by Carissa Johnson

Created on: February 06, 2010

Kathy runs a ranch that counsels and provides therapy for both horses and children from tough backgrounds. She pours her whole heart into caring for beaten, injured racehorses and damaged children.

Jesùs is a volunteer tutor, teaching Burmese and Thai children how to read, write, and memorize their multiplication tables. He gives up his time every afternoon so that the boy with a thirst for learning who he met at the international center can someday speak English fluently.

Brian’s family tearfully said goodbye to him last month as he disappeared through the gate on his way to Afghanistan. He left his parents, his wife, and a blue-eyed, angelic baby behind to go serve his country.

Mrs. Littlefield is an ovarian cancer patient who shows up smiling to work every day, teaching English to teenagers despite the pain and the chemotherapy. Just when you would think the surgeries, bruises, needles, and fears would take their final toll and cause her to break down, she beams a fearless, joyful smile to her students and says, “God is in control.”

Jason is a military chaplain who married into a hurting family and is a Godly example to his stepdaughter. Her previous father was abusive and he gave her a second chance at having a daddy who truly loved her.

Greg and Terri are a loving couple with ten adopted children from all over the world constantly clinging to their ankles. The joyous couple loves every one of their darling babies, trusting God to help them get through and coordinate each busy day.

What do they all have in common? They are everyday American heroes. A hero does not save the world on a daily basis, per se; a hero changes the world, as Steven Curtis Chapman put it, “one little heartbeat at a time.”

A secular hero always has the trophy wife on his arm, the mansion, the perfect children, and saves the world on his breaks at work. But a hero is not someone who only does what he does for personal gain. A true American hero lives to be a role model and an example, no matter the sacrifice. A true American hero is all about lifting up the lives of other people and performing deeds that benefit them. A true American hero is selfless and serves at every chance he gets, no matter the risk or the cost it may bring upon himself. In this sense, these heroes give the world hope, and our streets today are filled with them. From the trenches and the battle lines overseas to the alleys and slums back home to the top of a burning, crumbling

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