Images from the Bicentennial celebrations in 1976, under President Gerald Ford. I remember the Yorktown celebrations, when I was not yet 10 years old - there was barely anywhere to stand. And two photos from this weekend; maybe there will be more on July 4th? Draw your own conclusions.

I think I might never stop laughing if Iran did this

I love this for Fox. I only hope their viewers notice this for themselves.

A watershed day for me was realizing that Christians loved sending missionaries to people that we really didn't want sitting in church with us. And another was hearing them say they didn't want them even living in the same city as us. This was not a religion with which I wanted to be identified.

What if the call to make disciples doesn't end when you die? I've been wrestling with feeling useless - mid-50s, no faith community to pour into, no institution I can return to in good conscience. But "O death, where is thy sting?" isn't just about heaven. It's about purpose that outlasts the grave.

Somebody evangelical needs to hear this: Three major earthquakes around the world on the same day is NOT evidence that the End Times are here.

Please don't post pictures of a supposed tarp going up around the Reflecting Pool. That's an AI hoax. And the fencing? That's normal for July 4th fireworks precautions, to keep people away from a lot of dangerous explosives.

This theory might explain a lot. "Trump may be mystery patient in odd case of 79YO getting experimental obesity drug." arstechnica.com/health/2026/...

Touch the pool and go to jail. Touch kids and become president. m.youtube.com/watch?v=lUqJ...

BREAKING: Police releases photo of the criminal who vandalized the Reflecting Pool:

Happy Juneteenth. Today marks the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas finally learned they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. The road to true equality and equity is still rough; let's remind ourselves to push forward where change is needed.

Now see, Chicago needs to talk to DC about their St Patrick's Day "green river." I'm sure they're jealous about this entirely-natural bright green color.

"Hyperbolic dominance displays function as a baby’s blanket, a totem to cling to in order to self-soothe over the ever-present threat that someone, somewhere, might call them 'gay.'” www.salon.com/2026/06/17/u...

Wealth corrupts. Absolute wealth corrupts absolutely.

Paying a country $324 billion to let you out of a war you started is called losing.

😕

I'm disgusted on many levels, but I'm just gonna say this: If Michelle Obama is trans (she's not, you MAGA idiots!), then her absolute grace and integrity and unimpeachable character is proof that we ought to be accepting and celebrating queer people at all levels of our society.

If you grew up in evangelical Christianity, you probably learned a version of prayer that treats God like a cosmic vending machine: put in the right coin, get out the answer you want. What happens when your prayer isn't answered? A different reading of scripture might change everything.

Now look at which stock market moves were made just before this tweet by President Trump, calling off hostilities for this evening. I'll bet some of his administration officials made some fairly large moves.

Painting the Reflecting Pool with a dark blue bottom will cause algae to grow faster because the water stays warmer. This is a widely known problem; the Pool was already set up with an ozone bubbler and filtration system to try to kill algae. Trump didn't drain the swamp, he created more of one.

Worth reading. Don't think for a second that just because you call yourself "Christian" means you'll be on the right side of a push for Christian Nationalism: purges always narrow the definitions to exclude more and more people. And the Founders knew this, and that's why we have the First Amendment.

So... Iran denies intentionally downing the Apache; it probably inadvertently collided with a Shahed drone sent to attack a tanker. But Trump wastes no time making this an excuse to strike Iran yet again. x.com/Osinttechnic...

The newly repainted Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is 2030 by 167 feet, and over 11 printed pages of the Epstein Files deep.

Maybe his plan always was to bankrupt and fragment America so that his children could buy up the pieces for pennies on the dollar.

I will forever mark May 25, 2020, the day that George Floyd was murdered on camera by police, as the true start of my journey out of toxic theology and politics, as I watched my church of 30 years and much of America reject the clear teachings of Jesus in favor of protecting the majority’s comfort.

It occurs to me that the “trans kids in youth sports” debate reveals something ugly about American society: we think of kids sports primarily as a gateway to making money, more than as a chance to lead them to develop strength, character, cooperation, and relationships.

😎🪴🌵 we want #EpsteinFiles names

A story in two photos.

This is good.

Fighting fire with fire. I'm not happy about this slush fund, and I absolutely think it should be blocked at the judicial level for very good reasons, but in the meantime, sure, weaponize the hell out of it against them.

I wrote this song in 2020, as the world shook from COVID, as America shook from the BLM protests, and as my theology began to shake from watching my church lose all credibility from how it handled COVID and BLM. But I was still confident in this: God was my rock, on which I could stand.

The moon and Venus setting tonight. Beautiful.

Recommendations for "deconstructed worship"? Who's out there writing/performing music about God from a post-evangelical but still following Jesus perspective?

Here's a gentle song of rejoicing I wrote based on Isaiah 61:10: I delight greatly in the Lord My soul rejoices in my God For He has clothed me with garments of salvation And arrayed me in a robe of righteousness www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECIE...

New worship song posted. I wrote this in 2009, and updated it this week. It's actually one of my favorites; it's so nice to hear it with good vocals, far better than I could sing it. Enjoy. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWsl...

I'll be happy to hear Hegseth's case against Kelly after Hegseth is first tried for SignalGate. abcnews.com/Politics/heg...

It's like all the gold of Versailles with exactly none of the taste or dignity.

Seen on Threads. Christians on gay people: "If you go back to the original Greek and squint, move some stuff around, and ignore the greater context, the Bible is clear on this." Christians on giant golden idols: "The text isn't clear. This giant statue of Trump is probably fine."

To not comply with the Empire is to follow Jesus.

Can I place a PolyMarket bet on the date when Republicans will officially begin trying to repeal the 2-term 22nd Amendment?

Just gonna drop this right here.

Am I the only one who feels the need to politely thank Claude or ChatGPT for their help, but struggles with knowing that such a meaningless but human gesture only costs more electricity?

Yesterday, most local gas stations had unleaded 87 for $4.49/gallon, but one was $4.19, so although I had a bit left in the tank, I filled up there this morning. At lunchtime, sitting at the stoplight in front of that same gas station, I saw the numbers begin to scroll, and stop at $4.49. 😥

Metrics are not fruit of the spirit. Look for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

2025 and 2026 have revealed a fundamental flaw in our United States political system. There's literally nothing that the people can do if all three branches of government decide to ignore the laws that already exist. Congress refuses to stop an out-of-control Executive that's ignoring the Judicial.

Well, I guess I won’t need this app any longer….

A proposal for how to fairly approach this fight: State legislatures should write laws that TEMPORARILY redistrict for a four-year period then revert to 2024 districts. This makes it clear that the goal is not permanent change, but standing up to unfair practices by Republican states. Thoughts?