Independence Day 2015

Picture — U.S. & Uzbek flags flying over Karshi-Khanabad Air Base, Uzbekistan in 2005 during my deployment there…

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men {and women} are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” — Declaration of Independence

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as your self: I am the Lord.” — Leviticus 19:18

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” — Jesus (in Mark 12:31a)

On this Independence Day, I pause to not only reflect on the beginnings of our nation, but also to pray… to pray that this journey will continue… we haven’t arrived. Until EVERY individual living in this country is treated as equal regardless of their particular background or status, we must continue to pray and work towards that goal. In order that we might respond to the call of God in Micah 6:8 — “what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God”