This should help all of us dullard parents clarify Common Core arithmetic for our confused little ones–you know, without forcing them to memorize those pesky math facts. (Remember: No chuckling, which would be mean to the teacher—maybe even bullying):
Illinois Family Institute
Faith, Family and Freedom Banquet
Friday, September 19 , 2014
The Meadows Club – Rolling Meadows, IL
Secure your tickets now – click here or call (708) 781-9328.
Sixty Days to November 4th Midterm Election
In the book of 1 Samuel, we read about Israel’s political system and the establishment of a human king to rule over the tribes. While God alone was Israel’s King, He had established earthly judges to handle disputes and manage the governmental affairs of His nation. Scripture tells us that the ungrateful Israelites began to cry out for a king, demanding to “be like all the nations…”
Clearly, the desires of Israel were wrong and in direct opposition with the Lord’s plan for His people. God had lovingly and wisely given them His best, and yet, they wanted something other than what He had provided. We are far removed from the days of Samuel, but the attitudes and selfish desires of that day remain. God has a plan – the best plan – for our nation, but in today’s culture, too many people have no desire to consider or submit to the ways and the will of the Lord.
As we know from 1 Samuel, God relented and gave Israel a human king to rule over them. If the Lord gave Israel a human king when the people continually cried out for one, how much more would He delight to answer our pleas if Christians throughout Illinois cried out to Him for godly leaders in our state and in our nation?
The November 2014 elections will most definitely have consequences for all Illinoisans. It is crucial that those who value the foundational principles of life, marriage and family, and religious freedom do not allow their voices to be silenced or their values and beliefs to be discounted. Most importantly, it is absolutely critical that we cover these elections in frequent, fervent prayer.
Take ACTION: During the next sixty days leading up to the November 2014 midterm elections, will you commit with us to praying – crying out – to God for godly leadership? We need to ask the Lord for leadership that will both acknowledge and honor Him.
Will you also pray for God to pour out His mercy on this state and nation? The predicament in which we currently find ourselves – governed by ungodly, immoral and unethical leaders – is due to the fact that we have neglected our responsibility to take a stand for godliness and have foolishly persisted in electing leaders who do not fear the Lord or hold His precepts in high regard.
Psalm 50:15 assures us, the people of God, that those who “call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” Friends, a day of trouble is surely upon us. Together, let us fall to our knees and call upon the Lord for deliverance. To God be the glory – great things He has done and great things He will do!
Please, join us in prayer!
Written by Dan Babcock, Missionary to Albania
Fellowship with God in prayer
In Ephesians 2:6, Paul shows us that the followers of Christ are raised up and seated now with him in the heavenly realms. God has raised us up spiritually now into the heavenly places, just as we will be bodily and visibly hereafter. What does this mean to us? Why has He put us in this honorable place of sitting with Christ?
For more CLICK HERE.
Illinois Family Institute will be printing a limited number of the 2014 General Election Voter Guide. The suggested donation to cover the cost of printing is $25 per hundred. We will print only what is pre-ordered, so make sure you get your order in soon. Only those that come in before Labor Day will be accepted.
Take ACTION: CLICK HERE to place your order for the printed IFI Voter Guide to distribute to your church, civic group, neighbors and family.
VOTER REGISTRATION has never been easier! You can now register to vote online at the Illinois Board of Election.
ONLINE Voter Guide Coming Soon!
This year our sister organization, Illinois Family Action, will offer an online Voter Guide unlike anything we’ve provided in the past.
It will be unique.
It will be comprehensive.
You’ll be able to find out where the candidates stand on many important issues such as abortion, marriage, taxes, gambling, Sharia Law, terms for judges, border patrol, Common Core, voter identification and much more!
You’ll see who’s endorsed them! You’ll learn who’s funding their campaign!
STAY TUNED!
Spread the Word! Do you have friends or acquaintances who could benefit from IFI’s informational emails? If you do, please forward this IFI email to them and encourage them to join our e-mail list! Thank you for helping us to reach more families!
Our theme this year is “Freedom in the Balance.”
Eric Metaxas, the author of the New York Times #1 Bestseller, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. is our keynote speaker. Metaxas also authored Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery, the official companion book to the 2007 movie Amazing Grace.
He has also written for Christianity Today, VeggieTales, National Review Online, and the nationally-syndicated radio program Breakpoint, among many other media outlets, and has appeared on Fox News Channel, CNN, C-Span, and the 700 Club.
Our annual banquet is Illinois Family Institute’s most important fundraising event of the year. This year’s banquet comes six weeks before Illinois citizens will decide who will represent them in the General Assembly in 2015-2016.
Come and join us as we hear an exciting and motivational presentation from one of the nation’s rising cultural commentators. Your attendance and support is essential to our success!
Click HERE for a banquet flyer.
You can also Partner with us as a Sponsor! Please contact us today! Banquet sponsorships start at $1,500 and range up to $10,000. Program advertising opportunities are also available.
Event Details:
Illinois Family Institute
Faith, Family and Freedom Banquet
Friday, September 19 , 2014
The Meadows Club – Rolling Meadows, IL
Secure your tickets now – click here or call (708) 781-9328.
Program advertisements & banquet sponsorships are available.
I’m not the one usually writing to you, but Dave asked if I would share with you this week.
We are all very aware of the many troubles that our nation and culture are facing, yet it is generally agreed that we are not at the depraved levels of Nazi Germany in the 1930’s and 40’s.
What many do not realize about Germany under that decadent regime was that the majority of the German people opposed going to war. Nor were they clamoring for the extermination of the Jewish people. Why was Hitler and his fellow ideologues so successful in advancing their destructive agenda? Well, there was really nothing ever to stop him. Nazis did what they wanted when they wanted without any real public opposition. The rest is history as the world went to war and tens of thousands were murdered in concentration camps.
But this is not to say there was complete silence among the German people. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor and an esteemed theologian, was unwilling to leave his faith within the four wall of his church. He spoke out against the Third Reich and because of which he was eventually executed. Unfortunately, there were not enough German people of faith like Bonhoeffer–those who could both recognize the evils that they were facing and take action accordingly.
Christians in America can learn from Germany’s downfall and must understand the consequences of silence and inaction.
That is why I am especially excited that famed author and apologist Eric Metaxas will be our featured speaker for IFI’s annual Faith, Family and Freedom Banquet on Friday, September 19 in Rolling Meadows.
Reading through Eric Metaxas’ bestselling biography, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, I was both inspired and given practical insight that can be applied to my own life as well as the church. I’ve also read his more recent book titled, 7 Men And The Secret to Their Greatness which draws from the example of the likes of William Wilberforce, Jackie Robinson, and Pope John Paul II, and analyzes what made them so effective their respective eras.
Eric Metaxas is an expert authority on figures who stood up when the culture around was either hostile or silent to the message–the type of people we desperately need to become. I’m looking forward to hearing Mr. Metaxas give in his own witty style a vital message that will encourage and prepare us for the current times where freedom is hanging in the balance. God has called us to be salt and light and there’s no better time than now to speak up.
I’m excited about September 19th.
Please, won’t you join us there? You’ll want to act soon, however, our early bird special expires on August 18th.
For the family,
Andrew Willis, Junior Fellow
Illinois Family Institute
Illinois Family Institute
Faith, Family and Freedom Banquet
Friday, September 19
The Meadows Club – Rolling Meadows, IL
Tickets now available – click here or call (708) 781-9328.
Program advertisements and banquet sponsorships
for this great evening are available.
Early Bird Specials Expire on August 18th!
Pastor, historian, and state representative Dan Fisher travels around the nation telling the true story of how eighteenth century pastors took up arms to lead the congregants against the British in the War for Independence.
For more information, please click HERE.
At the risk of sounding like one of those never ending PBS pledge drives, I’d like to give you an update on our summertime challenge to add 25 new monthly supporters to our Sustaining Partners roster this summer.
The good news: We’ve doubled the number of commitments from last week. We’ve now added 6 new Sustaining Partners for which we are very thankful.
The bad news: We still have a way to go. We need another 19 Sustaining Partners to realize our goal.
If you have been considering becoming a Sustaining Partner, I encourage you to do so now. If you are able to pledge $10, $15 or even $25 a month to support the work and ministry of Illinois Family Institute, your support will be a tremendous blessing and provide needed resources to meet our budgetary needs.
Any amount will make a difference.
Summer is a critical time to join with us in protecting biblical, Judeo-Christian values for Illinois. Please prayerfully consider investing in the important work we do to promote public policies and a culture that is pro-life, pro-family, and protects religious liberty and freedom of conscience.
Help us meet our Summertime Challenge goal of 25 new Sustaining Partners during the summer of 2014!
Will you stand with IFI to defend the family, marriage, life, and religious liberty in the Land of Lincoln?
If you are not able to make a monthly commitment at this time, would you consider making a one time a tax-deductible contribution today?
Illinois Family Institute
P.O. Box 88848
Carol Stream, Illinois 60188
We are eagerly looking forward to being with you at our upcoming annual banquet this September 19th in Rolling Meadows. (We hope you can join us!).
We feel very privileged to be able to offer you the talents and wit of Eric Metaxas as this year’s keynote speaker and guest. He is one of the top leaders in standing for truth in today’s culture and articulates so well the importance of faith, family and religious freedom. (CLICK HERE to download a PDF flyer of the event.)
Here’s a glimpse into the impact he has had on other predominant leaders today and what they say about him:
“Christians who can cross effectively into the secular world are all too rare today, and Christians who can do this in the area of the arts are rarer still. But the rarest of all are those with creative, and especially comic, gifts. Eric Metaxas is therefore one of the rarest as well as one of the most brilliant gifts in the church today.” ~Dr. Os Guinness, Senior Fellow, The Trinity Forum
“As a writer, Eric Metaxas has eloquently and prolifically defended the cause of religious liberty. His recent biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer tells the story of one of the twentieth century’s greatest evangelicals… This is an important book that I hope many people will read.” ~President George W. Bush
“[Eric] has done some superb writing because he often sees what others don’t and has the capacity to express it very powerfully. Eric is a gifted writer and gifted raconteur. He is clever and quick. I can recommend Eric Metaxas without qualification.“ ~Chuck Colson
“We live in a time when freedom of religion, the rights of conscience, and the integrity of Christian life and witness are once again slowly weakening. Eric Metaxas… leaves us yearning to find the same moral character [as Bonhoeffer] in ourselves. No biographer can achieve anything higher.” ~Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput
“Weeks after his chapel address, people were still talking about Eric. …one of the best speakers on the lecture circuit today.” ~Dr. Greg Thornbury, Dean of the School of Christian Studies at Union University
“Eric Metaxas is one of the most interesting and insightful moral thinkers in the United States. His #1 New York Times bestseller Bonhoeffer is one of the few things that can be called a modern classic.” ~Dennis Prager
Illinois Family Institute
Faith, Family and Freedom Banquet
Friday, September 19
The Meadows Club – Rolling Meadows, IL
Tickets now available – click here or call (708) 781-9328.
Program advertisements and banquet sponsorships
for this great evening are available.
Early Bird Specials Expire on August 18th!
For more information, please call us at (708) 781-9328.
Learn about the pastors who risked everything to stand up for liberty and lead their congregations to battle against the British Empire in the War for Independence.
I am pleased to announce 10 very special events that we have scheduled for different areas of the state. During the week of August 24 through the 29th we are bringing in Pastor Dan Fisher and his presentation titled Bringing Back The Black Robed Regiment. In this historical presentation, Pastor Dan brings to life our Christian heritage and forgotten lessons of our past, while encouraging pastors and Christian lay people to be active stewards of God’s gift of self-government.
Pastor Dan gives the history of American pastors during the Revolutionary War and shows how they were a major force in the fight against tyranny and for liberty. The British hated these pastors and gave them the title of the “Black Robed Regiment.” Dan illustrates that had it not been for the preachers’ strong stand in the 18th century, America may not have come to fruition. He believes that if today’s preachers do not return to the faith, courage and boldness of the Founders and begin to take a strong stand, America may not survive.
Dan believes that we are facing a crisis much the same as the one faced by the country in 1776. He says the time is now for Christians to respond to God’s call and fully engage the culture before we lose our religious liberties and our opportunity to freely promote and practice our faith.
Dan Fisher is the Senior Pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Yukon, Oklahoma. He is a state representative from Oklahoma. He was one of the first original Pulpit Freedom Pastors. He is on the boards of Bott Christian Radio Network, Reclaiming America for Christ, and Vision America, a ministry of evangelist Rick Scarborough based in Houston, Texas. He is a published author, historian, and has a national speaking ministry.
Please plan to join us at one or more of these events. For more information, please click on the link. You can also call the IFI office at (708) 781-9328:
Sunday morning, August 24th — Homer Glen
Sunday evening, August 24th —Aurora
Monday morning, August 25th — Tinley Park
Monday evening, August 25th — Bensenville
Tuesday morning, August 26th — Rockford
Tuesday evening, August 26th — Rockford
Wednesday morning, August 27th — Moline
Wednesday evening, August 27th — Bloomington
Thursday morning, August 28th — Decatur
Thursday evening, August 28th — Collinsville
Help us with the cost of this state-wide educational effort!
Last week I challenged IFI’s subscribers to help us add 25 new monthly supporters to our Sustaining Partners roster during the month of July. I am pleased to report that we have added three so far, and hope that by the end of the month to add many more.
Did you know that IFI’s funding comes solely from individuals like you? Moms and dads, grandmothers and grandfathers across the state of Illinois who give us the ability to be your public policy watchmen. By supporting IFI you’ll be protecting and strengthening the family and religious liberty.
You believe in the God-ordained institution of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
You believe in the sanctity of life, and that the right to life should be defended from conception to natural death.
You believe that government should not interfere with religious liberty and freedom of conscience.
You believe that illegal pornography should be prosecuted, and that it has no place being accessed on publicly funded computers in our government schools and libraries.
But as you know, there’s a big problem. Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, the ALA, Equality Illinois and other liberal organizations are actively working against our Judeo-Christian values. And they have budgets that far exceed those of the Illinois Family Institute.
To make matters worse, many of our elected officials agree with the “progressive” values these groups push. They want to fundamentally transform Illinois.
What can you do?
Take the challenge and pledge to become a Sustaining Partner today!
Sustaining Partners are so committed to defending the family that they commit to monthly, tax-exempt donations from their checking account or credit card. The donation is automatic, making it easy, and yet such a powerful tool helping IFI operate each day.
You can join parents and grandparents across Illinois and support the Illinois Family Institute (IFI), the only full-time pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-family organization in Illinois. Each and every day IFI works to defend the time-honored values that have built our state and our country. How do we accomplish this goal? In a nutshell, like this:
EDUCATE: Serving as a reliable source of information and analysis on issues that affect the family and traditional values.
INSPIRE: Promoting the pro-family agenda in local councils, school boards, the media and Illinois General Assembly.
ADVOCATE: Building strategic alliances and networks that promote programs and policies consistent with our mission.
Each day is different as we work to support and defend the traditional values held dearly by people in Illinois. But regardless of what project we are undertaking, or what bill we are calling your attention to, one thing doesn’t change: the need for adequate funding to do this important work, and to do it well.
Like any organization it takes financial resources for IFI to successfully operate each day. We do not receive federal or state funds. We rely solely on the contributions of people like you: Christian citizens who care deeply about the moral direction of our state and nation.
If you haven’t already responded to last week’s challenge, would you please consider becoming a monthly partner with IFI?
To reach our goal of 25 new Sustaining Partners during the month of July, we still must have commitments from 22 people or families over the next three week.
Will you stand with IFI to defend the family, marriage, life, and religious liberty in the Land of Lincoln?
If you are not able to make a monthly commitment at this time, would you consider making a one time a tax-deductible contribution today?
Illinois Family Institute
P.O. Box 88848
Carol Stream, Illinois 60188
By A.F. Branco
Rising gas prices at the pump, and still no Keystone XL pipeline or drilling on federal lands allowed.
God has a remnant of His faithful on earth from biblical times until now. We can learn great lessons of reasoning and persistence from them.
CLICK HERE for more.
Written by David W. Murray and John P. Walters
President Obama visited Denver this week, was offered marijuana, and laughed. His administration made possible the open marketing and use of marijuana in Colorado and Washington state by directing that federal law not be enforced. The president is joined by Hillary Clinton and Rand Paul in supporting marijuana legalization. As Clinton recently told CNN, “On recreational marijuana, states are the laboratories of democracy. We (are) experimenting with that right now. I want to wait and see what the evidence is.”
There is no indication that Obama is really paying attention to what he has done in Colorado. During our recent visit to the state we found no one is measuring this “experiment” at all. Even more troubling, if this were truly an experiment, the impact of this “laboratory” is on human subjects, many of whom—Colorado adolescents, communities in neighboring states—were hardly approached for “informed consent.” Nor did citizens we talked to vote for what they see happening to them now.
To get the ballot amendment passed, promises were made to the residents of Colorado. The marijuana market would be tightly monitored, and strictly regulated, “from seed to sale.” There were assurances of no underage youth involvement, no blatant advertising to kids, no interstate trafficking, or black-market criminal cartels running operations. All transactions would be regulated, controlled, and assessed.
But none of that “assessing” is actually happening. And as we learned from a first-hand visit to Colorado this month, there is ample, clear, and disturbing evidence that each of those promised conditions is being violated, with impunity.
We learned that legalization has encouraged soaring levels of potency as new forms of the drug have appeared in edible candies, butane-extracted cannabis oils, in vaporizers used at school desks, undetected. The impact on society? Nobody knows, as nobody is measuring.
Are the underage getting the drug in greater numbers? One public school administrator told us that he is attending increasing numbers of private, disciplinary hearings for twelve-year olds who are daily marijuana users. Denver is awash with marijuana that is advertised as having a potency of three times or more the national average—which is already almost three times stronger today than it was in days of Woodstock. Potent, cheap THC gummy bears with hallucinogenic effects are advertised in newspapers, featuring cartoon characters such as Fred Flintstone.
On our visit we met with community leaders, educators, law enforcement personnel, and researchers at the University of Colorado medical center. They are the ones assembling the evidence from the front lines, from schools, hospitals, burn centers, and treatment facilities. A portrait is emerging of considerable, and rising, damage. And yet no comprehensive study is being undertaken. No surveillance, evaluation, or even plotting a trajectory against a prior baseline.
Governor Hickenlooper’s office intends to conduct a “gap analysis,” trying to determine what information is missing in order to conduct a proper study, and whether there are data sufficient to learn anything. But aren’t these steps one takes before you plunge? As one parent put it, “you don’t want to have the only experiment be your own son.” People said that the state was “hurtling forward, with no one driving.” Meanwhile, legalization advocates are already proclaiming that all is well.
The black market thrives. According to the director of the Rocky Mountain trafficking center, “By legalizing marijuana in Colorado, we have become the black market for about 40 other states that we can document. So instead of eliminating it, we have become it. We are also the black market for those under twenty-one.”
Is any of this really unexpected? Dr. Francis Collins, head of the National Institutes of Health, was recently asked about legalization by USA Today. He warned, “We don’t know a lot about the things we wish we did.” Risks of IQ loss? “Perhaps it would be better if, before we plunged into (legalization) there was a little bit more recognition of that particular consequence.” Increased cancer risk? “We don’t know. Nobody’s done that study.”
Advocates rushed right over these gaping holes in our knowledge. Profits beckoned, and surely tax revenue. Well, actually, tax revenues are well below those promised, but the profits—and the costs—are real. What we saw in Colorado has the markings—the steeply rising curve—of a drug use epidemic. Epidemics subside, but after the outbreak, the populace often settles into a new normal, at higher levels of the disease. The damage is difficult to reverse, and of those caught in the outbreak, not all return. Are other states going to follow this leap?
If the president believes that there is some important medical and societal “experiment” going on with legal marijuana, he is simply not paying attention. The evidence to date is stunning. It is time to stop pretending otherwise.
This article was first published in The Weekly Standard.
John P. Walters and David W. Murray of Hudson Institute, direct its Center for Substance Abuse Policy Research. They both served in the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Summer is a critical time of the year financially for IFI. Summer schedules often keep people busier than usual and some simply forget to make the contributions they had planned to make. As giving drops off significantly during this time of year, our financial needs now are a bit more intense.
In order to sustain our crucial work, IFI must have a stable base of regular supporters to establish a more consistent budget intake. As you can imagine, the ebbs and flows of donations for non-profit organizations like ours leave us with uncertain expectations of support.
A predictable and dependable stream of monthly support is a crucial component to running a non-profit ministry like IFI.
That’s why we need your help.
We’ve decided to launch a summertime challenge to our readers and supporters, in hopes of reaching the goal of adding 25 new monthly supporters to our roster of Sustaining Partners during the month of July.
Trusting in God to go before us, the Illinois Family Institute is on the front lines protecting and defending traditional Judeo-Christian values, speaking the truth about the institution of marriage, life and religious liberty against the onslaught of those who seek to quash them. All of our efforts to educate the Body of Christ, the general public, our state policy makers and to mobilize pro-family forces require resources.
That is why I hope that you will make a donation to IFI this month, or better yet, become a monthly Sustaining Partner.
Please consider becoming a regular monthly giver to help me and IFI reach its goal of adding 25 new monthly supporters? Could you commit to $10 a month or more? Any size monthly commitment or even a one-time donation would be a tremendous blessing to us!
Our goal is to continue growing IFI’s influence in the state. That will not be possible without increasing our bottom line. Simply put, without these sustaining funds, our effectiveness on behalf of you and your family is limited.
IFI is committed to being a strong and effective voice for Judeo-Christian values and biblical principles. That will not change. Help us become a stronger and more influential voice for Christian values in the public square of Illinois by becoming a monthly Sustaining Partner or making a one-time donation. Your tax-deductible gift is vitally important in the fight to preserve the family and righteousness in our culture.
Illinois is our home and we must do all that we can to make it a blessing, and not a curse to our children and generations yet unborn.