The Refiner's Process

This post is taken from a speaking engagement this May in Bradley, Illinois. The occasion was a Mother/Daughter Banquet hosted by the Pembroke Fellowship Church of Pembroke, Illinois. The theme was Women Reflecting God's Brilliance.

Scripture References:

Revelation 21: 9-11; 22-23

2 Corinthians 4: 7-9; 16-18

Isaiah 48:10

  
Ladies, you’re a gem. Like the New Jerusalem, the bride of Christ, you are a precious jewel. You’re more precious than rubies. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are God’s masterpiece, his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for you to do. You are valuable to God.

As a matter of fact, you’re so valuable and God loved you so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die for you. He loves you so much that He has prepared a place for you. He loves you so much that He wants to have a relationship with you and fellowship with you. He has counted every hair on your head and bottled every tear that you have cried. He loves you so much that he has plans and a purpose for you. Plans to prosper you and to give you a future and a hope.

But to be the jewel that you are, God, Our Refiner, has to put you through the process. To make you shine, like you were designed to shine, you have to be formed and fashioned, made and molded. 

This is for the Dark-Skinned Sistas

This is For the Dark-Skinned Sistas

Dec. 2003

 

By Monica Fountain

 

This is for the dark-skinned sistas

The chocolate wonders

The brown bombshells

 

This is for the one

Who was told don’t drink coffee

It’ll make you black

Make me black?

What is that?

As if I could be more black

As if just the color of my skin

Made me black

If coffee makes me black

Bring it on Joe

Give me a Starbucks grande double latte espresso

 

This is for the sister who was told

Don’t wear yellow

That’s too bright

Forget about red

You’re too dark

Black as night

Leave that for the light-skinned sista

With the long hair

As if my blackness was something to

Fear

 

This is for the sista

Made to feel less than by the

Brother

Who in amazement thought

He was giving you props

When he said,

“You’re sure cute to be so dark.”

 

Browner than a bag to a hue

As black as midnight blue

 

My dark sista

My ebony sista

My chocolate sista

Here’s to you

 

For your strength and the

Beauty of your dark tones

The orange in your skin

The browns, the golds

You are beautiful

With your big broad nose

And your nappy hair

In them big cornrows

Or precision pressed to straightness

Or permed to perfection to let the

Natural go

In dreadlocks or braids

Twists or curls

This is for you little black girl.

From the Editor--Spring 2013

With His Stripes

 

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.  Isaiah 53:5

 

What would your sign say? What is the thing that you need healing from? Is it physical? Is it emotional?  Is it a pain from the past that won’t go away?

Too many of us are the walking wounded, never exposing our pain. Hiding behind a mask. We anesthetize ourselves with alcohol or drugs. We search for love in all the wrong places and too many faces. Searching and trying to fill a void that only our Father can fill.

Whatever your issue, whatever the problem, God is willing and able to heal you. God wants to heal your body, soul and spirit. Your Heavenly Father wants you to be free.

This issue of The Well Magazine is dedicated to stories of healing. The women on the cover and those who share their stories within these pages have been healed. But the healing goes beyond the physical or a temporary, feel good fix. They have been healed by the blood of Jesus.

The blood of Jesus paid the price for all of our sins and that’s the true sickness that is at the heart of every issue.

We will all eventually die. Since Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden, we are destined to meet death. Because of sin there is death and disease. Because of sin there is dysfunction.  Because of sin, we have a distorted image of ourselves and God.

But because of the second Adam, Jesus Christ, we can have eternal life with God. When Jesus walked this earth, he healed the sick, showing his power over disease and demons. When he died on the cross and rose from the grave, he showed his power over death. When we trust in what Christ did on the cross and believe that God has raised him from the dead, we are healed from the power of sin and death, brought into a right relationship with our Heavenly Father and have eternal life with Him.

Before we go into eternity, however, God wants us to have life here and more abundantly. One of the ways that we can do that is by sharing our stories with transparency as the contributors of this issue have so that others can experience the love, freedom and forgiveness found in Christ. 

The Well Magazine Spring 2013

Click on the photo to read the latest issue of The Well Magazine

Question of the Week 4.15.13

 Reformed Christian rapper Shai Linne has a new track on his upcoming release called "False Teachers" in which he names some of the most popular preachers in America as "false teachers."

Click the link and listen to the video blog explanation of why this rapper put these "prosperity" preachers on blast.

What do you think? Are T.D. Jakes, Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, Paula White, Creflo Dollar and Eddie Long false teachers? Has the gospel of Christ been hijacked by prosperity theology? Should Shai Linne have put their names out there like that?

Share your thoughts.

http://wadeoradio.com/why-shai-linne-put-joel-osteen-and-other-fale-teacher-on-blast/

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2013/04/reformed-rapper-shai-linne-false-teachers-joel-osteen-joyce-meyer-td-jakes.html

Question of the Week 4.8.13

How far should churches go to get their message across?

Billboards? Pastors preaching a series about sex from a bed? Ziplining across the sanctuary? Productions with animals in the pulpit? Are these effective ministry tools or too much?

Read the story about a church that posted a billboard saying, "Strip for me--Jesus" near a strip club and the other stories and videos and share your thoughts.

http://kfor.com/2013/03/28/church-posts-billboard-to-strip-for-jesus/

Pastor zip lines to the pulpit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9yEPMYvfOg

Pastor and wife 24-hour bed-in
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/13/pastor-and-wife-preach-married-sex-with-24-hour-bed-in/

Lessons for Life

My daughter is 17 years old. Next year she will be a senior in high school and college is knocking on our door. We have started the process of visiting colleges. As she grows and matures into womanhood and her days under our roof are shorter, I wonder have I prepared her for the world. Has she learned all the lessons she needs to know both philosophical and practical to make it in this world?

She can finish my sentences when I give her warnings and advice. But has it really sunk in? What does she need to know?

Before her 17th birthday, I started compiling some life lessons in my prayer journal to pass on to her. Some have been passed down to me from others. Some were learned the hard way through experience. They include core beliefs, common sense or practical tips for everyday living. I started with 20 but the list keeps growing so I think I'll just keep adding to it and sharing it.

What life lessons do you want your children to learn? What lessons has life taught you?

Here's 1-20 on my list:

1 Pray every day. It doesn't have to be a long prayer. Sometimes the most powerful prayers are just a few words. "Lord, help me." "Lord, save me."But take the time consistently to connect and communicate with the Creator for longer than a minute.

2. Read God's Word every day. God's Word is his love letter to us. It corrects, consoles, comforts, instructs, gives us wisdom and guidance. It is the truth. When we read his word, we can pray back his Word and his promises. (See Lesson 1)

3. Hang out with good people. My father said it to me and I say it to you, "If you want to fly with eagles, you can't hang out with turkeys." The company you keep matters because more than likely you will find yourself doing what your friends do. If your friends curse, drink, do drugs and have sex, then the chances that you will do those things greatly increases. The Bible says, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners or sits in the seat of the scornful." You may not intend to be sitting in the seat of the scornful but before you know it, that's where you are. "Evil communication corrupts good manners." Be with people who are going the same direction you are.

4. People are more important than things.

5. You can't go wrong when you do right, but you might suffer for it.

6. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

7. Money is a tool and resource; learn how to use it.

8. Always have an emergency fund

9. Don't charge up credit cards. Live within your means

10. Your body is precious; Don't just give it away and don't believe "everybody is doing it."

11. Don't believe everything; Don't trust everybody

12. There's a time for everything

13. Nothing is impossible with God

14. Work hard; people will help you

15. Your attitude determines your altitude (another word of wisdom passed down from my father)

16. All you need is one good friend

17. Jesus is your friend; you can call on him anytime

18. You never know who's watching you

19. Don't walk alone at night; never walk away from your drink (wisdom from my husband); don't put yourself in vulnerable situations

20. This too shall pass

What are your life lessons?

Top At the Well Postings for March 2013

Here are the top At the Well postings for March 2013. If this is your first time reading these posts, enjoy. If it's not the first time, enjoy again. And either way, please share.

Peace and Blessings,
Monica



1. Advice for Your 16-Year-Old Self

 

My senior year high school year book photo

2. Top At the Well Postings for December 2011



3. Tending Our Gardens: Got Fruit?

4. Resurrection and The Life

The Resurrection and the Life

Jesus said to her, "I am the one who brings people back to life, and I am life itself. Those who believe in me will live even if they die. John 11:25 (God’s Word Translation, 1995)

I  was dying. Not physically. My dreams were dying. Slipping away. Colleagues and friends had gone on and surpassed me. They were national correspondents and authors. They were on television.  I was raising children—-a stay-at-home mom. My dreams of being a foreign correspondent. Gone. Dreams of publishing a magazine one day. Gone. Writing. Gone. Creativity. Gone. Confidence. Gone.

I laid in the bed one night and deep in my spirit I said, “I’m dying.”  I didn’t say it out loud. It was just a settling in my spirit. A voice inside of me that said, “Give up. Let it go. Your dreams are dead.”

But  then I heard another voice. It wasn’t mine. I don’t know if it was audible or just in my head but I heard it loud and clear.

“I am the resurrection and the life.”

It was a still, small voice but firm and certain. Authoritative and matter of fact.

Do you have some dead situations in your life? Some people, things or dreams that you let go of long ago. They aren’t alive anymore. Has the thing that made you smile, that gave you hope, a sense of purpose, brought you joy and made you feel fulfilled slipped away? God, what happened? Where were you? What were you doing when my marriage fell apart? When my child died? When I lost my job? Why didn’t you stop me before my decisions led to a catastrophe?  Why didn’t I see?  Why didn’t you get here sooner? You restored sight to the blind. Couldn’t you have kept my dream alive?

It’s dead. Lazarus. The one you loved. He’s dead. It’s been dead so long that it stinks.

Well, I’ve got some good news.

Jesus brings dead things back to life. He has that power because He is life. And if you believe in him, one day, even when your body dies, you will live again. God resurrected Jesus from the dead. And He is the resurrection because he revives, restores and redeems. He’ll resurrect your old dream or give you a new and better one. He can do it in unexpected ways or in the fullness of time. In his perfect time. At the right time that we can’t see.

Maybe he’s waiting so that He gets the glory and there’s no doubt that it is only by his power that you are alive. Maybe you’re in the wilderness so that He can purge some things, perfect you and let you see Him and depend on Him instead of yourself.

I’m alive. My dream is alive. You’re reading it right now with more to come. I said goodbye to fear and others expectations. I said goodbye to how I thought it was going to be and started embracing what was and what could be. I stopped caring so much about what others thought of me. I redefined success according to God’s Word and realized that a life of significance in Christ is so much better. And true success is not determined by my bank account, fame, notoriety or society’s standards, but by following God’s Word.

My confidence is in Christ. And I boldly declare in Jesus name that I  am determined to be a woman of the Word of God, a helper to my husband and a world changer, starting with raising up the children that God gave me because raising them to be men and women of God is my first ministry and most important mission. Because I am not just raising them, I’m influencing their children’s children.

I’m determined to leave whatever place God has placed me in a little better for me having been there and I am determined to minister God’s love and grace to every man, woman or child that God allows to cross my path.

I’m alive.

Jesus brings people back to life. He just asks, “Do you believe?”

 

This also appears in the Winter 2012 issue of The Well Magazine. To read the magazine, click on the cover below.

 

The Well Magazine Winter 2012