Sometimes saying nothing says everything.
Here’s a link to the column a the Chicago Tribune.
Column: Cubs know what they don’t know concerning Addison Russell the person
September 24, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Judge denies class-action status in gender-based pay dispute at SIU School of Medicine
September 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment
A federal judge has refused to grant class-action status to a lawsuit alleging wage discrimination against female doctors at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
Expert: Officer’s shooting of teen not justified
September 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment
CHICAGO — An expert on police use of deadly force testified Thursday that a black teenager who was killed by a white Chicago police officer in 2014 did not “pose a risk of serious injury or death” to anyone when the officer opened fire.
Here’s a link to the story.
Retired Illinois priest faces deportation over illegal vote
September 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment
A retired Episcopal priest in southwestern Illinois is facing deportation to his native England for what he says was mistakenly voting 12 years ago.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
Editorial: A prompt investigation, then a vote on Kavanaugh
September 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Federal Judge Brett Kavanaugh was on the Republican-smoothed glide path to becoming Justice Kavanaugh of the Supreme Court. Then his confirmation process was upended by a sexual assault allegation dating to his junior year of high school. The issue now is how to handle a serious accusation about a long-ago incident in a politically charged atmosphere.
Here’s a link to the editorial at Chicago Tribune.
Pastor Rick Warren: Why You Need a Church Family
September 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment
By Rick Warren
”[Christ’s] love has the first and last word in everything we do. Our firm decision is to work from this focused center” (2 Corinthians 5:14 The Message).
God didn’t put you on Earth to live a self-centered life. His purpose for you is to build your life with him at the core. You were planned for God’s pleasure. He made you to love you, and he wants you to love him back. God says, “I want to be the hub of your heart. I want to be the focus of your attention. I want to be the center of your life. I want to be the axis of your existence.”
The Bible says, “[Christ’s] love has the first and last word in everything we do. Our firm decision is to work from this focused center” (2 Corinthians 5:14 The Message).
How can you tell when Christ is at the center of your life? You stop worrying. Philippians 4:7 says, “It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (The Message). There’s a word for this: worship. Whenever you focus your life on God, that’s called worship. And worship is the antidote for worry. If you want to worry less, worship more.
When are we supposed to worship? The Bible says, “You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week is holy because it belongs to me. No matter where you live, you must rest on the Sabbath and come together for worship” (Leviticus 23:3 CEV). God says, “Once a week I want you to come together with other believers to refocus, recalibrate, and re-center your life on me.”
Where are you supposed to do it? Acts 2:46 tells us, “They worshiped together regularly at the Temple” (TLB). For us, that means to gather at our local church—wherever that may happen to be.
Can you see that God meant for you to be a part of a church family? When you are, it helps you focus and center your life on God so that you can fulfill his purpose for you.
Your Daily Prayer: A prayer for meekness
September 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment
A Prayer for Meekness
By Mark Altrogge
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5
To be meek is to be gentle, humble, lowly.
“The meek are the ‘gentle’… those who do not assert themselves over others in order to further their own agendas in their own strength, but who will nonetheless inherit the earth because they trust in God to direct the outcome of events.” ESV Study Bible notes:
The first reason we should be meek is because Jesus is.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29
I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ 2 Corinthians 10:1
If God, the infinitely great and all-powerful one, is gentle and meek, how much more should we be!
Meekness shapes the way we relate to our Christian brothers and sisters
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
We’re not to fight and scrape, intimidate or pressure our brothers and sisters to get our way. Rather we should relate to one another with complete – “ALL” – humility and gentleness.
Meekness changes our speech
A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. Proverbs 15:4
The way to impart life is with a gentle tongue. Anger won’t produce God’s righteousness (James 1:20). Anger may intimidate others to do what we want, but it won’t change their hearts.
Meekness affects the way we correct opponents
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth 2 Timothy 2:24-25
We can’t persuade anyone by getting in their face. Yelling “murderer!” at a pro-choice person won’t win them to our side. Calling someone who differs with you an idiot won’t persuade them you are right. When we correct opponents, we must realize we can’t change them. Only God can grant repentance. So all we need do is gently submit our correction then trust God to change their heart.
Meekness affects the way we treat people ensnared in sin
We’re tempted to judge those trapped in sin. “How could you possibly do that? I would never do that!” But the Bible tells us we should restore sinners gently:
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Galatians 6:1
We are gentle when we help others who fall because we remember our own spiritual bankruptcy and sins. Each of us is capable of any sin. Remembering this will go along way to helping us restore others gently.
The world says the assert yourself. Put yourself forward. Grab. Fight. The Bible says be meek and you will inherit the earth. When we inherit something we don’t work for it but receive it as a gift. God gives the meek everything they need. Those who are meek find deep contentment and joy.
And someday we will inherit the new earth.
Father, we pray today that you would draw us into meekness. We pray that you would soften our hearts, that you would remind us of the gift of gentleness, that you would show us through Jesus how to live in love day by day. We pray that you would forgive us of our sins and open our eyes and hearts to forgiveness for others in our lives. We ask that you would help us to guard our speech, that the words we say would be life-giving and glorifying to you. We are so grateful for your refining fire in our lives. In your holy name, Amen.
Editor’s note: This article can be read in full on BibleStudyTools.com here. Prayer added by Rachel Dawson, design editor for Crosswalk.com.
Benton police make arrests
September 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment
On September 14, 2018 at approximately 7:15 p.m., Benton Police were dispatched to the 500 block of E. Main in reference to two intoxicated male subjects. Upon investigating, police arrested Derrick L. Edwards, age 21, of Herrin for unlawful delivery of alcoholic liquor to a minor. Jesse J. Montgomery, age 20, of Carbondale was arrested for unlawful consumption of alcoholic liquor. Both Edwards and Montgomery were charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On September 15, 2018 at approximately 8p.m., Benton Police, while conducting a narcotics investigation, arrested two suspects identified as Jenny E. Hebbeler, age 41, of Benton and Brandon Fitzpatrick, age 38, of Benton. Hebbeler was charged with unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, unlawful possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of methamphetamine. Hebbeler also had an active Franklin County warrant for petition to revoke. Fitzpatrick was arrested for unlawful possession of methamphetamine and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. Both Hebbeler and Fitzpatrick were charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On September 16, 2018 at approximately 3:25 a.m., Benton Police conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Mitchell and Maple Street. During the stop, Benton Police K9 “Ranger” alerted to the odor of illegal narcotics in the vehicle. Upon investigating, police arrested Amanda Morrison, age 31, of Benton for unlawful possession of methamphetamine and unlawful possession of a controlled substance. Morrison also had an active warrant for Johnson county. Morrison was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On September 17, 2018 at approximately 9:15 p.m., Benton Police were dispatched to Wiggs Bicycle Shop in reference to a burglar alarm .
Upon investigating, police later located a suspect identified as Jeremy L. Roberson, age 39, of Benton. Roberson has been charged with burglary, theft and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. Roberson was transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On September 18, 2018 at approximately 7:10 a.m., Benton Police were dispatched to the 1400 block of Bailey Lane in reference to criminal trespass complaint. Upon investigating, police arrested Joey A. Cesar, age 38, of Benton for criminal trespass to real property. Cesar was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
Editorial: Democrats only care about keeping a Republican off the Supreme Court
September 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination remains in suspended animation Thursday. Thanks, as you well know, to allegations that he assaulted a psychology professor called Christine Blasey Ford some 36 years ago while both of them were still in high school.
Here’s a link to the editorial at Fox News.
How deaf swimmer Grace Hale overcame adversity to achieve success in the pool and classroom
September 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Saluki freshman swimmer Grace Hale will compete in her first collegiate meet in less than three weeks, beginning a unique journey as one of the few deaf athletes competing at the NCAA Division I level.
After a standout prep career at Reagan High School in San Antonio, Texas, in which she advanced to the 6A state finals all four years and graduated near the top of her class with a 3.8 GPA, Hale will compete in the 50-free and 100-free for Southern Illinois.
Doctors detected slight hearing loss in Hale at birth, but it was not until she was in fifth grade that her condition was diagnosed as severe. Until then, Hale said she lived a normal life in Springfield, Illinois, hanging out with friends and playing several sports, before channeling in on swimming.
Hale’s fifth-grade teacher contacted her parents with concerns about her schoolwork, uncertain whether Hale was not paying attention or simply had selective hearing. After a visit to the doctor, Hale was discovered to have 80 percent hearing loss in one ear and 75 percent in the other, officially classifying her as deaf.
“When I found out, I had already lived with it for so long and did not know any different, so I had an easier time adapting,” said Hale. “If anything, it gave me a reason to ask for help. If I was missing what people were saying in the past, I felt bad and would just let it go. Now, people understood and I became more comfortable asking.”
The 10-year-old was fitted with hearing aids and soon began to thrive in the classroom.
As a competitive swimmer, Hale cannot wear hearing aids in the pool and relies on coaches writing instructions down for her and watching for lights at the start of races. For meets that do not have lights she looks at other swimmers, which can be a disadvantage due to the importance of starts in sprint events.
In addition to making state in high school, Hale competed in the 2015 World Deaf Swimming Championships, placing seventh in the 100-free as the third-youngest member of the team. She also qualified to swim in the 2017 Summer Deaflympics in Turkey, but chose not to, due to poor government relations between the countries at the time.
She first visited SIU in the spring of 2018 and said the coaches and swimmers made a strong impression on her.
“When I first visited, it was pouring raining and everyone was going home for Easter, yet they were still all so welcoming and made me feel at home,” said Hale. “Also, there are quite a few people from Texas on the team, so we shared a common interest and knew a lot of the same swimmers and coaches.”
Now a month into college, Hale plans to compete in sprint and mid-distance freestyle events for the Salukis. Outside of the pool, the business marketing major has aspirations of working in marketing or advertising after graduation.
When asked how she plans to approach her college career as a deaf student-athlete, she smiled and said, “I may look clueless and do the wrong things sometimes, but at the end of the day, I am thankful for my life and just have to keep going forward.”
After a standout prep career at Reagan High School in San Antonio, Texas, in which she advanced to the 6A state finals all four years and graduated near the top of her class with a 3.8 GPA, Hale will compete in the 50-free and 100-free for Southern Illinois.
Doctors detected slight hearing loss in Hale at birth, but it was not until she was in fifth grade that her condition was diagnosed as severe. Until then, Hale said she lived a normal life in Springfield, Illinois, hanging out with friends and playing several sports, before channeling in on swimming.
Hale’s fifth-grade teacher contacted her parents with concerns about her schoolwork, uncertain whether Hale was not paying attention or simply had selective hearing. After a visit to the doctor, Hale was discovered to have 80 percent hearing loss in one ear and 75 percent in the other, officially classifying her as deaf.
“When I found out, I had already lived with it for so long and did not know any different, so I had an easier time adapting,” said Hale. “If anything, it gave me a reason to ask for help. If I was missing what people were saying in the past, I felt bad and would just let it go. Now, people understood and I became more comfortable asking.”
The 10-year-old was fitted with hearing aids and soon began to thrive in the classroom.
As a competitive swimmer, Hale cannot wear hearing aids in the pool and relies on coaches writing instructions down for her and watching for lights at the start of races. For meets that do not have lights she looks at other swimmers, which can be a disadvantage due to the importance of starts in sprint events.
In addition to making state in high school, Hale competed in the 2015 World Deaf Swimming Championships, placing seventh in the 100-free as the third-youngest member of the team. She also qualified to swim in the 2017 Summer Deaflympics in Turkey, but chose not to, due to poor government relations between the countries at the time.
She first visited SIU in the spring of 2018 and said the coaches and swimmers made a strong impression on her.
“When I first visited, it was pouring raining and everyone was going home for Easter, yet they were still all so welcoming and made me feel at home,” said Hale. “Also, there are quite a few people from Texas on the team, so we shared a common interest and knew a lot of the same swimmers and coaches.”
Now a month into college, Hale plans to compete in sprint and mid-distance freestyle events for the Salukis. Outside of the pool, the business marketing major has aspirations of working in marketing or advertising after graduation.
When asked how she plans to approach her college career as a deaf student-athlete, she smiled and said, “I may look clueless and do the wrong things sometimes, but at the end of the day, I am thankful for my life and just have to keep going forward.”
