(HuffPo) — At age 8, Maria Keller, of Orono, Minn., learned that not all children own a book. Determined to do something about it, she declared she would donate 1 million books to kids in need by the time she turned 18. Keller not only reached her goal this week, she did it five years early. On Tuesday, a children’s book publisher in Mankato, Minn., gave the 13-year-old philanthropist the...
Haley’s Story: I Was An Atheist
For years I could never find God. The real problem was that I wasn’t looking. I was so stuck in my defiance and my will to “do things myself” that I didn’t allow myself to open up to God. That changed for me this past Fall. I was at one of the lowest points of my life. It’s truly amazing the higher power that seizes us at the moment when our knees hit the floor. God...
I Am Mediocre
I’m not a big fan of the word “mediocre.” It’s not a term that’s been applied to me very much. When teachers write report cards, they usually put something along the lines of “hard worker” or “attentive student.” Not mediocre. Another aspect of my un-mediocrity is the fact that people have been calling me “smart” for ages. Why? I...
Earrings for Life: Raising Money for Crisis Pregnancy Centers
Who ever said a young teenager couldn’t make a difference? Well…me… In 2011, I started a ministry called Earrings for Life. I make earrings and sell them. All of the money goes to crisis pregnancy centers to help women facing unplanned pregnancies. These centers encourage women to choose life instead of abortion for their unborn child. They also give physical, emotional, and...
Time to Start Living
I have a confession to make. I spend a lot of time pouring over words and pictures of things I want to be. The life I want to live. I read about strong heroines facing danger and struggling valiantly towards a cause bigger than themselves. I spend hours on Pinterest looking at pretty pictures and epic scenes, adventures and sunshine and battles and life. I research how to stay healthy and strong...
The Happiness Myth
This world is teeming with people in unhappy relationships. Unhappy marriages, unhappy families, and unhappy friendships surround us. The gift of community that God created to be so good has been abused and broken. And I think what lies at the root of the deterioration of true community is what I call the happiness myth. I realized that the happiness myth was the problem when I was humming a song...
Hunter Gandee, Age 14: Walks 40-Miles with Brother on His Back
(AP) — A Michigan teenager who wanted to raise awareness about cerebral palsy by walking 40 miles with his younger brother strapped to his back battled heat, rain, fatigue and more to finish the trek Sunday. Hunter Gandee, 14, had been planning for weeks to pull off the walk, hoping to put a face on the muscular disorder that prevents his 7-year-old sibling, Braden, from being able to walk...