The Glenn Beck Program - Best of the Program ｜ Guests： Granger Smith & Kristen Waggoner ｜ 8⧸25⧸23

00:00:00.000 We start the show, I think, with a moment of confusion, maybe just between Stu and I, and a moment of real clarity at the end of the podcast.

00:00:08.400 But I started with, you know, what's happening in Maui, and how horrible this is, and how people who did not listen to the government were more likely to survive.

00:00:21.120 And we're missing that point.

00:00:23.440 And I gave an example of a prescription drug ad that I just heard on the air the other day, and I thought, my gosh, listen to this.

00:00:32.360 Listen to how many disclaimers the government forces.

00:00:37.260 This drug, which has a great record, it's relatively new, but it's been tested for probably a decade, and then continuing study after study after study, has had all kinds of great results.

00:00:51.180 Look at what, you know, your baby might turn into a dog.

00:00:57.660 Consult your doctor before taking it.

00:00:59.860 And all the things that they have to put in, and then they didn't, they weren't required to do that for the vaccine, or the new vaccine that's coming.

00:01:09.440 It's just take it, it's good for you.

00:01:11.240 And if you ask what are the side effects, you're a conspiracy theorist.

00:01:15.220 Uh, no, don't tell me what to do until you're living by your own rules.

00:01:22.220 And that's another thing we talk about, what happened with Donald Trump.

00:01:26.420 Um, this is, this is a story that I think most people would say would never, ever happen.

00:01:33.120 And half the country is thrilled about it.

00:01:35.560 Uh, the booking of Donald Trump, the other half is not.

00:01:38.660 What's the real story behind that?

00:01:41.660 And a story like a river, one that you will hear at the end of the podcast that you will never, ever forget.

00:01:51.220 Don't miss a second of it.

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00:02:47.440 So I want to pick up a story that we spoke about on this program in 2022.

00:03:09.400 So last year, and it's a story about a member of parliament, and they quoted the Bible.

00:03:24.960 And that's their right to, quote, peacefully share her deeply held beliefs.

00:03:31.600 But she was charged with hatred, and they are now in Europe doing everything they can to silence this person.

00:03:43.580 And this is not a radical.

00:03:46.540 Well, this is just somebody who just decided to quote the Bible.

00:03:50.960 They already went through one trial, and now they're trying her again because the first trial didn't work out.

00:03:57.400 I don't know how the laws work over there, but hopefully, well, I guess we have Donald Trump to prove maybe otherwise.

00:04:06.300 Hopefully, this doesn't catch on here.

00:04:08.400 We have Kristen Wagner.

00:04:11.620 She's Alliance Defending Freedoms CEO and the president, and she is helping to correct this problem.

00:04:20.100 Can you fill us in on the things that I'm missing here?

00:04:24.500 Sure.

00:04:25.120 Well, it's quite a story, I think, one that would shock most Americans.

00:04:28.380 Pievee Rossman is a mother of five.

00:04:31.580 She's a Finnish member of parliament and has been for over 25 years.

00:04:35.660 She served as the chair of her party.

00:04:37.580 She's been the minister of the interior in Finland, and she was just recently re-elected to her post as an MP.

00:04:45.020 She's also a medical doctor and a pastor's wife, so quite the combination.

00:04:51.540 But Pievee has been involved in public life for over 25 years, and when her church denomination in Finland said that they were going to be supporting and partnering on the gay pride parade,

00:05:03.900 she sent out a tweet in 2019 objecting to that and also including a Bible verse related to it.

00:05:12.020 As a result, the Finnish authorities launched a full-bore investigation, a fishing expedition, into all of her public statements in the past and used those statements.

00:05:23.580 There were essentially three that just simply articulate her faith to charge her with three hate crimes, which actually can include prison time, up to two years of prison time.

00:05:33.660 She won.

00:05:35.020 We were able to serve on the legal team, ADF International, and she won her trial.

00:05:41.800 But unlike in the United States, when you win a criminal trial in Finland, the prosecutor can appeal that.

00:05:48.220 And so she faces trial again next week at the Court of Appeals.

00:05:52.120 So, how clear was it on the last win?

00:05:59.020 I mean, was it...

00:06:00.260 It was unanimous.

00:06:01.980 It doesn't get any clearer than a unanimous ruling.

00:06:06.040 And what do we know about this next group of judges or however the system works over there?

00:06:13.900 Well, the European Court of Human Rights is the ultimate court, but we're in the Finnish courts right now.

00:06:19.580 We're optimistic that she should win.

00:06:21.940 The law supports her.

00:06:24.320 The European Convention of Human Rights, which is essentially the law that governs European countries, Article 9 and 10 guarantees the right of our ability to practice our faith and to speak freely as a fundamental human right.

00:06:38.960 And so the law is certainly on our side.

00:06:40.740 But we're seeing European countries pass these vague hate speech laws to try to trump those laws.

00:06:48.560 And then we see state governments try to use them and weaponize them when they have people saying things that they think oppose the state orthodoxy.

00:06:58.640 So are people, the people of Finland, with her, agnostic, against her?

00:07:04.080 The people are with her.

00:07:07.000 I mean, she was just re-elected this year.

00:07:09.920 Wow, during all of this.

00:07:12.120 Yes.

00:07:12.780 And Glenn, I would just emphasize for your readers, you know, many of the constitutions and governing documents around the world have protections in them for our right to practice our faith and to speak freely.

00:07:25.980 But they're not worth the paper they're written on if we have an apathetic citizenry.

00:07:31.420 The words in our First Amendment, there are no magic words to that.

00:07:34.740 It's about the citizens' intent to require the government to adhere to those rights.

00:07:40.640 And if they don't, if we don't stand up and use the system that we were given, then we lose those rights.

00:07:50.120 If we just say, ah, that's what's so concerning to me about Donald Trump's arrest and arrest of all of these attorneys and everyone else for questioning.

00:08:00.220 And, you know, we'll look at all of the facts, but it appears as though it's the questioning of the election that is causing so much trouble.

00:08:11.820 And if it can't get you one way, we'll get you another way.

00:08:14.520 It is really becoming a dangerous trend, and I hope people begin to wake up.

00:08:21.540 Are people waking up at all in Finland on this?

00:08:27.820 I do think they are.

00:08:29.360 We're hopeful that they are.

00:08:31.020 The fact that it's going up to the Court of Appeals is concerning, and that the prosecutor even argued that Pivey shouldn't have a right to even really participate in her defense, that the Court of Appeals didn't need to hear from her was concerning.

00:08:44.320 I mean, the Bible was put on trial in this case.

00:08:47.480 The human right to freedom of religion is, you know, facing direct assault.

00:08:51.380 Even at the trial itself, as our attorney was there, was just stunned that the prosecutor opened by saying, this is not about the Bible, it's not about Christianity, and then began to read passages that the prosecutor disliked.

00:09:04.740 She questioned the defendants.

00:09:06.280 It's not just Pivey, it's also a bishop who is on trial who helped her publish a pamphlet in 2004 on the biblical meaning of marriage.

00:09:16.900 And even in that instance, she's questioning the bishop's theology and his hermeneutical approach to the Bible.

00:09:26.400 It's just stunning what they are getting away with.

00:09:29.480 And we're seeing, you know, other instances in Mexico, we are representing civil society leaders and former congressmen who have been convicted of essentially what's considered violence by speaking out against transgender ideology.

00:09:44.900 And we have been representing people in the UK who are silenced outside of abortion clinics because of a thought crime.

00:09:52.860 They can't even silently pray.

00:09:54.220 So, again, I would just say this trend at ADF, we're an international organization, so we're seeing a global censorship trend.

00:10:02.880 And the United States is not immune to it, although we did just win a phenomenal free speech victory in 303 Created.

00:10:10.380 But we have to be vigilant.

00:10:14.340 ADFlegal.org is the web address.

00:10:17.860 And we have been friends with this organization for a very long time.

00:10:23.520 They do the yeoman's work here in protecting the Constitution and all of our rights, especially those that we disagree with.

00:10:34.220 Not just the ones we agree with, but the ones we disagree with.

00:10:37.340 All people have a right to their self-expression.

00:10:42.480 And the Bible being labeled hate speech is a little disturbing.

00:10:47.580 Should be a wake-up call.

00:10:49.040 Help them in this fight.

00:10:50.060 ADFlegal.org, ADFlegal.court.

00:10:54.040 Thank you so much, Kirsten.

00:10:56.040 I appreciate it.

00:10:57.440 Well, thank you for all you're doing as well.

00:10:59.500 You bet.

00:11:00.000 Bye-bye.

00:11:01.860 You know, there's a...

00:11:05.060 We are getting close to...

00:11:09.060 I don't know what.

00:11:10.100 But I pray that you will pray and fast and pray for peace in our country.

00:11:19.380 What happened yesterday with Donald Trump is just absolutely shocking.

00:11:25.300 Absolutely shocking.

00:11:26.820 And I just fear there are people on both sides of the aisle that don't have good intent.

00:11:40.660 You know, there are people that are truly working against the Constitution.

00:11:44.480 We know that on the left.

00:11:46.260 But there are those people that are working on the right to do the same thing.

00:11:50.060 And most people, this is the one thing that I liked about Vivek, and I hope he's, if he's not the presidential candidate, I hope he becomes a vice presidential candidate.

00:12:00.740 I hope he is, has a very long career because he is speaking the words that Ronald Reagan spoke to the youth at the time, like me.

00:12:11.800 And that really helped me solidify my love for this country and its history.

00:12:20.620 That's what we need in this country.

00:12:23.180 Vivek is doing that right now because it's not just going to be us.

00:12:27.960 We have got to get the younger generation.

00:12:31.820 And there are people that are saying the Constitution is old, outdated, on the right.

00:12:38.080 That it is time for, you know, maybe a dramatic change and change life in America forever and go back to, you know, pre-enlightenment kind of thinking.

00:12:51.800 And it is a little terrifying to see it.

00:12:55.040 But the youth will not be able to defend it.

00:12:58.700 If they don't have that love for America, and they don't have that love for America, we have to instill that in them.

00:13:10.640 Pray for the nation because there are very powerful forces that are trying to stop freedom of speech, freedom of thought.

00:13:22.820 Get involved, please.

00:13:25.060 This is the best of the Glenn Beck Program.

00:13:27.720 So I'm just looking at this story.

00:13:31.700 And, you know, just like we found out when they were going after Donald Trump and they were saying Donald Trump needs to be impeached because he had an inappropriate phone call with Ukraine.

00:13:44.560 We knew because we had done our homework here that, no, what they're accusing him of, they were doing.

00:13:52.040 And now that is coming out.

00:13:54.240 We know now that there wasn't.

00:13:58.220 It was a Hillary Clinton campaign that did the Russiagate. 1.00

00:14:02.720 Then it was the fear of Biden being exposed that they went after Donald Trump.

00:14:10.220 Now, it's because of election interference and trying to change the will of the people and stay in power.

00:14:22.860 That's what they're charging him with.

00:14:25.340 They're charging him with a conspiracy to overturn a lawful election.

00:14:30.360 Well, I think this is happening because, A, they are just have unbridled hatred for this man.

00:14:38.780 They want him destroyed.

00:14:40.760 On another level, they want to split America apart.

00:14:44.840 They are trying to balkanize us and make sure that we hate each other.

00:14:49.100 And there's no way we'll ever talk to each other.

00:14:51.420 So, that's another reason for doing it.

00:14:54.800 But I really, truly believe because we exposed the Democratic plan run by, oh, I can see his face.

00:15:04.900 He was with Hillary Clinton for a while.

00:15:07.840 So, anyway, I'll look it up and we'll share it with you.

00:15:13.200 We did a special or two right before the election on what the Democrats had done by bringing in a think tank and thinking through what happens if Trump wins.

00:15:28.600 What happens if it's close?

00:15:31.740 What happens if we win?

00:15:33.860 And the half of it was all about the chaos they would cause on the streets, what they would do to put Trump, if it was close, in a position to where he had to deal.

00:15:49.980 Otherwise, they would get California and what was it, Oregon, and said those need to be broken up into four states and we want Washington, D.C. as a state.

00:16:00.380 Otherwise, the chaos would continue.

00:16:02.540 All of this is written down and it is with big, big names that were openly involved in this.

00:16:10.700 I pointed it out.

00:16:12.200 Everybody said, oh, that's conspiracy.

00:16:15.620 But you notice all of the burning down of cities stopped after the election.

00:16:22.360 You notice that?

00:16:24.060 It just all went away.

00:16:25.420 In this documentation, it alludes to the fact that they have the players on the ground to cause the chaos.

00:16:36.420 Hmm.

00:16:38.060 So what are they doing?

00:16:39.360 They're persecuting a man for not doing what they were doing, but.

00:16:47.040 Actually standing up and saying, wait a minute, this isn't right.

00:16:52.160 There's something wrong here and questioning.

00:16:54.600 Now, his attorneys made questionable claims, etc., etc.

00:16:58.940 However, he's now been indicted and charged him and other associates, his attorneys, Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, John Eastman, Sidney Powell.

00:17:12.420 Now, they're all being charged with criminal intent and conspiracy to overthrow the election.

00:17:22.780 Really?

00:17:26.840 Never seen that before in my life.

00:17:29.540 That's not what happened.

00:17:31.140 Now, they also added to that list Mark Meadows and saying that Mark Meadows asking a colleague for a phone number for an official in Pennsylvania is an overt action in furtherance of a conspiracy.

00:17:56.280 So Mark Meadows is also being indicted and in jail.

00:18:01.140 Or would have to go to jail.

00:18:04.940 I mean, when does this stop?

00:18:07.420 When does this become clear to the American people what exactly is going on here?

00:18:13.780 By the way, the DA, Fannie Willis, her campaign director has locked Twitter after her anti-Trump posts were exposed.

00:18:25.740 She has made many anti-Trump posts.

00:18:29.400 She has an affiliation, a direct affiliation with the Biden campaign.

00:18:35.240 I mean, is it possible that there is a political iron?

00:18:41.080 Oh, by the way, something else.

00:18:42.820 I don't know if this is a problem.

00:18:45.780 But she's now been hit with a congressional investigation over the indictment because four days before the indictment, the Willis campaign launched a new fundraising website that highlighted her investigation into Trump.

00:19:05.680 You don't do that if you're neutral.

00:19:08.480 The infamous forewoman of the special grand jury that Willis convened who bragged about subpoenaing Trump, the allegedly accidental release of the document by Fulton County clerk showing the forthcoming criminal charges against Trump hours before the jury even finalized it.

00:19:27.480 A judge disqualified Willis from targeting Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones in her investigation and Fulton County officials announced they will process Trump at the local jail just like any other criminal, including forcing him to take a mugshot and post a bond.

00:19:46.000 So Jordan is raising concerns and saying there's a congressional investigation coming your way.

00:19:53.540 And I say, thank you.

00:19:57.780 We are never going to ever save our country if we have these mamby pamby, wishy washy Republicans who will not use the power of their own office.

00:20:11.000 Yes, they are in line and they should be in line in defense of our Constitution and Bill of Rights.

00:20:18.640 If Donald Trump and anybody else broke laws, then yes, they should go to jail or pay the punishment.

00:20:27.560 However, if there's any political nonsense revolving around this, those people that are doing the prosecution should go to jail.

00:20:37.820 We can't be a country that is swinging back and forth.

00:20:46.620 We have to have one law for everyone.

00:20:58.100 The former director of Black Voices for Trump, his name is Harrison Floyd.

00:21:03.200 He was the first of the 19 Fulton County defendants to be held in jail without a bond.

00:21:10.500 He's 39 years old.

00:21:12.700 He showed up for jail yesterday.

00:21:17.120 Fannie Willis gave Donald Trump and the other 18 co-conspirators in her election interference case until noon on Friday to show up.

00:21:27.360 By the way, have you ever seen a case like this on election interference ever?

00:21:36.040 I mean, we all know that electioneering is happening.

00:21:40.500 We all know that, you know, there's it's dirty in many places.

00:21:45.100 It's dirty, dirty.

00:21:47.140 Absolutely, absolutely in Chicago, absolutely in New York. 0.99

00:21:51.920 It's dirty where you have nasty, dirty bosses that are running everything. 1.00

00:21:59.520 And it wouldn't necessarily be any different for the Republicans if they were in charge of those cities. 0.93

00:22:05.340 It's human nature.

00:22:06.540 But out of all of the things that you've seen in your entire life, have you ever seen 19 people at this level, including Rudy Giuliani, the president of the United States,

00:22:24.880 his attorneys, a former member of Congress, the White House chief of staff, have you ever seen anything like it?

00:22:42.580 Most of these people can't afford the trial, let alone the bond.

00:22:48.040 He wasn't able to negotiate the guy I was just telling you about, the black voices for Trump. 0.92

00:22:56.140 He wasn't able to afford and they wouldn't let him negotiate.

00:22:59.320 So he's in jail.

00:23:01.260 He's in jail.

00:23:03.060 A hundred thousand dollar bond.

00:23:05.560 The affidavit of him said that he body slammed an agent who arrived at his Rockville, Maryland home to subpoena him to appear before a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C.

00:23:18.040 So he's going to jail because he stood, according to the report, stood chest to chest with an agent after knocking him backward with his body.

00:23:36.800 That's a conspiracy charge and furthering the conspiracy.

00:23:40.380 The mugshot that is out now could be the greatest fundraiser for any presidential candidate ever and certainly greatest legal fund fundraiser of all time.

00:24:03.400 If Donald Trump would sell those T-shirts, posters, etc., etc., he could raise hundreds of millions of dollars for the legal defense.

00:24:12.460 And he should.

00:24:13.960 And he should.

00:24:15.580 All of these people, unless I'm missing something, if they did something wrong, fine.

00:24:21.860 If they were questioning what was happening, which that, as it's called, the second perfect phone call, that's the way I read that.

00:24:32.360 If that's what they have.

00:24:36.720 These people should not even be not the people that have just done this to them.

00:24:43.260 These people clearly need to be investigated and go to jail.

00:24:47.640 If they broke a law and broke severe laws that this is a reasonable punishment for, then they should pay the punishment.

00:24:56.900 But you don't have a situation where very many attorneys are willing to fight for these people because they are next on the hit list.

00:25:05.940 If you can start going after their attorneys, you lose the ability to get a good attorney to defend you.

00:25:14.780 And that's not by happenstance.

00:25:17.380 That's not like, oh, gee, I didn't think of that one, Joan.

00:25:20.320 They know that.

00:25:24.420 He should make T-shirts for his legal defense fund.

00:25:27.740 Because I think people, I mean, first of all, that T-shirt will sell on both sides.

00:25:32.460 They are make, I know they're selling the T-shirts now.

00:25:34.760 It's just, I don't know yet where the money goes.

00:25:37.660 It's, you know, it's always difficult to tell in these political situations.

00:25:40.800 Sometimes they say, hey, this is going to the campaign and it's going to legal defense.

00:25:44.200 You never know with the stuff, but it should go to legal defense.

00:25:46.640 And honestly, like stepping back from that, the man's a multi-billionaire.

00:25:49.980 Like I don't, this is a minimal expense for his own personal freedom.

00:25:54.820 Making sure that people who are also co-conspirators in a racketeering case do not feel comfortable in this time.

00:26:05.500 You should be making them happy.

00:26:07.780 Make it, make their lives wonderful.

00:26:10.420 As wonderful as it can be.

00:26:12.000 You've got plenty of money to do this.

00:26:13.800 Like, you know, there's a million stories out there and no one's fighting, pushing back against them at all.

00:26:20.440 That Rudy Giuliani hasn't even been paid for his work in this era.

00:26:24.100 Back in 2020, when he was doing all of this stuff, he hasn't even been paid for much of this.

00:26:30.460 The legal work that he did in this period, let alone being paid for his actual, you know, getting his legal expenses covered.

00:26:38.400 Now, Trump has now decided to at least go to fundraisers for Giuliani.

00:26:42.740 But like, again, I understand why you don't want to spend your own money, right?

00:26:46.520 I get it.

00:26:47.160 But like, the man's been one of the most successful business people in America for 50 years.

00:26:53.180 Like, this, if you've got $8 billion, now's the time to spend it.

00:26:57.600 Just from a perspective of personal freedom and personal preservation, you know, it's going to be really hard to win the presidency if you're behind bars.

00:27:06.280 And I really hope that doesn't happen because God only knows what happens to this country if it does.

00:27:11.840 But like, this is the time to spend your money.

00:27:15.220 Make sure that these people are, have the best defense possible.

00:27:20.440 So, there are two people that I trust in Washington.

00:27:23.140 I trust Chip Roy.

00:27:24.640 I think he's an honest man.

00:27:25.900 And I really trust Mike Lee.

00:27:30.660 Both of them tweeted out yesterday, I stand with Mark Meadows.

00:27:35.600 Chip Roy said, he's a friend and a good man.

00:27:38.000 He did nothing but serve his country.

00:27:39.860 And for doing so, he is facing a clearly political persecution.

00:27:43.860 He is ever faithful.

00:27:45.280 But we should support his defense cost more to follow.

00:27:48.760 Georgia should end this attack on justice. 0.82

00:27:51.040 I hope that Congress starts to use their purse strings to go after the DOJ and investigate, investigate, investigate, and stop this madness.

00:28:07.020 The best of the Glenn Beck program.

00:28:14.140 Granger, what an honor to have you on the program, sir.

00:28:17.980 Thank you, Glenn.

00:28:18.980 Thanks for having me.

00:28:19.800 You bet.

00:28:20.140 So, if you can, let's start with, for anybody who's not a country fan, tell me what your life was like just a few years ago.

00:28:31.920 Living my dream, a dream that I've had for a quarter of a century, trying to play my music, play my songs, travel around, meet new people, run songs up charts, put out music videos.

00:28:48.880 And we were doing it at a very high level and just felt like everything was right for me, everything I ever wanted.

00:28:57.680 And then one night, June 4th, you are, you know, being with your family one last evening.

00:29:05.940 You're spending it with your kids.

00:29:07.680 You're headed to Nashville for the CMT Music Awards.

00:29:11.480 Your daughter, London, is doing gymnastics.

00:29:14.560 You're helping her.

00:29:16.000 And what happens?

00:29:16.920 Yeah, I remember my daughter was doing a handstand in the yard and she was having me spot her and I was kind of holding her ankles and the boys were playing water gun fight, two boys.

00:29:29.440 And I just remember thinking, what a beautiful evening, green grass under my feet.

00:29:35.660 June, early June is beautiful in the state of Texas.

00:29:38.440 And I just thought, soak in this moment because it won't last forever.

00:29:42.100 And I was thinking in terms of the kids are going to grow up, they're going to go to college, and these days will be behind me.

00:29:49.820 But it was quiet in that moment.

00:29:52.040 I thought, where's River?

00:29:53.500 He's our three-year-old boy.

00:29:56.080 And I remember looking around and I just thought, I don't know where he is.

00:30:01.760 And that's not good when you have a three-year-old.

00:30:04.480 But we had a gated, locked pool.

00:30:08.040 And I looked and I saw him in the pool, face down.

00:30:12.040 And it just, it didn't seem like it was reality.

00:30:14.560 It felt like this is a dream.

00:30:16.980 I'm in shock.

00:30:17.780 How could this be?

00:30:18.800 And I crashed into the pool and grabbed his little body.

00:30:23.300 And I was expecting him to be coughing and nervous and scared.

00:30:27.660 And I was going to say, buddy, what are you doing?

00:30:29.620 How did you get in this gate?

00:30:30.820 You know you're never supposed to get around here.

00:30:33.140 But that's not what happened.

00:30:34.640 He was lifeless and cold.

00:30:39.160 This is, we've had a friend who this has happened to.

00:30:43.220 And they're good people and they love their children and they're attentive.

00:30:47.340 And it happened in a blink of an eye.

00:30:50.880 Pools scare the hell out of me.

00:30:53.600 Um, because when you have little kids, it happens and you're, you're right there.

00:30:59.840 And it, it happens that fast.

00:31:02.600 Um, you had to have just beaten yourself up.

00:31:09.800 Uh, I mean, I've, I've thought of this with my, with, you know, my friend's tragedy.

00:31:14.240 I thought if my wife were watching the kids, um, I would know that she was doing the best,

00:31:21.820 but I don't know if I were watching the kids and it happened that my wife would not blame

00:31:27.000 me for the rest of my life.

00:31:28.900 You know what I mean?

00:31:29.600 It's, it's so hard.

00:31:31.140 The games this must play in your head.

00:31:35.400 That's exactly right.

00:31:36.680 I've played those games over and over.

00:31:38.500 Uh, but by the grace of God, my wife, not ever, not once that she ever even let it slip

00:31:47.180 to say, how dare you, what have you done to our baby?

00:31:52.580 And she could have easily done it.

00:31:54.220 And, and I, and she probably would have been right because I was the responsible adult that

00:31:59.060 day.

00:31:59.640 And although it happened, like you said, in a blink of an eye, and I was just paces away,

00:32:05.140 uh, she could have easily have blamed me.

00:32:07.360 She didn't.

00:32:08.860 And I don't know where I would be if she had, if she had planted that seed within me of guilt,

00:32:15.080 it was already, it was already hard enough with the own, my own tricks.

00:32:19.780 My mind was playing on me and the gymnastics that I was doing in my head of you're guilty.

00:32:25.340 You failed in the one thing that a father is supposed to do and that's keep them alive

00:32:29.060 till they're 18.

00:32:30.220 And so that's, that's what was going on with me.

00:32:33.340 So you, where do you go from there?

00:32:37.360 I mean, how long did this, I mean, I know it's still with you, but how long did this

00:32:42.200 just oppress you?

00:32:46.280 Well, it took me several months of trying everything I could.

00:32:50.900 Uh, I, I, I was a big self helper at the time.

00:32:54.520 Um, that stuff still kind of resonates with me.

00:32:57.000 So I was leaning into waking up early and reading more nonfiction and trying to meditate

00:33:03.240 and visualize and, and read my devotionals.

00:33:07.320 And, and, and I was progressively getting worse and instead of better, I thought, how can

00:33:11.340 this, this is supposed to help me?

00:33:13.160 And, and nothing was helping me.

00:33:15.120 I was, I was trying everything.

00:33:17.200 I was exercising.

00:33:18.120 I was trying to sleep right, trying to eat right, anything to stop the slideshow from

00:33:23.820 happening in my head.

00:33:24.780 And I say that in terms of the, the memories that were just kept repeating over and over

00:33:30.240 of what I could have done.

00:33:31.260 Like my mind was in a loop trying to find, trying to close the loop and it couldn't, and

00:33:37.020 I was going insane.

00:33:38.440 This was several months, probably six or seven months, um, before just absolute rock bottom

00:33:44.640 hit me.

00:33:45.800 And that, what was that?

00:33:48.960 That was a night and I call it in the book, I called it the darkest night of the soul.

00:33:53.840 And I was in Boise, Idaho, and there were times and there are times in grief when you

00:34:00.280 could start feeling better.

00:34:02.320 Sometimes you feel guilty that you feel better, but you say, you know what, today I kind of

00:34:06.440 feel normal.

00:34:07.420 And that was a day for me in December in 2019.

00:34:11.300 And we were in Boise, Idaho playing a show and, and I was with the boys and the crowd was

00:34:16.820 great.

00:34:17.180 And I just thought, you know what, this is the first time I felt normal in a while.

00:34:21.540 And the band said, Hey, we're going to go and have a few drinks at this little obscure

00:34:26.960 bar.

00:34:27.480 Let's just go reminisce some old times.

00:34:30.260 So I went with them.

00:34:31.180 I said, absolutely.

00:34:32.080 That sounds to be a great idea.

00:34:33.860 Went and had some drinks.

00:34:35.440 And as I was walking back out of the bar that night, I thought, huh, I'm a little tipsy.

00:34:41.520 I don't think I've, I don't think I've been tipsy since the accident happened.

00:34:46.240 And so then, then my mind started panicking and starting to prepare myself, trying to engage

00:34:52.520 the things that I had learned in therapy that maybe could shut down the slideshow.

00:34:58.120 But by the time I got back to the bus, I just, I started going into a panic thinking, how am

00:35:04.460 I going to suppress all of these terrible thoughts while I'm inebriated?

00:35:08.980 It's not going to work.

00:35:09.940 And so I just remember full opening up the drawer and just, I pulled out my pistol.

00:35:15.720 That's always there.

00:35:16.420 And I thought, this is the way, this is the way to finally end the slideshow, to finally

00:35:22.340 find rest.

00:35:23.240 And this was a voice that was not my own encouraging me with this moment.

00:35:29.760 So a lot of people would get to this point and then it ends in one of two ways.

00:35:37.220 Usually they put their life back together or they don't, but putting your life back together,

00:35:43.080 you put it together completely differently.

00:35:46.260 So let's start now.

00:35:47.760 You're looking at the gun.

00:35:49.160 What happens?

00:35:50.040 Yeah, I would say I might make a third category.

00:35:54.380 I didn't put my life back together.

00:35:56.080 My life came back together, but it wasn't my own doing.

00:35:58.980 Right.

00:35:59.280 Yeah.

00:35:59.620 I was insinuating that, that there is a third way and I've never heard it before, but you're

00:36:05.080 going to show us a third way.

00:36:06.480 Yeah.

00:36:07.580 Yes.

00:36:08.080 So I was in that moment.

00:36:11.040 I had a Glock nine millimeter.

00:36:12.780 I know that Glock very well.

00:36:14.220 It has a double trigger on it, no safety.

00:36:16.640 And so I know exactly where the pressure point is on that.

00:36:20.140 Even in my inebriated state, I could feel as I applied pressure, okay, this is, this is

00:36:26.040 it.

00:36:26.260 This is the point of no return in this moment here.

00:36:29.480 And it seemed like 30 minutes.

00:36:31.740 It was probably five seconds of holding it there.

00:36:34.680 And I thought about my two older kids, Lincoln and London, they came to my mind and I just

00:36:42.180 saw their faces and I saw my life and their life.

00:36:46.820 And, and in that moment I was crying and I just said, Jesus, save me.

00:36:52.200 My God, Jesus, save me.

00:36:54.480 And in that moment, the slideshow stopped, all the visions stopped.

00:37:01.040 And I dropped the gun onto the bed and I fell down to my knees and I ended up sleeping on

00:37:06.120 the floor and on my bus that night and all my show clothes.

00:37:10.200 And I was a cultural Christian.

00:37:13.200 I know that now it was a heritage.

00:37:15.500 It was something I grew up when I knew the name of Jesus.

00:37:18.760 I knew what he did on the cross, but I don't think I ever believed it.

00:37:23.200 In fact, I know I didn't because I didn't trust in him first.

00:37:26.520 I trusted in the self-help books and every other thing I tried, but it, this sent me

00:37:32.040 on a new journey of, okay, if this name is powerful enough to stop the slideshow, to

00:37:38.300 stop me in my darkest night in Boise, Idaho, then who is this?

00:37:43.320 What is this faith?

00:37:45.160 So I sent, I went out on a journey, searching, reading, listening to sermons of what happened

00:37:52.700 to me that night, how I was saved that night supernaturally.

00:37:57.380 And it ended up, I ended up hearing a sermon in my truck one day.

00:38:00.660 This was March 1st, 2020, a couple months after that event.

00:38:05.100 And the pastor was speaking out of John 14.

00:38:07.380 And he said, the disciple asked Jesus, Lord, why is it you manifest yourself to us and not

00:38:14.000 to the rest of the world?

00:38:15.100 And Jesus answered him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my father will love

00:38:23.240 him and we will come to him and make our home with him.

00:38:27.320 And then suddenly I thought, I knew it all right.

00:38:31.200 Then I knew I was saved.

00:38:33.100 I was loved.

00:38:34.160 I was redeemed and restored.

00:38:36.320 I was healed.

00:38:37.480 But in return, in the overflow of that gratitude, I was doing nothing.

00:38:43.340 And Jesus said right here, if you love me, keep my word.

00:38:46.420 That's how I know you love me.

00:38:47.900 And I thought, what's his word?

00:38:49.800 I don't know it.

00:38:50.440 I don't know any of it.

00:38:51.680 So that started where I am today, just absorbing his word, reading it, cherishing it.

00:38:58.800 I went home.

00:38:59.400 I got rid of all the devotionals and the self-held books.

00:39:01.780 And I said, here we go.

00:39:03.000 It's the Bible.

00:39:03.780 This is what saved me.

00:39:05.400 And if I'm going to love him, I'm going to keep his word.

00:39:08.540 I'm going to know it all.

00:39:09.920 And that changed, absolutely changed the trajectory of my entire life.

00:39:15.440 So it is, again, in the typical story, it would stop pretty much there.

00:39:21.860 Okay.

00:39:22.520 He got his life back.

00:39:24.460 He found the Lord.

00:39:25.900 And he's now going out.

00:39:28.140 And he's bigger than ever before.

00:39:30.480 Tomorrow is the last performance on stage by Granger Smith, known as a country music singer.

00:39:42.440 Where are you headed?

00:39:44.420 Well, as this unfolded, and I went back into country music, like you said, and I continued

00:39:52.600 to live my life the way that it used to be, as now a redeemed, healed man.

00:39:58.560 And I started meeting people, and they would say, I'm hurting.

00:40:02.560 I lost my wife or my grandmother or my child or my job or my dream.

00:40:08.900 I need your help.

00:40:09.980 Can you help me?

00:40:11.400 And I began to think more and more, I don't have time to sing country music.

00:40:16.240 There's not any time for it.

00:40:17.640 I need to be able to speak further.

00:40:19.940 I need to be able to have more time with these people.

00:40:21.960 And then I started feeling like, you know what, getting on the stage and just exalting

00:40:26.220 myself and building up my name and having people glorify me, I'm not reconciling that

00:40:32.920 with what Jesus says in the Bible about, if anyone would follow me, let him take up his

00:40:37.200 cross, deny himself, you know, I can't reconcile that.

00:40:41.660 And so that has eventually led to what is tomorrow.

00:40:45.580 The last show is a country touring musician, and I'll be moving into more of a ministry

00:40:53.160 role, writing more books, Lord willing, serving in our local church and getting out and speaking.

00:40:58.500 Because you went back to school.

00:41:02.400 And finishing up in seminary.

00:41:04.840 That's correct.

00:41:06.700 This is just such an awesome, awesome story.

00:41:11.420 You can see now why it wasn't, you know, it was on bestselling lists everywhere.

00:41:18.500 The only one that it didn't happen is the New York Times, and they're becoming much more

00:41:23.760 blatant about all of this.

00:41:25.960 You're about the fourth person this year that I've talked to that whose book is number one

00:41:30.720 everywhere, except for the New York Times.

00:41:33.060 It doesn't even make the list.

00:41:34.600 It's pretty amazing.

00:41:37.240 I just wish you all of the luck in the world.

00:41:42.280 I wish you all of the blessings you have.

00:41:44.840 You know, it's amazing.

00:41:45.960 I don't have your story, but, you know, I have a story of my own, and I almost feel bad

00:41:56.640 for those people that don't need the redemption, don't need that moment, because when you get

00:42:03.360 that moment, it is such a miracle that it just, it shakes you to the core.

00:42:09.720 And I guess over time, you could forget it.

00:42:12.500 It's easier over time to forget it, but I came to the same exact conclusion.

00:42:20.940 He did this, so all he's asking me is to just obey him.

00:42:28.460 Okay.

00:42:29.020 Yeah.

00:42:29.560 You know, I mean, that's a pretty good deal when you are that low.

00:42:33.780 It's a great deal.

00:42:34.440 Yeah.

00:42:35.380 It's a great deal considering that night in Boise.

00:42:38.240 It's a great deal, and that's what I want to tell everybody else about.

00:42:43.020 Well, I just want to just read this before you hang up.

00:42:47.340 This is from the book.

00:42:50.040 I think it's actually on the cover of, you know, the back page of the book.

00:42:53.620 Like a river, life is full of twists and turns.

00:42:56.760 Like a river, people pollute our world with their critique and criticism.

00:43:00.920 Like a river, tragic events keep us damned up.

00:43:03.860 But like a river, we can find the courage to keep moving downstream.

00:43:08.720 Rivers don't run on their own strength.

00:43:11.020 They flow from their source.

00:43:13.160 When we try to keep going on our own, we won't make it.

00:43:16.380 But when we connect to the greater source, we'll find the strength and the faith to keep living after loss.

00:43:22.680 This triumphant story of new life birthed out of death is like a river, and it is available wherever you get your books.

00:43:33.320 And Billy Bob's, I think, tomorrow, right in Fort Worth.

00:43:36.880 That's right.

00:43:37.740 That's right.

00:43:39.400 All the best.

00:43:40.980 And you might see a few of us in the crowd tomorrow, Granger.

00:43:44.200 Thank you.

00:43:44.800 God bless.

00:43:45.760 Thank you, brother.

00:43:46.620 You bet.

00:43:46.880 God bless you.

00:43:47.360 Na na na na na

00:43:49.200 Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na..

00:43:54.020 You bet.

00:43:54.860 God bless.

00:43:55.880 God bless.

00:43:56.140 God bless.

00:43:56.280 God bless.

00:43:56.340 God bless.

00:43:56.720 God bless.

00:43:57.060 God bless.

00:43:57.260 God bless.

00:43:57.500 Oately na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na naage na na na na na na na na na na na na na zad na na na na na na Alter na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na

00:44:00.200 ś na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na

The Glenn Beck Program - August 25, 2023

Best of the Program ｜ Guests： Granger Smith & Kristen Waggoner ｜ 8⧸25⧸23

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