“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (1st John 3:2-3).

By Dan Richardson
These verses are often misunderstood. In one sentence, John says Christ came to take away our sins. In the next sentence, he says those who abide in Christ do not sin. Then he says whoever sins has never known Christ. Do followers of Christ ever sin again? What is the difference?
Many do not come to Christ because they think becoming Christian means a person will never sin again. The same people are perplexed when they hear of a Christian falling into sin. The whole thing makes no sense they say.

Things we commit to
The key to understanding 1st John 3 is paying special attention to the word ‘commit.’ Strong’s Greek Lexicon uses the following terms to convey the original meaning: continue, without any delay, exercise, to provide, purpose, observe and ordain. We see John is not talking about a one-time act but rather a continuing trend. When provision and planning is made for a sin, it shows the person finds purpose and contentment in it.
Being committed to a certain sin is not the same as a sin being a matter of happenstance. Living in anger and bitterness is not the same as being angry and then forgiving and forgetting. Looking forward to and enjoying pornography is not the same as fumbling with a random impure thought. Yes, single acts of sin are certain for fallen people; however, a lifestyle or practice of sin is lawlessness. The wild west of sin is not overcome without the power of Jesus Christ.

He takes away our sins
The good news is that Jesus suffered on the cross to take away the curse of sin, namely, its ability to lure and dominate. Though Jesus didn’t commit sin because He is holy; in a mysterious and real way, He became sin for us when He suffered and died. Like a scapegoat, Jesus took our sin and was sacrificed in our place. It was all part of the Father’s plan to satisfy justice to and demonstrate His great love. Jesus died for sinners.
Those who follow in the love of Christ and trust in His death, burial and resurrection practice sin no longer. Jesus breaks the power of sin so those who love Him can live for Him without condemnation and fear. A Christian sees sin as a fight and no longer a delight.

Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him
Remember, John is referring to those who practice sin — those who are committed to favorite pet sins. When Christ makes someone a new creation, old things pass away and all things are new (2nd Corinthians 5:15, 17). It is impossible for a new creation to love his old past. When Christ is found as most precious, old sin habits become as rotten fruit, never to be relished again. Professing Christians who continue practicing sins of their former life reveal they never came to know Jesus in a saving, heart changing way.
Parenting Application: Unfortunately, the organized church purveys a ritual often referred to as “The Sinner’s Prayer.” In and of itself, the wording of the prayer is fine. The problem occurs when someone declares or confirms salvation upon a person who says the prayer. It happens a lot at vacation bible schools or special nightly services. Here’s how it goes. A church person will ask a seeker to repeat a prayer. When the recitation is over, the church person asks, “Did Jesus come into your heart?” He will guide the person to consent and then say, “If you ever doubt Jesus is in your heart, remember the day you prayed.” Days following, the seeker tries to follow Christ in his own strength only to become frustrated because he never experienced a true heart change by God. Many professing Christians discredit the power Christ gives to overcome sin because they do not know Christ in a true saving way.
You can learn more about this problem from a message entitled “True and False Conversions” by Ray Comfort. Full text and audio is found at www.livingwaters.com.

“Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him, who has never yet forsaken this favored land, are still competent to adjust … all our present difficulty.
—President Abraham Lincoln

Dan Richardson’s e-mail address is danrichardson@foxvalleylabornews.com.

By Dan Richardson
Is Christianity flawed because of supposed fear-based claims? Are warnings of hell and eternal torment meant to manipulate or warn us of something real? These are great questions and worthy of clear thinking.
The Christian faith is one of many things in life considered repulsive. Add to that list mosquitoes, sun burns, and drinking contaminated water. We safeguard against these things for survival’s sake. We may avoid or we do something that counteracts their negative effects. For example, while I intend to kill the mosquito on my computer screen, I won’t waste time trying to eradicate the entire mosquito population.
Contaminated water doesn’t make for a refreshing drink, but that doesn’t mean we drain oil supplies or anything else that can threaten safe water. A sun burn is no fun, yet no one tries to turn down the sun to a more comfortable setting. The point is obvious. The idea of something being repulsive doesn’t necessitate ignoring or trying to change it. In fact, we do well to discover the benefits of the thing in question.
In the case of God, He should be feared because He is repulsive in many ways. He commands reverence, hates pride and disobedience. He promises to punish those who hate him and live for themselves. He is repulsed at us and we, by nature, are repulsed at Him. Our natural response to Him is avoidance and fear because He is so different than us.
When history recorded a theophany, the person was always afraid. Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God (Exodus 3). When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, he said, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6). Fear struck Zechariah when he saw the angel of the Lord as well as Mary and shepherds (Luke 1, 2). The disciples responded in fear seeing Jesus walking on water and appearing after His resurrection (Matthew 14, 28). Paul was fearful when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).
The charge that God is manipulative doesn’t hold because people were filled with fear before God could say or do anything. In fact, God doesn’t need to issue a threat to make us tremble. It is His very nature, so different than ours, that makes Him repulsive. We can’t react in any other way. We only hope this awful and terrible majesty doesn’t consume us. Trying to hide or change God is as foolish as trying to alter or avoid the sun.
When God encountered people, He said, “Do not be afraid” or “Fear not.” In a way, He is saying, “I know you can’t help but be afraid, but don’t fear. I have something to say to you.”
A working relationship with God necessitates a commitment on God’s part. He must be willing to make peace with us. That is what the Gospel is all about. The Son of God took the punishment we deserved in order to satisfy divine justice. Jesus demonstrated love when He willingly died on the cross. In an ironic way, the most wicked sin of the crucifixion of Jesus is the most loving act at the same time.
Understanding the holiness of God through the love of Christ should lead to a tear-filled response, not a fear-filled one. A sinner receives peace with God by trusting in the work of Jesus. She must believe God is serious about her sin, able to forgive, and her Lord for His glory.
Avoiding God because He is repulsive or fearful doesn’t accomplish anything. It only rules out any hope of reconciliation.

“My advice to Sunday Schools, no matter what their denomination, is: Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet anchor of your liberties; write its precepts in your hearts; and practice them in your lives … ‘Righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people.’”
—Ulysses S. Grant to the Editor of the Sunday School Times in Philadelphia, June 6, 1876

Dan Richardson’s e-mail address is danrichardson@foxvalleylabornews.com.

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (1st John 3:2-3).

By Dan Richardson
When John addresses readers as ‘beloved,’ he is specifically referring to born again believers who eagerly await the return of Jesus. “Whoever loves has been born of God and knows God (4:7b).” These beloved possess a unique ability to love as God does (agape love). That means they cherish Christ and His commands above all things. Loving as God does is foundational in His work of conforming believers to be like Christ.
What will we be like in eternity? The answer will only be realized when Christ returns. We will change, and He will not. We will be like what He is now. Speaking of now, what is known in the present tense is all we need to be content: We are children of God. A child waiting for a surprise is cheerfully patient in the presence of a loving and joy giving Father.
Waiting on the Father keeps us constantly aware of His love. His love is not a pampering, it is purifying. So the worldly contamination in our hearts lessens as our desire for Him grows. That is how the love of Christ purifies us and enables us to keep His command: “You must therefore be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).”
Parent Application:
If children grow up to be much like their parents, is the answer to remind parents to be a godly example? No, not really. Yes, parents should be a good example. But since we all break God’s laws, lose our cool, fail in constant devotion to God; the best we can offer our kids is a heritage of trusting Jesus who died for our sins and rose again. Parents, help your kids see their need for a Savior and show them how precious Christ is to you.

“No nation has ever existed or been governed without religion. Nor can be. The Christian religion is the best religion that has been given to man and I, as Chief Magistrate of this nation, am bound to give it the sanction of my example.”
—President Thomas Jefferson

Dan Richardson’s e-mail address is danrichardson@foxvalleylabornews.com.

Jennifer Rice photo
Sen. Bob Mitchler walks the yard of his rural Oswego home. For years, his front yard has been home to an enormous American flag strung between two trees.

By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
Bob Mitchler was a people person. He loved working with people, veteran organizations and schools. He truly was a Renaissance man.
I first crossed paths with Mitchler in 2010. I was to spend a few hours with the then 89-year-old veteran, summing up his life for a feature story. In the end, I spent two days with him — an excessive amount of time for a story.
On the first day, we talked for so many hours, the sun had disappeared, making the possibility of outdoor pictures impossible. I would have to come back.
“Why don’t you come back tomorrow?” Mitchler asked. “At lunchtime. We’ll have lunch together.” It was more of a statement, than a question.
And that’s what I did. After lunch, we moved outside. A few days prior, a storm had blown through Kendall County, snapping several tree branches and scattering dead twigs and limbs in his yard.
Before I know it, I’m riding shotgun in his John Deere Gator 6×4 vehicle, zipping all over his yard, Mitchler talking my ear off. He suddenly hits the brakes and points to a pile of twigs. “Why don’t you throw them in the back?” I do as he says.
A few feet further, he stops again. “Why don’t you throw them in the back?” Again, I do as he says. Suddenly, I begin to see a pattern. I notice several piles of twigs. I realize I was here to help him pick them up. And I didn’t mind at all.
Listening to Mitchler speak was a reporter’s dream — he never stopped talking. He was so knowledgably, on everything. He had the best stories. He recounted his time running for state senator, how he loved to campaign — “nice, clean campaigning, no mudslinging. We campaigned on issues and platforms,” he remembered. Something they don’t do today, he remarked.
“Never get into a squirting contest with a skunk,” he told me, shaking his finger to the air for emphasis. “If you’re a public figure, you never get into an argument — even if you’re opponent’s wrong. Because the skunk will win, and you’ve got that splattered all over you, and you’ve got to live with it,” he said.
He had a political career he was very proud of. Over the years, he said politics changed. The General Assembly changed. “Today, I couldn’t stand doing what they’re doing down in Springfield.”
He served in both WWII and Korea. He was 21 when he enlisted in the Navy, just before Pearl Harbor. In September 1950, three months after marrying his wife Helen, he was called to active duty when North Korea invaded South Korea.
For Veterans Day, he’d talk to students. He wanted to stress to them to talk to their grandparents; ask them about their role in the war. Just thinking about the question made Mitchler get tears in his eyes. “I’d tell those young students, ‘Around the holidays, take your grandfather aside. Ask him, ‘Will you tell me what you did in the military?’”
He told me several times he’s really had a wonderful life, a good life. That summer and the next, he asked me to canoe alongside him during the Mid-American Canoe Race on the Fox River. That first summer, I tipped my canoe — twice. Before I knew it, Mitchler was long gone.
After the race, he held a 90th birthday party for himself at his house. That’s where I finally met up with him; smelling like river water, dirty with dried mud on my legs and a few bruises to boot.
“Well,” he said. “Maybe when you’re 90, you’ll be able to catch up to me,” which drew laughs from most of the partygoers.
I’m glad I had the honor and experience to know Mitchler. To know him is to love him. I consider him a friend and I’m sad that he’s gone. To the sea his spirit is now.

Jennifer Rice’s e-mail address is Jen@foxvalleylabornews.com.

“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up (Rom 15:1-2).”

By Dan Richardson
God’s love is truly known when we understand how undeserving we are. In spite of our lack of faith and thankfulness, His love is greater. In spite of our complaining and lack of forgiveness towards others, God’s love is greater. Despite our numerous trespasses against His commandments, His love is greater. On average, you and I accumulate more than 100,000 sins in a decade. That’s factoring two sins per waking hour (a shallow estimate). Yet despite all that, God’s love is greater.
The world has no concept of this kind of love. By nature, man loves his family and neighbor, but not his enemies like God does. Who would give his life to save his enemy? God did. While we were His enemies, He sacrificed His only Son. While we were rebellious towards Him, He reached out and offered His love. No one’s sinful past is greater than God’s love.

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1st John 4:10).”

God’s love and the crucifixion of Christ are inseparable. Let’s try it step by step. God’s love isn’t fulfilled in us until He adopts us and makes us His children. But adoption can’t take place unless He deals with our rebellious heart. That is why the violent, bloody and cruel cross is necessary in His love story. Justice demands Someone taking the punishment for our sins. You can’t be justified without a perfect sacrifice — Jesus, the Lamb of God. You can only be adopted if you are justified before God.
If you receive Christ by hating sin, loving Him and trusting in His shed blood, God grants you the legal right to be called His child. The benefits of adoption are endless: love, joy, peace, forgiveness and strength. Most of all, God is your Father for eternity.
An unsettling result of God’s love is the separation of His children from the world. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone is God’s child. Why? Because many reject God’s love and refuse to live for Him. They despise Jesus Christ and create gods in their imagination to suit themselves. Many say self is god and worldly wisdom is supreme. A Christian is often misunderstood because his desires and lifestyle doesn’t align with the world.
It is obvious the goal of God’s love is not world unity. If that were so, everyone would respond to His love and trust in His Son. They would hate sin and love righteousness. Rather, we see the goal of God’s love is to call people into a relationship so they can know and admire Him. The goal of God’s love is for you and me to know Him and say, “Wow, what a great God. He loved me despite my sinful heart.”
Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matthew 7:13-14).” Have you found God’s love at the cross? How did you respond?

“It is peculiarly fit for us to recognize the hand of God in this terrible visitation, and in sorrowful remembrance of our own faults and crimes as a nation and as individuals, to humble ourselves before Him and pray for His mercy.”
—Abraham Lincoln, 1861

Dan Richardson’s e-mail address is danrichardson@foxvalleylabornews.com.

By Dan Richardson
“No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised (Romans 4:20).”

Abraham is called the father of faith. God told him, “Look toward heaven and number the stars, if you are able to number them. So shall your offspring be (Genesis 15:5).” The next verse is one hallmark of the Christian faith: “And he believed the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness.” But that is only part of the story.
Twice Abraham lied about his wife for fear of losing her. Don’t get the idea he was a coward. Abraham knew how to fight. But sometimes the best buckle under pressure. When Pharaoh of Egypt heard about Sarah’s beauty, Abraham said she was a sister and let her go. Years later when you think he knew better, he gave her away to the King of Gerar. Both times God protected Sarah. Both times the kings discovered the truth and, fearing God’s wrath, gave Sarah back (Read these in Genesis chapters 12 and 20).
In another embarrassing saga, Abraham attempted to have a baby with the house servant (with Sarah’s consent). God wasn’t pleased with their pragmatic idea. The result was strife and a fractured family. While Abraham did many heroic things, his failures tell us he needed a Savior like everyone else. Here’s a side note: Be wary of churches that make their founders into superheroes. “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God Who gives the growth (1st Corinthians 3:7).”
When a person repents from sin and places trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, God grants forgiveness of sins, fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and eternal life. The promise rests on faith, which God provides.
Christians often become discouraged because they do things without trusting God. Worry, anger and stress frustrate faith and peace passes away. In these times, we remember God is able to do what He promised. “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything (1st John 3:19-20).”
In spite of our weakness and sin, God’s plan works. The sacrifice of His precious Son doesn’t mostly provide forgiveness — it is completely sufficient to save. The resurrection of Christ doesn’t mostly guarantee victory over sin and death — it triumphs absolutely.
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).”
Remembering God’s grace increases worship. As a Christian thinks about the cross where Jesus died, the blood reminds him of his weaknesses and sin. As he continues to think about the cross, he is intrigued of the supreme love Jesus. These meditations are humbling and lead to crystal clear streams of joy.

A Godly Heritage Quote of the Week
“A nation without religion in my estimation is as great a paradox as an honest Man without the fear of God. Is it possible that he whom no moral obligations bind, can have any real Good Will towards Men?
—Letters of Abigail Adams (1744-1818), Second First Lady of the United States. (source: presidentialprayerteam.org)

Dan Richardson’s e-mail address is danrichardson@foxvalleylabornews.com.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven … a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4).”

By Dan Richardson
Few events in life leave such an impact that they need to be retold time and time again. Significant battles come to mind: American Revolution, Civil War, D-Day. Battles remembered not only because of the immense sacrifice of lives, but for the reason they were fought. Likewise, one great rescue mission singularly accomplished by the Lord recorded in the Bible needs be remembered and retold: the Resurrection.

Hear the words of the Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians 15: “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you — unless you believed in vain (v. 1-2).”

About 1,500 years prior, Moses instructed parents to tell their children how the Lord rescued them from the oppression of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. In fact, the command to remember the deliverance from Egypt was tied to other commands time and time again. It was usually uniformly phrased as the Lord delivering them “out of the house of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Since Passover foreshadows Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God sacrificed on the cross to rescue man from the oppression of sin and darkness, His story is to be remembered and retold again and again.
The Gospel is proclaimed through many venues. Primarily through preaching, print and music are used as well. However it goes, once the Gospel seed finds a humble heart, it grows and takes root. The Lord is perfect in husbandry. His plants stand and don’t wither. The roots of a Christian who diligently savors God’s Word grow deep, helping him stand strong in the winds of adversity.
Though adoption into Christ is a divine, one-time, unilateral and irrevocable act, the fruits of salvation are worked out through the believer’s obedience in various stages of life. ‘Fruits of the Spirit’ multiply as a Christian matures in the love of God. It is important to know that salvation and good works are grounded in grace through the gift of faith. False converts (those who believe in vain) cease to show the enduring work of grace.

What is the Gospel? “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (v. 3-4).”

Let it fill your mind over and over. Christ died for your sins. You violated God’s laws. By His standard, you and I are idolaters, blasphemers, thieves, liars, murderers at heart, the list goes on and on. In fact, the average criminal record for a forty-year-old contains a minimum of 116,800 sins. And the Perfect Judge does not take bribes (good works) nor does He overlook sin (the all-loving lie). Instead, His perfect justice is found in the Gospel: Christ died for your sins. Christ paid the penalty. His suffering and death satisfied God’s righteous anger and wrath. Christ died for your sins.
The resurrection of Christ seals our victory over the oppression of sin and the works of the devil. We are not only made right with God by the death of Christ, we are assured of a resurrection and a life of eternity with our God. The cross makes us right with God. The resurrection ensures our eternity with God. Jesus Christ rose again on the third day. Now, the one thing most desired is ours: Life with God. Not life and God – for what is life if it is separated from God? Christ gives us life with God. Yes, life with God.
When citing Holy Scriptures, Paul is referring to 39 ancient books written over a span of 1,500 years by over 30 authors. These Scriptures authenticate the death and resurrection of Christ, containing prophecies and laws pointing man to Christ. Jesus said Moses, the Psalms and the Prophets spoke about Him.

“And that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles (v. 5-7).”

Eyewitnesses are another source validating the death and resurrection of Christ. These facts were never challenged because the event was common knowledge during that time. At the end of the day, the historical accounts in the Gospel remain reliable. They provide us a greater understanding into the wisdom and character of God.

“Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed (v. 8-11).”

Paul’s belief was necessitated by an awareness of his sinful, worthless state. He agreed to the verdict: He sinned against a holy God and deserved wrath and misery. His only hope was in God’s mercy. Then the light of God’s grace shone through the Person of Jesus Christ and Paul believed. His love for Christ is evident not only in his testimony, but in his life as well. By God’s grace, he labored more abundantly than all.
When a professing Christian remembers the Gospel, he should retell the verdict against him: God saw him as an idolater, blasphemer, unfaithful, dishonorable, a murderer and adulterer at heart, a liar, a thief and a greedy sinner. He should continue to appreciate Jesus as the One Who died for his sins. He should tell of the resurrection and the hope of eternal life. The Holy Scriptures, eyewitnesses and personal relationship are sure to lift a testimony with joy and confidence.
Christian, preach the Gospel to yourself daily.
If you do not know the Lord personally, pray for God’s mercy. Trust and love Jesus Christ Who died for your sins. Then, read the Bible and pray everyday and never stop pursuing a real life with God.

“I don’t know how it was, and I cannot explain it, but soon a sweet comfort crept into my soul. The feeling came that God had taken the whole business into His hands and that things would go right.”
—Abraham Lincoln, on the eve of Gettysburg (Source: Battlefield and Blessings, Terry Tuley, © 2006)

Dan Richardson’s e-mail address is danrichardson@foxvalleylabornews.com.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven … a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4).”

By Dan Richardson
Tornados, cancer, financial meltdown and ensuing anger give reasons to grieve. Yet, for the most part, suffering brings people together. Even when the media reports strained political tensions, acts of compassion go on behind the scenes. We cope with suffering and look for the light at end of the tunnel.
As far as purpose goes, the age of whatever avoids the deeper significance of suffering. Naturalism takes the day: “All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? (Eccl. 3:20-21).” Leave eternity up to uncertainty and the best you hope for is a good job, some money and constant entertainment.
The reason why secularism can’t offer a sufficient response to suffering is because it is committed to leaving God and eternity out of the equation. Something terrible happens and in the midst of the kindness and support, today’s whatever attitude says, “It doesn’t make sense to turn to God because no one can be sure of those kinds of things.” Why are we so committed to uncertainty?
The answer is both shocking and comforting. The hard reality is we were given a beautiful world to inhabit; and our rebellion brought sadness and misery to it. Our Creator obligates us to bear His image; and we by nature, are unable to obey. God’s response is material with spiritual implications. Wild weather, sickness and corruption should remind us of our sin. God uses these reminders to lead us to Him. Yet, we refuse because we don’t want to be obligated to Him. We only want His benefits.
Honest grief leads to comfort. If we see suffering as a result of global sin, then we’ve come a long way in our thinking. Please understand, I am not saying a tornado that killed a sixty-year-old woman was the result of a specific sin on her part. It is not right to tell someone with cancer, “Hey buddy, you sinned and now you got cancer.” It is to say, “No one is good. Our sin leads us to misery. But God turns misery into joy.”
It’s difficult for us to see holiness in God’s just anger towards sin. Yet, it is the right response to evil. The suffering we see today is only a glimpse of what His enemies will endure for eternity. Yet the comfort and healing is also a foretaste of what He offers to those who trust in Him. “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing Your praise and not be silent (Psalm 30:11-12a).”
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4).” The Lord Jesus Christ confidently said those words because He was going to absorb and satisfy God’s just anger on the cross for the world. The only way the death of Jesus suffices is if He indeed is God. We have His word and the resurrection to rejoice and say, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).”
If we only would take time to think and mourn over our sin, then we’d see the purpose of it all. Then we’d see laughing and dancing a part of a forever-life with God.

“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”
—The Apostle Paul, 2nd Letter to the Corinthians, 7:10.

Dan Richardson’s e-mail address is danrichardson@foxvalleylabornews.com.

By Tom Suhrbur
The Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA) is under siege. With the passage of Act 10, Republican Governor Scott Walker has not only eliminated collective bargaining for public school employees, but has also enacted legislation designed to make it extremely difficult for the union to sustain their organizations. Act 10 requires annual union recertification elections and outlaws payroll deduction, fair share (agency fee) and grievance arbitration procedures.
The bad situation is compounded by the fact that, even prior to the 2010 election of Walker, the Milwaukee Public School (MPS) had become the most privatized large urban school district in the U.S.
In 1990, the Wisconsin legislature established a voucher system for Milwaukee, including all students already attending private schools. Today, only 67.9 percent of Milwaukee students attend MPS schools, 19.7 percent attend private mostly religious-based schools on vouchers.
The remaining 12.5 percent attend charter schools or are enrolled in suburbs under public school choice programs. If Walker and the Republicans survive the recall elections, there will likely be an effort to further privatize MPS.
The MTEA represents more than 8,200 educators in four bargaining units – teachers, education assistants, substitute teachers and accountant/bookkeepers. Union members will lose their collective bargaining rights when the current negotiations agreements expire. Three of the four contracts expire at the end of this school year. The teachers’ contract expires in June 2013.
Without collective bargaining, which has sustained it since the 1970’s, MTEA now needs to figure out a way to stay relevant to its members and to stop the destruction of the Milwaukee public school system that is already underway and likely to accelerate if Governor Walker continues to hold power. MTEA is fighting for its very existence.
Fortunately, MTEA has embarked on an ambitious organizing program to “re-imagine” how it will move from collective bargaining to collective action. MTEA is committed to creating an effective grass roots structure in the 170 MPS school buildings.
It is planning to recruit and train at least six advocates per building to improve the union’s internal communication and ability to mobilize its members around four major areas of concern: empowering members to take ownership of their professional lives; working with parents and community to improve student learning; building a collaborate and democratic relationship with management, the school board and the communities that MPS serves and empowering members to tackle social justice issues facing their students and the communities in which they work.
The MTEA’s effort to re-think and re-invent itself is in its early stage. It is a very ambitious plan and will not be easy or accomplished quickly. MTEA has no choice but to push ahead.
Ever since the release of ‘A Nation At Risk Report’ in 1983, conservatives have pushed privatization of public schools especially in large urban districts. What happens in Milwaukee will have a profound affective on other urban schools. If MTEA is able to re-invent itself under such an egregious political and legal climate, it could serve as a model for education reform across the nation.

Tom Suhrbur currently is the Vice President of the Illinois Labor History Society. He recently retired after 26 years as a union organizer for the Illinois Education Association. Prior to his work with IEA, he taught social studies for 17 years. His last teaching job was at Geneva High School. Suhrbur also co-authored the book “Union Brotherhood, Union Town: The History of the Chicago Carpenters’ Union, 1863-1987.”

“For to the one who pleases Him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and striving after the wind. (Ecclesiastes 2:26).”

By Dan Richardson
In the age of materialism, people intend to expend every dime they earn on themselves and leave nothing for the next generation. Like Solomon, they say it is useless to leave things to be enjoyed by someone who didn’t work for it. Such thinking is antithetical to the Gospel.
The writer distinguishes between the sinner and one who pleases God. Yet, from a Christian view, all are sinners. (A survey of the Ten Commandments reminds us of our sin.) Despite our sin, God graciously gives all people a measure of wisdom, knowledge and joy. In addition, He gives the business of gathering and collecting so that we may enjoy the fruit of our labor.
But the best things in life won’t bring lasting joy if you can’t keep them forever. Materialism says, “I can’t do anything with this after I’m dead, so I may as well use it now.” Faith in Christ says, “The same things that bring me great joy today I shall enjoy for eternity.” The difference is the objects of affection. A materialist finds pleasure in temporal things while the Christian finds pleasure in the Lord Jesus Christ.
You see, as far a spiritual inheritance goes, the best we get from materialism is, in essence, sin leading to death. In turn, we pass it on to generation to generation. “In sin my mother conceived me (Psalm 51).” But God offers the righteousness of Christ along with an abundance of grace. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3).” These blessings of heavenly origin are the gifts that matter: forgiveness of sins, redemption and adoption.
If you don’t agree, then see how useless a life under the sun is. Your sin will weary you to your last day. Without the saving knowledge of Christ, your best days are only in the present. So eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you die (1 Corinthians 15:32, Hebrews 10:27).
He who places his hope in the Son of God escapes the corruption of sin. Through a relationship with Jesus, he partakes in the nature of God through precious and great promises found in the Bible. He learns virtue, knowledge, self-control, faith and love. God’s children see these qualities in Jesus and seek to imitate them. These Christ-like qualities provide “an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” In other words, the road to heaven is paved by the Person of Christ (2nd Peter 1).
Since these blessings are gifts, it is true to say we didn’t work for them. It offends people to think God’s children enjoy an abundance of gifts without having to earn them. But it can be no other way. No one can earn merit from God by living a good life. Eternal life is a gift received by faith alone so that all boasting is in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The work of Christ earned riches for those who know Him. To enjoy the fruits of His labor is to say, “These riches are mine and I didn’t work for them. I must know and love Jesus above all things.”

Our love is like a little pool,
Thy love is like the sea,
O Beautiful, O Wonderful –
How noble Love can be!
—Amy Carmichael, (1867 – 1951),
missionary in India,
(source: amycarmichael.org)

Dan Richardson’s e-mail address is danrichardson@foxvalleylabornews.com.