Introduction:
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Welcome to my discussions on a puzzling array of topics. These subjects are connected only because these are the interests that I have intensively pursued in my sixty-plus years of study. I am a wanderer. Not only an enthusiastic traveler, but I wander between subjects and skills. Perhaps I am better described as scattered, but these topics provide the puzzle pieces of my life and somehow seem to be related, if only in my mind.
As a child, my first success in learning came to me through music, later I picked up German. I took my turn as a teacher in public schools and privately. I was always interested in Bible study, but that opportunity came only in maturity, when I stopped listening to the voices that said, "Off limits to women." I started seriously writing with the purchase of my first computer and spelling skills were suddenly not so important. Writing in itself was not my goal, but expressing ideas that I find important enough to share. Now I possess this patchwork quilt of many, mostly failed, efforts. When someone is blessed to acquire many years, she picks up a mass of baggage, good and bad, and also much knowledge. This website is a compilation of my thoughts in writing on diverse topics. More personally, after 45 years of marriage, raising two children, and now enjoying a granddaughter, I am a widow. The decade of my husband's illness has been its own journey. His death and the following months of adjustment have fueled another set of insights, begging to be expressed. |
Index: Where to Find the Topics
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Biblical Basis for Title: Mary's Sword
Luke 2:34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."
Luke 2:36 There was also a prophet, Anna, . . . Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
On the day of Jesus' circumcision, Simeon warned Mary that the earthly life of her newborn son would be sorrowful. Her child would bring division. Mary would also not escape this division. My hope for this website is to describe this division and offer healing.
Anna, the prophet, gave thanks to God for the child and spoke to all looking forward to the redemption. Anna preached the Gospel in the temple. This website promotes the empowerment of women and girls to claim their Image-bearing gifts of the Spirit.
About "Mary's Sword"
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My pen is a sword used to empower girls and women to pursue all their God-given gifts. My poem on the poetry page in this site explains more about the title Mary's Sword. Several more poems and essays will probably offer too much information about me. My barebone credentials are in the sidebar on this page.
BOOKS: I have written two books encouraging women to lift all human-imposed limitations placed upon them.
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Mary Stromer Hanson holds two "bread-and-butter" degrees, BA in Music Ed. and MA in Special Ed. Her "fun" degrees are an BA in German and the latest, an MA in Biblical Studies from Denver Seminary.Such varied academic creditionals say more about her inability to find her call than academic prowess or ability to be very profitable.
She married Clement Hanson, who became a military doctor and they have two children, Ben and Anne, The Hansons moved frequently in the US and lived in Germany a total of seven years until settling in Denver. Looking at herself from the point-of-view of an omniscient narrator, she would say that her strongest insights come from sixty- plus years of life experiences. |
About Mary Stromer Hanson
I am inspired by beauty as created by the Creator. From the smallest flower to the majestic mountains and oceans, I enjoy the beauty of the earth, The crown of creation is humanity; I am in awe of the many creations of humankind in art, music, word, and invention. In the best work of the image-bearers, from the time when art first appeared to the latest works in new mediums, I find miracles. My favorite experiences are found in museums, concerts, literature, and my garden.
I always expected I would find my calling in music or art. Working in words has not always been my strongest interest. In my later years, I discovered that I have insights worth expressing. Most vital are issues concerning women and girls. So many females have not had the opportunities to develop their talents and fulfill their discipleship. I experienced this myself, but much more serious is the hardship placed on women who cannot grow up in health and happiness. I strive to use my words to inspire and empower girls and women to overcome various man-made obstacles to their image-bearing talents.
I always expected I would find my calling in music or art. Working in words has not always been my strongest interest. In my later years, I discovered that I have insights worth expressing. Most vital are issues concerning women and girls. So many females have not had the opportunities to develop their talents and fulfill their discipleship. I experienced this myself, but much more serious is the hardship placed on women who cannot grow up in health and happiness. I strive to use my words to inspire and empower girls and women to overcome various man-made obstacles to their image-bearing talents.
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This entire website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Website consulting www.savantpublishing.com.
Website consulting www.savantpublishing.com.
