Wisconsin Family Connection
Week of December 28, 2009 – #815
New Year, New Opportunities

As I look back over 2009, I am convinced, as Benjamin Franklin declared at the Constitutional Convention over 200 years ago, that “God governs in the affairs of men."

 I’m also reminded of Proverbs 29:2, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.” (NKJV) Have you been groaning this year as you’ve watched your elected officials at all levels of government trample all over your liberties, faith and values? I know I have.

It seems as though the floodgates of evil were opened this year. In

Wisconsin we’ve had the late-term abortions deal at the Madison Surgery Center (MSC).  While we are incredibly thankful that to date not one late-term abortion has taken place at that facility, we know that is in spite of those in leadership.  We’ve also been dealing with the dangerous Assembly Bill 458, the “Unhealthy Youth Act” with its mandates and insidious promotion of promiscuity among our Wisconsin youth.

We’ve been fighting the bullying efforts of Freedom From Religion Foundation at the state and local levels with their attacks on public displays of Christianity. We’ve also been battling the issue of the statewide, same-sex domestic partnership registry. West Bend had its situation with the sexually graphic, pro-homosexual-agenda books in the young adult section of the library…highlighting, I have no doubt, a problem we would find throughout the state.

In every one of those situations, and dozens more, our elected officials have been tested as to whether they would act righteously…and in almost every instance, they have failed. And that doesn’t even touch any of the national issues!   

So what does that leave us with? I would return to the first part of Proverbs 29:2; “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.” Some translations put it this way: “when the righteous are in authority, the people thrive."

We need to elect righteous people, virtuous people, to office at every level of government, from the local school board, to the State Senate, the U.S. Senate, to the White House—and at all points in between! 

And we have an opportunity to do just that coming up in just a few months. In Wisconsin, we have two general elections in 2010, one for non-partisan offices—such as school board, judges, city council, mayor or county board—coming up in April; and one for partisan offices in November.  At that time we’ll be electing a one US Senator, all 8 members of the House of Representatives, a governor, an attorney general, a secretary of state, a state treasurer, all 99 Assembly representatives, and the odd-numbered Senate districts.

Candidates for the April elections are required to submit paperwork declaring their candidacy by the first week in January. So we will soon know who the candidates are, and then it’s time to start researching those declared candidates to find ones you can support.

And by support I mean that when you find a good candidate, one who will govern righteously, then you do what you can to help get that person elected. Whether it’s giving money to his or her campaign, making phone calls, handing out literature, volunteering, holding meet and greets, or whatever, you find out what it is that you can do to help, and do it.

And then you vote. If there is a primary for one of your local spring elections, that primary will be held on February 16^th. The general spring election is April 6^th. The primary for the fall, partisan elections is September 14, with the general election on November 2^nd.

Both the spring and fall elections are vitally important to the direction of communities, as well as our state and our country. We’ve seen this year what happens when we elect irresponsible, greedy, unrighteous people to govern us—disaster happens.  We have seen in “living color” the truth that elections have consequences. Now is the time, this is the year to elect people who will govern righteously so that we and our families, as members of our communities and as Wisconsin and American citizens, can rejoice and thrive!

I hope you’ll join me in my excitement about the opportunities before us in the coming year as we anticipate the way God will govern in the affairs of man.

This is Julaine Appling for Wisconsin Family Council wishing you and your family a blessed New Year and reminding you the Prophet Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”