Religious freedom is priceless to Fereshteh Momeni. An Iranian Baha’i now living in Medical Lake, she lived through the Iranian revolution in 1979 and her country’s transition into the Islamic Republic of Iran. This is why she appreciates the information in the 2023 U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report that identifies countries with the worst religious freedoms.

Imran Khan is former Prime Minister of Pakistan. His arrest by Pakistan’s paramilitary forces is simply a slap on the face of democracy and a black day for the people of Pakistan. Imran Khan’s arrest in Pakistan is simply an act of revenge under the banner of a so-called National Accountability Bureau case against him.

Why do I bother? Why does anyone bother? The senseless rampages that continue to claim dozens of victims, including children, go on and on. It is clear the country simply does not care. We are a nation of the armed. Gun sales continue to rise. And there is no meaningful effort to stem the tide. In point of fact, it really does not matter.

“Are you willing to kind of jump off a cliff and say yes to God?” Norman asked his wife, Diane, as they sat in their driveway with their three children. Everyone prayed and said they obeyed the call to the mission field. Norman’s friend served in Native American ministry and encouraged the Norman’s to live on a reservation during the summer of 1984, followed by a months-long, cross-cultural training with North America Indigenous Ministries.

Many years ago as a consultant, I joked with colleagues about our tongue-in-cheek disclaimer for final reports: “We have not succeeded in solving your problem. We are still confused, but we are confused at a much higher level.” Generative artificial intelligence (chatbots) has the ability to confuse us all at much higher levels!

The first time I saw a 20-something student wearing hearing aids in class, it surprised me. Not only was there one student, but two in the same class with adaptive equipment. Full disclosure: I wear hearing aids and have for the past 20-plus years.