BlogSite SpotLight: Becoming The Oil And The Wine

Today, it is my pleasure to feature:
Becoming the Oil and the Wine!

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Beverley is an inspiring Christian Author and Blogger, who undeniably loves the Lord Jesus with her whole heart. She is the Author of Harm Not the Oil and Wine (shown above) and the Blog of the same name. Please take this opportunity to familiarize yourself with Beverley’s blog, by clicking on the link above. I’ve included her ABOUT entry, as well as one of her posts that I find especially relevant in our world today.

*Please note: All titles in blue are ‘clickable’ for sake of ease in accessing Beverley’s site. Enjoy!

About

Hello! Thank you for visiting and welcome to my blog!

Beverly – early twenties

My Background

My name is Doreen Wright. I was born in the small rural community of Lionel Town in the parish of Clarendon in the beautiful island of Jamaica – land of wood and water.

I was raised in a humble household. My father was a sugar cane cutter at the Money Musk Sugar Factory, and my mother was a domestic worker. I was brought up with four brothers and two sisters.

My father was a hard worker, but, unfortunately, he lived a wild life and wasted his earnings on gambling, drinking, and extra-marital affairs. His careless lifestyle brought great unhappiness and hardship to my mother and us.

Eventually, my father died of a heart attack when I was about ten years old. After his death, my mother decided to dedicate the rest of her life to God and her children. 

She told us that the Lord would be a father to the fatherless and a husband to the widow. Her faith in God never faltered and, as a result, she was blessed tremendously by God.

The Lord became my Father and personal Savior when I gave my heart to Him at the tender age of eleven. One year after I accepted Christ as my Savior, I was baptized in my local church –Faith Gospel Chapel. 

The elders of this church were mighty men of God who taught the word of God zealously. It was under their leadership that the word of God was planted in my life.

I attended the Glenmuir High School in May Pen Clarendon. My high school years were some of the best years of my life. I received mentorship and guidance from excellent and dynamic teachers. When they taught, they made the subjects come alive in my heart. They left an indelible mark in my life which I am benefitting from even now.

After graduating from high school, the Lord provided me with many scholarships and grants so that I could pursue my territory education. I received a Diploma in Diagnostic Radiography and Diagnostic Ultrasonography at the School of Medical Imaging Technology. I also received a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts and General Studies at the University of the West Indies – Jamaica.

I worked as a Medical Imaging Technologist for over twenty-eight years. I dedicated the first fourteen years of my labor to the government of Jamaica where I worked at Kingston Public Hospital for one year and Bustamante Hospital for Children for thirteen years as a Radiographer.

Student Radiographer at Kingston Public Hospital, Jamaica

I worked the last fourteen and a half years as a Medical Imaging Technologist at the Peebles Hospital, British Virgin Islands.

In 1996, I got married to Calvin Headlam, and we had two children. The last child was diagnosed with a congenital heart disease. He brought many challenges and comforts to our lives while our daughter brought joy to our marriage.

My Relocation

In 2001, we migrated to the British Virgin Islands where I began my job as a Medical Imaging Technologist at the Peebles Hospital. Our lives on the picturesque island of Tortola brought many trials and triumphs.

My family in Bellevue, Tortola BVI

 It was as a direct result of these trials that I decided to give my life wholly and entirely to God in 2011. 

The Lord told me to relinquish all my secular goals and desires and to get rid of the clutter (secular books and televisions) in my life, and allow Him to teach me His words through the Holy Spirit for two years. He told me to adopt the following verses as my mission.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn,to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified… (Isaiah 61: 1-7)

At the end of my training, the Lord told me to start this blog to share my journey to become the oil and the wine.

Read more about the challenges I have in relocating to the BVI  here

What are the Oil and Wine?

The oil in biblical times was made from the olive. According to wikipedia.org, the olives are first washed thoroughly, and then they are crushed into a paste. It is then mixed slowly to ensure uniformity of the oil. Finally, the pulp is pressed to separate the oil from the liquid. The oil is then filtered to become pure oil. Olive oil is beneficial to our health such as reduction in coronary heart disease.

The process of making wine from grapes goes through a series of steps. The grapes are first washed and crushed to remove the juice. The pulp is discarded, and yeast is added to the liquid to allow fermentation of the wine. 

Fermentation is the process where the natural sugar in the grape juice is transformed into alcohol. After a time, the wine is transferred to oak barrels where it is allowed to mature for weeks or even months. The longer the wine is allowed to age, the better the quality of the wine.

The Church or Christians must go through a similar process to become purified and matured products of God. First, the blood of Jesus Christ must wash and cleanse our sins (1 John 1:7). 

Trials will press us but they will not crush us, and the Lord will not forsake us (2 Corinthians 4:7-11). The Holy Spirit will strain and remove all the dirt and sediments in our lives as long as we are obedient to Him. Finally, the word of God will leaven and ferment us into full maturity.

When you have reached the stage of the oil and wine you are dwelling in the secret place of God. Hence, you will abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalms 91). You are under God’s full protection, and the devil cannot harm you.

The Purpose of this Blog

Becomingtheoilandwine blog is to share my journey to become the oil and wine. Bear in mind that each of us experiences in life are different so you may not have to endure the same trials that I had but remember that trials are part of life, and their primary purpose is to make you stronger and give you patience.

I have no formal training in Psychology, Theology or marriage counseling, so each post that I wrote is based on my personal trials and how God delivered me. 

You may be wondering why I want to tell my personal business to the world, but I believe that everyone likes a juicy piece of gossip now and then. So if your life experience will help someone to be a better person then by all means gossip about it. However, the negative gossip and criticism are what we need to end.

The Lord told me that my life must be an open book to the public because it will help someone. Therefore, I cannot have hidden sins in my life. I literally and spiritually internalized the word of God (Bible) and, as a result, it has been a source of strength, and resistance not only from attacks of the enemy but sickness and diseases.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalms 119:105)

Fear or Peace

Fear or peace, which one do you receive?

September is usually the most active month during the hurricane season.

Thursday, the 6th of September, will be the anniversary of hurricane Irma which destroyed our islands.

Some people are reliving the terror of that day and some people have even left the islands to escape any impending disasters this month.

Some of the prophets on Facebook are prophesying destructions in the form of earthquakes, tsunami, volcanic eruptions and mass deaths upon the islands.

Many people follow these prophets on Facebook and believe them so they are living in fear.

Sometimes God used fear and confusion to defeat the enemies.

I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.

And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you (Exodus 23:27-28)

This was one of the promises that God made to the children of Israel if they obey His commandments.

After Christ resurrection, He sent peace upon His disciples and breathed on them the Holy Spirit.

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 

And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 19:21-23)

The thoughts of God towards us is always of peace and not evil to give us a future and hope (Jeremiah 29:11)

Note that God does not send fear upon His people, He send fear upon the enemy (Satan and his kingdom).

Instead of fear, God gave His people the spirit of peace, love, power and a sound mind.

Therefore, if a prophet is prophesying doom and damnation upon a country it maybe that God is using that person to send fear upon the enemies.

Hence, the people of God who are obedient to Him need not be fearful because those proclamations are not intended for us.

So, be at peace and let not your heart be troubled.

God is in control!

Beverely, thank you so much for your clear devotion to God and His word, which is so evident in your writing. May God bless and keep you all your days!