THE QUIET CORNER
with Common Sense 4 Uncommon People
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Goodbye Scoundrels
In January of 1964, a young songwriter/poet named Bob Dylan wrote and released a song entitled “The Times They Are A-Changin”. It stands true today. About that same time, he wrote a less famous song, which was also a social commentary entitled “With God On Our Side”, the lyrics for both (which are too lengthy to include here) are a simple search away. The point is that things haven’t really changed much in the last 50 years or for that matter in nearly 3,000 years. The times continue changing and God is still for those on His side. The 8th Century (BC) Prophet Isaiah also wrote (but under God’s guidance or influence) a social commentary, which is one of the more poetic, non-psalm scriptures in the Holy Bible, “See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The fearful heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear. No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected.” (Isaiah 32:1-5 NIV). Both writers are preoccupied with the unrighteous nature of Humanity and the need or expectation of God’s intervention to right the wrongs. Dylan wrote what he lived and Isaiah wrote what what would be. Both were clear on the need for social reform via spiritual intervention. Our problem has been historically repetitious, without spiritual guidance we are soon wandering and lost again.
In all fairness, there have been some pretty good kings and leaders over the course of human history, but our surplus of ineffective leadership has been even more obvious. When leaders hold the hand of God, righteousness prevails, whenever we let go of that hand, we fall victim to the second most abused force on the planet, self gratification. Isaiah knew that one day a truly righteous King would reign and that King will set in place His rulers who will only be concerned with their King’s justice. These rulers will shelter and nourish their own. The public figures we have sought leadership from will be replaced (with only one vote being cast) by others with a purely righteous nature. It’ll be a great time for those who follow their King but beyond miserable for those who don’t. Opening our eyes and ears will save overdue heartache later.
JC Calkins with COMMON SENSE 4 UNCOMMON PEOPLE
No Re-Elections Ever!
“Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.” (Proverbs 25:19 ESV). There certainly weren’t any flies on Solomon with that one. Treachery, is the willful betrayal of welfare, confidence or trust. In 2011 it’s hard to finger just one individual worthy of that label, but in these United States of America, it’s easy to spot two deserving parties. I’m speculating that similar problems exist all over the “free” world…. read more
Who’s To Blame?
Virtually any and every creative venture requires inspiration. This occurs when the mind is stimulated to a heightened degree. To inspire and motivate others we need undertake two very different initiatives concurrently. Motivation involves some inducement such as emotional or physical rewards for actions. When God created the self sustaining heavens and earth, He was definitely inspired and motivated. The physical universe is the most complex project ever conceived. Add us into the mix, along with our associated learning limitations and… read more
Act Now
As a young man, I remember reading a passage that went something like, “the most difficult lesson that parents must learn is when and how often to use the word NO with their children”. It’s the single most difficult but beneficial instruction used to properly guide a developing life. Now some 30 years later, I can see so much wisdom in that passage. The differences between right and wrong can be very subtle or they can be bold. Laws are… read more
How God Runs Nations
“But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.” (Luke 22:26 ESV). In 1776 the leaders of a new nation, most of whom volunteered for the assignment, after having declared themselves independent from the tyrannical leaders they had left behind, set in place a form of government to be managed for the people, by the people. They created a congress for the sole purpose of representing their… read more
God Bless America
The price that good people pay for doing the right and necessary things and the rewards received (if any) rarely balance out. This applies equally to the secular and sacred faces of our lives. With either faith or honor lighting our path, somebody will eventually receive just rewards. However, when we can successfully blend honor with faith, we can begin to realize; 1) our place in God’s master plan, and 2) the complete definition of grace, along with the pinnacle… read more
Societies Without God?
On March 4, 1789, representatives of the people of the U.S., added several clarifying restrictions to a new Constitution. These restrictions were intended to prevent abuses from being imposed on people by their government. These are called a Bill of Rights. The first of these amendments, reads as follows: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ….” This part of the first Amendment has been commonly termed, our separation between church… read more
Lasting Solutions
Proverbs 8:19 “My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver“. What am I? Consider this before you answer. Is it even possible to thrive in chaos or anger? For those who stand on shaky principles, chaos or anger might be used to try and make their point, but after that they seek the stability of peace and tranquillity, which is sought out of the resolution of trouble. If someone asked you to build a… read more
Did Anyone Ask God?
Daylight savings time? Who had this idea to save time? Time is not a thing or object that can be saved. Said simply: we still sleep and work the same number of hours. We still; eat, rest, play, learn, laugh and cry the same number of times that we would on standard time. Our days are still 24 hours long. We can’t change time, so we choose to rearrange it, view it differently. God made winter days shorter and summer… read more
Abolish Partisan Politicians
Worldly things change but we remain essentially the same from one generation to the next. It’s our nature (most of us anyway) to find comfort and security in the familiar. I’ve heard more than a few times, the startling utterance, “Oh my God, I’ve become my father (or mother)”. We desire to be unique yet remain mainstream, we seek adventure yet we settle for security, we want to be in control yet need to be comforted. In this thinking we’ve compromised… read more
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