“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace.  In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer.  I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33 (KJV)

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

A recent TIME magazine ran a feature article on anxiety, which came up with an AMAZING conclusion:  that anxiety in itself is neither good nor bad, but the issue is how we respond to anxiety.  Of course my use of the word “amazing” (in caps no less) is a dash of sarcasm.  Duh!  How many great human “brains” labored over the forming of that conclusion?  Were the psychologists and doctors who probed the intricacies of anxiety to read and believe Scripture, they would have arrived at a truly AMAZING conclusion:  that anxiety is a choice.

God’s Word clearly states that we will have tribulation.  We will have sorrow and suffering in this world.  But Jesus Christ has overcome the world.  Not only from Scripture, but from the work of the Holy Spirit in my everyday life, I know this to be true!  Not to say that I am exempt from human emotions such as anxiety, fear, and dread.  But when circumstances close in, and these emotions surface, I can choose to present them to our Lord—and trust that He will enable me to endure (victoriously!) in the midst of whatever may be happening in my life.

I tend to “crack up” with chuckles when I read about all the “syndromes” and “disorders” which are rampant and popular today.  The human race seems to be getting stranger every day.  The TIME article on anxiety is as laughable as another which appeared in that magazine a few years ago, publishing the astounding discovery that “boys and girls are different”!  The scientists who came up with that one could have saved themselves a lot of time, money, and effort if they’d simply gone back to Genesis!

Seriously, though, my heart aches for people who do not know the Lord and realize His magnificent provision for every detail of our lives.  And especially heartbreaking are those Christian believers who by-pass the Scriptural command to not be anxious, but rather pray and trust.  I’m not saying that it is “easy” to refuse anxiety, and just pray and trust.  Of course it is not “easy”—in fact, it is humanly impossible.  We cannot do it.  Only the Holy Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ can do it—in us and through us as we yield each issue to Him!

Oh, how we fallen creatures love to think we are “wise”!  At the age of 37, I was born into God’s family from a world view of secular humanism.  Until God allowed my illusions to crumble, I thought I was very wise.  How liberating it was to finally understand that I am not wise!  How blessed to simply relax, and let God be God!  When I forget that, I do become anxious.  But when I remind myself of Whom is in charge, the burdens literally roll away!

” . . . the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”  I Corinthians 1:25 (KJV).  In this verse, Paul is employing the literary tools of irony and sarcasm.  We know that there is absolutely no foolishness or weakness in our Lord.  How blessed is that!

Margaret L. Been, ©2012

Sanmi and Martina Adesokun, Married 12/30/11 – (photo by our granddaughter, Alicia Stokes) 

“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave.  It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.  Many waters cannot quench love, rivers cannot wash it away . . . . Song of Songs 8:6-7a (NIV) 

Last night I went to sleep bathed in the afterglow of a perfect day.  Our daughter, Martina, and Sanmi were married in the morning—before the fireplace at the gracious clubhouse in our condo community.  Salvation Army Major Dale Hunt officiated at the ceremony, which was relaxed and beautiful in every detail—even down to the background harmonies of George Winston’s arrangement of “the Pachabel”, as Joe presented Martina to her groom. 

Sanmi and Martina are both in their mid thirties.  Neither one has ever been married before; they’ve waited a long time for each other.  They met during the 4 years in which Martina taught in Nigeria, at the American School in Abuja.  Martina returned to the States in 2010, and is currently teaching Language Arts in the middle school at Spring Green, Wisconsin.  Meanwhile, Sanmi and Martina applied for Sanmi’s visa in the fall of 2010.  The process of obtaining the visa took nearly a year.  Then additional weeks were spent in preparation for Sanmi’s arrival at O’Hare, from Nigeria, on Christmas Day of 2011. 

I know that some of you readers have prayed for this wonderful event, and the marriage which we celebrated yesterday.  Many thanks!  Our family is grateful for your prayers! 

Margaret L. Been, 2011

P. S.  The above Scripture is emblazoned like a “seal” on my heart!  I had the privilege of reading the passage at our granddaughter Nicole Been’s marriage to Travis Conradt on 8/7/10.  Forever more, those words will come to my mind when I attend a wedding!

Star Shadows 

Tiny child, lost in sleep—

 inexorable sleep

winged on Hebrew lullaby . . . 

Did one small hand emerge in sleep 

from swaddling cloth,

a tiny starhand

 turning under stable-filtered light

 of greater star?

 And did that greater star

 spill shadows on a mother’s pondering?

 As she grasped the starhand, did she see

 a shadow path from Heaven

 to Calvary?

 ©Margaret Longenecker Been

“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”  James 1:26

The above passage is so succinct, it makes me shudder!  When I consider the Biblical view of an unruly tongue, I’m thrown upon God’s mercy for any and every time I have failed to keep a “tight rein” on my tongue!  Scriptures are loaded with references to speech.  Words clearly differentiate between a wise person and a fool!   

We often hear someone say, “I was only kidding!”  Or, “But I didn’t mean that!”  However, the words have been spoken.  Words not only say what they have said in plain terms, but they also contain intrinsic messages and meanings—undeniable inferences and innuendoes which a careful listener will grasp. 

The retort, “But I didn’t mean that” is ineffectual against spoken words and the inferences therein!  In Matthew 12:34b we read, “. . . for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” 

Words reflect attitudes—indeed the very essence of mind and heart.  Words can be forgiven, and even forgotten.  But words, once spoken, can never be retrieved!

Margaret L. Been, ©2011

The above graphic is courtesy of Karen’s Whimsy.

Every year at this time , since I began blogging, I’ve commemorated Pearl Harbor with a photo of the disaster.  This year, I can’t bring myself to feature the photo.  Recently, whenever I think of Japan I think of the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Necessary from a military standpoint?  Yes!  Unthinkably tragic from a human standpoint? YES! 

We need to remember history, mainly because we could benefit from learning.  History could provide foresight and wisdom.  But it’s been shown again and again that people do not learn from history.  We may remember history, but we simply play it again.

As Christians, we are commanded to forgive.  Forgiveness is the very core of our faith, and the reason why we are standing here rather than decimated and plowed under by God’s wrath.  Yet there are historical characters whom I cannot forgive in my fallen humanity:  especially Hitler, for his atrocities to God’s people the Jews.  And Stalin. 

And, going way back—Oliver Cromwell.  I read a lot of documentaries on Irish history.  I’m currently experiencing a formidable challenge knowing that I have to forgive the British Empire, not only for its mindless brutality in Ireland but for centuries of power lust and domination in India and Africa.  My husband, always the wit, suggests that I gather up all my English tea and dump it in the harbor a mile from our home.

However when I think England I want to think tea and English country gardens—along with Shakespeare, Jane Austin, Keats, the Brontës, Thomas Hardy, John Galsworthy and other authors too numerous to name.  I want to think our precious English language, and English theatre which (in my opinion) is second to none. 

When I think Russia I want to remember ballet and Tchaikowsky who, tortured as he was in his personal life, left the world a legacy of hauntingly beautiful music.  When I think Germany I want to recall Bach and Beethoven—and the tradition of gemütlichkeit reflected by German Americans in the cultural history of Wisconsin.  When I think Japan I want to focus on centuries of exquisite art traditions:  painting, poetry, gardening.

Every nation on earth has its shame as well as its pride.  Individuals are born sinners.  National shame is sin multiplied.  America is not exempt from national sin.  Just ask the decendants of the Cherokee and other Native Nations who walked the Trail of Tears from the deep South to Oklahoma and points West.  Or ask the descendants of slaves.

There is only One Remedy for sin, and that was accomplished for us at Calvary.  God’s Remedy for sin came to us as a baby, born in a crude and humble manger some 2000 plus years ago.  He is coming again!  “And He shall reign forever and ever!”

Meanwhile I will remember December 7th, 1941.  Remember, but move on!

Margaret L. Been, ©2011

Where can I begin to thank our Lord?  I have nothing but thanksgiving:  for God, and whom He is; for salvation, and the promise of eternal life; for more blessings on earth than I can begin to count—a happy childhood, ongoing cultural opportunities, a precious marriage of almost 59 years, a large and loving family, friends, a sweet dog, fresh air, the beauties of nature, a pleasant and comfortable home, food to eat, clothes to wear, a bed, a plethora of books, and an abundance of creative hobbies.

Where can I begin?  Perhaps with that huge blessing which is not listed above, yet one for which I thank God every single day:  FREEDOM.  With all that is wrong in America, we are still free.  We can publish our views around the world, via the internet—without censorship—at least for now.  We can choose our children’s education.  We can worship in public.  We can read our Bibles and pray in coffee houses and bistros, without fear—at least for now.  We are still free!

I read a lot of historical novels and documentary non-fiction on the subject of Irish history.  Actually I know Irish history nearly as well as I know that of my own country!  As I read, I think over and over:  Lord thank you that, with God’s enabling, my ancestors (many of Scottish and Irish descent) were able to overthrow the abject tyranny of the British Empire over 200 years ago.  The tenacity of the Irish people stirs my heart, profoundly!  I’m thankful for their determination to be free from centuries of brutal subjection—and I rejoice in the fact that today (at least much of) Ireland is free! 

I thank God that, throughout history, that there have been countless heroes who sacrificed everything they had for the cause of freedom!  And of all those heroes, no other people on earth loom larger in their quest for freedom than God’s chosen people—the Jews.  I’m thankful for American history, Irish history, and for the Jewish people and the nation of Israel.  

Meanwhile although Christians everywhere have inner, spiritual freedom in Jesus Christ, much of the world is still in physical bondage.  I praise the Lord Jesus for His promise to return, and reign on earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.  Someday the entire world will be free! 

“Yea, many people and strong nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.”  Zechariah 8:22     

Margaret L. Been, ©2011

↑  DANIEL’S PRAYER, by Sir Edward Poynter—1836-1919, Courtesy of The Tate Collection http://www.tate.org.uk/

“Oh Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong.  We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws . . . . Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame . . . . 

“The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have not obeyed the Lord our God . . . . Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant . . . .  We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.  O Lord, listen!  O Lord, forgive!  O Lord, hear and act!  For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”  from Daniel, chapter 9 (NIV)

Thus prayed the prophet Daniel, during his captivity in Babylon.  He prayed for Judah, his people, and the city of Jerusalem—all created to glorify God and uphold His Holy Name.  Although Daniel was a righteous man, he understood his own sinfulness and identified with his people and his fallen nation.  Daniel prayed, “We have been wicked and have rebelled . . . . we are covered with shame . . . .”

News concerning the unmasking of horrible crimes at Penn State—and the incredibly evil cover-up that followed those crimes—has rocked our nation!  Would that these news broadcasts would literally rock our nation right out of its present self satisfied, self indulgent coma characteristic of a rebellious, God-defying culture!  

There can be no doubt that The United States of America, blessed beyond any nation in history, is rotten to the core!  The sickening rot extends to every arena of American life:  politics, religion, business and economics, academia, the once-honored family, the world of entertainment, and yes—that allegedly “wholesome” institution of organized athletics. 

We are witnessing the rot of a nation which—like Daniel’s Judah—has turned from acknowledging the Lord God and living according to His principles.  A rotting nation is the ultimate conclusion of today’s rampant and erroneous world view:  that man is righteous and perfectible in and of himself. 

We Americans are experiencing the reality of Isaiah 64:6:  “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”  (NIV)

My understanding of Bible prophecy does not detect a huge turning back to God in the end times of which we are undoubtedly a part!  I don’t know that Bible scholars have gleaned any specific insight concerning even the existence of our nation—let alone signs of hope that we might be revived and restored before God comes in the clouds for those of us who are eagerly awaiting Him!

Yet throughout Scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments, we are commanded to pray!  We are commanded to pray for our leaders and for our world, as well as for personal concerns.  We have been taught to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”

Only Jesus Christ Himself can bring the literal kingdom of God to earth, and this He promises to do—in person.  Yet we can pray, we must pray for people in our nation and around the world.  At present, America is a stench in God’s nostrils. Yet His mercy endures forever.  We are covered with shame, but God is covered in glory.  Oh that the wind of revival would sweep over our land, driving those of us who are Christian believers to our knees—to pray for a great harvest of souls before the Lord returns! 

As Daniel prayed, we can pray:  “O Lord, listen!  O Lord, forgive!  O Lord, hear and act!  For your sake, O my God, do not delay . . . !”

Margaret L. Been, ©2011

 

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands . . . so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”  I Thessalonians 4:11-12 NIV

I have branded this verse in my heart and mind.  It is my ambition to live a quiet life, and God’s Grace has enabled me to do that when I depend on Him.  The King James Bible reads, “Study to be quiet”.  In a sense the King James Version says more than the NIV rendering of “ambition”, as the word “study” implies concentrated mental effort.  It’s natural to blither and gab, especially for women.  We need to study hard, and make a huge effort to be quiet. 

It seems that many contemporary Americans have lost even the foggiest notion of how to live quietly without a focus on personal agendas, problems, and what they consider to be “stress”.  Some people believe there is more stress now than in former years.  How strange!  My grandparents and parents lived through two World Wars and the Great Depression, yet I never heard them complain of “stress”.  Indeed, I think they would have scoffed at this self-centered generation of people who believe in verbally processing every bump and grind of what we simply used to call “life”.

Of course “living quietly” does not mean abstinence from conversation.  Certainly adults as well as children need lighthearted times of joking, laughing, and even being downright silly.  Wholesome comedy is one of God’s great gifts.  Refreshing conversation reflects joy and a merry heart.  Soul rich conversation—based on books, the fine arts, hobbies, and special interests—is always rewarding and welcome.  Meaty discussions of ideas are stimulating, and more precious than gold!  Any talk which stretches the mind or imagination is infinitely valuable to all involved.

There even may be occasional times when we need to share a problem, or verbally process a concern with an understanding friend or family member.  But there is neither value nor virtue in habitually talking about problems to anyone other than the Lord—who is always eager and available to listen!  The person who talks of nothing but her problems, and how “busy” she is, makes for boring conversation which could potentially drive a thoughtful person stark raving nuts! 

Solitude!  Quietness!  These qualities are frowned on today, when such a high premium is placed on undiscerning and endless verbal communication.  Society deems excessive noise and activity as a perfectly normal state—while the person who thrives on quality conversation (which springs from quiet reflection and creative solitude) is sometimes considered “odd”! 

In too many lives cell phones and chronic, mindless chatter have supplanted the art of thinking!  Too often, conversation centers on talk about people:  who they are, what they are doing, where they are going, etc.  Those of us who value a calm, reflective lifestyle, are decimated to a jelly by the “people talkers” who move their mouths ad nauseum.

The writer of Ecclesiastes states God’s balance in human affairs:  “There is a time for everything . . . a time to be silent and a time to speak . . . .”  I’m thankful that God’s Word underscores what I know in my soul to be right!  As much as I like to talk, I desire first of all to “live a quiet life”.  Edifying conversation can only flow from a heart attitude of quiet inner depth and serenity.

Margaret L. Been, ©2011

Note:  This entry is a version of one I posted in 2010 in my Grace with Salt blog.  That entry has received a huge number of viewers, along with other entries on http://gracewithsalt.wordpress.com/ about compulsive talkers and toxic people.  The ongoing interest in these topics indicates that many of us have issues with individuals who wear us to a jelly.  For that reason, I plan to reprint more of the topical pieces on this site. 

Sadly enough, occasionally the insensitive and exhausting people are fellow believers!   We want to be loving and accepting, yet we can be dragged down by those who take unfair advantage of our patience and tolerance.  It helps each of us to realize that we are not alone—and that there are Biblical principles supporting our desire for a quiet lifestyle with depth of content!  MLB

“But, beloved, remember words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:  how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.”  Jude 17-18

“. . . raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.”  Jude 13

I naturally tend to react in anger when I read the blasphemous statements of apostates—those individuals who once appeared to hold fast to Biblical Christianity, yet now have wandered far afield and turned away from God’s truth.  But there is one apostate who moves me to profound sorrow, a sorrow which far exceeds my anger.  That man is Frank Schaeffer—the son of the late Francis Schaeffer and his wife Edith Schaeffer, whom I believe is still living.

I became a Christian in 1971, at the age of 37.  There I was, a clueless new believer fresh from the erroneous “Man is Good” world view of secular humanism.  I knew that I was a sinner—saved by the blood of Christ, God’s Son who died and rose victoriously to give me eternal life.  Obviously these are crucial things to know, the vital core of the Christian Gospel!  But that is literally all that I knew. 

I’d received a Bible as a child but had never read it.  (I tried once or twice, but I could have been trying to read the original Hebrew and Greek for all I understood of it!)  The only Scripture I knew at the time of my salvation was Psalm 23.  I had invoked that passage but once in my life—when I was terrified while dangling in a chair lift over Winter Park, Colorado.  Because I was raised in the gentle hills of Wisconsin, Psalm 23 came in handy during that “Rocky Mountain High”!

Anyway there I was in 1971, knowing nothing—eager to learn, brimming with questions, frustrated because of my lack of wisdom and understanding.  I desperately needed to sit at the feet of a friend who understood my background, someone who could delineate Scriptures and explain Christianity in contrast to my long-standing secular world view.  Happily, I found this friend through the writings of Francis Schaeffer.

Francis Schaeffer’s books enabled me to see my former world view through God’s searchlight and revelation.  Not only did Francis Schaeffer’s books clarify my new life in Christ, these writings underscored and reinforced what I was beginning to comprehend from the Bible classes I attended.  I was starved for Scriptures, and could not get enough.  Francis Schaeffer helped to make the Bible totally relevant and viable in my mind.

Equally edifying was the role of Edith Schaeffer’s writings in my life.  As a homemaker, I pursued a lifelong habit of beautifying my environment.  Even as a small child, creating beauty was a motivating force.  I recall arranging shells and rocks in my childhood room, in patterns that pleased me.  No one taught me to do this, although my mother certainly modeled beauty and order in our home.  I simply was that way, without thinking about it.  I enjoyed making things lovely, and there was no other way I could be!

Meanwhile, as a new believer I met some Christian women who believed that homemaking was a burdensome chore to be endured and dispensed with as quickly and mindlessly as possible—a kind of punishment rather than a blessed stewardship.  These women thought that the Christian life was something be done “out there”.  Certainly they believed that it was good to apply our faith to the relationships with people in our homes.  But to invest time and effort into creating an atmosphere of beauty within the home was considered wasteful and idolatrous in these women’s eyes.

I was disturbed by these women, as I wanted desperately to please the Lord—yet I loved to bake, knit, garden, and keep my home in ways that reflected my hunger for beauty.  I questioned, were those urges wrong?  Was it truly “idolatrous” to be thoroughly contented with living creatively at home, to a point where there was no place on earth I’d rather be? 

I anguished over my questions until Edith Schaeffer came to my rescue with her book, THE HIDDEN ART OF HOMEMAKING.  In this book, Edith Schaeffer dealt with most every imaginable aspect of homemaking.  She viewed homemaking as an infinitely valuable, God-honoring ministry where creating beauty and order is a high priority.  Homemakers have a responsibility to savor their role, as they reflect the beauty and order of our Creator!  As we mirror God’s beauty through home arts and crafts, we influence not only our families but people outside our homes—even people of future generations.  In Edith Schaeffer, I found a godly role model who enabled me to discern and deflect anything which might distract me from God’s perfect will for me at home!

So you can see why I count Francis and Edith Schaeffer among my close friends!  Thousands (maybe millions!) of others can testify to being blessed by the Schaeffers’—via their books as well as through their L’Abri ministry in Switzerland.  Yet now the Schaeffers’ God-honoring ministries have been viciously attacked and undermined by their son, Frank Schaeffer.

I cannot even begin to list on this page, the times and ways in which Frank Schaeffer has denigrated and insulted his own parents.  He has bad-mouthed his father’s character, denounced the conservative politics of his parents, and denied God’s work through Evangelical and Fundamentalist Churches at large.  I cannot begin to record the scope of Frank’s writings, public statements, interviews with the press, etc.  It would take too many pages of blogging to record all of this man’s defection.  For details, you can GOOGLE “Frank Schaeffer”.   You can read for yourself, and I believe you will weep!

Frank Schaeffer’s apostasy turns my stomach!  But it also breaks my heart!  I pray for Frank Schaeffer, as I’d pray for any other rebellious and reprobate child of dear friends.  I pray that Frank will have a Damascus Road encounter—and that the Lord will turn “Frank” into a “Paul”!  

Our Lord is a God of miracles.  He can silence the mockers, and calm the raging waves of the sea!

Margaret L. Been, ©2011

What has Israel displayed to the world?  Israel has irrevokably shown the world that Jehovah God is a God of peace, a God of love—the one and only Lord of all creation.  Israel has displayed to the world that life is valuable.  We are made in God’s image.  Human life, yes EVERY INDIVIDUAL PERSON, is infinitely priceless and precious!

Welcome home, Gilad Shalit!  Many people I know are praying for your recovery.  We love you.  We love your nation!

Margaret L. Been, ©2011