Hello, my friends. I apologize for the long delay in updating the website, and hope that you enjoy this new piece that I've written.

    The question of capitalism and socialism, and which of the two is more biblical, has plagued my mind for a long time. My brother attended Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, and became friends with some people there who claimed to be Christian Socialists. My brother, being a very politically conservative Christian, was baffled by how these people could claim to be followers of Jesus and support wealth redistribution, and other socialist principles.

  As it turns out, there are several verses in the bible that support, or appear to support both sides. Let us first discuss the potential biblical motivation for socialism.

    In Matthew 19:23, Jesus said to his disciples: “Verily, I say unto you that a rich man shall hardly enter the kingdom of heaven.” The scriptures indicate here that the accumulation of wealth makes it more and more difficult for a man to enter heaven.

 Christ also says on the Sermon on the mount: “Give to him that asketh thee: and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou away.”(Matt. 5:42) It would appear here as if Christ is advocating complete charity and equality for people. This was said of the early church in the book of Acts: “All the believers were one in heart and mind. None claimed his possessions as his own, but shared all they had…There was none needy among them. When those owning lands or houses sold them, they brought sale money and put it at the apostles’ feet; distributed to any in need.” (Acts 4:32-35) It would appear here as if the apostles and the early church operated under a system of socialism which worked well for them.

    However, the context behind the words is equally as important as the words being said, so let us take these verses supporting socialism and critique them, to put them to the test to ensure they are valid. The verse from Matthew 19:23, when taken in context, reflects Christ’s teachings on the evils of loving wealth before loving God.The temptation to become a slave to wealth is much greater to a rich man than a poor person. It is not a sin to have wealth, but it IS a sin to love wealth before God.

      The verses from Matt. 5:42 and Acts 4:32-35 reflect the principles of charity in the bible. Often the bible talks about the importance of giving to the poor and taking care of those who are in need. However, you will find that both capitalism and socialism advocate charity. The difference between the two systems when it comes to charity and giving are simply that capitalism advocates private charity from churches or individuals, whereas socialism advocates state-controlled charity through wealth redistribution and often-oppressive taxation. It is not in the desired ends that the two systems differ, but in the means by which to achieve the ends. You will note that there is not one instance in the bible where Christ advocates forced government charity. All manner of Scripture in the Good Book refer to private charity given out of your own free will. “God Loves a Cheerful Giver.” The Bible never condemns wealth, but it does condemn its misuse. Money is not the root of all evil. The LOVE of money is theroot of all evil.

    You will also notice that the book of Proverbs talks in detail several times on the importance of being frugal with wealth. “Go to the ant, you sluggard!” Etc. The importance of hard work and being frugal is all over Proverbs.

     The Commandment of “Thou Shalt Not Steal” also clearly implies a biblical motivation for the right to private property, just as “Thou Shalt Not Kill” clearly implies a right to life. Let me expand on this point, to avoid confusion. The 10 Commandments hold several negative prohibitions from which we as humans derive our basic individual rights. When the 6th Commandment says "Thou Shalt Not Kill," it is saying that you and I possess the God-given right to live, which is so valuable and precious that God himself put down a prohibition in the Scriptures against taking the right to life away. Therefore, when we see it said "Thou Shalt Not Steal," it implies that every human being has an innate, God-Given right to private property, which is so precious that God himself put down a prohibition on stealing the property of others.

    In summary, it is clear that though socialism may appear to have a biblical basis, it falls short of living up to the biblical standard because all charity in the bible is private and freely given. Capitalism is the economic system advocated by the bible, and this is evidenced by the many Proverbs advocating the proper use of wealth and frugality, along with the principles of private property set forth by the commandment of “Thou Shalt Not Steal.” 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says, “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

    That seems as good a summary of the biblical motivation for a capitalist worldview as I could possibly give. It is for these reasons that I strongly support the view that the Bible is inherently capitalist, and that due to the fallen nature of earthly man, we are incapable of living under socialism, and must have a free market in order to survive as a society.

     None of us are strangers to the recent Occupy movements that have been going on in our country. I've heard several different takes on the movement and whether it was a positive or a negative force, whether or not it was justified, etc. I maintained relative silence on the issue for a period of time, but am breaking it now. Time to take a look at this movement that claims to represent the "lower 99%" of the country.

     One thing I noticed during my studies of American History that was always amazing to me was how strikingly similar the dissenting parties were during the Constitutional debates. The two camps, known as the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, were trying to establish a new Constitution for America, and do away with the inefficient, ineffectual Articles of Confederation that the country had been operating under up till that point. The Federalists argued for a stronger central government, whereas the Anti-Federalists feared that notion and argued for stronger state sovereignty.

     Even though the two camps starkly disagreed on this issue, the root values of why they were arguing were the same. All of them had, from the bottom of their hearts, the same end in mind: A nation where the people could live in liberty with minimal interference from a government that was just powerful enough to operate efficiently and protect them, but infused with checks and balances and granted limited powers that would prevent it from becoming tyrannical. The Federalists and Anti-Federalists both had the same end in mind, with different means to reach it. This helped them reach a compromise because they had the same goals in mind.

     The reason i use this historical example is because there is a principle in the events that took place between the Fed/Anti-Fed groups that we can relate to the current political climate. It is much, MUCH easier to reach a compromise or have intelligent debate when we are arguing over means, not ends. The founders were able to debate effectively and reach their goals because they both wanted liberty. To use an analogy, they viewed government as a mad dog, and they were arguing over how tight they wanted the collar and how short they wanted the leash. But they both agreed that the mad dog had to be kept on a leash.

     In today's political climate, the general feeling that is more prevalent then ever is that of stagnancy. Nothing is going anywhere. We've got two warring political parties deadlocked in a power struggle that won't change for another year. We have two warring ideologies in culture that are regularly fighting each other and disagree wholeheartedly with each other's principles. Nothing is getting done. This stagnancy and constant, predictable, party-line bickering is precisely what turns many people off to politics.

     The reason nothing is getting done (for now, but I'm counting the days till election season) is this: During the constitutional convention, the debate was regarding how short the leash should be on the junkyard dog. But the whole convention agreed that the dog needed a short leash. Nowadays, the debate that the two sides are having isn't about how short the leash should be. We have one side arguing that the leash shouldn't exist! We have one side still fighting over how short the leash should be when the other side is not only trying to let the dog off the leash, but they're trying to put the dog in charge of the junkyard!

     It's one thing to debate when we are arguing means to achieve a common end, but it's a whole 'nother thing to argue different means to achieve radically different ends. Arguing the means to secure our God-Given rights is a tough enough debate to have, but arguing whether or not people even HAVE rights, and then, whether they come from "god" or the government, is much harder and poses a far greater threat to America.

     We cannot pretend, therefore, that compromise will achieve ANYTHING anymore. We're not arguing for compromise for liberty's sake. We're pitting two ideologies that are totally contradictory up against each other in a fight and hoping we get a result we're happy with. I used to believe in political compromise. But in today's day and age, I believe that all compromise will do is temporarily slow our nation's steady descent off the edge of the cliff, rather than fixing any problems. I don't want compromise with socialists. I don't want compromise with fools who think they can play God and dictate people's rights. I want to win.

     When we want to make a change in the political system, we get involved. We campaign for the candidates of our choice, we doorknock, we vote, and perhaps we even create a site on the internet to promote our views.

     This honorable and perfectly constitutional right to free speech was exemplified on a very large scale with the arrival of the Tea Party movement starting in 2008. Hundreds of thousands of people nationwide peacefully protested the wasteful spending and increasingly liberal policies of the federal government. There was no violence from the protestors, and those with vulgar signs or hateful language that didn't gel with the movement's intentions, were expelled from the movement or had their behavior corrected. I, a frequent attendee of Tea Party rallies, honestly and truly cannot think of an instance in my memory where a Tea Party protestor commited an act of blatant racism, violence, bigotry, sexism, or disregard for the law, and in the instances where inappropriate acts of any kind were committed, they were swiftly dealt with.

     This is how protest is supposed to work. Make your voice heard and your views clear, but do not resort to violence and always show dissent respectfully.

     But recently, another movement has sprouted up across the country. I'm hearing many things about it... and they're not so dignified or respectful. I think this movement is worth a look. So now that we know about why we're politically and culturally gridlocked, let's take a look at the protest movement of one of the warring ideologies: The Occupy Movement, and how it compares to my ideology's protest movement: The Tea Party Movement.

     Today, we remember the thousands of Americans whose lives were lost on September 11, 2001. Today marks the tenth anniversary of the tragic events carried out by terrorists from the extremist group of Al-Qaida where 19 men hijacked four separate airplanes and crashed them into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania thanks to the heroism of the passengers who took action and averted a possible attack on either the White House or the Capitol.

     We also honor the bravery of the first responders who sacrificed their lives so that others may survive and those fighting in the military who defend and fight for our freedoms even to this day.

     Although 9/11 was a tragedy in which no American can ever forget, it also brought us together. We proved we truly are the “United” States of America, and when someone tries to knock us down, we get right back on our feet and keep going. 9/11 showed the world what it is truly like to be an American.

     Most of today’s teenagers do not remember what happened that day, as some had not even started kindergarten. As for me, I will never forget where I was and how I felt on that horrible day.

     On September 11, 2001, I was in the second grade, and it was a Tuesday like any other. I remember my teacher got very serious and said, “I want to show you guys something, and I don’t want you to be scared. There’s no reason to be scared, and you are perfectly safe.”

     As she said those words, she turned the TV to a news station, and I remember seeing two enormous gray towers with smoke pouring out of one of them. I just remember how scared I felt at that moment. I got the worst pain in my stomach, and I had absolutely no idea what was happening. I just wanted some answers. For the rest of the day, people’s parents came to get them from school. That’s all I personally remember from that horrific day.

     I couldn’t make sense of what I was seeing, but then again, I don’t think any American, whether they were 7 or 97, could make sense of what they were seeing. I will never forget that day and how it made me feel.

     For those of us teens who remember 9/11, it is important to write it down or tell someone else so we may always remember what truly happened that day. Anyone born in the past decade will only know what happened through things they read or hear, and it is important they know the truth.

     Please, take a moment to comment on this post saying where you were, what you remember and how you felt on this day ten years ago. Also, let’s remember the unity this tragedy brought to our nation. It’s sad that it took a terrorist attack to bring our country together. Let us never lose that patriotism we all felt on September 12 and each day that followed. May God bless the families of the victims of September 11, and may God bless America!

~Taylor~

     Today is a day for all Americans to honor and celebrate. Everyone celebrates in their own way with their own traditions, but while we break out our grills and fireworks we have to remember our history and the events which took place over two centuries ago.

     July 4, 1776 is a date every American knows or should know as the day our brave founding fathers and patriots of the 18th century declared their independence from Great Britain. Many countries throughout history have done the same, but our independence was special. We didn’t wait for anyone to recognize or grant us our independence. We declared our own independence from a tyrannical government, and we knew we weren’t turning back.

     The founders of this country knew the dangers of signing their names at the bottom of that declaration. They knew the consequence could mean death by hanging for going against the King, but out of their bravery and hope for posterity they did what they knew was right. They began an experiment that has continued for 235 years and hopefully many more to come.

     The founders knew what it was like to live under an oppressive government and knew an individual could govern himself much better than a King who ruled from thousands of miles away.

     As we celebrate this day, remember the bravery of the men and women who sacrificed or gave their lives for the liberty we enjoy today, and remember those who continue to give everything they have so the American experiment may continue to all future generations.

     Although he was a couple days off, believing American Independence would be celebrated on July 2, John Adams was dead on with his idea on how the momentous occasion should be celebrated:

 

"The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not." --John Adams

Happy Independence Day!

--Taylor

Karen recently broke the news to all of you that she and her fellow staffers had decided to step down from their positions at T4AT, and that I would be taking over the running of the website as owner and administrator. I wrote this article to make known my plans for the website and what the future of Truth For American Teens will consist of, as well as a brief summary of how this change came to be for me.

Karen made clear her reasons for her departure from the website.

First and foremost, let me make clear that I am extremely excited for Karen and wish her all the best in her future endeavors and her work with the Glenn Beck Program. I can't wait to see the great things that she does with her future.

Second, I am extremely grateful for the offer that I recieved from Karen to take over running of the site. She chatted me up one night on gmail. She began the conversation this way:

"Hey... we need to have a chat."

Now, if you are ANYTHING like me, when you hear that, you automatically assume the worst. It makes me chuckle now, but I was going through my head searching for anything I may have done wrong. Thankfully, the news was good news. Of all the things I would've expected Karen to say, the LAST thing would've been for her to offer me the website. I was floored. I told her that I needed time to consider. After consulting with friends and family, and praying on the subject, I decided that I would accept and take over T4AT.

I am very excited about the future of the website under my care. Before I tell you any of the changes that will be taking place, let me tell you what will stay the same:

- Kelly will be staying on as contributor. She will be doing the same thing she did before, and nothing will change in the transition from Karen's leadership to mine regarding Kelly.

- Taylor has decided to stay on as a staff member until she turns 18 in July 2012. I look forward to a prosperous relationship with her as a fellow staffer.

- The site's name and overall design will remain the same, no huge changes visually, though there may well be minor differences.

- Above all, the message of the site will remain the same. T4AT was, is, and will ALWAYS be commited to promoting the message of conservative, limited government, personal freedoms, liberty, history, and all other great principles upon which America was founded. Karen and co. did not shy away from promoting a message of conservatism and religion. This message will not change on my watch. If anything, it will become stronger and better represented.

I don't want any readers of the site to fear the transition or changes that will occur as a result. I am confident that T4AT will still be the same website that you love, and I will do all I can to keep it that way.

Now, there are fresh changes that WILL be occuring as a result of my ownership of the site. I'll go over the biggest ones now:

- I have hired a close friend of mine to be a member of the staff and to assist me in managing of the site, effectively being one step lower than a co-owner. His name is Kaleb Henry, and I am confident that you will thoroughly enjoy his confident, logical, and entertaining style of writing. He is an incredibly smart guy, and I am grateful to have him helping me.

- I have the option of adding new staff and contributors at my discretion. If I happen to find someone I wish to hire, I retain the right to and will exercise it if I wish.

- I am seeking to increase the frequency of articles written and published on the site to better solidify it as a great and entertaining beacon of conservatism. Kaleb, Taylor, Kelly, myself and any others I hire will be working as hard as we can to ensure this is the result.

Those are the big things that I felt you all needed to know about the site's future. I am grateful for this opportunity, and am confident that you all will enjoy the site in the future just as you have in the past. I will dedicate myself to making this site just as good a site as it was when it was operated by Karen, Matt, Victor, and Taylor, if not a better one. Thank you, and I look forward to a long and prosperous future with Truth For American Teens.

- Brendan M. Wren

  We all have seasons in our life of things we do. Over a year ago when I started T4AT, I never knew where it would go or what it would become. However, I know that the time has come to say good bye to ownership of T4AT.

  Let me start by telling you why I am doing this. Number one, I am now 18, and now a legal adult and able to vote; when I started T4AT I wanted it to stay true to young teenagers that loved our country and wanted to help other teens learn about our nation. I feel that I am no longer in that realm, and someone younger needs to carry the torch.

  The possibility of college coming up this fall and a trip I will be taking to Israel in August are other things that I know will take time, but there is something else. Many of you will remember that election night last year, I had this very cool phone call with Glenn Beck! 

  I never said what came of the call, and I know some have wondered --especially about what Glenn said at the end-- what happened. Two weeks after the call I had a phone interview with Beck's chief of staff/chief researcher Joseph Kerry. At the end of our conversation I was told about something, and accepted something that has been taking up a lot of my time, but that I love dearly.

  I was asked to become a virtual researcher for the Glenn Beck program. While I won't go into details of what all that involves, I will say that it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done, and to see the way the Lord has worked is amazing! I praise God so much for this opportunity, for the new friends He has given me, and just the great joy of serving Him in this capacity.

  I am continuing on with this virtual researcher program, and what ever it may bring for my future with Glenn Beck's company, Mercury Radio Arts.

  Now, what's going to happen to T4AT? I have talked with the staff, and Victor and Matt are also starting college this year while Taylor is finishing up high school. We have all decided to take a step back, and just post when the time lends itself, but we will no longer be the staff.

  Who is going to run T4AT then? Well, the staff and I have talk/prayed about it, and we believe that God has given us Brendan as the new leader of T4AT. Brendan has accepted the offer, and at the end of the summer he will fully take over the management of the site. Kelly will stay on writing as well, but Brendan will also be adding new writers at his discretion.

  Finally, I want everyone to know how much I love T4AT. It was truly a milestone in my life, and has taught me so much! I will miss it, but I know I'm leaving it in great hands. I will have my own personal blog that I'm starting with my best friend Erica Jennings. So watch for Alethea's Joy to be coming out soon.

  This is not a total good bye, it's a transition, and a good one I think at that. I love you all and thank you so much for your support, as do Victor, Matt, and Taylor.

  May the Blessings of Christ stay with you all in our journey

~Karen

  In my neighborhood, we have an excellent landscaper, Jay. He’s from Cuba—but he’s a legal citizen. You can easily tell that Jay is a hard worker by looking at my lawn.

  Recently, my neighborhood board accused Jay of not fertilizing when he is. I’m not really sure what’s going on but it seems like the whole neighborhood is ganging up on Jay. When my mother heard this, she immediately contacted the president of the board—who is very mean—and defended Jay because he is a hard worker and we like him very much. Supposedly one person in my neighborhood—on the board—said how she didn’t like Jay’s work. The point is, how can one person’s opinion determine whether another person loses their job or not? That’s wrong; in this country, we, as U.S. citizens, all vote to elect a government official and they win because of us. All of our opinions count, so why is there a possibility that my landscaper might lose his job based on one or two opinions? To me it sounds like one person saying they don’t like Obama, and then Obama is impeached. Even though some of us may hope for that, it doesn’t work that way.

  Jay, my landscaper, is a hard worker—he’s the kind of person I support—he works hard for his money. He’s very smart and also a nice person to talk to. When my parents got our house re-painted, my mother insisted on getting a new landscaper to make the lawn look beautiful. Ever since we hired Jay, everything we wanted done is done; Jay was a big help to my family and still is. He works very hard to support his family. He has small children and makes the most of his job so he can care for them. I really hope my neighborhood does not fire Jay based on one or two opinions because I support people like Jay. If you’re a hard worker, I like you. If you’re a hardworking immigrant, I like you even more. That’s what I like to hear—an immigrant who takes their job seriously rather than not working at all and living on welfare. That’s what Jay is: A hard working, immigrant who became an American citizen…

~Kelly

     Today is the day we celebrate the most caring, loving and supportive woman in our lives: our Mothers! Our mothers are the ones who had the strength and courage to carry us around for a grueling nine months and then bring us into the world. Once we arrived, they protected us, held us but, most of all, loved us endlessly.

     They are always there to pick us up when we fall, to hug us when we’re sad, guide us when we don’t know which path to take and teach us right from wrong. Throughout all their sacrifice and love, it’s no wonder why there is an entire day dedicated to moms! But how did this day come to be? Well, I’m proud to say it all started in my wild and wonderful state of West Virginia!

     Although numerous holidays throughout the world’s history have been practiced to celebrate motherly figures such as goddesses, the American mother’s day we celebrate today is basically the first to celebrate one’s actual mother.

     The woman who started it all was Anna Jarvis of Grafton, WV. After the death of her mother, Jarvis wanted a day to honor and remember her mother. On May 10, 1908, after petitioning the superintendant of the church where her mother taught Sunday School, the first Mother’s day celebration took place at Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, WV. 407 people attended the event, and each mother received two white carnations, Jarvis’s mother’s favorite flower.

     West Virginia became the first state to recognize Mother’s Day in 1912, and two years later, everyone’s favorite president, Woodrow Wilson, declared the second Sunday of May as an official United States holiday.

     Now, every year we use this day to celebrate and honor our moms and all the hard work it took to raise us and shape us into the people we are today. If you haven’t taken the half hour out of your day yet to call your mom and say thanks, put the mouse down, pick up the phone and call your mom or someone who is like a mother to you and show them you appreciate every big and small thing they’ve ever done for you! Even better, let’s use every day to honor mom by helping her around the house and show her how much we love her by treating every day like it is Mother’s Day!

     “My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.” –George Washington

Happy Mother's Day from Taylor, Karen, Victor, Matt, Kelly and Brendan!

 

 

Sources: Click here and here to learn more about the history of Mother's Day!

-http://bit.ly/jYiCV1

-http://bit.ly/lSIL0j

 

Below is a video of the History and Faith of Mother's Day. Go get your mom, and enjoy it together!

 

 

Well, if you have not heard, Superman is renouncing his U.S. citizenship. This really should not be too much of a shock to you seeing as how America is the “new world enemy.” The reason why it shouldn’t be so surprising is that Superman is not the first super hero to disassociate himself with the United States; Captain America changed his name to Nomad a few years back. If Superman is supposedly “fed up” with being connected to the USA and the motto ‘Truth, Justice, and the American Way,’- -its just not enough anymore,” then why has and is he characterizing those values the best? NPR says that he “proclaims himself a citizen of the universe.” Since when did the United States become evil? It will be interesting to see how superman acts now being a "citizen of the universe."

If you are a teen reading these “innocent” comic books, beware of the messages that are being displayed. Also, if you are a parent, be sure you know what your child is reading or watching, this goes for school material also. Nothing is what it seems anymore, you must look deeper and keep an eye out for these type of stunts.

Well, don't worry! DC comics has come back out saying that superman may have had a change of heart in renouncing his US citizenship. This attempt at changing Superman's citizenship has caused an uproar across the nation. Artist Dave Dorman who is an artist for the DC comic book had this to say:

“I find it very hard to believe that DC Comics has chosen to take Superman–the first and greatest of America’s super heroes and a cultural icon for many generations–and molded him into a piece of political propaganda for this current climate of socialism and world unity. For generations, Superman has stood as a role model for both children and adults, giving them pride in America with his values of ‘Truth, Justice and the American Way.’ Unfortunately, DC Comics has chosen to corrupt that role model, bending it to America‘s current path of failure with ’Mistruth, Social Justice and a One World Order.‘ In this day when Barack Obama calls the United States ’unexceptional,‘ it saddens me that DC Comics and their Superman creative team couldn’t have restored this true American role model and given kids in America the faith that our great country truly is still exceptional. With one comic, they’ve castrated Superman and hastily thrown away more than 80 years of his patriotic legacy.”

Well America has won this time. But remember to keep up the good fight! We will be seeing more of this in the future! 

-Matt 

About a month ago, Glenn Beck gave this challenge to his TV audience.

  My parents and I decided that we would take up this challenge ourselves, remembering the many times when we had be out of work for years at a time, and people had helped us with love gifts.

  So today was the big day! After I finished school and some other things, mom and I got into the car and decided to head over to Wal-Mart to pick up some things. Before we left though, mom got the idea that we should get a Wal-Mart gift card as well as some food. We put our money together and got a $30 gift card and several bags of groceries.

  As we got into the car to head off to the Workforce mom said, "Karen, we need to pray about this and that God would direct us to the right person to give this to." I agreed, and as she was driving, I prayed for God's guidance and will to be done with this gift, and that He would help all of those around the country that were doing the same thing.

  After going on a wild goose chase to find the Workforce (that's a whole other story in itself), we finally made it to the parking lot. As we walked up to the doors, a woman came. I stopped her and asked if she was unemployed. She said "Honey I've been unemployed for a year and I'm on disability." She was in a hurry, but then I asked, "Do you have children?" She sighed and said "Yes I do." I then pulled out the gift card from my pocket and said "This is a $30 Wal-Mart gift card that we would like to bless you with, and we have some bags of groceries if you want them"

  The woman looked at the card, put her hand over her mouth and as she started to cry asked, "Are you serious?" Mom and I both said yes, and we held her as she cried for a moment. As we loaded the groceries in her car she told us something that blew Mom and I away. She said "I'm suppose to take my youngest daughter down to Texas Children's tomorrow for tests, and I didn't have money to buy the gas for the trip" Now Mom and I realized why we had been led to get the gift card.

  Then the lady asked, "Why are y'all doing this, what church are you from?" I answered, "Ma'am we're not with  our church, we were just lead to do to this for you because we're your American brothers and sisters, and Americans take care of Americans. She again wiped the tears from her eyes and said "that's right...that's right."

  Finally before we left, I gave her my pocket New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. She thanked me again telling me that she only had some children's Bibles for her girls in the house.

  As we drove away, I thought about how great it was to help her. I'm planning on talking to my parents about doing this once a month. We give to charities regularly, but this was very personal. Again, it was an American sister helping another American sister in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Mom, dad, and I are glad we took Glenn Beck up on this challenge of kindness.

~Karen