Gay Bowlin, Manager

Last week my father-in-law went to be with the Lord and my heart is broken – he always enjoyed reading my articles and I am dedicated this article to Alva “Bud” Bowlin. Forever loved and forever missed.

WOW! The weather has been really uncooperative all over the state – at least three inches of snow in Bloomington area, about four inches of rain in our area and even tornado watches. Not sure when planting will begin but you can be sure that when the farmers are able to get in the fields that they will be going full force. Once again that means that they will be on the roadways and I really want you to watch out for them. Their equipment is MUCH larger than yours and there are many places that are blind spots for them.

China imposed tariffs on a range of U.S. goods, following through on a promise to retaliate against the Trump administration’s penalties on imports of Chinese steel and aluminum.

~ Farm Bureau opposes any U.S. policy that restricts agricultural exports. The administration’s trade policy represents an open invitation for one of our biggest trading partners – in this case China – to retaliate.

~We export more than 25 percent of our pork. China’s retaliatory 25 percent tariff on U.S. pork will reduce our exports to China and damage farm profitability at an already difficult time for farmers.

~ For a pig farmer, the difference right now between making money and losing money is exports. Without huge markets like China, pig farmers lose money.

~ The timing is never good for a trade fight, and here’s why: o Farmers have endured four years in a row of declining net farm income

~ USDA projects that farm income in 2018 could be the lowest in 12 years

~ Exports represent our biggest demand driver right now and defending our markets tops the list of our members’ concerns.

~ China is a key market for U.S. pork. In 2017, the U.S. exported more than $660 million in pork products to China. China is the United States’ third-largest international market by volume and the fourth-largest by value.

~ Agriculture has a positive trade balance of $21 billion. It is a bright spot on our nation’s overall balance of trade. We must do all we can to halt the spread of this trade war.

~ In addition to our agricultural exports, this is also about American jobs. Any time American agriculture takes a hit, all the jobs that rely on – or stem from – the ag sector also take a hit. This includes everyone from equipment sales and service providers to those working in the financial sector.

The Young Leaders Pork Loin sale was a huge success – thank you to everyone who ordered and to Mike Thomas who, once again, did an amazing job of smoking 60 loins. All proceeds go toward the Young Leaders Scholarship which is due this Thursday, April 5^th by 4 p.m. If you have any questions please call the office at 435-3616.

This past Friday I was honored by the Benton Elks with the Distinguished Citizenship Award – I only mention this because the reason that I was given this award was because of the work that I do with the Franklin County Farm Bureau. I felt humbled in receiving this award and very proud at the same time that there are those out there who are aware of everything that the Farm Bureau is doing.

Remember we are farmers working together. If we can help let us know.

We Can Bring Our Messes and Failures to God

By Rick Warren — Mar 29, 2018

“He will send down help from heaven to save me because of his love” (Psalm 57:3 TLB). There’s a myth that says I have to clean up my act before I can come to God. “I’ve got to get it all together. There are a few things I need to get right in my life first, and then I’ll come to God.” It’s like brushing your teeth before going to the dentist to have your teeth cleaned, or washing the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, or picking up the house before the housecleaner gets there! Why would we do this? The truth is, God doesn’t expect us to clean up our act before we approach him — the death and Resurrection of Jesus are God’s statement on that. Jesus spread out his arms and said, “I love you this much. Now, just come as you are.” In Psalm 57:3, the Bible says, “He will send down help from heaven to save me because of his love” (TLB). That’s what Jesus did on Easter. And that’s why we can bring our messes and failures to God. You likely know people who think God will never love them because they’ve made such a mess of their lives. But you also know that God wants them to come as they are. Help them hear the Good News from Jesus. Invite them to go to church with you this Easter. It’s such a simple thing to do, but it can make a difference that will last for eternity.

Friend,

Like President Trump, I’m not pleased with the process that created the omnibus funding bill signed into law this week. The House passed all 12 individual funding bills through “regular order.” Unfortunately, the Senate failed to do the same, which left us with the choice of the bill passed on Thursday or a shutdown of the federal government that put our military at risk.

 

Despite my frustrations with the process, this legislation makes significant reforms that are wins for Southern Illinois:

• Rebuilds U.S. military and fully funds a 2.4% pay raise for the troops
• Boosts funding to secure our borders and enforce our laws by 30%
• Fights the opioid epidemic with largest investment to date
• Invests in school safety efforts and mental health training programs
• Improves the nation’s aging infrastructure through transportation, energy, water, and cyber projects
• Provides the VA with the highest dollar amount in history to care for our veterans
• Increases medical research at NIH
• Fixes the ‘grain glitch’ (Sec 199A of the Tax Code) to provide an equitable solution for the agriculture community
• Preserves the sanctity of life and BLOCKS attempts to force the Administration to fund Planned Parenthood centers
• DOES NOT provide a salary increase for Members of Congress

As we face threats at home and abroad, we must ensure our fighting men and women have the tools and equipment they need to overcome any enemy. That is, above all else, why I supported this spending bill. But we also have an obligation to be good stewards of your taxpayer dollars. I’m frustrated that some D.C. politicians use these funding measures as a game of chicken: give me what I want – even if it has nothing to do with keeping our country safe or fulfilling the basic responsibilities of government – or I’ll vote to shut down it all down. That is ridiculous and the American people deserve better.

I hope you have a great week ahead.

Mike

Three Realities About Heaven By Rick Warren — Mar 28, 2018 “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand” (Colossians 3:1 NLT). We have many misconceptions about what Heaven is like. You won’t be an angel. You won’t have wings. You’re not going to be a little chubby cherub, wear a white robe, or float on clouds. We need a right view of Heaven. The Bible says in Colossians 3:1, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand” (NLT). So what does the Bible say about these “realities of Heaven”? Heaven is where God lives and rules. The Bible calls Heaven “the dwelling place of God,” “the house of God,” and “the city of God.” It’s where God lives, but Jesus also calls Heaven “the Kingdom of God” or “the Kingdom of Heaven” 31 times in Scripture. Heaven is a real place. Heaven isn’t a state of mind. It isn’t a state of being. And it isn’t a place where your essence floats around like a ghost. In fact, the Bible says in Heaven there will be streets, trees, water, and homes. Many Scriptures allude to the fact that animals are there. We’ll have our physical bodies, renewed through our resurrection. Matthew 6:20 says we’re storing up treasures in Heaven. You can’t store up treasures in a place that isn’t real. Heaven is designed for you and me. God didn’t design Heaven for himself. He designed it for us. When God started thinking about Earth, he started thinking about Heaven. The Bible says God made the entire universe because he wanted a family to spend eternity with. Heaven is the place he’s designed for his family. We weren’t meant to live on Earth. You and I were made for Heaven! When it comes to Heaven,“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV). The realities of Heaven far exceed any of our misconceptions!

God Knows You and Calls You by Name

By Rick Warren — Mar 27, 2018

“When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name! ‘Zacchaeus!’ he said” (Luke 19:5 TLB). All of Zacchaeus’ life, he’d been ridiculed and rejected, first for his appearance and then for his sinful life. But Jesus did more than just look at him. By calling Zacchaeus by name, Jesus showed that he knew him. Imagine the shock Zacchaeus must have felt! How did Jesus know his name? God not only knows where you are, he also knows who you are. He knows what you’re going through, why you’re going through it, and how you feel about it. He knows you better than you know yourself. He cares about you personally. The name Zacchaeus means “pure one.” That’s the last thing that comes to mind when you think of a corrupt government official. He was anything but pure. And yet Jesus, calling Zacchaeus by name, was saying, “Hey, pure one, I’m coming to your house today.” Jesus was affirming what he saw in Zacchaeus, not what Zacchaeus was. You may be afraid to get close to Jesus because you think he’s going to scold you for all the things you’ve done wrong. But Jesus wants to affirm you. He wants to let you know how much he loves you. “Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:15-16 NLT). When Jesus died on the cross and stretched out his arms and the soldiers put nails through his hands, your name was engraved there. When you get to Heaven, there will be no scars on anyone except Jesus. He’s going to have those scars for eternity to remind us how much he loves us, a way to say, “Do you think I could forget you? Not a chance! This is how much you matter to me.” PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick>> Talk It Over What does it mean to affirm someone? How does it make you feel to know that God affirms you and could never forget you? What can keep you from getting close to Jesus?

By Walter Wendler

If five people go into the same Ford dealership and buy an F150, each will pay a different price. The cost of the new vehicle will be determined by the buyer’s ability to negotiate, the salesperson, color, options, trade-in, interest rate, choice of cash or credit, weather and a host of other factors. We expect those deliberations and the variety of outcomes as part of doing business in a market-driven exchange of value for goods or services.

The complexities increase markedly when value is almost wholly dependent on who is buying. This is the case with an education. Sticker price is nearly meaningless as an indicator of value. If one student has access to scholarships or Pell Grants and another does not, the costs vary dramatically. The dorm room selected, food plan and numerous other options influence total cost. Even the major chosen will drive the cost up or down. In some majors, differential tuition—a premium paid because of the personnel, equipment, facilities or other aspects of study—will drive prices up. This is understandable in fields such as engineering, medicine, law or business. However, even fields such as anthropology or history (usually with lower starting salaries) may have premiums associated with the cost of the degree due to requirements such as international travel or special study experiences not usually factored into the cost of the degree.

The most important element in the cost/value equation of a university education is the student. This does not make the student a customer in the typical sense, not for a split second. Similarly, attending a church does not make someone a saint.

An education provides opportunity. While starting salaries vary by career choice, how an individual uses the history degree may have a significant impact on lifetime earnings associated with it. More importantly, “satisfaction” with the result of the lifelong experience rests not on the degree alone, but how the recipient utilizes the insights and knowledge gleaned when earning the degree.

If you don’t like the F150, you can trade it in for a GMC Sierra. You may lose a few bucks in the exchange, but in the end you’re satisfied, and you chalk up the lost resources as experience. This is not the case with a university degree. The investment of time and the magnitude of the cost amplify dissatisfaction when expectations and aspirations go unmet.

The values of various educational outcomes are the result of how a particular learning experience is used. For example, a graduate with a BA in history, typically a low paying field, may decide to use that educational experience and insight to become an attorney, a physician or an engineer. Or maybe, just maybe, they want to teach history in their home high school. I have seen multiple examples of each of these and countless other “turns in the road,” all exclusively dependent on the individual rather than the degree earned. This is not the case with the pickup truck. If two people—no matter their intellectual capacity—aspire or dream to buy the same truck, it will be of equal value the day after. The buyer has little impact on the value after “cutting” the deal.

This is not the case with an education. Ultimately, in terms of satisfaction, fulfillment and earning capacity, the value of the degree will be different from case to case. The recognition that students provide added value is increasingly difficult to explain in higher education. As a society, we have commodified educational outcomes. A money-back guarantee, a five-year, 75,000-mile warranty and the notion that a product has value independent of its user—the degree as a consumer product—all create significant challenges.

The proof of this thinking is that various states are at work to make college education “free.” The consumer perspective in this policy is clear. Dismissed in this thinking is the investment of the student and the value that investment carries. All of that said, universities should do everything in their power to lower costs and increase value.

The sticker price of an education can never be looked at independently of who’s doing the buying. It is incumbent on universities to be transparent with students and families about the nature of a university experience. To assume that two students who sit side-by-side in every class for their entire undergraduate experience would have the same earning capacity and fulfillment over their professional lifetime is a fool’s errand.  Yet, without understanding the variability in human commitment, energy, insight, creativity and determination, that is exactly what we do when we disregard student contribution to the value of the degree.

Whatever the sticker price, or the potential associated with a particular degree, the ultimate value lies with what the holder does with an educational experience after it has been driven off the lot.

Walter V. Wendler is President of West Texas A&M University. His reflections are available at www.walterwendler.com.

God Knows You; Is That Disturbing or Comforting? By Rick Warren — Mar 26, 2018 “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for” (Jeremiah 29:11 The Message). Accepting the truth that God knows everything in your life can either be very disturbing or very comforting. It depends on your relationship with him and whether or not you’re trying to fool him. Have you been acting as if God were totally unaware of your life in any of these five areas? God knows your faults and failures, but he still loves you unconditionally. God knows your feelings and frustrations, and he sees your hurt more than anyone else can. God knows your future, so he can tell what you need to know. God knows your fears, and he wants you to hand your worries over to him. God knows your faithfulness because he sees every good thing you do. The fact that God knows everything is a tremendous motivator for me to live a godly life. I realize that nothing in my life is done in secret, nothing I face will hinder his ability to help me, nothing that is to come will catch him by surprise, nothing I fear will be too big for his strength, and nothing I do in his name is ever done in vain. God says, “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for” (Jeremiah 29:11 The Message). PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick>> Talk It Over In which of these five areas have you been acting like God is unaware of you? How would embracing each of those five truths make a difference in your life? What motivates you to live a godly life?

Now that the bells and whistles of primary season have subsided, it’s time Illinoisans return to careful consideration of the state’s most pressing issue: there are fewer and fewer of us left.

 

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

God Says You Are Capable

By Rick Warren — Mar 21, 2018

“It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work not because we deserved it but because that was his plan long before the world began — to show his love and kindness to us through Christ” (2 Timothy 1:9 TLB). God says you have been gifted for ministry to serve other people. Every Christian is a minister. That doesn’t mean every Christian is a pastor, but you are a minister. Anytime you’re using your talents and gifts to help others, you’re ministering. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 1:9 that God “saved us . . . for his holy work” (TLB). You are saved to serve. Why did God save you? So you could serve him. You may be thinking, “How do I know what my ministry is?” You look at your SHAPE — your Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. You look at how God shaped you. God wants you to use your talents and gifts to help other people. Every time you do that, that’s called ministry — nothing fancy about it. It’s just helping others. Can you minister in a sales office? Yes, you can. Can you minister as an accountant? Yes, you can. Can you minister driving a truck? Sure! Whenever you’re helping other people in his name, you’re ministering. God says you’re necessary in the church. You’re an essential part of his family. Look at it this way: If I don’t use my talents, you get cheated. If you don’t use your talents, I get cheated. And either way, everybody else in the Body of Christ gets cheated. We’re all important! We’re all needed to do our part as we fit together.