You Just Don't Wanna Know - Pastor Marvin Winans

Please join our cause for "JUSTICE" and freedom for the Scott Sisters. Please invite your friends to join us !! We need to make more people aware . Love and Action is the answer. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in standing for what is right !!!

               http://www.causes.com/causes/353579?recruiter_id=59289604

            Marvin Winans- I'm over it now

Alone, but not Alone

TRINA TURNER

Of course as human beings we desire to experience the comfort of another human's touch. Through no choice of our own that may not always be the case.  I am here to encourage you though, that we can be alone, yet not lonely or alone.  The Lord said, He will never leave us or forsake us.  I am living testimony that He won't.

There are things in my life's many experiences that have caused me hurt, pain, tears and sorrow. However I choose not to inhabit and dwell in those depressed places.  Rather, I have come to understand that He is my hope, joy and my gladness.  My joy goes well beyond my head knowledge.  This joy is eternal and it fills my inner man, and it makes alive my heart.  Like any one else in this world, I have gotten my feelings hurt, I've been rejected and disappointed.  Instead of meditating on these things, what I do is, I remember that He is God and that He loves me.  God always brings me out or those places with a mighty hand. Sometimes I have had to encourage myself; sometimes He sends a sermon from my pastor or another preacher, so often it just takes my daughter's smile or a girlfriend's call, or perhaps an encouraging Word from a special facebook friend. No matter how I'm delivered from my personal storm, one thing that I can be sure of, and that is that I'm always delivered.  You see I too am alone, yet I am not lonely and I am not really alone because God is with me.

Marvin Winan does a nice job expressing my sentiments in his song:  "Alone, but not Alone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkZx-f8sH3Q

A Man Alone

                
by Rod McKuen
In me you see a man alone
Held by the habit of being on his own
A man who listens to the trembling of the trees
With sentimentals ease

In me you see a man alone
Behind the wall he's learned to call his home
A man who still goes walking in the rain
Expecting love again.

A man not lonely
Except when the dark comes on
A man learning to live with
Memories of midnights
That fell apart at dawn

In me you see a man alone
Drinking up sundays and spending them alone
A man who knows love is seldom what it seems
Only other people's dreams.

A man learning to live with
Memories of midnights
That fell apart at dawn

In me you see a man alone
Drinking up sundays and spending them alone
A man who knows love is seldom what it seems
Just other people's dreams.

Frank Sinatra - A man alone, Didn't we, Forget to remember

Are You Suffering? Do You Worry? Why?

 
by Catherine M. Stewart

I worry sometimes about why I don't have anything to worry about.


I try to live a very simple life style..., and is feeling quite comfortable with it. There are no expected dramas in my life...which at times make it hard for me to understand... why so many of my friends and family appear to be suffering. It makes me wonder.... how are they living their lives ? It appears that most of them are doing much better than I am... so why does it sound like they are SUFFERING...???? 


They appear to be living either on their knees all day, every day praying..., as if the devil is standing over them.... or they are cussing and spitting bitterness and hate, as if something is literally tearing them apart.....I fail to understand this living from one EXTREME to the NEXT. 


Well.., I choose a no worry zone..., a no fear zone ...and a NO DRAMA zone! By being in this type of environment... I find that I can much easily enjoy people..., and this wonderful world... created by my Lord.


It is not that I don't see, nor hear the turmoil of daily living....because I do.... I, nor my family are perfect by any means. There are problems..., left and right..., and you have to deal with them day and night..., disappointments...,flaws, ups and downs...and even some aches and pains... but I choose not to worry about them.... I handle them if I can..., and move on if I can't.....


Every now and then other people problems cross my path...and I am forced to focus on their agenda.., it is just like meeting someone on the road... I greet the problem.., take a close look at the physical being of it ..., listen for the emotional thought of it, and sometimes I throw in a "wild card" just to see what is mentally motivating it...,But in no time at all... I move on..., THIS TOO.. PASSED!


Usually..., after I have gotten a distance away... I might reflect..., and conclude, that the episode happened... and somehow I learned from it. I am finding that I am constantly learning to be more selected these days ..., moving on is not a question any more.... no baggage... no worries. 


I often tell myself, that what ever my family and friends choose to HOLD ON TO... is something that they probably need to hold on to... they have a need to dwell on it ....to work through it ....( I have been there before)..., if they ask for my help...., I will simply do what I can...or explain if I can't ....but my goal is to let things go..., to turn things loose....if it is not attached to me... to simply.., DROP IT! 


TO ALLOW myself to become attached to things that I can't control is never my intention...not my plan. I refuse to take on a task that is designed to break me... to have me crying out to my Lord for mercy..., all day and all night.... to have me quoting scriptures..., and praying not only for me but for everybody...

Oh..,don't get me wrong, I praise my Lord... but it has nothing to do with fighting off devils. It is a mind thing with me.... If my Lord knows me... then he knows my mind....my heart and my soul....so, why is it ...,most folks don't understand this? 


Funny thing about people who do WORRY..., THEY SEEM TO WANT YOU TO WORRY..., and tend to get upset when you don't WORRY! 


Like I said..., sometimes I worry because I don't have anything to worry about....but even that worry is SHORT LIVED....


FREEDOM OF MIND, FREEDOM OF SOUL, ALL EQUALS TO FREEDOM OF BODY! 

Prince - Dear Mr. Man

 Prince - Dear Mr. Man- Webster Hall.mpg

A man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration and dropping her cell phone and makeup, as she missed her chance to get through the intersection.
As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell.
After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. The woman was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'What Would Jesus Do?' bumper sticker, the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'Follow Me to Sunday-School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated  Christian fish emblem on the trunk so naturally...  I assumed you had stolen the car.

                                                 Priceless ! 

Peace & Blessings

Setting The Record Straight

Morehouse College - We Shall Overcome

Morehouse College Glee Club - I Can't Tarry

Perversion of Justice

  
     A Letter from Behind Bars on President's Day
Hamedah Hasan

Dear Mr. President,
       Today is President's Day. As the President of the United States, you have the unique and absolute power to commute the sentence of any federal prisoner. That means you could send me home today, and that is what I am asking you to do.
       From everything I have observed, you are a compassionate and just man. I pray that if you learn of the story behind my sentence, you will be moved to exercise your clemency power to give me a second chance.
       I am a mother and grandmother serving my 17th year of a 27-year federal prison sentence for a first time, nonviolent crack cocaine offense. I never used or sold drugs, but I was convicted under conspiracy laws for participating in a drug organization by running errands and wiring money. Had I been convicted of a powder cocaine offense, I would be home with my three daughters and two grandchildren by now. I have had a lot of time to think about where I went wrong, and I genuinely take full responsibility for my actions. But I hope you will see that over 16 years in prison is enough time for me to pay my debt to society.
       When I was 21 years old, I found myself in a horridly abusive relationship with a man in Portland, Oregon, who intimidated, cursed, slapped, punched and kicked me. I had my first child, Kasaundra, when I was 16 years old, and this man was the father to my second child, Ayesha. Even though my self-esteem at this point in my life was virtually nonexistent, in my heart I knew that this life wasn't what I wanted for myself or -- most importantly -- for my children.
        The only option I could see was to go live with my cousin, Ahad, in Omaha, Nebraska. Ahad set me up with a safe place to live, and most importantly, it was hundreds of miles away from my violent ex-boyfriend. Ahad recently wrote a letter in support of my commutation petition. In it, he accurately summed up the situation:
Her boyfriend was a gang member and his main goal in life was to be the best gang member he could be. He beat Hamedah all the time and threatened to kill her. She could not hide from him in Portland - he knew where everybody lived. He drank a lot and used drugs. It was not a good environment for Hamedah to raise her kids in, and it wasn't safe for Hamedah either. So she came to me in Omaha.
The thing is, Ahad was dealing crack cocaine. Although I never used drugs myself, it wasn't long before he asked me to run various errands and to transfer some money. He never held a gun to my head; I knew what I was doing, and I regret my poor decisions during this period of my life more than anything else. At the time, I felt out of options, and I believed that I needed to perform these tasks to show my gratitude for Ahad's help in escaping my abusive relationship.
       After less than two years, I decided to move back to my hometown in order to get away from the drug operation. I wanted my girls to grow up with their mother earning an honest living and leading by example. I enrolled in a welfare-to-work program and was getting back on my feet.
        But soon after I returned home, I was arrested, indicted and convicted of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine from my time in Omaha with Ahad. I was sentenced to life in prison (later reduced to 27 years), based on the total quantity of drugs involved in the operation. I gave birth to Kamyra, my youngest child, in prison. That was one of the hardest experiences of my life.
       During my more than 16 years of incarceration, I have taken long, hard looks at myself. I've done everything in my power to redeem myself and to demonstrate through deeds that upon release, I will be a community asset, not a community liability.
        If you commute my sentence, I could have 10 years back on my life. Ten more years to make up for being so far apart from my daughters. Ten more years to realize my dream of starting a nonprofit dedicated to providing community services for the children of incarcerated parents. Ten more years to make a real, positive difference in the world.
        I hope you will give me that chance. You have said you believe the crack-powder cocaine sentencing disparity should be eliminated. I know Congress is considering legislation to equalize the federal sentences. You should understand, however, that none of the legislation being considered would apply retroactively to me.
       As much as I am cheering -- even from behind prison bars -- for a reform in the federal laws, I don't want to fall through the cracks. I still have a lot of living, mothering and giving to do.
       I would not be writing to you today unless I had no other option. I have appealed my case to the highest courts in the land, and you, and you alone, Mr. President, can send me home by exercising your executive clemency power to commute my sentence.
Sincerely,
Hamedah Hasan

Hamedah Hasan is a mother and grandmother serving a 27-year sentence for a nonviolent crack cocaine offense. Were Hamedah convicted of the exact same crime involving the powder form of the drug, she would be home with her family by now. She has three daughters, ages 16, 21 and 25, who live in Portland, Oregon. Upon release, Hamedah plans to start a nonprofit organization with the mission of empowering children with incarcerated parents.



http://www.november.org/thewall/cases/hasan-h/hasan-h.html

U.S. Marshal Says End the Drug War

Cops: Legalize Drugs to Save Our Lives

Maryland Cop Says Legalize Drugs to End Violence

I Need You

I need you, You need me, Jamie Scott and Gladys Scott need you, Please join with us as we pray to God to help us Stand for Fairness, Equality and Justice in our communities..
We ask God together to help Jamie Scott and Gladys Scott survive their ordeal as we stand for Justice together and show the example of God's Love !!
JUANITA BYNUM - I NEED YOU TO SURVIVE

We Need You Lord - Jonathan Butler

Rising into the Final Galaxies - Lena Horne's Star Trek Home

One can never forget the majestic, miraculous display of vocal maneuvering: with clarity, purity and supreme pleasure, that was rendered by this superbly talented artist, Lena Horne, strikingly lovely even at her advanced years, as she appeared -- suspended in time -- and blessed us in this film, The Wiz. It was rumored that grown men of her era paid good money over and over again for this film just to watch her sing "Believe in Yourself." Her remarkable rendition is enough to convince anyone to aspire to greatness for all time. Such is the validity of her gift to the world.

God bless you, Ms. Horne. Also God thank you for the incredible flower of her life to brighten up our world in this existence. May she spring forth to new life and radiate her beauty, voice and goodness in another plane.

Lena Horne - Maybe

Sesame Street: Lena Horne and Kermit Sing Bein' Green

Lena Horne - Stormy Weather (1943)

Lena Horne, Singer and Actress, Dies at 92

      
Lena Horne, who broke new ground for black performers when she signed a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio and who went on to achieve international fame as a singer, died on Sunday night in Manhattan. She was 92.
Her death, at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, was announced by her son-in-law, Kevin Buckley. She lived in Manhattan. In a message of condolence, President Obama said Ms. Horne had "worked tirelessly to further the cause of justice and equality."


Ms. Horne first achieved fame in the 1940s, became a nightclub and recording star in the 1950s and made a triumphant return to the spotlight with a one-woman Broadway show in 1981. She might have become a major movie star, but she was born 50 years too early: she languished at MGM for years because of her race, although she was so light-skinned that when she was a child other black children had taunted her, accusing her of having a “white daddy.”

Ms. Horne was stuffed into one “all-star” film musical after another — “Thousands Cheer” (1943), “Broadway Rhythm” (1944), “Two Girls and a Sailor” (1944), “Ziegfeld Follies” (1946), “Words and Music” (1948) — to sing a song or two that, she later recalled, could easily be snipped from the movie when it played in the South, where the idea of an African-American performer in anything but a subservient role in a movie with an otherwise all-white cast was unthinkable.
“The only time I ever said a word to another actor who was white was Kathryn Grayson in a little segment of ‘Show Boat’ ” included in “Till the Clouds Roll By” (1946), a movie about the life of Jerome Kern, Ms. Horne said in an interview in 1990. In that sequence she played Julie, a mulatto forced to flee the showboat because she has married a white man.

But when MGM made “Show Boat” into a movie for the second time, in 1951, the role of Julie was given to a white actress, Ava Gardner, whose singing voice was dubbed. (Ms. Horne was no longer under contract to MGM at the time, and according to James Gavin’s Horne biography, “Stormy Weather,” published last year, she was never seriously considered for the part.) And when Ms. Horne herself married a white man — the prominent arranger, conductor and pianist Lennie Hayton, who was for many years both her musical director and MGM’s — the marriage, in 1947, took place in France and was kept secret for three years.
Ms. Horne’s first MGM movie was “Panama Hattie” (1942), in which she sang Cole Porter’s “Just One of Those Things.” Writing about that film years later, Pauline Kael  called it “a sad disappointment, though Lena Horne is ravishing, and when she sings you can forget the rest of the picture.”
Even before she came to Hollywood, Brooks Atkinson, the drama critic for The New York Times, noticed Ms. Horne in “Lew Leslie’s Blackbirds of 1939,” a Broadway revue that ran for nine performances. “A radiantly beautiful sepia girl,” he wrote, “who will be a winner when she has proper direction.”

She had proper direction in two all-black movie musicals, both made in 1943. Lent to 20th Century Fox for “Stormy Weather,” one of those show business musicals with almost no plot but lots of singing and dancing, Ms. Horne did both triumphantly, ending with the sultry, aching sadness of the title number, which would become one of her signature songs. In MGM’s “Cabin in the Sky,” the first film directed by Vincente Minnelli, she was the brazen, sexy handmaiden of the Devil. (One number she shot for that film, “Ain’t It the Truth,” which she sang while taking a bubble bath, was deleted before the film was released — not for racial reasons, as her stand-alone performances in other MGM musicals sometimes were, but because it was considered too risqué.)
In 1945 the critic and screenwriter Frank S. Nugent wrote in Liberty magazine that Ms. Horne was “the nation’s top Negro entertainer.” In addition to her MGM salary of $1,000 a week, she was earning $1,500 for every radio appearance and $6,500 a week when she played nightclubs. She was also popular with servicemen, white and black, during World War II, appearing more than a dozen times on the Army radio program “Command Performance.”

“The whole thing that made me a star was the war,” Ms. Horne said in the 1990 interview. “Of course the black guys couldn’t put Betty Grable’s picture in their footlockers. But they could put mine.”

Touring Army camps for the U.S.O., Ms. Horne was outspoken in her criticism of the way black soldiers were treated. “So the U.S.O. got mad,” she recalled. “And they said, ‘You’re not going to be allowed to go anyplace anymore under our auspices.’ So from then on I was labeled a bad little Red girl.”

Ms. Horne later claimed that for this and other reasons, including her friendship with leftists like Paul Robeson and W.E.B. DuBois, she was blacklisted and “unable to do films or television for the next seven years” after her tenure with MGM ended in 1950. 

25 Years After The Move Bombing

Amazing Grace - Wintley Phipps