Happy Independence Day, friends. We are so blessed to live where we can not only celebrate freedom and liberty, but practice those gifts; and where we can thrive in communities where our individuality, our quirkiness, or our minority status does not cost us access to the fundamental rights of citizenship!

Well, almost.

But America is – always – a work in progress; just like I am, and hopefully you too! And I am genuinely thankful for this amazing nation.

TODAY’S POST: Today I’m asking you to read my Wake Forest Today column – Taking Liberties With July Four – by clicking on the link.

Here are two excerpts – enjoy!

July 4 is a great date on the calendar. First, Independence Day stands as one of the most enduring memories of my first year in the USA; and then the ideal of liberty has become a constant buzz in my ear as a writer, more so as the years go by…

“Life” – not just my life; “Liberty” – for every one of us; and “The Pursuit of Happiness” – even if it means acknowledging that some people own a very different definition.
Independence Day: it’s about so much more than those early signers ever realized. (read more…)

Liberty is exactly why Jesus came. Personal liberty from the chains that bind us, and then liberty for others – as we share God’s message of love and as we create positive change in our communities by living into the truth of it.

Happy Independence Day! May we all know such freedom – DEREK