk’s funeral. I shall begin.Picture a crowded room where the air itself feels electric. On one side of history, it is Jerusalem, first century, stones warming in the sun, a young deacon named Stephen standing before a council that already made up its mind. On the other side, it is a modern campus stage with white lights and microphones, a young organizer named Charlie Kirk answering hard questions with a calm that comes from many miles and many nights on the road. Two scenes, separated by two thousand years, sharing one pulse: speak truth, count the cost, and do not flinch.Stephen tells the story from Abraham to the prophets, not to flatter a court but to call a people back to its purpose. He does not hedge. He does not bargain. He prays. He forgives. The crowd surges. The stones fly. What looks like an ending becomes the beginning of a scattering that carries a message farther than anyone could plan. In that crowd stands a young man named Saul, keeper of cloaks and ledger books, convinced he is serving righteousness. He is an unlikely hinge in a brand-new movement. Soon, the persecutor will be the preacher. Soon, Saul will answer to Paul, planting churches, writing letters, and turning fragile faith into durable practice.Now walk with me to the twenty-first century. A teenager from the suburbs chooses a folding table over a dorm room. He launches Turning Point USA with borrowed space, volunteer energy, and the stubborn belief that ideas deserve a voice on campus. Early donors take a chance. A mentor named Bill Montgomery gives his blessing and his time. Chapters appear, not because a memo demanded them, but because young people asked for them. A campus here. A high school there. The flywheel creaks, and then it turns: chapters create content, content draws crowds, crowds become communities,...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/115-XsjkdwCpJ99xv-8oZ76t6jr8ScWEC5MYSKzL0ig/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS82MTUx/OWRiNTc0NTk0Y2Nk/M2VjYTliMGVhN2Zm/YTZkZi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}