Another Young Black Woman on Her Way!

This is a shout to Kai Day!

Just graduating from Florida A&M with her Masters in Business Administration, and Marketing Concentration. Oh, and let me not forget Magna cum laude. (a Latin phrase meaning “with great honor.) It is a distinction awarded to students who have displayed remarkable academic distinction.

To be Black in American history is to know hardship. Just think, years ago having to ask permission to make basic choices such as, "May I eat. May I walk. May I whatever," is a beat down no matter where you happen to be from, or what you may believe in. Laborers, cooks, maids, were the top tier jobs that most Black folks felt lucky to get. And still today in the year 2010 some Black folks are still receiving their beatdown. But these days, more often than not, that foot they feel on their necks comes from willful refusal of some to grab hold of the tools it will take to make it in this world today.

So today I am celebrating the graduation of the class of 2010 in every college, and university in the land. Teaching, Business, Economics, Science, Law, Health, Engineering, are the goals of todays Black graduate. Congratulations to you that chose the harder path for success. We always knew you could do it.

And an extra shout out to my niece Kai Whitney Day for not only being the smartest apple in the barrel, but for being the shinning star for the rest of the children in our family to follow to their own successes. OOH-RAH Kai Day!

You all have a great and blessed day.

PEACE!

The KINGDOM CLARION

By Larry W. King

Volume III, Number VII

April 26, 2010

Get Out Of Jail Free!

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor ...” – Isaiah 61:1-2a (RSV)

Most of us at one time or another has played the game of Monopoly. As a youngster, I was something of a Monopoly fiend – cunningly buying, selling and trading real estate, collecting rent and building houses or hotels. I played often, enjoying every minute spent moving around the board of simulated Atlantic City, New Jersey streets. In fact, my friends and I created our own wild brand of “Double Monopoly”, using two boards in the shape of a figure-eight - joined together at free parking. We adopted our own rules – allowing travel in all four directions, doubling the initial allotment of $1,500 cash, making free parking a lottery winner space, etc. - generally turning an already lengthy game into an all-day, all-night, greed-fueled marathon. As I am currently in the process of selling my home, I’ve lately pondered about just how many real estate agents got their start playing Monopoly …

Of course, anybody who’s ever played the game knows that at one point or another everybody goes to jail. You went there by landing on the ‘go to jail’ space on the board, by rolling doubles three consecutive times or by drawing the chance/community chest card which read, “Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do NOT pass go. Do NOT collect $200.” Anytime you went to jail it was always handy to have a “Get Out Of Jail Free” card. That card saved you from losing up to three turns and having to pay $50 to bail yourself out.

OK, I’m sure some of you are asking yourselves, Larry, what on earth does any of this have to do with the text? Well, as many of you know, for the past several months, I have been deeply involved in Prison Ministry. Prison Ministry typically consists of teams of Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) approved, trained and certified volunteers going into various correctional facilities throughout the state, sharing the good news of Christ through worship services with the prisoners. These services include music, prayer, scripture reading, an exhortation and a sermon.

Unlike the prophet Isaiah in our text, there is phenomenal irony centered on me doing Prison Ministry. Irony, you ask? Because my lifelong plan was to stay as far away from jails or prisons as humanly possible. Ironic, because there were times in my life when I simply knew that the only way I’d be going into prison would be in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. Yet, now I go there each week willingly, eagerly and happily – anticipating great things through the power of the Holy Spirit. We worship with offenders who anticipate the day when they are freed. I, on the other hand, gratefully look forward to every day or night of voluntarily getting into jail free! Say what?!?!

Doubtless, Prison Ministry has been a fundamental and transformational blessing in my life. It has enhanced my faith, provided a new avenue for service in God’s Kingdom, and multiplied my zeal for Christ and love for all his people – even in their most trying circumstances. I have grown from initially bringing music only, to offering all aspects of the worship service - including preaching (yes, preaching) – which wasn’t just off the radar, it was not even in my universe! And, praise God, my spiritual evolution is far from complete.

Aside from the obvious misconception I had about just taking music into prison, Prison Ministry soon relieved me of another thought distortion. I believed I was there to bless the offenders, when in fact they bless me. What do I mean? Hear well the words of James: “But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience)” – James 1:25 (AMP). Preparing to enter prison every week compels me to read and study the Bible more carefully, prayerfully and thoughtfully because, the consequences of this ministry can be life-changing and eternal. Indeed, many of the offenders truly know the Word. Make no mistake, in prison God Almighty can get your undivided attention!

Moreover, it is inspiring and wholly affirming when inmates are set free. The pitiable fact is that 80% - four out of five – Colorado parolees will return to prison in less than 3 years, unlessthey are connected to a faith-based program. My steadfast prayer and constant motivation is that what we are privileged to do via Prison Ministry will both encourage these men and women while they’re there, and (in some small way) inspire them to find a church home and build new, productive and faithful lives when released. I cannot fathom a greater honor or reward. God is AWESOME!

Finally, all of us have our own private prisons – mental and spiritual – from which we need deliverance. Sin is a prison. No matter what the sin is – substance addiction, excessive anger, lust or sexual perversity, abuse, greed, pride, etc. – anything and everything which separates us from the love of God imprisons us. Our sinful behavior builds walls between us and God, and also separates us from each other. But God wants to set us free. When we repent of our sins and turn to the Lord, His love and mercy drops the charges. He forgives us and grants us – not a reprieve, not a suspended sentence, not a commutation, not time off for good behavior, and not even parole but – a full and complete pardon. Hear well Jesus’ own words: “… I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” – John 8:34b-36 (NIV).

God, in His infinite mercy, simply wants to slam His wrecking ball of liberation through our prison walls. He wants to break every chain that binds us and destroy every guilty shackle and fetter which holds us down. The Creator loves His creation so much that He wants us free to love, adore, worship and serve Him. He wants us to sing, dance and praise Him in overflowing love and unspeakable joy. His very nature is to totally emancipate us through the powerful, free gift of the Holy Spirit. When it comes to all His precious children, God wants us to get out of jail free!

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Larry W. King is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and heads the Denver-based music group, Kingdom Kru. He’s a founding Board member of Faith Community Baptist Church, pastored by Rev. Douglas and Rev. Katherine Farley, and is active in Prison Ministry.

The SAFE Banking Act: Break Them Up

By Simon Johnson, co-author of 13 Bankers.

On Wednesday, Senators Sherrod Brown and Ted Kaufman unveiled a “SAFE banking Act” with a clear and powerful purpose: Break up the big banks.

The proposal places hard leverage and size caps on financial institutions. It is well crafted, based on a great deal of hard thinking, and — as reported on the front page of The New York Times this week — the issue has the potential to draw a considerable amount of support.

The idea is simple, in the sense that the largest six banks in the American economy are currently “too big to fail” in the eyes of the credit market (and presumably in the leading minds the Obama administration — which saved all the big banks, without conditions, in March-April 2009). The bill put forward by Senator Christopher J. Dodd, the chairman of the Banking Committee, has some sensible proposals — and is definitely not an approach that supports “bailouts” — but it does not really confront the problem of the half-dozen megabanks.

In the American political system — where the power of major banks is now so manifest — there is no way to significantly reduce the risks posed by these banks unless they are broken up.

These banks are so powerful that they can confront and defy the government, as seen in the twists and turns of the S.E.C. versus Goldman Sachs case. They are also powerful enough to threaten a form of extortion: If reform is tough, according to JPMorgan Chase’s chief, Jamie Dimon, credit will contract, the recovery will slow and unemployment will stay high. Given the size of his bank, that’s a credible threat.

The big banks give a lot of money to politicians on both sides of the aisle and they are now digging in hard to defeat reform. Indeed, there are credible reports of various “front” organizations being used for this purpose.

Under such circumstances, the Brown-Kaufman approach might be thought unlikely to succeed.

But consider how the Republicans are already starting to counterattack the Dodd proposals, the ways in which the broader Dodd-White House approach remains vulnerable, and how exactly the Brown-Kaufman approach can help the Democratic leadership as it becomes increasingly hard pressed.

The Republicans are saying: the Dodd bill does not end “too big to fail.” Most of their reasons are misleading (“it’s all about Fannie and Freddie really,” “there will be a permanent bailout fund,” “the Federal Reserve needs to lose some of its powers,” etc.). But there is no question that this message will seriously confuse people who are only just starting to pay attention.

As the Republicans have astutely spotted, the Dodd-White House proposals will not actually reduce the size or seriously limit the activities of the megabanks — and a broad cross-section of society completely understands that these institutions brought us into the trauma of September 2008, have become even bigger since then, and still have the incentive to take on an excessive amount of risk.

The S.E.C. case against Goldman has created a great opportunity for the Democrats because it exposes details regarding exactly how big banks are mismanaged and why they treat many of their customers in an unreasonable manner. The electorate now completely understands — even more clearly than a week ago — that the attitudes and compensation structure of the largest banks lie at the heart of our current macroeconomic difficulties.

The Brown-Kaufman bill therefore addresses not just the substantive financial issues of our day but also the tough political situation now facing Democrats. If their SAFE banking bill can come to the floor of the Senate (for example, as an amendment to the Dodd bill) and be voted on — up or down — then we will really get to see which of our elected representatives support overly big banks and which want to bring them down.

The bill might fail, of course, on that basis — but then anyone who opposes it can be branded as a “too big to fail” fan in November and beyond. This would be a clear identifier that would cut through the noise and the disinformation. Did this candidate vote for or against the too-big-to-fail banks? It’s a simple yes or no.

As political logic inserts itself more and more into the economic debate on banking, there is a real possibility that Senators Brown and Kaufman have exactly what the Democrats (and the country) needs.

This post appeared this morning on the NYT.com’s Economix; it is used here with permission. If you would like to reproduce the entire post, please contact the New York Times.

Written by Simon Johnson

April 22, 2010 at 7:00 am

Our Dirty Little Secret: Who's Really Poor in America?

By Leo Hindery Jr., Huffington Post Posted on March 9, 2010, Printed on March 9, 2010 http://www.alternet.org/story/145950/ Two old friends, civil rights activist David Mixner and former U.S. Senator (and my oft co-author) Don Riegle (D-MI), believe that in the economic recovery, not enough attention is being given to 'who's really poor' now. David and Don have for years advised me -- and others -- on the issue of poverty in America, and they are worried that too many people, and especially too many people in the administration and Congress, are missing this imperative. To help make their point, they referred me to poverty activist Marsha Timpson, who describes today's poor as "America's dirty little secret, hidden in the backyards of America's shining homes, the hollows, the reservations, the border towns and the dark ghettos of the city where they are the lie of the American dream." I agree with my friends, and with Ms. Timpson's view, and everyone else should as well, for right now in America: At least 50 million people are ill-fed -- up from 37 million just a year ago -- including 17 million children. Hunger in America is now at an all-time high, and there are currently entire national geographic regions -- the very large 15-state 'South' being one of them -- where more than half of all public school students are poor and ill-fed. Although I myself grew up in a fairly hardscrabble environment, as the father of a daughter who was in fact able to create a successful life from the opportunities her mother and I could give her, it is hard for me to imagine what it must be like to have your child needy and hungry. Yet all of us need to 'imagine' this, because each night in America millions of children do in fact go to bed hungry and under-nourished, while also lacking proper housing, needed clothing, and the basic education required to develop and ultimately find gainful employment. And while I wholeheartedly support the First Lady's new "Let's Move" effort to improve the nutrition of America's children, we must first react to basic hunger rather than to food quality. 30% of the nation's 50 million homeowners own a home whose value is below its mortgage balance, and this number could rise to an almost unbelievable 50% by year-end 2011. It would cost about $745 billion, more than the size of the original 2008 bank bailout, to restore these borrowers to the point where they were breaking even, which there is no obvious political will to find right now. Despite the truly dismal 'real unemployment' figures with which most everyone now agrees -- a staggering 30 million workers and 19% of the labor force -- very little attention is being paid to the particularly adverse effects the recession is having on people of color, recent immigrants, and out-of school youth. And almost no one is acknowledging the sad reality that even the nation's 130 million full-time workers have had an average economic loss of 15% just since December 2007 -- an average effective work week of 34 hours rather than 40 -- which means that the number of unemployed workers, measured economically, is actually as high as 50 million. The overwhelming problem today for most workers isn't this recession, as horrible as it is -- it's the fact that for every earned income level except the top 10%, average household income hasn't changed a bit for 10 years, and that for the bottom 60% of wage earners it hasn't changed for more than 20 years. Through economic expansions and recessions -- and bull and bear markets -- alike, 90% of workers in America have been standing still earnings-wise. And 100 million people, fully one-third of the entire U.S. population, are at or below "200% of the federal poverty line of $21,834 for a family of four", which is a needs-measure made lame by the fact that no family of four can actually comfortably live on such a low annual income. ********** The best response to this scourge would be for our government to embrace in today's troubled time the same "economic bill of rights" that FDR, in his last State of the Union Speech in January 1944, demanded for his. Roosevelt's "bill" sought to guarantee, in addition to health care and education, rights to: "a job with a living wage...that would earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation; "protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident and unemployment; and "a decent home". And with his typical sensitivity, FDR concluded his last SOTUS, when he knew that he was dying, by saying that, "We cannot be content, no matter how high the general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people -- whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth -- is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed and insecure." Until we in this time include the eradication of poverty as part of our economic recovery efforts, as FDR tried to do in his time, no matter how much we attempt to rebuild the nation's economy through better trade practices, enhanced workers' rights, and investments in infrastructure and the 'green economy', tens of millions of Americans, literally, will still be left impoverished. In making this effort, and thus in trying to determine "who's really poor in America" so that we can assist them, it helps to think of America as a doughnut, with the 'hole' in the doughnut being, at any point in time, the middle class (and the elites) and with the dough-part being those Americans who aspire to get there. When our ancestors got off their boats at Ellis Island or on the West Coast, the American doughnut was a fat one with a relatively tiny hole, because almost all of them were impoverished 'outsiders' looking to find their individual American Dream. The doughnut's hole grew relatively larger over the next 50 to 100 years as the economy grew, and then with the widespread prosperity that came with the end of the Second World War, it ballooned in size as the middle class ballooned. In the two decades after the War, with a burgeoning middle class clearly in hand, our government, in order to help those Americans still living on the outer ring, established very powerful employment & training, education, home mortgage, and small business assistance programs, while freely allowing labor unions to advance and protect workers' rights. The problem with how we have reacted so far to the Great Recession of 2007 is that most of the recovery programs are, as in the '50s and '60s, only for those Americans living in the outer ring: programs such as "cash for clunkers", first-time homebuyer credits, expanded Pell Grants, etc. In 2010, however, after decades of wide-spread wage stagnation, the entire middle class needs help as well, and the simple proof of this is that overall income inequality in America is now the greatest since 1928, when we first began to measure it. Without an immediate all-of-government commitment to creating upwards of 30 million new jobs (not the 9 million that the administration has identified), without stimulus efforts that specifically target the entire struggling middle class, and without very specific initiatives aimed at breaking the back of general wage stagnation, there is not even a medium-term prospect of anything approaching real full employment and healthy economic growth that benefits all Americans. So, the answer to the question of 'who's really poor' now is that we all are in one way or another, because, as FDR would have said if he was here, "some [way too large] fraction of our people is." Addressing this reality -- this now virtual pandemic of poverty -- must be at the core of our current economic recovery efforts, because a vibrant middle class that grows from the bottom up will always be central to the continued health of America's democratic society. Leo Hindery, Jr. chairs the US Economy/Smart Globalization Initiative at the New America Foundation and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the former chief executive of AT&T Broadband and other major media and telecom companies. © 2010 Huffington Post All rights reserved. View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/145950/

Ex-NBA player rips Haiti, compares country to 'homeless men'

Paul Shirley has probably become public enemy No. 1 in Haiti and elsewhere.

Paul Shirley played in the Euroleague in 2008.
JEAN FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP

The former NBA player posted a long column online in response to the earthquake disaster in Haiti in which he criticized Haitian citizens and said he won't donate to relief efforts.

"I haven’t donated to the Haitian relief effort for the same reason that I don't give money to homeless men on the street," he wrote. "Based on past experiences, I don't think the guy with the sign that reads 'Need You're Help' is going to do anything constructive with the dollar I might give him. If I use history as my guide, I don't think the people of Haiti will do much with my money either."

And he didn't stop there, even writing a letter to the people of Haiti.

Dear Haitians," he wrote, "First of all, kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Your commitment to human rights, infrastructure, and birth control should be applauded.

"As we prepare to assist you in this difficult time, a polite request: If it’s possible, could you not re-build your island home in the image of its predecessor? Could you not resort to the creation of flimsy shanty- and shack-towns? And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while?"

He also asked what's being done to prevent this tragedy from happening again, using New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina as an example.

"We did the same after Hurricane Katrina," he said. "We were quick to vilify humans who were too slow to respond to the needs of victims, forgetting that the victims had built and maintained a major city below sea level in a known target zone for hurricanes. Our response: Make the same mistake again. Rebuild a doomed city, putting aside logic as we did."

Shirley has been dropped as a freelance writer for ESPN for his comments on Haiti.

The KINGDOM CLARION

By Larry W. King

Volume III, Number I

January 29, 2010

Enable The Dream!

“In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous ‘descendant,’ heirs according to the covenant promises.” – Galatians 3:28-29 (The Message)

Nearly 47 years ago on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King spoke the following historic words from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial: “I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!” Dr. King finished that landmark speech with a climax resounding with both challenge and hope even today: “And when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and hamlet, from every state and city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children – black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics – will be able to join hands and to sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last, free at last; thank God Almighty, we are free at last’.”

Earlier this month I had the distinct honor and privilege to be part of the worship leadership team at a conference of American Baptist Churches (ABC) pastors, ministers and seminarians. In every service, worship music consisted of compositions from multiple cultures, sung in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Swahili. Each night as I looked out at the distinguished attendees in the audience, I saw White, Black, Hispanic and Asian Christians of all ages singing, swaying, clapping or lifting their hands and praising God together in joyous, exultant voices – on one accord, united in the Holy Spirit. I thank God – along with ABC and conference organizer, Brad Berglund - for affording me such an unforgettable opportunity. Without question, it was one of the most diverse, inspiring and enriching spiritual experiences of my life – absolutely awesome and ineffably beautiful.

As I beheld that rainbow of the faithful, I had an epiphany … surely this must be what worship will be like in heaven. Indeed, I thought (more than once), Dr. King must be looking down and smiling. His dream had come true!

Yet, the stark reality is, the overwhelming majority of conference participants (myself included) returned to churches which are largely a single culture with a one-cultural worship style. Why? Why is Sunday morning at 11:00am still the most segregated hour in America? Why aren’t we free at last? Does the bell of freedom no longer ring? Is the dream deferred?

A culturally homogenous church was an issue even in the apostle Paul’s day. He writes our text to admonish believers in Galatia – an ancient country located in parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria – to resist the false doctrine of Judaizers. The Judaizers were a band of divisive Christians of Jewish descent, who stirred up disunity among the followers of Jesus. They insisted that certain practices and rituals outlined by Hebrew law – circumcision among others - be observed by Gentile converts. The entire letter to the Galatians in general, and our text specifically is Saint Paul’s rebuke of the Judaizers. It is also his exhortation to build the Galatian church on the Godly principles of equality, diversity, inclusion and Christian love for all.

Regrettably, the church’s task remains much the same today as it was in the first century and in 1963. Today’s church must amend its ways to include all our brothers and sisters of all races, all colors, all ages, all genders and all abilities from all nations; joining them together in praise and worship to the Creator of all humankind. And our worship style must be transformed, reinvented and reconstructed, so that it mirrors the diversity of that soon-to-be rainbow assembly.

Let me be perfectly clear. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any church reflecting its cultural or ethnic heritage. Nor is there any misdeed in proudly infusing said heritage into its worship structure. Without a doubt, every church must make choices that serve the best interests of its members. Nevertheless, it behooves every Christian church to take steps to ensure those interests embrace diversity and multi-culturalism. The words of Christ are abundantly clear on this: “I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.” – John 10: 14-16 (RSV)

Doubtless, Jesus’ charge to continue his work – loving and caring for one flock - is not easy. Neither will it happen overnight. But we all must do our part – individually and collectively – to make it so. It requires commitment and work from each and every believer to move us from status quo to ecstatic equality. We must strive (as ABC has) to bring all God’s earthbound sheep together as one, to praise and worship the One loving Shepherd of all. What will YOU do to enable the dream?

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Larry W. King is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (Magna cum Laude) and heads the Denver-based music group, Kingdom Kru. He’s a founding Board member of Faith Community Baptist Church - Rev. Douglas and Rev. Katherine Farley, co-pastors - and is active in Prison Ministry.

Is This a Good Christian?

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Matthew 7:1-3

Pat Robertson: Haiti 'Cursed' By 'Pact To The Devil'

Huffington Post | Danny Shea First Posted: 01-13-10 02:45 PM | Updated: 01-14-10 01:11 AM

Televangelist Pat Robertson said Wednesday that earthquake-ravaged Haiti has been "cursed" by a "pact to the devil."

"Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it," he said on Christian Broadcasting Network's "The 700 Club." "They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, we will serve you if you'll get us free from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, okay it's a deal."

Robertson said that "ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other" and he contrasted Haiti with its neighbor, the Dominican Republic.

"That island of Hispaniola is one island. It is cut down the middle; on the one side is Haiti on the other is the Dominican Republic," he said. "Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etc. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island. They need to have and we need to pray for them a great turning to god and out of this tragedy I'm optimistic something good may come. But right now we are helping the suffering people and the suffering is unimaginable."

Never letting one to get useless facts in the way of good rhetoric, Robertson’s statements conveniently ignore the fact that, like that 80 percent of Haitians identify themselves as Roman Catholics, with Protestants representing a distant second place with 16 percent. But, you know, voodoo is spooky, and even if one person practicing it means that the whole country has gotta go. God had some Old Testament wrathin’ to do, apparently.

Later that evening, Raymond Joseph, Haitian Ambassador to the U.S., began his appearance on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show by shaming Robertson and pointing out that Haiti's freedom led to freedom across Latin America. And they weren't they only beneficiaries from those historic events. "The U.S. was able to gain the Louisianna Territory for $15 million," Joseph added. "That's three cents an acre. That's 13 states west of the Mississippi that the Haitian slaves' revolt in Haiti provided America."

WATCH:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/13/pat-robertson-haiti-curse_n_422099.html

Interesting:

Haitian descendants are supposed to pay for the alleged "sins" of their ancestors - but the descendant's of slave owing families are completely innocent...

With all due respect, materialism is the "Devil". The soul identifying itself with matter becomes the earthbound ego, singly in need of acquiring things to give it purpose.

Give everything you covet away, free yourself to follow Me, said Jesus. Walk away from your family, your friends and follow Me he said.

The Devil is in possession of men like you, for you have placed judgment ahead of mercy, and offer up damnation rather then Love.

Comment from The Huffington Post

Back in 1994, during the infamous Rwandan genocide, Robertson used his 700 Club's daily cable operation to appeal to the American public for donations to fly humanitarian supplies into Zaire to save the Rwandan refugees. The planes purchased by Operation Blessing did a lot more than ferry relief supplies.

An investigation conducted by the Virginia attorney general's office concluded in 1999 that the planes were mostly used to transport mining equipment for a diamond operation run by a for-profit company called African Development Corp. And who do you think was the principal executive and sole shareholder of the mining company? You guessed it, Pat Robertson himself.

Robertson had landed the mining concession from his longtime friend Mobutu Sese Seko, then the dictator of Zaire. Investigators concluded that Operation Blessing "willfully induced contributions from the public through the use of misleading statements ..."

After the investigation began, Robertson placated state regulators by personally reimbursing his own charity $400,000 and by agreeing to tighten its bookkeeping methods. Separating Operation Blessing from Robertson's many politically oriented endeavors is not that easy, however. The biggest single U.S. recipient of the charity's largess, according to its latest financial report, was Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network. It received $885,000 in the fiscal year ended March 2004. Robertson uses that Christian network for some markedly unchristian purposes. A few years back, he repeatedly defended Charles Taylor, the former brutal dictator of Liberia who is under indictment by a UN tribunal for war crimes. As with Mobutu in the Congo, Robertson had a personal stake in the matter: He had millions invested in a Liberian gold mine, thanks to Taylor, according to press reports.

http://ww4report.com/node/1050

Robertson recently ignited a media firestorm when he called for the assassination of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez during a broadcast of The 700 Club. He has also blamed the 9/11 attacks on America's tolerance of abortion and homosexuality and declared the Supreme Court a greater threat to the United States than Al Qaeda. Robertson assiduously cultivates his celebrity with remarks like these, casting himself as a divisive bigot to his foes and a righteous prophet to his allies in Christian right circles. But there is much more to Robertson than the headline-grabbing hothead he plays on TV.

Far from the media's gaze, Robertson has used the tax-exempt, nonprofit Operation Blessing as a front for his shadowy financial schemes, while exerting his influence within the GOP to cover his tracks. In 1994 he made an emotional plea on The 700 Club for cash donations to Operation Blessing to support airlifts of refugees from the Rwandan civil war to Zaire (now Congo). Reporter Bill Sizemore of The Virginian Pilot later discovered that Operation Blessing's planes were transporting diamond-mining equipment for the African Development Corporation, a Robertson-owned venture initiated with the cooperation of Zaire's then-dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.

After a lengthy investigation, Virginia's Office of Consumer Affairs determined that Robertson "willfully induced contributions from the public through the use of misleading statements and other implications." Yet when the office called for legal action against Robertson in 1999, Virginia Attorney General Mark Earley, a Republican, intervened with his own report, agreeing that Robertson had made deceptive appeals but overruling the recommendation for his prosecution. Two years earlier, while Virginia's investigation was gathering steam, Robertson donated $35,000 to Earley's campaign--Earley's largest contribution. With Earley's report came a sense of vindication. "From the very beginning," Robertson claimed, "we were trying to provide help and assistance to those who were facing disease and death in the war-torn, chaotic nation of Zaire."

Absolved of his sins, Robertson dug his heels back in African soil. In 1999 he signed an $8 million agreement with Liberian tyrant Charles Taylor that guaranteed Robertson's Freedom Gold Ltd.--an offshore company registered to the same address as his Christian Broadcasting Network--mining rights in Liberia, and gave Taylor a 10 percent stake in the company. When the United States intervened in Liberia in 2003, forcing Taylor and the Al Qaeda operatives he was harboring to flee, Robertson accused President Bush of "undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels to take over the country."

Robertson's scheming hasn't abated one bit. He is accused of violating his ministry's tax-exempt, nonprofit status by using it to market a diet shake he licensed this August to the health chain General Nutrition Corp. (Robertson continues to advertise the shake on his personal website.) He has withstood criticism from fellow evangelicals for investing $520,000 in a racehorse named Mr. Pat, violating biblical admonitions against gambling. He was even accused of "Jim Crow-style racial discrimination" by black employees who successfully sued his Christian Coalition in 2001 for forcing them enter its offices through a back door and eat in a segregated area (Robertson has since resigned).

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050919/blumenthal

Haitian Revolution

Main article: Haitian Revolution

Jean Jacques Dessalines, leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent Haiti.

The French Revolution contributed to social upheavals in Saint-Domingue and the French and West Indies. Most important was the revolution of the slaves in Saint-Domingue, starting on the northern plains in 1791. In 1792 the French government sent three commissioners with troops to try to reestablish control. They began to build an alliance with gens de couleur, who were looking for their rights. In 1793, France and Great Britain went to war, and British troops invaded Saint-Domingue. The execution of Louis XVI heightened tensions in the colony. To build an alliance with the gens de couleur and slaves, the French commissioners Sonthonax and Polverel abolished slavery in the colony. Six months later, the National Convention led by the Jacobins endorsed abolition and extended it to all of the French colonies.[11]

Toussaint L'Ouverture, a former slave and leader in the slave revolt who rose in importance as a military commander because of his many skills, achieved peace in Saint-Domingue after years of war against both external invaders and internal dissension. He had established a disciplined, flexible army and drove out both the Spaniards and the British invaders who threatened the colony. He restored stability and prosperity by daring measures, including inviting the return of planters and insisting that freed men work on plantations to renew revenues for the island. He also renewed trading ties with Great Britain and the United States. The United States played a duplicitous role, supplying both the French and the rebels.[12]

Independence

The French government changed and the legislature began to rethink its decisions on slavery in the colonies. After Toussaint L'ouverture created a separatist constitution, Napoleon Bonaparte sent an expedition of 20,000 men under the command of his brother-in-law, General Charles Leclerc, to retake the island. Leclerc's mission was to oust L'ouverture and restore slavery. The French achieved some victories, but within a few months, yellow fever had killed most of the French soldiers.[13] Leclerc invited Toussaint L'ouverture to a parley, kidnapped him and sent him to France, where he was imprisoned at Fort de Joux. He died there in 1803 of exposure and tuberculosis[10] or malnutrition and pneumonia. In its attempt to retake the colony, France had lost more than 50,000 soldiers, including 18 generals.[14]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiti

Soulfonix @ Jazzmatazz Dec. 26th 7:30PM

Soulfonix ['sol foniks]

noun

1. Soulful

2. (of a person) exuding soul

3. Sometimes ironic expressing profound thoughts or feelings soulful music

Happy Holidays everyone! I'm hoping to see you all Dec. 26th for two shows of

Vocal Jazz, Funk, and R&B at Jazzmatazz Lounge, Denver's newest and hottest

venue for your Jazz, R&B, and Neo Soul appetite.

Page Fraley and the Soulfonix invite you to eat drink and be merry while enjoying the sounds from some of the best musicians in the area.

Jazzmatazz is a very laid back cocktail bar uptown on 17th Ave. It's style is casual, with good food provided by Limon next door, and good music featuring some of Denver's finest jazz musicians.

There is no better place to sit back and enjoy the music on a chilly December evening.

www.jazzmatazzlounge.com

Jazzmatazz Lounge

Live Jazz / R&B / Neo- Soul

Located at 1612 E. 17th Ave

(Between Franklin and Gilpin )
Denver, Co 80218
303-333-3503

8:30 pm to Midnight

$10 cover, CASH ONLY- ( ATM available across the street)

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSICIANS

The KINGDOM CLARION

By Larry W. King

Volume II, Number XXIX

November 2, 2009

Ability Within Accountability

“When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” – Luke 12:48b (New Living Translation)

Jesus had been speaking to both the relentless horde which had gathered around Him and to the disciples in a series of parables. The twelfth chapter of Luke is replete with timeless insight from our Lord. I urge you to digest it wholly and receive the full benefit of its valuable instruction, to which you are entitled. Countless commentaries, bible studies, hymns and song lyrics (“His Eye Is On The Sparrow” and “Seek Ye First The Kingdom of God” to name two) have come from this chapter – further testament to its priceless content.

However, because Jesus instructs on multiple levels, the passage of scripture surrounding our text is sometimes misunderstood. First, one can readily get confused about exactly to whom Christ is speaking – the disciples, the crowd or (indirectly) the Pharisees? Second, why does Jesus issue such stern warnings to everyone present? And exactly what is the real meaning behind all the parables? Biblical scholars and theologians have written volumes on this chapter alone. So the Clarion is simply not a fit forum for extensive exploration. Nevertheless, cherished reader, I do wish to focus upon a scant few verses of this rich chapter for your edification.

Just prior to the passage cited, Jesus relates the following parable: “… A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. But what if the servant thinks ‘my master won’t be back for a while’, and he begins beating the other servants, partying and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant in pieces and banish him with the unfaithful. And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished. But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly.” – Luke 12:42-48a (NLT). At this point, our Lord utters the enduring words of our text.

I have three (3) brief points. They are these:

1) All believers are given gifts or abilities by the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul writes to the Greek church at Corinth, “And there are distinctive varieties of service and ministration, but it is the same Lord [Who is served]. And there are distinctive varieties of operation [of working to accomplish things], but it is the same God Who inspires and energizes them all in all. But to each one is given the manifestation of the [Holy] Spirit [the evidence, the spiritual illumination of the Spirit] for good and profit” – I Corinthians 4:5-7 (AMP). In short, God – through the catalyst of the Holy Spirit – fuels every believer with unique creativity, personality traits and (physical, mental or Spiritual) skills, to get His business done.

2) Our gifts are intended to encourage, uplift and help others. Again, Saint Paul writes to the young church at Rome, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves” – Romans 15:1 (KJV). No matter how much ego gratification we may get from them, our gifts are not for us! They’re for the benefit of anyone on the receiving end of our various ministries. If the gift is singing or playing music, the blessing goes to the hearer; if preaching, the congregation is blessed; if feeding or clothing the hungry and destitute, the starving and homeless are blessed; and so on with every gift of the Spirit. Devotional writer Bob Gass asserts, “The Holy Spirit wants to produce fruit in you so that others can feed off you and be nourished.” Don’t get it twisted. Spiritual gifting is not about me … and it’s not about YOU, either.

3) Every gift carries with it responsibility AND accountability. On the wall of my basement studio I have a framed poster of Stevie Wonder – one of my musical heroes, along with King David the Psalmist, Stravinsky, Miles Davis (for whom my son, Myles is named) and Fred Hammond - and the caption reads “We all have ability. The difference is how we use it.“ It’s an inspiring quote for me, and it echoes the meaning of the words of Christ in today’s text.

Regarding the servant who knew his Master’s will, yet was intentionally slothful, Christ was crystal clear. That servant would be severely punished. And he contrasted him with the servant who was merely ignorant, receiving a mild chastisement. Yet even he would still be punished! Our Lord’s salient point was about accountability. And His message to 21^st-century Christians is this: We all have ability. That is God’s gift. Assuredly, we shall be held accountable for whether or not we use our ability, and for how we use it. Because the reason for said ability is to serve others and to accomplish God’s divine will on earth. Hear well Jesus’ own words: “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it [fed the poor, clothed the naked and visited the sick or imprisoned … in short, served by using your gifts] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me!” – Matthew 25:40 (KJV) [my editorialization].

We find the word ability within accountability. Are you accountable for the ability found within you?

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Larry W. King is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (Magna cum Laude) and heads the Denver-based music group, Kingdom Kru. He serves as Minister of Music at Faith Community Baptist Church under the leadership of co-pastors Rev. Douglas and Katherine Farley.