Apartheid is not just a South African tragedy, the term apartheid (a policy or practice to segregate) has a distinct parallel with eugenics (selective segregation through breeding & bioethics), because both seek to segregate what has been deemed to be ‘bad’ from the ‘good’.

Eugenics is in and on the minds of many, particularly over-intellectualized professors, doctors and the like, since the opening of the Paralympic Games recently. Morally charged debates of a life issue that killed millions in the not so distant past are being rehashed at this moment. Is eugenics being reconsidered?

The answer is that eugenics was never NOT considered.

The International Eugenics Congress took place THREE times before Nazi German rose. The first Congress (1912) was attended by Winston Churchill and the son of Charles Darwin. There was an American exhibit sponsored by the American Breeders’ Association (founded 1903), which at the time was about…

This is not your father’s Egypt, under the evolving rule of Mohammed Morsi.  This is a Sinai-militarizing, Jerusalem-coveting, trash-talking Egypt.  (Wait – maybe that is your father’s Egypt.)  And Egyptian officials have quickly turned their trash-talking skills on their one-time partner, the United States.

Sadly, the statements of Suez Canal Authority chairman Mohab Mamish sounded just credible enough to get legs in the US media.  According to Mamish, when Iranian frigate Alvand approached the Suez Canal in February 2012, headed for Syria,

No matter how old I get, I never cease to be amazed by how God uses the ordinary things in life to teach extraordinary truths.   Many years ago, God used a conversation with a 15-year old French teenager named Florain to challenge my thinking.  Florian lived with us for a month one summer as part of a student exchange program.   During that time, I remember struggling to keep our family afloat by avoiding confrontation with our two very “normal” teenaged daughters and preteen son.  Why I said “yes” to having one more teenager live in our home remains a mystery to me, but I’m so glad I did!

When Florian joined our family,  he was appreciative of our hospitality and set about fitting in right away.  There were a lot of activities with our church youth group Florian enthusiastically attended with our daughters.   I suppose that is…

I have been beaten on in life, but never like I have beaten on myself.

I have been criticized on in life, but never like I have criticized myself.

Life has been hard on me at times, but I have been much harder on myself.

I have been neglected in life, but never like I have neglected myself.

Life has been unfair to me at times, but I have been more unfair to myself.

The point that I am trying to make is that in spite of all the heartache and misery that life brings us, it seems that in the end the worst enemy is us, ourselves. We beat ourselves up for not feeling worthy, or for not living up to some imaginary standard set by something or someone who doesn’t even exist. The only standard that we should live by is covered by grace.

Putting it simply, what…