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Flourish and thrive, even now, with your story, and your gifts.
Prepare to fulfill God’s purpose in your life.
Have you encountered the intimate welcome of the one who sees and cares?
It’s a Wonderful Life, or Is it?
Media That Takes You Higher
Your Prophetic Life Now
Why Symbols Still Matter
Flavors of Freedom
Justice is More Than a Trend
Scroll Trolls
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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 1-800-447-7377. 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. 91 No. 1 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.
Vintage Vault
“Now I sing, and speak of a God that loved me back to life. I’ve learned to embrace dark times, but be encouraged, and know that God is forging a mighty warrior, and it is only a matter of time before He says “Let there be light.” When God calls forth His light, darkness is removed and you are able to shine for Him. You are also able to go into the darkness and let your light assist others in navigating their dark times.
—“I Found Peace on The Abortion Table,”
By by Jillian Monet
Message, July August 2015
Phillip McGuire Wesley, jr.
Read
John Maxwell
John Maxwell explores the essential art of connecting with others, emphasizing that true communication goes beyond words — it involves understanding and engaging people on a deeper level. Maxwell asserts, “Connecting is the ability to identify with people and relate to them in a way that increases your influence with them.” Through practical strategies and compelling anecdotes, he demonstrates how connecting enhances relationships, builds trust, and amplifies personal and professional impact. I found this book to be an inspiring guide for anyone seeking to turn communication into a transformative tool for influence and success. You can find this book on Audible, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.
editorial
ou may be among those who feel challenged by the literal firestorm that is our existence right now. I know I am. Wars on two fronts, and more conflicts brewing. Deadly fires —“devil winds” as one fire chief put it — ravage the environment. And amid all this, black people, specifically, continue to feel the singe of re-emergent and re-packaged racial resentment.
The previous Trump administration blamed racial resentments on our community, while itself stoking the flames. As a result, we witnessed an increase of individual hate crimes by 200%. At the start of this second go-round, however, rather than individual actors expressing resentments, corporate entities and institutions of higher education exhibit conviction fatigue. Walmart, McDonald’s, Boeing and Ford, among others, are all rolling back diversity initiatives, according to Forbes.
n crisscrossing the Home of the Brave and the Land of the Free, Americans take pictures of national and historic symbols. On Liberty Island, the Statute of Liberty Enlightening the World boasts as the “universal symbol of freedom and democracy.” In Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell represents a symbol of “American freedom and democracy.” Mount Rushmore in South Dakota identifies four U.S. Presidents (George Washinton, Thomas Jefferson, Theordore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln) who led the country in turbulent times. Americans’ contemplation with symbols produces iconic images of freedom and leadership.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. exemplifies Dr. King’s advocacy for freedom, equality, and justice. In Montgomery, Alabama, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice names more than 4,440 black people murdered in racial terror lynchings from 1877-1950. Americans’ contemplation with symbols contrasts ideals instead and reality.
Yet, the 9/11 attacks focused on destroying the symbols of democracy (U.S. Capitol), defense (Pentagon), and economic power (Twin Towers). The attack served to elevate American Patriotism, and unfortunately led many Americans to demonize Muslims as terrorists, rather than correctly recognizing the actors as extremists, and dissenters with respect to Islam. In the 2023 Hate Crime Statistics, the FBI reported that the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes increased from 28 to 481 incidents in 2001 and has not returned to the 2000 or earlier levels. Americans’ contemplation with symbols provides a swift and visceral retaliation that can lack reasoning when attacked.
Why celebrate freedom with pumpkin stew? French enslavers considered it a delicacy to be enjoyed among themselves. Enslaved Africans were required to raise, harvest, and cook the ingredients, but they were forbidden to eat the vegetables of their labors. After Jean-Jacques Dessalines kicked all the French out of Saint-Domingue, the self-emancipated nation of Ayiti decided they were going to have their stew and eat it too!
OPTIMAL LIVING
OPTIMAL LIVING
For 2025, I want to give you and your family a wonderful Bible text to serve as your anchor for this year.
Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you” (NASB2000).
This is the Almighty God speaking to the prophet Isaiah during a very difficult time for him and his family. This text is considered to have been written during the time of the Hebrews’ exile in Babylonian captivity. Isaiah and his family were living in a situation that your family is possibly living in right now as well — uncertainty! They had been in captivity for a long time and were expecting deliverance, but it had not come yet. The prophet Isaiah and his family were experiencing frustration because their expectation was not their reality.
By Delbert Baker
Imagine being in a scene of intense strife and conflict. The pressure is severe, almost unbearable. Wave after wave of a crisis crash mercilessly, and the outlook appears bleak. Despair tells you to give up. But hope whispers, “Hold on. This too shall pass!” Which voice will you believe?
Hope is not blind optimism or wishful thinking. It’s a steady conviction that something good lies ahead, even when circumstances seem dire. It lifts the soul and fuels perseverance. Despair, however, pulls you into a pit of darkness, sapping energy, blinding perspective, and leaving you paralyzed.
The Bible reminds us in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you … plans to give you hope and a future” (NIV). Hope anchors us in this promise, while despair convinces us to doubt it.
Hope and despair are not passive feelings; they actively shape our decisions, attitudes, and outcomes. When hope drives us, we see possibilities and push forward. Despair, on the other hand, locks doors and extinguishes faith.
Think about Joseph in Egypt: falsely accused, imprisoned, and forgotten. He trusted God and chose hope. When the moment came, he was ready to step into his destiny. Hope prepared him; despair would have destroyed him.
This year is no different, except that the year 2025 is historical for the United States of America. For the first time in this nation’s history, the President is a convicted felon, who was twice impeached and who still faced charges when he was elected.
Let that sink in.
During my tenure, I focused on advocating for reparations for black Americans and capacity and infrastructure building for black-led activist organizations. The three lessons I learned, that I hope will assist you in developing your own black power toolkit to thrive and flourish, are: 1) Impact will need to derive from the bottom up; 2) You must have stamina; and 3) Your story and gifts can have local and global impact.
Becoming a Winner in Life
God wants you and me to win in life. He never intends for any of us to be losers. He reminds us frequently in sacred Scripture of strategies we can use to succeed. One of these strategies is found in Proverbs 22:1-4:
From this outstanding passage we find ways that we can become winners in life.
These were the words of a black, young, single, hungry, mistreated, and pregnant immigrant slave girl named Hagar. She ran away from her mistress, and found herself near a desert spring. She was alone, afraid, and stuck between a rock and a hard place. The rock was her mistress behind her and the hard place was the unknown in front of her. She saw no help, and her gods were back in Egypt, far from where she stood. She had no hope and if we could’ve warned her, we’d say, “you in danger sis!” So, who was going to save her from the unforgiving desert?
This was the first time I saw an African woman chosen by God to reveal Himself. It was an important lesson in the way God operated. As a pagan she wouldn’t call the Israelite God her God and yet, even though she didn’t claim Him, she experienced what only a few people in the Old Testament experienced. She saw God seeing Her. As a result, the Lord became Her God.
These types of police killings had become quite common. The killings had been caught on camera and yet there was no justice applied in those cases. But this particular moment stood out. Maybe it was the casual indifference of the officer. Maybe it was because it happened during the week of a slow news cycle. Maybe the indifference toward black life had to be that obvious. But this one was not swept away. The national outrage continued to swell. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
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Christopher Thompson
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.’
“He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. ‘The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!’
Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. ‘How can this be?’ they asked. ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’”
Luke 4:14-22, (NLT)
Jesus wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary. What was extraordinary was His response to the Scripture and their reaction to the Scripture and His response.
Think on this: when John the Baptist was imprisoned his disciples came questioning Jesus’ ministry. Jesus’ response to their challenging inquiry is similar to the Scripture He read in Luke.
This verse isn’t just a gentle suggestion; it’s a profound invitation to experience the depth of Christ’s love and presence.
Dine with you: Sharing meals, laughter, and stories.
Walk with you: Through life’s triumphs and struggles.
Abide in you: Making His home in your heart.
The Transformative Power
When you accept Christ’s invitation:
Your heart is filled with purpose and meaning.
Your life is transformed by His love and grace.
You become a vessel of His light and hope.
When they first heard of Hurricane Helene, Lea and Newer immediately began to make and receive calls from Florida where they created a partnership to mobilize teams and put shelters in place. With the assistance of volunteers from as far as Tennessee, North and South Carolina, and even New York, they established warehouses from which to distribute their resources. ACS worked alongside other churches and community groups to distribute food buckets, hygiene kits, and other goods.
