I pledge allegiance to—Jesus Christ my only Lord, whose life, love, death, and resurrection have led to my pursuit of liberty and justice for all.

The thing that radicalized me…

I still believe that. #jesusloves #westernnc #radicallove

Good morning, beloved.

Forgiveness is good & holy.

The proper response to forgiveness is justice.

Forgiveness is ours to give & receive.

Justice is ours to work for.

Today is a great day to overcome evil with good.

“For a justice long delayed

Is a justice far too late”

The problem with confusing charity and justice is that charity meets an immediate need of the person in front of us, while justice works to change the systems that cause the need for charity in the first place.

It’s not efficient to care for the poor and marginalized. It’s extravagant.

Cruelty is not a fruit of the spirit.

Diversity means looking for the meritous in places that we might be missing.
Equity means that everyone of merit has opportunities regardless of their differences.
Inclusion means increasing pathways for everyone to prove their merit.

Here’s a bird singing at Lake Junaluska, NC. Enjoy this moment of peace. #nature #lakejunaluska #northcarolina #westernnorthcarolina #birds #peace

If there is an unfair trade imbalance it is because we think 5% of the world’s people are entitled to ~25% of the world’s resources.

A locked-up person in recovery blessed a room full of pastors this week with the blessing from Numbers 6 and believe me if I received those words like I’ve never heard them before.

I’m excited to hear from the athletes who give God the glory after losing.

“I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that my value isn’t determined on this field, but because I’m loved by God.”

"Come all ye faithful, and all ye who would like to be faithful if only you could, all ye who walk in darkness and hunger for light. Have faith enough, hope enough, despair enough, foolishness enough at least to draw near to see for yourselves."
—Frederick Buechner

“Justice doesn’t choose whose dignity is superior. It upholds the dignity of all those involved, no matter whom it offends or what it costs. Even when demanding retribution, justice does not demean the offender’s dignity; it affirms it.”—Cole Arthur Riley, This Here Flesh

Oops, I did it again. I’m pretty boring except that Stray Kids snuck in there because it’s great writing music.

What’s up Bluesky! I’m Ray.

I like to talk about…
the Los Angeles Dodgers
USC Trojans Football (just a fan)
Duke Basketball (I go there)
Five Iron Frenzy
The Way of Jesus’ love
Theology (God stuff) as it relates to Jesus’ Way of love
Ecclesiology (church stuff) as it relates to Jesus’ Way of love

Final:
Dodgers 10
Mets 2

God is like Jesus.
God has always been like Jesus.
There’s never been a time when God wasn’t like Jesus.
We haven’t always known this,
but now we do.