"I Don't Know Who You Are..." -- If You Can Keep It:The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty by Eric Metaxas

 Who I am...

It was not surprising to me when an individual recently said to me, "I don't know who you are..."

Have you ever received such a blunt statement from anybody? Well, probably more of us should, don't you think? I am now old enough to be able to remember at least 50-60 years ago. I have taken some detours, maybe especially lately it may seem to some, but basically I've been the same person I've always been...Me...

The key issue is how many have taken the time to know me? I think I've been fairly open with "me." But, then, I don't necessarily do much to do so, except as part of what I may be involved with... You know, like something is bothering me... or something has made me curious, so I do a little research to find out more. I've always been a "Why?" person. And if I don't have an answer, I probably will go buy a relevant book and explore what it says...using my desire to "Know Thyself..." I may or may not be influenced by what I read...to me, that's key. I don't read or listen to anybody and automatically believe it is truth... I've learned that the hard way. That skepticism has hardened over the last few years when many of us discovered just how much lying occurs in today's politics... 

Over 1.5 million have come to know me and the books I read through my blog... But as far as I am aware, nobody--none of my family or friends--routinely read my blog, or even have visited just once... Don't you think that if somebody  really did want to know who I was, they would seek out "more information"?

The question was somewhat related to religion...and somewhat related to politics... Most of my readers know that I claim Jesus as my Savior... But that, recently, because of politics, I don't claim to be religious. In fact, I've even talked about a little book I read years ago, How to be a Christian Without Being Religious. For me, I believe the Bible is inspired by God. I do not believe it should be considered the actual word of God. That is where I find I'm "not considered" a Christian for those who do believe that.

Why is that important these days? Well, because I am actually embarrassed to use the word Christian...given what has, in my mind, been used during the last 5 years, by evangelical christians, to conduct their desires within the political realm. Even to the extent of selecting a man, who only claimed, when asked, that he tried to be good, and then later proceeded to hold a Bible up for a photo op... While never, as far as I've heard, quoting scripture or even mentioning God in his life, although I could be wrong... 

Now that's not the key for me... Many cannot quote scripture, including me... I know some by memory, but it is the words that have always been captured in my heart and brain, rather than the ability to quote something, especially, part of something that is being used to create misinformation... and subsequent actions.

I can still picture Jeff Sessions, reading a scripture about obeying those in government...and then proceeding to deliver the new policy that would separate children from their parents at the border... 

Then I consider that the Catholic Church does not permit Joe Biden to take communion, because he supports pro-choice... Yet, I hear Joe quoting scripture, openly saying "God Bless..." as routine--so much so that it is clear to anybody who allows Joe to be heard, knows Joe as a man of God who works long and diligently to act on that foundation.

Get the idea of my confusion...just exactly "who" can be called a Christian, who believes in Christ, the Son of God...and the Holy Trinity...

There is a lot of confusion these days. Why would the evangelical christians support Trump to the extent they did/do? Has the corruption of power and egotism he exhibits meant nothing to those who claim him just because he is republican? If they don't see what I see, does that make me wrong and them right? Or vice versa? 

I'd like to share an event that was very important to me, which I've only shared with one person, until now. On the last day I was in the hospital for removal of a tumor from my brain, a hospital chaplain (title used to prevent saying a particular religion) came to visit me. I later realized that I had been overly affected by a pain medication, which I later learned was highly addictive and would not be prescribed again. Actually, I weaned myself away from it even though I still had some to finish, using instead my non-aspirin pain pills. The latter is important, I think, because when she came in, I was barely able to "NOT" begin to cry and to talk to her about my personal burden of the split of Christianity that I saw, purely because of politics... Without going into detail, as I calmed, she prayed for me... it was the first time I had spoken to anybody about how I felt God was leading me in relation to the political influence that had erupted as a certain set of Christians openly supported and defended the man who was then president--one who we later learned via the 2020 election, that the majority of Americans felt needed to be taken out of office.

But then, within my family, I was seen as somebody that nobody knew... I had not changed, except as I was being given guidance through praying and the Holy Spirit... Yet, confusion and discomfort and even anger was occurring...

So, I was led to another book!

As a book lover, I have hundreds of unread ebooks, which I freely add to my library if I am interested in reading. I really don't remember when I added the book but it's been out for a couple of years, so I probably added it at that time. Then one recent evening, I came upon the title, not knowing what it was, and opened it! It was another God Incident for me...

I'm about 3/4 of the way through reading... It is amazing that God gives me the exact book I need when I need it...

You see, I think of myself as an average American... My life has been full working and studying for the job but also having a church life with singing in the choir or contributing to music as needed. Like I said, up until about five years ago, there was really no reason for me to do something totally different... I was an Independent politically until I saw what was really happening and then I changed to become a democrat so I could vote in the primaries... I also began to "feed" on the news, trying to understand the chaos, but also trying to understand how my Christian life had all of a sudden become so very complicated, even to the extent of being judged... Was I really a Christian? Then I was told that Christians vote republican... Then I was told that I seemed to not consider the Bible the word of God (which I don't - there is a wide difference to believing that a book is inspired versus the actual word of God)... Was it me that was confused... Thankfully, the hospital chaplain realized my confusion enough to say that she thought I had been given a mission and that I should believe in continuing... which did not eliminate the confusion and frustration, but at least had given me a confirmation from a believer that I had been so lost without.

Many writers I've read and/or talked to, use their books to share their faith. A considerable number have been historical--something that could be helpful these days, don't you think? In fact, the author of the book clearly admits that he didn't know...what I didn't know... And I'm guessing that, maybe, just maybe, you, my readers may also not know... It's so important that I'm writing this article today, sharing the title, so that, if you wish, you might want to get a copy... 

Because, here's what I want to do. I want to host a book club review of this book... You don't have to participate, you don't have to even read the book...but I truly believe that this is a book that Americans need to be reading right now, today...or at least having the opportunity to learn about all of those things that I didn't know about and got excited just reading the book and thinking how to share the thousands of words that are so important, just because, as the author states, things started to change in America about 50 years ago... 

And I'm old enough to have been an intelligent participant beginning those 50 years ago! My American history is lacking and only what would have been taught when I was in school about 60 years ago, forms the basics of my knowledge...together with what I've learned through books! The specifics of American History to be shared may be as unknown to you as they were to me, Sadly... I'm not ashamed of that void in education, because like I said, I was working and studying for the majority of my professional life--just like many of you have been doing...  It's the reality of America right now that dual-career marriages are the norm for many... And there are many single female and/or divorced women with children who barely have time to even eat lunch, little on sleep all the hours that we need to.

Finally, I would share that in my early years, we were considered poor. My father had been killed in a mine accident before I was born. My mother worked constantly with home nursing, cleaning and even cleaning our local church, to which she always ensured we went whenever the doors were open. I was baptized at age 13, if my memory is correct. I consider my greatest gift of the Spirit from God is Empathy. He has given me the gift to understand what another person is going through. I think of myself as a "Doubting Thomas" related to religiosity. I wanted to "know" for myself...and I have been honored in that role all of my life... I've been led to read the books of many writers which would be ignored by many of the Christian faith. I have never lost faith because of those books, but rather gained a broader perspective on life in today's world because of them. I hope you'll take the time to read the following articles that will be based upon this book. I don't know how many I will provide...that's up to what is given to me as I start to write...mostly...but will also include my opinions, and welcome YOURS!

Book Description

In 1787, when the Constitution was drafted, a woman asked Ben Franklin what the founders had given the American people. "A republic," he shot back, "if you can keep it." More than two centuries later, Metaxas examines what that means and how we are doing on that score.

If You Can Keep It is at once a thrilling review of America's uniqueness—including our role as a "nation of nations"—and a chilling reminder that America's greatness cannot continue unless we embrace our own crucial role in living out what the founders entrusted to us. Metaxas explains that America is not a nation bounded by ethnic identity or geography, but rather by a radical and unprecedented idea, based on liberty and freedom for all. He cautions us that it's nearly past time we reconnect to that idea, or we may lose the very foundation of what made us exceptional in the first place.

For variety and to give myself time to reread and absorb a section at a time, realize I don' plan on using a lot of excerpts, rather I'll identify the topic, and then share and raise questions for consideration... maybe giving my own opinion, dependent on what is covered in that post. I will probably include other types of articles as well during the next week or so... But you can always check to find postings of recent additions... 

Some adjectives I would use for this book, outstanding research, timely, amazing, must-read, Affects all Americans, Has America Changed? Unknown Historical Events, Losing Democracy?

Jeanie Harris Provides Look at Life of American Poet...

Chasing Fireflies


The Dust Bowl 
Childhood of a Poet




By Jeanie Harris






I don't review many poetry books; I don't have the background professional qualifications to consider all types of poetry so, like a "technical language" book, I pass on most of them. When I do review them, it is because of the message, the words, that are being shared by the poet, nothing else. It was fun, therefore, to read about Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel's early life in Chasing Fireflies. Even though she read many poems and studied somewhat during her early years, she decided she would write as she wished, because it was "the words" that were important... My kind of woman...

Actually, Chasing Fireflies was more a memoir than a collection of poetry, although there are a few included, so I found myself becoming quite involved in McDaniel's early life. She was older than I and did not have access to "the conveniences" that we had by the time I was born, but there was still much for me to share as mutual memories from our childhoods.

Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel grew up in Oklahoma. Her family were sharecroppers. What that meant was that they lived on a farm, had animals, grew crops...but all of the property belonged to somebody else. The family got a percentage of the main crop.

As with today's landlords, there were problems with the house which were never addressed, but the family made it work, A short narrative, for instance, tells how the stove pipe started a fire, and while the family worked to put it out, Wilma's mother had stayed right there, holding things together--and still saving their dinner!

When the Depression came, and then the big crash of the stock market came, there was nation-wide fear, but for the farmers there in Oklahoma, those things meant little to their lives. It was the weather that controlled their future, and during those same years where America was facing financial ruin, there in Oklahoma, the winds started to blow. With little water and no sight of rain, major dust storms blew the top soil away until crops were no longer growing and much of the state became known as the dust bowl...

But in the heart and head of a young girl, Wilma still found wonder in what she saw. Using every scrap of paper she could find, she would work to find the exact words to describe what was happening around her.

Forces

Wind

Wind played a major role

in my early life

Changeable

as its very name

Sometimes

it was sighing gentle

and soothed my fears

under a patchwork quilt

Once

it became so violent

it blew my young life away

~~~

Actually, it was the wind that has deprived us of the earlier poems of this poet--she had started to write when she was 8. Wilma would hide everything she wrote in a hole between the paper and the wall behind her bed. When her family suddenly had the chance to move to California, in one day, she had not felt she could share her words with anybody and left them there, probably never to be found...(One touching thing for me was that, as she grew older and became known for her poetry, many would send her beautiful new writing paper...which she never used, but would save for something special, while she continued to write her poetry on envelopes, advertisements, paper bags, any scrap she could find.)

People talk about the "good ole days" but they really weren't. Sometimes though, we need a dose of reality to realize just how much has changed. "The best part of Wilma's gift was that she always saw something special in the most everyday things. She saw nobility in ordinary people, like her friends...(p. 129) 

Arguably the most iconic American poet of the 20th Century, Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel stands without peer. Of German, Irish and Cherokee heritage, this extraordinary woman’s keen perspective through prose and poetry turned her life experiences into a wealth Wilma mined with a writer’s clarity, a poet’s insight, and a conviction and intensity etched through raw experience.  (Back40 Publishing)

I loved the personal story of Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel found in Chasing Fireflies (One of the things she missed most when she moved from Oklahoma to California was that there were no fireflies sharing their flicker of lights in the evening hours...) You may click the title of this article to visit Back40 Publishing where you can find 13 collections of Wilma's poetry, as well as further background information on the works of  the “Dust Bowl” poet Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel, 1918-2007.

Truly a must-read for poets and American history fans! And enjoy...

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Historical Biography of by Ruth Plimpton Best I've Read!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Dyer

Mary Dyer:
Biography of a
Rebel Quaker


By Ruth Plimpton


Review of 2011 Edition




I would imagine that anybody reading this will recognize the name Joan of Arc, but do you know the name of Mary Dyer? Perhaps the Catholic Church has a better publicist than other Christian sects (LOL), else we should surely know more about what happened to Mary Dyer and others who lived in the early 1600s as early settlers in America...

Where Mary Dyer, the only woman, and other men were also murdered--hanged--because of their beliefs...


Most of us know that freedom of religion was a major issue in America's founding principles. We do not, however, know the level of intolerance and the hatred that was placed on many individuals during that time. In fact, it is a sad commentary that intolerance of our beliefs has been and continues to be a major issue in our world...

I, for one, was totally appalled by what happened during the early years in America. On the other hand, reading these historical facts was spiritually enriching to me. Ruth Plimpton has created one of the best historically significant books I've had the honor to read.

It is fascinating to consider that many "left England with their own unshakable beliefs and, once in New England, created laws to get rid of anyone who did not conform with their religious interpretations." (p. 11)

Mary and her husband William were just one couple who traveled to America. For Mary, especially, there was a personal spiritual journey that led her ultimately to leave her husband's presence (although still married) and travel to learn more about what she believed. Ultimately, she became a Quaker and it was her faith that led her to accept death rather than to reject what she had grown to believe.

While William never did become a Quaker, he never stopped loving Mary. He also fought his own battle against the prejudice that was routinely leading to whippings, banishment, and even death. Against the background of religious upheaval, we find that much of New England was being expanded to the South and new communities were springing up either with support and charter by England or, initially, by sale of land to the settlers by the Indians.

The main area of intolerance was located in Boston where Puritan law had been firmly established and based entirely on the Old Testament, "as interpreted by the magistrates and ministers of the colony." All civil law derived from the church. One of the better known men who questioned what was happening was Roger Williams when he refused to take an oath of loyalty to the Colony.

It was the women of the colony who first began what was to lead to the first major division. Mary Dyer had a friend by the name of Anne Hutchinson. Of course, much was denied women at that time, so while doing the duties that were considered "women's work"; i.e., to fetch water, "bucket by bucket, day after day" the spring became a natural meeting place for them to talk. Many times, the discussion centered on what they had been most recently taught in church.

But then Anne Hutchinson opened her home for more indepth discussions. Soon those discussions were drawing women from all surrounding areas...and men began to attend! Those who had attended these gatherings were sharing a religion based upon "salvation by grace"  and the inspirational messages were of "love, joy, and service to mankind found in the New Testament. (p. 39)

Soon, it was this group that were under attack...Many packed up and left and moved into what is now Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Reading about their living with the Indians, as well as watching a new land being developed is exciting as well as informative. The book is well written, with many relevant pictures and supporting references. 

Historians...this is a must-read for you. For believers of all faiths, there is a lesson to be learned from Mary Dyer and others who died so that we might today have the freedom to express our own beliefs. A truly important addition to America's historical documentation!

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Mary Dyer : Biography of a Rebel Quaker