Hello America,

Hard to believe it’s Labor Day already. I don’t know about you, but time seems to be moving in hyper-lapse speed - one little blink and summer is already in the rear view mirror. I know this weekend is generally reserved for kicking back and hanging with family, and I plan to do that. But I’m also gearing up because there is much work to do.

We start the new season of The Glenn Beck Program when I return tomorrow, and we have a ton of projects we’re hard at work on. Most of that work is focused on the path forward. In fact, you’ll see our first new project unveiled on Monday, September 8, when Dana moves to five nights a week as part of TheBlaze’s new fall lineup.

There is some serious heavy lifting to be done, and most of it will be in the form of coming to grips with the reality of how we must move forward. It is so tempting to fall into the old patterns that have gotten us nowhere. Sure, it feels pretty darn good to unleash on ridiculous progressive arguments - but that cannot be the only thing we offer. Yes, the truth must continue to be told. And, yes, that will sometimes take the form of picking apart the fatal flaws of progressivism. But is that enough? Is simply pointing out the log in another’s eye really going to rally people to our cause? We’ve tried that approach, and it’s only brought more division.

No conversion story – whether it be religious, political or otherwise – ever starts with it all began when I lost an argument. If you truly want to win hearts and minds, ‘winning’ the argument simply isn’t going to get the job done. We have to find a better approach, and that’s what I’m in the process of pinning down. I don’t know what it looks like exactly, but I have seen flashes of it. What I do know is that the common thread must be mercy. We will continue to demand justice and hold the corrupt accountable, but we must be quick to showmercy to those in need.

Mercy is more powerful than any verbal argument could ever be. Jesus himself made (obviously) many great and logical arguments. But he was also healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and comforting those in mourning. He did so many things like this, in fact, that if it had all been written down “the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

We are to teach the truth and correct principles, but we can’t do that at the expense of actually living out those principles. How do we live them out? Act justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. What does that look like, exactly? Glad you ask. I saw the perfect example last weekend in Ferguson, Missouri with the local Tea Party there.

As angry protesters were busy looting and trashing local businesses, the St. Louis Tea Party staged a ‘BUYcott’ aimed at helping the businesses harmed by the violence. One local business owner was shocked to learn the people helping were from the Tea Party. Their genuine act of mercy and kindness shattered every myth this shop owner had ever heard about the so-called racist and heartless Tea Party. His heart was literally changed on the spot because everything he thought he knew was just proved wrong. That one act of mercy and kindness did more than a thousand of the best arguments ever could.

That is how we win – and I don’t mean ‘we’ as in ‘Republicans.’ I mean ‘we’ as in Americans, as humans.

That’s what we’ve been reduced to. We’re just pawns in their power game. We’ve all been duped to varying degrees - constantly drawn into false choices.

I refuse to be a pawn in the progressive game of the left - and especially of the right.

I refuse to be placed in a category and pitted against my neighbor.

I will demand justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with my God.

These are God’s values and the values I have been trying to follow since the day I first believed. I haven’t always been the best at putting them into practice, but it’s never too late to saddle up and try again. Following these values will not always make me popular, but I’m okay with that because popularity is a fruitless goal. If everyone always agrees with you, chances are you have never stated your true beliefs or, worse, you have violated them.

If pursuing this path causes me to lose whatever popularity I have, so be it. I’d rather lose everything and keep my soul than gain everything and lose it.

Although I’m confident I will stumble in this pursuit, I hope you will walk with me anyway. There is much work to do - many hands and feet are needed.

Enjoy this day of rest. I will see you tomorrow at 9am ET.

Laus Deo,