Born and raised in the North Carolina piedmont, I amassed more than a few interesting traits, including an excellent (if somewhat dark and snarky) sense of humor, a healthy disrespect for authority and sense of duty toward others. The first two were actively discouraged by authority figures (without success, thankfully), but the third was nurtured and reinforced by my teachers, my church and my parents. One of my favorite quotes comes from Robert E. Lee, who said “Duty is the most sublime word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less.”
My sense of duty led me into 23 years as a firefighter where I saw firsthand that all too many people live poverty in what is the richest country in the world. Three years ago, I decided to follow a dream I’ve had almost as long as I can remember: to be a writer. I retired from the fire department in 2012 and I’m pursuing that dream full-time. My views have been formed by my service, work with non-profit ministries such as Love Wins, years in the church and incessant reading. I want to live in a society based on love where there are no “others” and everyone is included, i.e. the Kingdom of God. This blog is one of my contributions towards bringing that Kingdom to life.
“Cognitive dissonance…” I’ve heard that phrase several times over the years. But, it was only a few months ago that I took the time to see what it actually meant. Consulting the Google, I found it is …
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