Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
It was deeply troubling to see video of U.S. Border Patrol agents firing tear gas Sunday into a crowd of migrants – including women and children – across the border in Mexico in order to prevent them from breaking through the border fence south of San Diego.
Here’s a link to the editorial at Fox News.
“God blesses those who are kind to the poor. He helps them out of their troubles. He protects them and keeps them alive; he publicly honors them and destroys the power of their enemies” (Psalm 41:1-2 TLB).
A critical spiritual lesson is that God gives you far more blessings when you’re a straw than when you’re a reservoir.
If you want God to bless you, bless others—particularly the most vulnerable in our society.
The Bible says, “God blesses those who are kind to the poor. He helps them out of their troubles. He protects them and keeps them alive; he publicly honors them and destroys the power of their enemies” (Psalm 41:1-2 TLB).
God makes many amazing promises to those who give to the poor, but here’s one of my favorites. The Bible says in Proverbs 19:17, “If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—and he will repay you!” (NLT).
God considers it a loan to him every time you give to the poor. It’s not a gift; it’s a loan.
And God promises that he will always pay you back.
The struggle along America’s southern border is a war.
Here’s a link to the story at Fox News.
A Prayer for the Long Walk of Faith
By Karen Ehman
“Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” Genesis 5:24 (NIV)
Is there a person in the Bible whose story you simply love? One who encourages you, challenges you or with whom you share a similar life circumstance?
Perhaps it’s Moses and his keen leadership skills? Or, Esther — the compelling queen, both beautiful and brainy — who used her quick thinking to help save an entire nation? Maybe Joseph is your favorite, as you contemplate how someone so mistreated could continually take the high road which led him not only to political power but also to family forgiveness?
All of these are fabulous choices, but I choose Enoch.
I first heard of Enoch as a teen, and he fascinated me. Not a lot is written about him in the pages of Scripture, but what is there piqued my interest: “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away” (Genesis 5:24). Hmmm. My young mind pondered that strange description.
As I grew in my faith, I learned more about this Old Testament mystery man. In Hebrews 11:5-6 we catch more of the story. “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: ‘He could not be found, because God had taken him away.’ For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (NIV).
That’s it! Enoch was whisked away, spared the pain of death and transported immediately to God’s side, all because of one simple thing: He pleased God.
I say simple, but I don’t say easy.
It is a simple thing to please God. You just do what He says in His Word. Straightforward enough, right?
However, my years as a follower of Christ have taught me that simple is not always easy. Choices present themselves, the world screams, our flesh gets in the way and we want revenge or glory … so we often lack faith, and instead try to control our own destinies. We mess up the pleasing God part with our very own hands and hearts.
Enoch walked with God.
Oh, don’t we long for that to be said of us? I’ll admit I don’t always walk with God. I take a stand for God — believe the right things and make it known. I may walk after God. And sadly, sometimes I run ahead of God, make my own plans and then say, “Oh yeah. By the way God, do ya mind blessin’ these plans? I made them in Your name. I may have forgotten to consult You in the midst of them, but they are for You, alright?” What a shame and a sham!
Walking with God means we daily give up our desire to navigate our own lives, and we place our faith in Him. We admit He knows what’s best for us and realize He might not always reveal the hows and whys until the very last second. God is seldom early, but never late. Only day-by-day faith-walking pleases God.
Do you long to be one who pleases God this way? One who makes Him smile as He sees you place complete trust in Him and His infinite wisdom daily? Maybe then we just might be like my Bible hero Enoch … the one who walked so closely by our Creator’s side that one day, during one of those long walks, God looked at him and said, “You know, we’ve been walking together for so long now that we are actually closer to My house than yours. Why don’t you just come on home with Me right now?”
Glory! Well, at least that’s how I picture it.
Dear Lord, show me how to walk step by step with You in faith — not ahead of You or behind You, but right by Your side. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Ever feel the world offers nothing but bad news? Please let us show you the other side of the coin
Here’s a link to the editorial at the Chicago Tribune.
Like a basketball player who mistakenly shoots into his own basket and scores points for the opposing team, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has inadvertently backed President Trump’s accurate contention that there are liberal judges appointed by Democrats and conservative judges appointed by Republicans who rule differently on cases.
Here’s a link to the editorial at Fox News.
By Rick Warren
“Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway” (Proverbs 8:34 NIV).
God blesses those who meet with him daily.
The Bible says, “Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway” (Proverbs 8:34 NIV).
You don’t have to spend hours with God every day, but you do need to spend five, 10, or 15 minutes every day with him. Put it on your calendar and give that commitment the time it deserves.
What do you do during this daily time with God? Sit quietly and let God talk to you. Read his Word. Review devotionals like this. Pray about what’s going on in your life and the lives of others you care about. Talk to God like you’re talking to a friend—because you are.
But more than anything else, it’s about listening. Let God speak to you.
It doesn’t matter whether you spend time with God in the morning, the afternoon, or the evening. The important part is that you do it. Make it a regular habit of your life.
God will bless your commitment.
A Prayer for When Getting What You Wanted Wasn’t Enough
By Betsy St. Amant Haddox
“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” – Deuteronomy 7:9
As a young woman, I believed that getting married was the ultimate fairy tale. Cinderella found her Prince, and all was well. Happily ever after, right? Then I got married, and I figured, no, happiness was actually found in cementing marriage with children. After all, there’s always a sequel to the Disney movie. Then I reckoned, surely happiness lay in getting a novel published and accomplishing a longtime dream.
One daughter, fourteen novels and one divorce later, I found myself still unhappy, still achy and longing. But I chalked it up to the fact that I’d been abandoned by my ex and I simply needed to replace my happily ever after with a new one. I needed Prince Charming to slip that glass high-heel on my freshly pedicured toes. Then I’d have what I wanted.
Four bad relationships later, I realized glass slippers were really hard to walk in (plus, I could never figure out that trademark loose-tendril-Princess-bun) Prince Charming didn’t exist.
Well, I was right—and wrong. It turns out there is a Prince, but I’d confused His identity with ones in fleshly form.
Something God has been teaching me (the hard way!) is that there is no dream that is deeply fulfilling outside of Him. As a woman who has now walked through divorce, multiple relationships, engagement and re-marriage, He is showing me—daily—that while there is happiness and blessings, it’s all empty without Him in first place. The moment He slides out of order in my priority line up, nothing satisfies anymore.
When we seek after God first, the rest falls into place. Much like Cinderella’s step-sisters squeezing their toes into a shoe not meant for them—when we quit trying to force our relationships, jobs and children to validate and define us, we can rest in the embrace of the true Prince.
It’s not always easy. It’s a daily fight, but the victory is already ours in Christ.
Now go live like it.
Let’s Pray:
Jesus, you are more than a Prince – you are my Savior, my Redeemer. I know that nothing outside of a relationship with you will satisfy the desires of my heart. Lord, help me long for you above all other relationships on this earth—even good relationships you’ve given me to enjoy. Help me love you with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. Help me live my life for you and not what I can gain from it. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
By Bill Bennett | Fox News
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis breaks through a hole during the second quarter against the defense of the Detroit Lions in Pontiac, Mich., Thursday, Nov. 26, 1998. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson) (AP)
This Thursday after the stuffing and gravy, millions of Americans will gather round to watch football with their families. For many, this tradition is as much a part of Thanksgiving as pumpkin pie.
Despite the game being an inextricable piece of our culture, the public has recently been subjected to the “War on Football.”
Ann Arbor is in the top 10 best cities for small business, and in 2017 it received more than $19 million in new investments.
Heightened awareness of long-term injury effects and the national anthem controversy have given ammunition to the media that covers the sport with a negative lens. We’re being told audiences are tuning out and that college and NFL players are battered pawns of the establishment.
Having experienced the profound influence of the sport first hand I’m offering a defense of this great game.
I had the privilege of playing football through high school and for two years in college— and even one game for a semi-pro team in Mississippi. The struggles and triumphs my teams went through fostered some of the most important bonds and guiding principles of my life.
When I was a teenager, I thought toughness was a kind of macho posturing, but my line coach (a Marine) taught me it was more about perseverance—committing to a task and seeing it through. That’s a great lesson for every boy who is trying to figure out what it means to be a man.
It’s easier to quantify injury statistics than to measure the development of the heart and spirit.
We can, however, review figures that confirm an all too common situation in today’s world—the position the media pushes for viewership and clicks doesn’t line up with the truth.
The truth is we’re not witnessing the slow demise of football.
According to a 2017 Gallup Poll, 37 percent of American adults list football as their favorite sport with the next closest being basketball at 11 percent then baseball at 9 percent.
Football is a game of rugged grace. It’s the ultimate team sport; built on unity, trust and camaraderie. It challenges and sharpens the human spirit like no other recreation.
With the cooling of the anthem debate the NFL’s ratings are up in 2018 from 2017 and dwarf other pro leagues’ numbers and the college game is more than thriving.
Clearly someone forgot to tell the audience that football is dying.
The game is not just gladiatorial entertainment, it creates opportunity.
From 2002 to 2017, graduations rates for football players at FBS schools have increased from 63 percent to 78 percent and from 53 percent to 73 percent among Black players. The current graduation rate for general students is 60 percent. That is football players at FBS schools graduate from college at a significantly higher rate than does the general student body. Playing football doesn’t diminish your odds of graduation, it increases them.
At the pro level, the NFL is not a non-profit entity. They shouldn’t have to apologize for that.
Still, the league donates and raises millions annually to charitable causes like the Boys & Girls Club and cancer research. The NFL also provides numerous players truly impactful philanthropic platforms and personal enrichment.
There is risk to playing football. There is risk in life.
Most who play professionally understand that risk and accept it to provide for themselves, their families or because they truly love playing the game—or both.
Moreover, there is not unanimous agreement from the medical community on the link between concussions and CTE. The international conference on concussions in sports stated, “A cause-and-effect relationship has not yet been demonstrated between [CTE] and sport-related concussions or exposure to contact sports.”
Playing football is a choice, not a mandate.
Do we question the decisions and institutions of those who serve in the military, law enforcement or first responder communities?
In football and in life, honor and glory still have a place for the bold.
Few players who don a helmet for their local high school team will play in college and fewer even will have the chance to play professionally.
This doesn’t mean that the amateur doesn’t derive significant value from their experience.
Football is a game of rugged grace. It’s the ultimate team sport; built on unity, trust and camaraderie. It challenges and sharpens the human spirit like no other recreation.
In a time where our youth is increasingly addicted to mobile devices and sedentary activity, we should embrace competition and physical exertion as an antidote to this dangerous trend.
Theodore Roosevelt, often credited with ‘saving football’ for the invention of the forward pass, wrote, “In life, as in a football game, the principle to follow is: Hit the line hard; don’t foul and don’t shirk, but hit the line hard!”
We’d all do well to heed that advice and attack our pursuits with vigor and dignity. Football gives many young men that lesson.
If you walk through Tuscaloosa or Ann Arbor on a crisp fall Saturday, you won’t need any further evidence to prove football is alive and well.
We don’t have to deny its hazards to appreciate its lasting benefits.
by Rick Warren — November 19, 2018
“Never worry about anything” (Philippians 4:6 GW).
Work doesn’t stress us out. Worry does.
Work doesn’t keep us up at night. Worry does.
You’re probably not overworked. You’re very likely over-worried.
God doesn’t mince words in the Bible about what he thinks about worry. He says, “Never worry about anything” (Philippians 4:6 GW). Do you see any wiggle room in that verse? I don’t. You won’t find any exceptions.
Never worry about anything.
It’s about as big of a blanket statement as you can possibly make.
When it comes to worrying, just don’t do it. That’s what the Bible says. But God also tells us there is something we can do with our worry instead.
First Peter 5:7 says, “Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you” (TEV).
I love that word unload, because in the original Greek the verse literally says to just drop it. It’s not like you’re throwing a baseball or throwing a rock across the lake. It just says to unload it—let it go.
It won’t do you any good to hang on to what you’re worried about. Why not let it go?
