Isaiah 58:6

6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Reflect:
Isaiah 58 describes a people who are very religious, but in actuality, the religion they practice is superficial and not of the heart.  Their true motives in abstaining from things are to pressure the Lord into responding for their own benefit, but they receive no response from Him. In verse 6, Isaiah asks a rhetorical question to describe God’s conception and vision of true fasting and faith. In contrast to observing rituals and keeping regulations in a self-serving, self-righteous way, Isaiah points us to the true heart of living for God - one that serves the needy, oppressed, and helpless, sharing the true freedom and restoration that Christ has given to us as His people.  Jesus Himself had this clear understanding of what it meant to truly live out His calling.

Respond:
Jesus has called us to participate in the fulfillment of His mission of speaking Good News to the poor, bringing freedom and deliverance to the oppressed, and healing to those in need.  How are we living out the mission of Christ today?  Let’s follow in his footsteps of compassion, humility, and genuine concern for our neighbor. Let’s join with Christ’s heart today by praying for those who need to know God’s love and rescuing in their lives. Perhaps it’s a roommate, classmate, family member, or co-worker.  Let’s pray that they will experience the true freedom and healing that is found in Christ alone.

Professor of the Practice of English Christopher Corbett spoke at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum on Saturday, October 8, at 1 p.m.

Corbett’s talk commemorated the 150th anniversary of the end of the Pony Express. Corbett is the author of “Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth & Lasting Legend of the Pony Express.”

A video of Corbett’s talk can be seen here.

In his latest Baltimore Sun column, UMBC political science professor Thomas Schaller explores the meteoric rise of Herman Cain as a GOP presidential candidate. Schaller argues, “his surprising showing actually tells us a lot more about the state of the national Republican Party” than about Cain himself. He suggests, “key segments of the Republican primary electorate desperately want an alternative to Mr. Romney,” who “presents himself as the candidate to fall in line behind, not fall in love with.” Read the full commentary to learn about Schaller’s take on Cain’s 9-9-9 plan and identification as a novice in government.

The Baltimore Sun reports that following a strong win in last month’s Democratic primary, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is meeting with each of her 40 Cabinet members “with an eye toward a possible shake-up of city leadership.” Such a move is not unusual, says Donald Norris, chair of public policy at UMBC, in the article.

“This is a reasonable time to expect those kinds of things to begin happening,” Norris remarked, continuing, “She now has been elected on her own. She’s clearly going to be setting her own agenda and putting her own people in power.”

The economic impact of the 2011 Baltimore Grand Prix was “vastly smaller than the projections by the events promoter,” UMBC economics professor Dennis Coates asserts in a newly released study (pdf), coauthoed with Michael Friedman of the University of Maryland. They estimate attendee spending as closer to $25 million than the anticipated $70 million and argue, “The bottom line is that the Baltimore Grand Prix was not a game changing event.”

After appearing on the front page of the Baltimore Sun and in the Baltimore Business Journal, the story was picked up by AP and printed in the Washington Post. Additional coverage included interviews with Dennis Coates on ABC2, Fox45 and WBAL Channel 11.