12-13-14 ~ JUSTICE For ALL

 C-SPAN National "Justice For All" March 

BLACK LIVES MATTER

The National Action Network along with other groups, came to Washington DC presenting their case in what is a national movement demanding that the entire justice system of the United States be revamped through a series of measures. Although the prayer began with a tribute to "Mother god" (a God whom I am not familiar with) and was also supported by gay advocacy groups such as the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and ended with the rumored mother of a very popular minister's baby (Stacey Francis) and a "Please send Black Jesus" Jamal H Bryant...in all it was a great event and one worth listening to to gain a basis for the various viewpoints on the myriad of issues that have contributed to our current condition within our communities as it pertains to race relations. Click the above link for the entire video. 

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Is It Open Season On Black Men?

UPDATE 11/26/2014: Much has been made of forensics saying that Michael Brown was not shot in the back. Forensic specialists conclude eye witnesses that say that Officer Darren Wilson shot at Michael Brown while he was running away, were simply wrong. They further conclude that because there were no shots in the back that Darren Wilson is credible and simply told the truth.

But we remember the testimony of Piaget Crenshaw who says that she saw and heard Darren Wilson shooting at Michael Brown.while Michael Brown was running away. Now, why would they conclude that she was wrong? There is only one reason...They ASSUME that Darren Wilson was an accurate shooter. If that is the case, then why are none of the shots that hit the target center mass of Mike Brown's body? It is quite easy to understand why there were no shots in the back. Darren Wilson was not a good shooter.

***THIS WAS TOP STORY ON NBC NIGHTLY NEWS WITH BRIAN WILLIAMS 8/11/2014***

18 Yr. Old Michael Brown

18 year old, UNARMED, Black youth Michael Brown, was killed by the Police in Ferguson, MO Saturday afternoon Aug. 9th, 2014. According to the police, Michael was a participant in an "altercation" with police when "someone" fired a shot at the police. The policeman, after being pushed into his car, responded by coming up and shooting multiple shots. Reportedly, Michael was hit by most of these multiple shots and killed.

Eyewitnesses however have somewhat of a different version of events which has stirred considerable controversy. One eyewitness, who happens to be the other young man whom the police stopped with Michael, Dorian Johnson, reported that the police initially stopped both the youths without provocation and proceeded to try to place Michael in the squad car forcibly. Michael resisted. The police evidently shot though no shots were fired at him/them. Johnson went on to say this:

“He shot again and once my friend felt that shot he turned around and put his hands in the air and started to get down, and the officer still approached with his weapon drawn and fired several more shots.”...“We wasn’t causing no harm to nobody [sic],”...“We had no weapons on us at all.”

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Does Black Justice Exist In The Criminal Justice System?

"The popular narrative that emphasizes the death of slavery and Jim Crow and celebrates the nation's "triumph over race" with the election of Barack Obama is dangerously misguided. The colorblind public consensus that prevails in America today-i.e., the widespread belief that race no longer matters- has blinded us to the realities of race in our society and facilitated the emergence of a new caste system. " ~ Alexander, Michelle "The New Jim Crow, Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness [The New Press, NY 2012}Pg. 12

Although I have tried to refrain from an indepth commentary, and don't plan on spending a lot of time on the subject, because there is far too much work to do within the church when addressing mindsets and stereotypes of victimization and abuse, I couldn't really go without at least addressing some of the issues surrounding the killing of Trayvon Martin at the hands of George Zimmerman and Mr. Zimmerman's subsequent not guilty verdict. 

In all that has been said and done over the last year or so and through the verdict of this trial, we have heard some pretty polarizing statements and sentiments on both sides of the issue. We have seen people say that Trayvon should have simply gone home, or that George should not have stalked, yet alone, killed Trayvon (a sentiment to which I agree) and it seems that admonitions on at least what should have happened run along racial and ethnic lines.

In my mind this only further solidifies the understanding that America is divided into casts or sects and that

there are at least two philosophical views of America within the USA. There is an America whose systems and laws are fashioned for the people, and there is an America whose systems and laws are USED against certain of her own people. Although both of these Americas exist together; they even entertain one another, they do not exist in union with one another no matter how much they may appear to do so. Then there is an underlying mistrust, distrust and broken union among many of America's citizens that live in her everyday. This has caused much recent and modern controversy as we all remember the sentiments of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright who instead of saying "God bless America" said, "...God dxxx America, for what she has done..."

Rev. Jeremiah Wright

Can these things simply be written off as mainstream White dominated media wish to do with such sentiments? Can they or should they be simply be disavowed for political and mass social appeal? Are we experiencing a reemergence of ultra-classism, sectarianism and creedalism? Can we as a people stand it, and how should we address it? 

In this article I would like to look a a few pieces to the current puzzle in America. I don't think it is a debate in any other civilized nation that there is something wrong when an adult (or anyone else for that matter) stalks another person who is doing nothing wrong, and ultimately confronts and kills them, that an offence has occurred. But somehow part of America feels that the opinion in favor of death for the Black youth is somehow justified and understandable to whatever degree....      

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Sexuality; A Moral Issue, Not An Issue Of Equality Pt. 1

2 Timothy 4:3 ~ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 

"Moreover, given the increasing diversity of America's population, the dangers of sectarianism have never been greater. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers. And even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools? Would we go with James Dobson's, or Al Sharpton's? Which passages of Scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is ok and that eating shellfish is abomination? How about Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith? Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount - a passage that is so radical that it's doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application? So before we get carried away, let's read our bibles. Folks haven't been reading their bibles." ~ Senator Barack Obama, "A Call To Renewal" Washington DC 6/8/2006

Since President Obama made specific statements regarding his endorsement of homosexual marriage, the church community has been divided, some even realigning what they believe and how they interpret the bible to align with the Obamaian political agenda and pluralistic world view.

Religious Confusion & The Surprise?

One of the most interesting things regarding the President’s endorsement of gay marriage is that so many preachers, such as Jamal Bryant, say that they were “surprised” at the President’s position.

“A lot of African-American leaders right now are really dazed by this because we didn't see it coming. For the last four years, the African-American clergy have really supported, covered, and prayed for President Obama, and it really came without any warning. Sunday is going to be a real great divide in Black churches and churches across America discussing the issue. African-Americans are, by and large, sexually conservative and socially more aggressive. And so, pastors on Sunday morning are going to be really walking a balancing act. How now do we juxtapose this issue up against a president that we have supported over the last four years?"  ~ Pastor Jamal Bryant  to CNN 5/10/2012

After Jamal's statement of "surprise" he then goes on to say that one particular area of disagreement was no reason to withdraw from supporting the President. I believe that  some of these folk were either asleep, or are “acting” and pretending that they didn’t know what the President stood for afar off. The fact is that a

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103rd Annual Holy Convocation ~ Great God, Good Lord...Say What???

Listen to "COGIC-What Has The Church Become?" Pt. 2 to hear a personal message regarding our opportunity at the 103rd annual gathering. 

The 103 Annual Holy Convocation of the Church Of God in Christ will convene for the first time in St. Louis, MO.  Nov. 8th -16th 2010. This event is historic in many ways:

1- This is the first time in church history that the convocation has ever been held anywhere other than Memphis, TN.

It is said that the move from Memphis was not only about accommodations but also about saving money. Reportedly, the church will save well over $1 Million annually by moving the church away from Memphis. Secondly, the convenience of being able to have a single place for the meeting as opposed to various locations was overwhelmingly and logistically appealing. For sure there are bound to be many different and new faces in St. Louis as some of the old guard don't plan on attending.

2- Although there has been a call from our Presiding Bishop to fast and pray for the past month, unfortunately, that hasn't changed the fact that the featured or publicized speakers this year are either not part of the Church Of God In Christ or are some of the most liberal ideologues in the country.

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The SIN Factor

Matthew 12:34-35 ~ "34-O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35-A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things."

I had not planned on taking time to go further into the Michael Jackson story or related issues surrounding his death, that is at least until I sat down to watch Bill O'Rielly's "The Factor"on FOX Wed. July 8th 2009.

In one of the most strange and insulting interviews that I have ever seen by a "supposed" professional news talk show host, Mr. O'Rielly set out to receive a response from Rev. Al Sharpton on a prior interview with Republican Congressman Peter King Of New York. Remember Peter King openly alleges (against a unanimous 12-0 jury decision) that Michael Jackson was a serial pedophile and child molester and that news coverage of his memorial and events leading to the memorial were excessive and shows that America has totally lost its sense of value and morals. (I got news for him, America had lost much of that long BEFORE Michael Jackson's death, and it began with arrogant individuals like himself...If he could pulled his pious and racist head out of the sand long enough, he may see that, if only but for a minute)

In the response interview segment, Rev. Sharpton's only point was that it was irresponsible for a "lawmaker" (Congressman King) to repeatedly disrespect the rule of law (which he is sworn to uphold) by continuing to make criminal allegations of Michael Jackson's guilt especially since he was acquitted of all 10 counts that were brought against him in the 2004-2005 trial in Santa Barbara, CA.

In a particularly strange exchange, Mr. O'Rielly challenged the statements of Rev. Sharpton who said that Michael Jackson was an influential post civil rights era entrepreneur that opened many doors for blacks in the entertainment industry and had a positive impact on American culture.

Specifically, Rev. Sharpton gave 3 basic facts in support of his statements. He said:

1- Michael was the first black musician/entertainer to break into the short film/video era with the directing of his short story videos which were the first of their kind opening opportunities for industry professionals to expand their talents and impact in the entertainment field.

2- He stated that Michael was a leader, employing and opening the doors for many black entertainers and musicians who would go on to have successful careers and carry on other efforts and ventures of significance.

3- He stated that Michael was the first musician to use his platform to raise significant amounts of money to aid children in Africa to the tune of over $50 Million in the "We Are The World" collaborative venture and further gave record setting amounts of his earnings to charitable causes around the world.

Rev. Sharpton asked Mr. O'Rielly "are these not FACTS" about what Michael Jackson did? Mr. O'Rielly responded by saying;

"THOSE THINGS ARE NOT IMPORTANT"

Mr. O'Rielly then stuck his foot further in his mouth (even though it was already out of his posterior by then) and questioned the race of Michael Jackson's children and Michael's parentage of those children by making this statement;

"If Michael was so dedicated to the cause of blacks, then why did he have white children?"..."You don't become an African-American icon when you do something like that,"

Now, I don't intend to argue either of these points biblically in this post. However these are some observations that I couldn't help but make. Alone either of these statements are horrific and worthy of never watching "The Factor" again. Combined, these statements show the persistent and ever evolving racism, jealously, rage and SIN bound in the hearts of people like Bill O'Rielly, Congressman King and others that think like them.

What Must Be Said

Aside fro the fact that O'Rielly is STUPID, his dogmatic assertions should be examined. First, he tells black people what type of icon, they should have and accept. I wonder who died and made Bill O'Rielly the king of black people all of a sudden, or who gave him his grand insights into what black people need to have? Further, NO ONE questions Angelina Jolie's and Brad Pitt's race or iconic status because they have adopted black children. Further NO ONE questions Madonna's iconic status or dedication and sincerity to the black child that she adopted. In neither case are these stars commitments to their communities or race questioned Why is the parentage of blacks, who wish to parent white children, suddenly called into question, because the children are white? Why is the desire to be a parent across racial lines, considered not being faithful to one's race?

Then let's go to O'Rielly's prior STUPID remark...You mean to tell me, that economic opportunity for blacks (who are American citizens) is UNIMPORTANT? Proving aid to those starving and dying with disease around the world is an UNIMPORTANT venture? Mr. O'Rielly, did you suggest or tell this to Bono? By your standards his works are UNIMPORTANT also???

I suppose the only thing that's IMPORTANT to Mr. O'Rielly is unwanted phone sex and sexting in the afternoons or between shows at FOX studios???

Mr. O'Rielly's statements are from a person who is blinded by hate, and feels that his agenda is the most important thing in the world for all men. Bill O'Rielly and people like him live and seeth hatred covered up with an emotional appeal that sounds good but that does nothing to address issues at hand.

It was to the O'Rielly /King types(Pharisees)that Jesus said:

Matthew 23:27-28 ~ " 27-Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28-Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."

I pray that America will turn back to what works and we already know that's God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Only he can take the hate and pain away.

Blessed!

Update: Here is a portion of the transcript from the show as found on O'Rielly's Site Part 1 deals with O'Rielly's disregard for the works of Jackson while he was alive. Part 2 Deals with the "white children" issue. The video is in the transcript so you can view both Sharpton's and King's interviews in their entirety:

Part 1

SHARPTON: What I said was that Michael Jackson, in his career, pop culture, broke down racial barriers. First black to get MTV to run black videos, his. First black to get people like Rolling Stone to have blacks on the cover. These are facts. This is not my guess. That "We Are the World" was the first time a superstar got other superstars to help African hunger. This is a fact. You may not like it, Mr. King may not like it, but those are facts. And I think that for me to say that there is for you and anyone else to raise allegations about his personal life doesn't answer the facts of what he did. He brought people together. This is as irresponsible as someone saying we're going to honor President X in history, and I say but President X…

O'REILLY: All right.

SHARPTON: ...in his personal life did so and so. What does it have to do with the fact that he was president?

O'REILLY: I heard — did you…

SHARPTON: Did Michael Jackson not do the things I just outlined?

O'REILLY: Yeah, but they're not important.

SHARPTON: Well, then that's why…

O'REILLY: They're not important.

SHARPTON: They're not important?

O'REILLY: No, what MTV does isn't important. What Rolling Stone magazine does is not important.

SHARPTON: It is important to the millions of people that bought his records.

O'REILLY: And that's OK.

SHARPTON: He is the top record seller in the world.

O'REILLY: Good. Look, you used to work for James Brown.

Notice how O'Rielly caught himself and went from the works of Michael Jackson not being important to MTV and Rolling Stone Magazine not being important. Look at the video to see if you see the same thing that the transcript records.

Part 2:

O'REILLY: Answer me this. I heard a lot of people yesterday — and I think you were one of them, but correct me if I'm wrong — saying that Michael Jackson was some kind of African-American icon.

SHARPTON: Yeah, he was.

O'REILLY: Well, then why did he have white children?

SHARPTON: What does that have to do?

O'REILLY: What does that have to do? He chose to have in vitro by a white woman and a white man. What does that have to do?

SHARPTON: So in order for him to be an African-American icon…

O'REILLY: An icon? An icon?

SHARPTON: Wait a minute.

O'REILLY: Why would he have that choice? Why?

SHARPTON: Because he — I'm trying to answer you. Would you like an answer from an African-American?

O'REILLY: I would. Yes.

SHARPTON: Because he broke all records. He changed music. He brought people together.

O'REILLY: No, the kids, the kids.

SHARPTON: Well, we didn't say he was an African-American — father of African-American children. We said he was an African-American icon.

O'REILLY: An icon? But why would he have white kids then?

SHARPTON: What he did in his personal life and his personal — has nothing to do with his iconic status.

O'REILLY: It doesn't?

Let me know your thoughts.
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When The King Of Kings Calls

They Called Him "The King Of Pop"

On Tuesday July 7th 2009 the world gathers to say goodbye to what one could consider the most controversial and renowned entertainer and person in modern history. Michael Jackson (August 25th 1958 ~ June 25th 2009) is celebrated by many as the greatest performer that ever lived. The facts are that no one in history has sold more albums than Michael in his lifetime (estimated over 750 million) or has been so widely accepted all over the world for both his entertainment acumen, dedication to perfection in performance and his humanitarian efforts. In 1985 those humanitarian efforts brought together more entertainers and singers in one singular event "We Are The World", than any other effort in modern times raising over $50 Million in economic Aid to Africa.

Although there are many things that could be said about Michael, our intent in this article by addressing the issue of his life and death, is not to adore, worship or admire him as most of the world and even many Christians have done during this time. Neither is our intent to bash his character or his works as they speak for themselves both good and bad. Michael's works have gone before him as he has stood before his maker to give an account of himself and his deeds, whether they were for Christ and to HIS glory, or to the glory of self and humanity. One thing is for sure, eternity's stage will not be shared by Michael or anyone else; Jesus alone is the epitome of all worship and all eternity.

I thought to initiate conversation on at least 3 issues and addressing those issues to the church in general, hoping to ask the church, especially them that are hailing Michael's entertainment successes as God's gifts, to examine its position in light of what was obviously seen by all during this man's lifetime.

Evolution To Effeminence

Having been a child of the Michael Jackson era, I admired him since my early youth. "Rockin' Robin" and "Got To Be There" (early 70's){I was 7 to 8 years old} were songs fit for me and my understanding and were among the first hits that caught my attention. At that time Michael was clearly a black youth like me: brown, smiley, lots of potential and seemingly loving life to the fullest. I had no idea that some 36 to 37 years later, that that brown complexion would be nearly white, that smile would become strained, that expression would be exhausted, and all that potential would be restricted to a stage presence and performances. Aside from all those changes, I find that one of the most disturbing things about Michael was his development into what appears to be a feminine character.

The theories on this evolution from male to female appearance range from Michael's trying to avoid looking like his father, to Michael trying to appeal to the greatest range of audience possible to radical plastic surgery gone bad. Now, whatever the reason, that was Michael's choice to make. However, I cannot fathom any religious leader exhibiting praise for Michael without also noting and reaffirming that if at all medically possible, a man should look like and remain a man all of his life and not only for a portion of it.

Now, the word effeminate {Gk. malakov}as used in 1 Cor. 6:9 {Discussed HERE}comes into effect IF Michael was trying to appeal to those who either were trying to take advantage of him sexually or those whom he wished to appeal to that preferred men with feminine looks. It's hard to imagine that a man would prefer to look like a woman without some motivating factor. That leads into our next observation:

Extensive Verbal & Psychological Abuse
Does The End Justify The Means?

As we have both seen and read, Mr. Joseph Jackson, the head of the family, was an intense and shrewed business man when it came to music. According to available records and statements some that even Michael made himself, Mr. Jackson was not only a disciplinarian, but he also, at times, crossed into the area of verbal and borderline physical abuse. I think Michael made his thoughts known regarding his father over the years by wresting management of his brand away from Mr. Jackson almost as soon as he possibly could, and also placing what many thought was damaging information in the screen production mini-series "The Jacksons, The American Dream", Some say that a strong indicator of how Michael thought about his father is found in his father's exclusion from his will. To be fair, noone has any idea of who controls trust assets and by law those records cannot be made to become public. So Mr. Jackson could very well be included in much that we don't know.

Nevertheless, stories have been told that Michael's father consistently criticized his son saying that his nose was "too big" or that he was deficient in some other way. In fact as a sign of an obvious disconnect, when Mr. Jackson was asked at the June 28th 2009 BET Awards for his feelings and comments regarding his son's death, he responded by saying, "We've just lost the biggest superstar in the world" then he went on to introduce his new music production joint venture. During that interview he never referred to Michael as his son, only a "star" and "superstar". This came across to me as being self-centerd.

These type of sentiments can cause an individual to lose or never come to their own identity. It was already problematic enough that Michael didn't have a true childhood. It would seem that the abuse of Joseph Jackson set the stage that no matter what was achieved by Michael, wouldn't be satisfactory or appeasing to his own conscience in any manner because his father had never taken the time to affirm him or his manhood.

Do the results of stardom justify the means of abuse? It seems that now is an opportune time for the church to set forth the difference between verbal abuse and biblical discipline. Wholesome discipline is essential in the life of growing children but abuse is an unacceptable reality that many of our children face daily and struggle to overcome. Being told that one is: too short, too fat, too stupid, ugly, too dark, incapable of learning, slow, mentally challenged etc. are all labels that tend to hurt and when combined with memory over a long period of time, create prisons within the mind that people sometimes grow and live in for a lifetime. Mr. Jackson seemed to have forged an inescapable prison for Michael by which death would be his only liberator.

Amazingly, this type of abuse occurs and many of us sit silently as we did with the Jackson family, while it happens. Sometimes it's from a coach, who crosses the line with personal attacks toward a student athlete. Sometimes it's from a teacher who mocks and criticizes the efforts of a student in front of the whole class. Other times it's from family member such as Joseph Jackson, who drives others to fulfill their vision of what they weren't able to achieve. Still other times it's from a Pastor or church member who excludes certain individuals from activities because they aren't the favored "family" or named individual within the church. The message should be that abuse of all kinds is not an acceptable standard and is not worthy to be praised. Some argue that the "abuse" made Michael rich. I would only say that "riches" aren't worth the value of a soul and that I am sorry that Michael had to endure such hardship in this life at any cost.

Issues Of Pedophilia

The worst time in the life of Michael was his 10 count indictment that was levied against him in Santa Barbara County, California in 2004. Going back to Mr. Joseph Jackson again, it must be said that Mr. Jackson was front and center with Michael every day during the worst time of his Michael's life.

Many continue to say that Michael was guilty of the charges of sexual molestation and abuse against the children at his Neverland Ranch. In addition to the jury finding and pronouncing him innocent, I find that there are additional very compelling reasons to believe that Michael was innocent of the charges against him in that indictment.

On his radio segment the week of June 30th 2009, talk show host Rush Limbaugh, when responding to the accusations of one of his callers against Michael, said that he had read the full indictment against Michael Jackson and heard the resulting testimony and concluded that the complete case was a waste of the courts time and was only brought about as an effort to simply extort money from Michael. He acknowledged, as most do, that Michael had a terrible disconnect of what was appropriate in adults sharing sentiments with children, but assured his audience, that there was never a case against Jackson, and what case that did exist was only driven by a frenzied media fishing for the worst and most sensational type of situation. (Similar to the current Debra Rowe encouragements to file for custody even against Michael's expressed wishes for the children within his will)

What makes Mr. Limbaugh's statements especially interesting and certainly worth considering is that Rev. Al Sharpton on his daily radio show, as late as Friday July 3rd, said the same thing. All week long Rev. Sharpton has stated his support for the remaining Jackson family and plainly noted that he was also at the Jackson trial in support of Michael daily, hearing the testimony for himself and finding that the case was a complete sham from the start. If anyone knows these two personalities, there has not been a lot historically over which they have agreed, and on Michael Jackson and the issue of pedophilia, especially as it pertains to a case that seemingly broke Michael's spirit, both of these men agree 100% that Michael was rightfully exonerated of all charges.

When The King Of Kings Calls

The ultra fundamentalist will read this post and think that it has nothing to do with the church. Quite the contrary is true. Michael was fed the false doctrine of a non Christian cult since his youth. The Jehova's Witness group as formulated by Charles Tays Russell was built on rejecting the biblical Christ and creating their own version of Christ who wasn't God and that didn't raise bodily from the grave. No doubt these false teachings were among the first religious concepts that began to shape Michael's mind and life as they were given by his mother whome he valued and honored greatly. Then there were others such as the Nation Of Islam, who entrapped Jermaine and are certainly not focused on Jesus as Lord and savior. In the end, it seemed that Michael was a universalist/humanist/pantheist seeking advice from mystics and non biblically centered teachers such as Deepak Chopra who holds to the pantheistic view of hinduism and the New Enlightenment. There was certainly no help for Michael in any of these teachings.

Even though Marvin Winan and The Winans sung with Michael on the song, "Man In The Mirror" which may have been an excellent opportunity to reach his soul, it seems that the true church was either too busy or too disconnected to really help Michael overcome the terrible hand that he was dealt in life. I don't assume that the Winans didn't try, but I simply believe that many more also had the opportunity. I simply wonder did they take it? Or did they only like the recognition of the worlds "superstar"?

Every King of this earth will be subject to the call of the King of Kings and will be without excuse as to thei spiritual position and place. As noted, I don't join the chorus of praisers as it pertains to Michael Jackson and his work, but neither do I join the crowd of cynics that seem to be happy that a soul has been lost. God certainly didn't make a mistake in the process so we can only praise HIM for HIS wisdom. I only stop to remember Michael for what he meant to me as I was growing up and respect and pray for his family that they will find the peace necessary to live a truly abundant life for Jesus, and turn from sin embracing truth and righteousness.

At the end of the day, we can travel the whole world and everyone everyplace can adore us, but there is none greater than God and ONLY what's done for Jesus Christ will last. All the material benefits and popularity amassed in this life cannot replace meeting God in peace.

Mark 8:34-38 ~"34-And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35-For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. 36-For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37-Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38-Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

If I wish anything, I only wish that there could have been a better end to the life of Michael Jackson. As a church we should be challenged to do even more to win souls and not be enamoured with names, titles, recognition and money. There is a world that is lost and suffering no matter how much money fame and accolades that they have, they yet need the Gospel of Jesus Christ to set them free from their sins and their sometimes terrible past. Church we have a great mission and a great responsibility.

Blessed!

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