Lindsey Graham, a longtime Republican senator from South Carolina, has died, his office said early Sunday morning (July 12). He was 71.
Sen. Graham was a former presidential candidate and a strong advocate for the war with Iran. He had been in Ukraine on Friday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky. He died after a tear in his aorta, according to a preliminary medical examiner’s finding, the Associated Press reported.
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Graham was first elected to the Senate in 2002. He was a strong supporter of Israel; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country had no better friend than the senator. He chaired the Senate Budget Committee and was a regular presence in the media. In fact, he had been scheduled to appear Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press.
In other news, legendary New Zealand actor Sam Neill, best known for his “Jurassic Park” roles, died Monday in Sydney, Australia, at the age of 78. “The loss was sudden and unexpected,” his family said. Gunfire at a street festival Saturday night in Toronto killed at least two people and injured at least four others. And a huge fire engulfed a bar in Bangkok, Thailand, late on Sunday, killing at least 27 and leaving 22 critically injured.
The news and “concentric circles of concern”
If you’re like me, you were hoping for a more hopeful word to start your week. I had no intention of writing about sudden deaths this morning and wish the news had prompted a more positive direction. However, from a personal perspective, I can pivot quickly from these headlines since none of them directly affects me. I don’t live in South Carolina, Toronto, or Thailand, and I did not know personally any of the people in these stories.
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Of course, God is not limited as we are. Because he is not bound by time, knowledge, or love, he has all of eternity to hear your next prayer and to engage in your life this very moment.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Jim Denison and originally published by Denison Forum.
