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What to know about creating an effective Power of Attorney for emergencies.
Float your family through the coming crisis.
Be a better social justice champion.
Interview with Children’s Defense Fund CEO and strategist Starsky Wilson.
The impact of 400 year-old religious and political agreements finally acknowledged.
Your peace in the midst of global upheaval relies on this Source.
Media that takes you higher
The war protest the world needs from you
Kirk Franklin’s authentic spiritual dialogue
Gil Scott Heron
Celebrating love
Lead in the African American communities
Until
Let God be your guide
Injustice desecrates the temple and purposes of God
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© 2018 by the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists, 9705 Patuxent Woods Drive, Columbia, Maryland, 21046, U.S.A. Address editorial correspondence to MESSAGE MAGAZINE, 9705 Patuxent Woods Drive, Columbia, MD 21046-1565 U.S.A. All subscriptions are prepaid. If you did not order MESSAGE, it is being sent as a gift from a friend. You will not be billed. To subscribe, mail payment to MESSAGE, 1350 North Kings Road Nampa, ID 83687, U.S.A. or call 1-800-456-3991. Subscription price: one year, $19.95 U.S. currency; single copy, $4.00; overseas, add $10.00 per year for postage. Prices subject to change without notice. Periodicals Postage paid at Nampa, Idaho and additional offices. Vol. 90 No. 7 January/February. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MESSAGE, 1350 North Kings Road Nampa, ID 83687, U.S.A. Printed in the U.S.A.
Unless otherwise noted, Bible texts in this issue are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Statements in this issue attributed by an author to other speakers/writers are included for the value of the individual statements only. No endorsement of those speakers’/writers’ other works or statements is intended or implied.
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Turning the other cheek is the most arresting of all His revolutionary teaching — arresting because there could be no more definite repudiation of the old law of retaliation; because a vast majority of those who call themselves Christians either have never observed this new commandment or never have approved it; because this principle of not resisting evil has been the unendurable and inacceptable defamation of Christianity.
—“The Other Cheek”
By Fletcher J. Bryant
Message, May 1941, p. 7
Phillip McGuire Wesley, jr.
Read
Daymond John is a best-selling author and a star of ABC’s “Shark Tank.” I remember when he started with FUBU fashion clothing. He told his story in his previous book The Power of Broke, however, in this book he adds on to untold stories of his life and career. John guides you as master of reputation, negotiation, and relationships. Also available on Audible in addition to Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
editorial
that the World Needs from You Now
know full well that if former Harvard University President Claudine Gay — the first black President of that Ivy League institution, six months into her historic tenure — found herself swept away in the ulterior backwash of Congressional hearings regarding campus free speech, I better be very careful. If I had been sitting at the desk when Congresswoman Stefanik asked whether calling for “genocide” was acceptable campus free speech, I like to think I would have had a better answer than, “It depends.” This coached answer, response avoidant at best, screamed intolerable insensitivity. Period. End. Rather than discuss Gay’s departure from Harvard, however, we need to recognize that she would not be the only person to articulate a nuanced position regarding the war between Israel and Hamas, or many of its ancillary issues.
Poll data taken from the early days of the war at the end of October 2023, indicate the nuanced position that members of the black community hold.
The concert arenas, one in which the crowd often jumped to its feet to sing along with gospel’s hitmakers, each echoed in worship. From “I am a Friend of God” to “Change me Oh God” to “I’m Looking for a Miracle” to “I’ve Got the Victory” to “Smile.”
“In my music, I’ve got to try to find honesty and some truth to get through this (life), because real pretty Christian pictures have never been the best for me to paint,” shared Franklin. “That ain’t my life. My life is folks getting shot, a church in the middle of a crack-[infested] neighborhood and people trying to figure out how to pay bills. That’s what I’m called to, and I’m comfortable there.”
By Donna Green Goodman
In case you’re looking for some options that help you enjoy the celebration but are a bit healthier, I’ve got some ideas for you, but, go easy on the sugar! Sweet is something that the Creator specializes in. But processed sugar can be quite damaging to our health. And, for African-Americans whose incidence, morbidity and mortality from all chronic diseases is higher than the national average, it’s really important to make better choices.*
But planning ahead prepares you as a responsible steward, even after death. Embrace the view that stewardship does not only exist while we are alive, but also includes how we allocate or manage our resources upon death.
Three important documents come into play when estate planning: advanced medical directives or medical power of attorney, the durable power of attorney, and a will. Perhaps the most commonly used and least understood document among those three are the power of attorney. The following are three common examples of misunderstanding regarding a power of attorney.
God placed you in your family. There was no conversation to inform Him of your preferred family status and structure. Instead, when you were born you discovered the family He decided would be yours. And, I would argue your placement there was by divine design. Whatever the challenges and difficulties — that’s your family! However, instead of viewing it from a negative vantage point, as a group of people that is constantly holding you back from achieving your best, let me offer an interesting perspective that I believe can change the total trajectory of your family.
In the social justice arena, the Christian is confronted with the Micah (6:8) Challenge. God expects justice, mercy and humility from each of us. With the spirit of Christ, we need to be a champion for social justice in our own worlds, in our spheres of influence. To fulfill this challenge, it’s necessary that we assess our readiness. It all starts with understanding, awareness, and a commitment to address systemic inequalities and to make a positive difference.
What about your personal readiness to be a champion for social justice? Rate yourself on a scale of 1-5, as to your effectiveness in each of the five areas; with 1 being poor and 5 being proficient.
The environment we live in has also become contaminated with lead exposure and this is where, as African Americans, we need to be vigilant and take action.
“Religion does not exclude the mind at all. It very naturally includes the mind and intelligence. We have our instructions out of the wisdom of the past. Jesus the Anointed said, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy god with all they heart, with all they soul, and with all they mind.’ Consider that — thy mind, and all they mind. It is part, an essential part, of the first and great commandment.
“Consider the source of these supreme values. Look out beyond your small horizon. There are the secret places of the Most High. Explore them — you are welcome there. It is your home. It takes many visits to realize this. So you must go often. It is increasingly easy, increasingly lovely. There is no place like it — home. There alone lies strength, understanding and contentment.”
L.B. Reynolds, July 1954
Photo of Starsky Wilson
While the 50th anniversary of The Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) and the 30th anniversary of its Freedom School were the primary occasion for the event on the Howard University campus, in November, this was no party or picnic. Rather, organizers launched two very important campaigns, affirming and contending that the rights, wellbeing, education, and holistic development of children and their families matter.
First, the nation’s leading child advocacy organization seeks national policy reform relating to children’s welfare. Second, its “Campaign for Joy” leverages the collective power of individual communities in the fight.
Marian Wright Edelman, well-known as a true drum major for justice and a preeminent defender of the rights and opportunities of children, founded the CDF in 1973. She led CDF for 45 years until she announced that she would work as President Emerita in the Office of Founder. Then, in 2020, CDF named Starsky Wilson president and CEO.
Wilson leads as an intellectually sharp and skilled organizer and administrator. A spiritual leader with keen insight, he senses a future that is going to require a new generation of freedom fighters.
What follows is our conversation for Message, edited for space and clarity.
Same man that stole the land from Chief Black Smoke!
– Common, “Black America Again”
W.E.B. DuBois was referring to black folks when he said that “the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line,” but it applies to First Nations people too. America segregated blacks on one hand and tried to assimilate “Indians” on the other. U.S. “termination” laws sought to alleviate the guilt and inconvenience of “the Indian problem” by coercing them to move from reservations and melt into the cities.
Termination prompted a mass migration of 750,000 Native Americans between the 1950s and 1980s that overlapped with the Great Migration of blacks from the South to cities in the North and West. The paradoxes of America’s policies toward the black and red color line resulted in cross-cultural activism during the Civil Rights and Black Power eras. With the 2023 Supreme Court rulings against Affirmative Action and Navajo Nation’s water rights, the color line is still the problem of the 21st century. But how far back does the line go?
In our world we have forces that seek to destroy our hope, diminish our faith, and steal our joy. The Bible calls this force the devil. We hear his roar attempting to rob us of our joy. We hear him roar in the disunity in our various branches of government. We hear him roar in the war in Ukraine and the Middle East. His ferocious shout can be heard in the carjackings that make us afraid to leave our homes. We hear his destructive anger in the mass shootings that make us feel unsafe. He seeks to divide families, creating enemies in the same household. This evil being has been around since the world began.
The devil was around 2,000 years ago when God sent a Savior to our world. We see him at work in this story told in Matthew 1:18-21:
“This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. ‘Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the holy spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins’” (NLT).
I understand why Joseph was afraid to take Mary as his wife.
He found it too difficult to believe that her pregnancy was supernatural. He did not want to disgrace her publicly. If he reported that Mary was pregnant, she would have probably lost her life. That sounds like a force that intends to kill, steal, and destroy. The devil’s plan was thwarted by an angel sent by God who told Joseph the truth.
We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
Until. Until you get the job. Until you pass the test. Until you’re healed from cancer. Until you receive, you earn, you remove, you inherit, you complete, you develop – until you see it with your own eyes. Pause. Note, the word until calls you to maintain, hold fast, not give up or get distracted, but stay steady, remain ready, bounce back, all while looking forward, up and ahead. Until, says this is not the end, there is more coming. Prepare and believe that your hope will be fulfilled.
Prophecy is the fulfillment of fate and destiny. It provides an internal and external mechanism to confirm with finality the accuracy of God’s Word. Jesus said, “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe” (John 14:29, NKJV; see also John 13:19).
The primary role of prophecy is not to tell us the future, but it is to prepare us for the future and provide guidance on what to look for as time moves forward. Until. Prophecy confirms God’s deep desire to remain in relationship with the people He loves — us, until this becomes a permanent situation in the new heaven and the new earth (Revelation 21).
“Pastor, I was going to go here, but something told me not to,” or “Pastor, something kept telling me I should, but I didn’t.”
I find that many people scold themselves for not listening to that “something” that is edging them in the right direction, keeping their moral judgment in line, or keeping them from hurt, harm, or danger. People may even admit that their behaviors or certain decisions are weighing on their conscience.
Some of you may remember the Disney animated movie “Pinocchio,” which helped popularize a little green cricket named Jiminy, whose sole job was to help the little wooden boy be a better person. But at the first sign of real trouble, the insect becomes selfish and abandons Pinocchio in his time of great need. The fallacy in having a cricket on your shoulder or saying that “something told me” doesn’t give credence to who is really talking to you.
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Christopher Thompson
Atlanta, GA 30318
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