Hey there, welcome to Outlaw Faith! I’m Ryan, and this blog is all about pushing back against what’s broken in our world while standing firm in faith. It’s a call to live with honor, integrity, and a healthy dose of rebellion against the status quo.
What’s the Point? Here, we’re diving into historical texts like Common Sense and the Federalist Papers, translating them into something fresh and relevant. I want to show you why these ideas still matter in 2025 and how they connect to a life of faith.
How We’ll Do It: This isn’t just a history lesson—we’ll weave in humor, personal insights, and a challenge to step up and live boldly. Think of it as a roadmap for reclaiming freedom and faith, one step at a time.
What to Expect: So, starting Monday mornings, we’ll dive into these incredible documents together and see what they mean for us today. It’ll be fun, thought-provoking, and hopefully spark something new in you.
The Chains Couldn’t Hold Him: Frederick Douglass and the Power of Truth
What makes a man free? It isn’t the world’s permission. It isn’t a title or a set of papers. It’s the unshakable refusal to be owned by anything—by fear, by failure, by the expectations of others. A real man doesn’t wait to be handed his freedom. He takes it, no matter the cost.
That’s what Frederick Douglass did.
He was born in chains. No father to guide him. A mother he barely knew, stolen away in the dead of night. By the time he was seven, he had lost her too. The world had decided his worth—he was property, nothing more. But Douglass had something inside him his masters couldn’t control: hunger. Not just for food, but for knowledge, for truth. And truth, once it takes root in a man’s soul, is more dangerous than any weapon.
Slaves weren’t allowed to read. The law forbade it. Knowledge made a man unfit to be a slave, and that’s exactly what Douglass intended to be. He tricked street boys into teaching him letters, trading crusts of bread for lessons. He stole scraps of newspapers and studied them in secret. While other slaves were whipped into submission, he sharpened his mind, knowing that the only way to break his chains was to outthink the men who had put them there.
Then came the day he fought back. Not just with words, but with his fists. Edward Covey was a brutal slave-breaker, a man paid to beat defiance out of young men like Douglass. For months, he tormented him, but one day, Douglass had enough. He turned, he fought, and for two hours, he stood his ground. When it was over, Covey never touched him again. Douglass walked away with something no whip could take from him—the knowledge that he would never be a slave in his heart again.
At 20, he risked everything. Disguised as a sailor, he escaped to the North. But freedom wasn’t just about saving himself. He had been given a voice, and he used it to shake the world. He stood before presidents, challenged the laws of men, and preached the truth that no man has the right to own another. But through it all, he never took credit for his own strength. He knew the source of it.
He once wrote:
“I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.”
Faith isn’t passive. It isn’t waiting around for permission. It’s moving forward, trusting that God has already given you what you need to fight for what is right.
Frederick Douglass lived out Psalm 146:7-8:
“He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down.”
The question now is simple: Are you waiting for freedom, or are you willing to fight for it? Because no chain—physical or spiritual—can hold a man whom God has set free.
Loneliness is one of the deepest aches of the human soul. It creeps into our hearts during moments of isolation, after loss, or even when surrounded by people who do not truly understand us. It can feel like a heavy silence, a longing for connection that goes unfulfilled.
But have you ever considered that loneliness might sometimes be a divine invitation?
God never intended for us to live in isolation. He created us for relationship—with Him and with others. In Genesis 2:18, He declared, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Yet, in a world broken by sin, loneliness is an unavoidable reality. We experience distance, rejection, and seasons where even those closest to us seem absent.
Even Jesus, fully God yet fully human, experienced the weight of loneliness. On the night of His greatest sorrow, He asked His closest friends to stay awake and pray with Him. But they fell asleep, leaving Him to wrestle alone (Matthew 26:40-41). The Son of God knew what it was to feel abandoned, yet in that solitude, He pressed deeper into the presence of His Father.
This is where loneliness can transform into something beautiful. While we often see it as something to escape, God sometimes allows us to feel the emptiness of loneliness so that we will turn to Him to be filled. Psalm 42:1-2 captures this longing:
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”
Loneliness can either drive us into despair or deeper into the arms of our Savior. When we recognize it as a call to intimacy with Him, we begin to see it differently. Instead of only longing for human companionship, we start longing for the One who never leaves us. We begin to cherish the quiet, the solitude, and the moments where His voice speaks into the stillness.
David understood this well. In the wilderness, running for his life and cut off from everyone he loved, he wrote:
“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.” — Psalm 25:16
Yet, in the same breath, he reminded himself of God’s faithfulness:
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18
If you are experiencing loneliness, know this: it is not the end of your story. It may be the very place where God is drawing you nearer, calling you to lean on Him in ways you never have before. Instead of seeing loneliness as an affliction, consider it an invitation—an opportunity to find in Him the companionship your soul truly longs for.
Call to Action
Are you feeling lonely today? Instead of running from it, take it to God. Spend time with Jesus through prayer, reading the scriptures, or spending time with other followers of Jesus. Pray honestly about your loneliness. Ask Him to fill the empty spaces of your heart. Then, look for ways to connect—with Him and with the people He has placed in your life. You are never truly alone.
📌 Day 1: Not Alone “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” — Hebrews 13:5
Loneliness can feel overwhelming, but God’s promise stands firm: You are never truly alone. Even when people fail us, God remains constant, near, and unshaken. His presence is not based on our feelings but on His faithfulness.
Reflection: Today, remind yourself of God’s presence. Take a moment to pray and thank Him for never leaving you.
Human relationships can be fragile, but Jesus is the friend who never abandons. He walks with us in every season, in joy and in sorrow. His love is steadfast, and His friendship is unbreakable.
Reflection: How can you lean into Jesus’ friendship today? Spend a few minutes talking to Him as you would a close friend.
Hagar was alone, cast out, and abandoned—but God saw her. He met her in the wilderness, reminding her that she was not forgotten. When loneliness creeps in, know this: You are seen, known, and loved by the Creator of the universe.
Reflection: Ask God to open your eyes to His presence in your life today. Where do you see evidence that He sees and cares for you?
God’s design has always been community. He never intended for us to walk alone. The Church, the body of Christ, is meant to be a place of belonging. If you are lonely, God has people for you—sometimes you just have to take the first step.
Reflection: Who has God placed in your life that you can connect with? Reach out to someone today—send a message, make a call, or invite them for coffee.
📌 Day 5: Jesus Understands “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” — Isaiah 53:3
Jesus knows the sting of loneliness and rejection. He felt it deeply, yet He continued to love. When we feel isolated, we can take comfort in knowing that He understands. He has walked this road before us, and He walks it with us now.
Reflection: Pour out your heart to Jesus today. Tell Him how you feel, and ask Him to comfort you in your loneliness.
Loneliness can be a heavy burden, but Jesus invites us to bring it to Him. His presence fills the empty spaces in our hearts. He is not a distant Savior—He is close, offering rest and peace to those who come to Him.
Reflection: Take a deep breath and rest in Jesus today. Spend a few quiet moments simply sitting with Him, knowing He is near.
Jesus Himself spoke of our hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Hunger and thirst are physical sensations which in their acute stages may become real pain. It has been the experience of countless seekers after God that when their desires became a pain they were suddenly and wonderfully filled. Occasionally there appears on the religious scene a person whose unsatisfied spiritual longings become so big and important in the life that they crowd out every other interest… His yearnings carry him away and often make something of a nuisance out of him. His puzzled fellow Christians shake their heads and look knowingly at each other, but like the blind man who cries out after his sight and was rebuked by the disciples, he “cries the more a great deal.” …It is easy to learn the doctrine of personal revival and victorious living; it is quite another thing to take our cross and plod on to the dark and bitter hill of self-renunciation. Here many are called and few are chosen!”
Whatever you do for the least of these you have done it unto me – Jesus This is the story of Norman. A man who needed love but that love changed the lives of those who gave.
