The Pastoral Grind

I rarely use this blog to talk about elections ( yes, that's intentional). Occasionally, I'll refer to court cases, justice, and respect for authority and government. I also tend to address things that readers from anywhere can connect with. This post breaks the mold, though.  I'm going to talk about an election and this is primarily for Wisconsinites.   So, back to the title — Yes, there is! This coming Tuesday, February 21, 2023, Wisconsin has an election. In terms of the number of things on the ballot, it’s minimal—it’s one item, at least in my location. In terms of the outcome, it’s significant. This one race is the primary election for a vacant justice seat on the state Supreme Court. In Wisconsin, the Supreme Court justices are not appointed, they are elected to a 10-year term by the citizens of Wisconsin. For Tuesday’s election, voters are asked to vote for one of four judges and the top two vote-getters will go on the ballot of the April general election. Probably

  (Orange: Final camp on east side of Jordan River. Black: Jericho, the first city Israelites defeated west of Jordan River.) (Originally written for The Baldwin Bulletin: Pastor's Column February 8, 2023) When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight’”…“…This may be a sign among you. When you children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever”…“For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan fo