No Charges

​​This article was written by Dr. Kim Logan-Nowlin for Message Magazine : Drama Files​

Mother’s Day 2018, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel and Linda Carson* were notified that their two sons had been arrested for armed robbery. Linda Carson stated that her sons could not have committed any crime because they just arrived home the day before to celebrate Mother’s Day with her.

She called me to pray with her and to ask for my attorney’s number. I made myself available and went to meet with the attorney, the police, and the Carson brothers that day.  

Tale of Two Sons
Alex and Andre are both third-year medical students and doing very well in school. Linda stated that her sons had been mistaken for two other young men, misidentified when they went to visit some of their old friends from high school in the old neighborhood. 

Two young men had robbed a store, and were identified as two African- Americans wearing white t-shirts and blue jeans. The Carson brothers wore similar clothing, but during the time of the robbery, they were visiting with their pastor and other church members. After leaving the church they stopped to say hello and socialize with old friends and were arrested by police soon after. That is when someone identified them as perpetrators in a yearlong robbery spree.

Police arrested Alex and Andre and allowed them to call their parents. Soon, however, police  acknowledged that a mistake in identity had been made. While the Carson brothers were being held in custody, two other young men committed another robbery on the other side of town. 

The “Right” Brothers
As the Carson brothers left the precinct, they recognized the other two young men coming in. They had gone to middle school together. What happened to them over the years? It was clear they had chosen a life of crime while the Carsons had chosen God, a crime-free life, and education. 

The brothers told me that they prayed together daily, and they called their parents everyday for family worship. They were thankful that they remained close to God, family and church. They recognized early in life from their parents that there are no easy, fast tracks in this life.  You must pray, study God’s word, be kind to others, remain connected with positive family and friends, and work hard. 

Fortunately, for them, all charges were dropped and the family was reunited. 

Mother’s Love Rewarded
Linda Carson stated she was praising God all the way home. The family attended Sunday evening service together and she was thankful for an amazing and eventful  Mother’s Day with her family. After church she asked her sons why they had gone to visit their friends in the first place. Their answer was that they had gone to visit, to give them a Bible, and pray with them! Linda smiled, hung her head and wiped a tear from her eyes.

“Continue to use them, Lord” she said, breathing a soft prayer.
Alex and Andre both reached out their hands and said, “Love you, Mom.”

Can We Talk Values?Samuel Carson prayed, never forgetting that this was truly a test of faith and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ to others. He repeated the words of the Psalmist: “I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise will continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1). 
 
It is important for parents to teach their children morals and values with spiritual principals because, as they say “a family that prays together stays together.” There are at least 10 practical ways to teach your children the right values. I especially want to see our parents instill: respect, kindness, honesty, courage, perseverance, self-discipline, compassion, generosity, and dependability.

Most parents want to instill these kinds of values in their children, too. Doing so will protect them from potentially negative societal influences and lay the foundation for them to become good citizens. We’re not fulfilling our responsibilities as parents if we don’t try to instill solid morals in our children.

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