Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
The father of a former top college basketball prospect testified Thursday in a federal trial that Shane Heirman, now an assistant coach at DePaul, paid him to have his son attend the Indiana high school Heirman coached at the time.
Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Cubs infielder Addison Russell accepted a 40-game suspension Wednesday for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy after a series of allegations made by his ex-wife.
Here’s a link to the story.
Near the end of a panel discussion at the Cubs Convention in 2015, moderator Lin Brehmer turned to new manager Joe Maddon for one last question.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
A Prayer for Hypocrites
By Kelly Balarie
“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. “ 1 John 4:20
I was livid at myself. Just livid.
Because, it seemed, I was on a rampage of “calling people out.” You know what that is, right? It is when you: 1.) see another’s faults on display 2.) you let them gnaw your heart and 3.) you blast the person.
I let my words fly out like a swarm of bees ready to attack! For those who didn’t get stung, I kept my words inside and gave them a cold-shoulder sting that probably felt worse than any kind of physical one. I was on a rampage. I literally hated myself for it.
Maybe because I didn’t want to be like this type: hyp·o·crite ˈhipəˌkrit/ noun
1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc
I was convicted. I was convicted as if a knife struck my heart.
I thought, “Oh God, I don’t want to be one of them, but I just may be. I just may be one who acts so above the law, I have put myself above the love of Christ. I have set myself so high, that I have removed myself from the humble and needy places where one let’s him soak in.”
I don’t want to be one who professes to know God but denies him by their works. I don’t want to be one that God calls “detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.” (Titus 1:6)
And I certainly don’t want to think I am religious, only to deceive my own heart. For God says this kind of religion is worthless (James 1:26).
Lord, I am not above you. I am not above the world ruling. I am not the master of all things, nor the creator. But, I am your servant, your child, and your love. Help me reside in that place. Help me see my need and confess it to you. Help me be quick to look at myself when I am prone to look over to others. Thank you that you have wild and abundant grace for me. It will not cease. It will not end. It will not let me go. I ask you to restore me in fullness with you. Teach me your ways and help me be receptive to them, so I will not fall. Help me Lord. You rule and I surrender all my ways, thoughts, opinions, perceptions and decisions to you. Amen.
By Rick Warren
”My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace” (1 Peter 5:12 NLT).
There are three things in life that can cause you to stumble, to get cast off to the side of the race, and to not finish well in life. But in each of these situations, God’s sustaining grace will get you through.
Temptation is the first thing that can cause you to stumble. The Bible says, “God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT).
God says, “I will provide the sustaining grace to always give you a way of escape.” It may mean turning the channel. It may mean running out the door. It may mean changing the way you’re thinking. But God will provide a way to escape temptation.
Sometimes you’re not tempted. Sometimes you’re just tired! Life is often exhausting. It requires a lot of energy, especially when you’re trying to do the right thing rather than the easy thing. But where do you get the power to do the right thing when you’re dead tired? “It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). The key is having the Holy Spirit in your heart to have the energy to do the things you can’t do in your own power.
There are some hurts that all the wishing in the world won’t make go away. There are some things in life that are unplanned, unrelenting, and undeserved—and they hurt the most.
What do you do in those situations? You first stop doing the “if only” game and instead focus on Christ and his sustaining power. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Don’t worry, because I am with you. Don’t be afraid, because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you; I will support you with my right hand that saves you” (NCV).
Southern Illinois football teams roll into the final one-third of the season on Friday night with some teams trying to secure a playoff berth and also some key conference match ups.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
As ugly and vicious as the war on Brett Kavanaugh has been, it might actually prove to be a gift for Republicans, as fair-minded Americans grow weary – and angry – over Democrats’ perpetual intimidation tactics and stalling game.
Here’s a link to the editorial at Fox News.
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said her office will launch a criminal investigation of how Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration handled a three-year-old Legionnaire’s disease crisis at a state-run veterans’ home.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
The FBI has delivered its confidential report on Christine Blasey Ford‘s allegation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school. Some senators who’ve read the report say it contains no fresh revelations, or corroboration of her charge.
Here’s a link to the editorial at the Chicago Tribune.
Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke valued the life of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald so little he had decided to shoot the teen before he even got to the scene, prosecutors told a Cook County jury Thursday.
Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.
