FREE

This is just the first post on being free.
Another perspective comes tomorrow…

William McDowell – Withholding Nothing posted on Youtube.com on August 24,2013.

TGIF!

YOU NEED A HAIRCUT

I saw this video before I read what was happening… and I did not like the looks of it. I now know more of the story, and I still don’t.
I think a lawsuit is on the horizon. Check out the clip below and read what WPTV had to say.

According to WPTV reports:

A police officer in Michigan put a young mother into a restraining chair and hacked off her hair weave.

7 Action News Investigator had exclusive video of the officer shoving Charda Gregory, restraining her, and then using scissors to cut out the artificial hair that was sewn into a braid on Gregory’s scalp.

“I was confused. I didn’t know what happened and what was going on,” said Gregory.

Warren police officials say they do ask prisoners to remove clipped-in long hair extensions, so they can’t be used as a weapon or to commit suicide. But a weave is different, and Police Commissioner Jere Green says what Officer Bernadette Najor did was not a proper use of force.

“There’s a real simple thing: it’s called right and wrong. And to me this is something that I won’t tolerate, I don’t think the citizens of Warren will tolerate it,” said Green.

DID YOU HEAR THAT?

NFL’s first legally deaf player, Seattle Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman, surprises twin hearing-impaired girls in this inspiring video. The girls had seen a commercial featuring him and they wrote him because they consider him an inspiration. He answered their letter and then visited them in person. The surprise got even bigger when he presented them with tickets to the Super Bowl on Sunday. The (15-3) Seattle Seahawks face the (15-3) Denver Broncos in NFL Super Bowl XLVIII this Sunday, February 2, 2014 at 6:30 PM on FOX. They will be playing at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
My prediction is that the Seattle Seahawks, yes I said it, WILL WIN this game. They have an awesome defense and in my opinion, that will be crucial in winning this game.

HE ATE… THE GOSPEL CHOIR!

It’s amazing what happens in church. Watch this for yourself.

LET GO & LET GOD…

This is so poignant. Oftentimes when I’m searching for something to post, it will just fall right in my lap. Such is the case with this particular post. I went into one of my email accounts and noticed that my baby sister had sent me this video with the song by Dwayne Woods, “Let Go & Let God”. This is one of the songs that I love and have sung over and over again in my head and heart. The next email was from my oldest sister. She had sent me the WORD of The Day from Joel & Victoria Olsten. If you really take a look at the message in each, they go hand in hand. My sisters live in two separate cities and are going to be surprised that they collectively helped to drive home the message that someone is meant to see today. Enjoy your day and BE BLESSED.

The End of Your Drought

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“You, O God, sent a plentiful rain…”
(Psalm 68:9, NKJV)
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
Every person goes through times of drought, or dry seasons, when we don’t see the changes we hoped for. We’ve got big dreams, we’re standing on God’s promises, but things stay the same. It’s dry and barren. Maybe you are blessed in one area and in a drought in another. It’s easy to think, “This is the way it’s always going to be. I’ll always have this struggle.” No, in 2014 that drought is coming to an end. Any area of brokenness, dryness, loneliness, every empty place, if you will stay in faith, God is going to rain down favor, healing, and restoration.

We declare that this year, you are going to see an abundance of rain! Every drought is only temporary. That dry season is not going to last forever. Struggle and lack is not your destiny. It’s temporary. Rain is headed your way! Declare it by faith, “Father, thank You that the drought is ending and the rain is coming; and in 2014, I will see an abundance of Your goodness in my life!”

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for Your refreshing rain on the dry places in my life. Thank You for raining down provision, blessing, hope, wisdom, joy and peace. Give me strength to stand strong in You as Your plan unfolds for my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

RIHANNA ADDS HER VOICE TO RESPONSIBILITY

I had to post this because it is sooooooooo positive. Just listen at the video for yourself. I don’t care what you think about Rihanna. There are so many people that she can reach. Rihanna has lent her persona to: M∙A∙C VIVA GLAM with two strikingly bold shades of red frosted Lipstick and Lipglass, perfectly capturing her fearless, confident style. Every cent of the selling price of VIVA GLAM Rihanna goes toward helping women, men, and children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Limited-edition, soft-touch red packaging features Rihanna’s signature.

2.6 INCH SNOW/ICE STORM CRIPPLES ATLANTA

Posted below is a short video of the snow and ice that crippled Atlanta on yesterday, 1/28/2014. I actually was headed to a meeting yesterday in the city around 1:00 pm. The snow had already started around 10:00am but it was very light snow (you know, the dangerous kind). That snow (ice) was just a part of the layering process. Before I got into the city, I was advised that the snow was much heavier in the city and I decided not to go. GOOD CHOICE!!! I know several stories but none worse than a friend of mine who left work in the Ashford-Dunwoody area around 2:00 pm yesterday. The last time I spoke with her last night, it was around 10:00 pm. I sent her a text around 10:00 this morning and I learned that she was still stuck out in the snow and ice. She had been out there ALL NIGHT! I was devastated! She finally made it in around 2:00pm today (it usually takes her around 35-40 minutes at the most. There is enough blame to go around and I’m sure many lawsuits are already in the making. Sure, her story was bad, but there were many other stories as well. Reportedly, there have been some deaths also in this Georgia winter storm. There were school students who had to stay in the schools, there were students who spent the night on school buses on the interstate, there were people who abandoned their cars altogether (they walked for miles to get home). The stories of how a 2.6 inch snow/ice crippled a metropolitan city go on and on.

WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER, YOU DO BETTER…

Today is the 60th birthday of Oprah Winfrey, truly an icon. Just in case you don’t know who she is, you’ve apparently been living under a rock on Mars. When she turned 50, she had a big televised black-tie affair. According to sources, the billionaire (with an estimated net worth of $2.9 billion) will have a low-key 60th birthday at home in California on Wednesday.
For years, I have watched her administer her own brand of magic on this world. She is electrifying, poignant, inspirational, and funny all at the same time. She runs her own cable TV channel, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), in partnership with Discovery Communications Inc. She has been a mentor and a support system to many over the years including the likes of Tyra Banks and even President Obama. Though I have been inspired by Oprah over the years, I want you to hear her tell of how she was inspired and who it was that inspired her. HAPPY BIRTHDAY OPRAH!!!

AT A CHURCH IN ROCKY MOUNT???…

This shooting happened yesterday. When is this madness going to stop. It seems like these people don’t care if it is a church or The White House, they will act a fool. How sad.
By MICHAEL BIESECKER
Jan. 28, 2014 3:19 PM EST

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Police in a North Carolina town are searching for a man who sprayed a church playground with gunfire, striking four youths and leaving a 12-year-old boy gravely wounded.

The Rev. James Gailliard at Word Tabernacle Church in Rocky Mount said the shooting happened shortly before 6 p.m. Monday, as about two dozen neighborhood teens played basketball on courts behind the sanctuary.

Gailliard was in his office when he heard more than 15 gunshots and ran outside. Among those hit was 12-year-old Nyreek Horne, who the preacher said was shot in the head. He cradled the bleeding boy until help arrived.

“In our community, we do hear gunshots from time to time. But what was different this time was that it was so close and it was so many,” Gailliard said. “I held him in my arms until the paramedics got there. He was shot in the eye and the bullet went out the back of his brain. He was struggling to breathe, but he was fighting.”

Police said Tuesday that Horne remained in critical condition.

Three other young males shot – ages 13, 17 and 19 – were all treated and released.

Witnesses could provide only a vague description of the shooter, who ran away and was seen getting into a small, light-colored SUV. Rocky Mount police are asking members of public to come forward with any information that might help lead them to a suspect.

It was the latest shooting in a small Southern city dealing with violent crime on a scale typical in more urban areas. The shooting at the church happened days after a funeral for 15-year-old Brian Freeman, who was walking home with a friend when a car pulled up and someone started firing.

A city of nearly 60,000 located about 50 miles east of Raleigh, Rocky Mount sits along Interstate 95 – a primary north-south corridor for moving drugs and illegal guns between major East Coast cities. In 2012, the most recent year for which FBI crime statistics are available, the murder rate in Rocky Mount was more than twice that of New York City.

The Rocky Mount police force has a sizable gang awareness and prevention program. The city council has instituted anti-graffiti measures and a local “Youth Protection Ordinance” that includes a nightly curfew barring those under 15 from gathering in public without adult supervision.

“We’re experiencing many of the problems many other communities are experiencing with gang violence, and we are addressing that,” said Cpl. Michael Lewis, a police spokesman. “There’s age groups from middle school on up through high school involved in this type of activity.”

Lewis said it is too early in the investigation to know whether the latest shooting involved a gang-related dispute, but Gailliard said there is a widespread suspicion in the community that Monday’s mass shooting was in retaliation for the recent drive-by killing.

Those involved are from different neighborhoods engaged in competition for turf, the preacher said. Gailliard moved south from Philadelphia nine years ago to found the church. Part of his congregation’s ministry involves reaching out to young people who live near the church.

Gailliard said he had never seen Horne before he was shot, but he has since met the boy’s family at the hospital. He organized a vigil on Tuesday to pray for the boy’s recovery and an end to the violence. He said people there are often distrustful of the police, but he was encouraging people to tell the detectives what they know.

“Unfortunately, in my time have I have funeralized a lot of young African-American males who died in violent situations,” the preacher said. “We put the basketball goals up and took the fence down specifically so the community could just walk on the premises and have a safe place to play. That trust has been violated.”

SHE WILL RUN YOU DOWN…

You might better go to Toys R Us and get you a toy because this woman is not to be played with. Check this story out.

According to NBC Washington:
A northern Virginia woman is being held without bond, accused of running down her ex-husband’s fiancée as the couple stood in a Lorton driveway, seriously injuring the woman. Margaret Henry, 48, drove a car off Belmont Boulevard, through the yard and struck the victim, investigators said. According to search warrant documents obtained by News4, the car then hit a utility trailer before stopping in the yard. The driver’s ex-husband restrained her until police arrived, according to the search warrant. Emergency crews found the victim “entangled in the windshield of 2013 Hyundai.” She was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital with leg fractures that were so severe her lower leg had to be amputated. Police investigators used the search warrant to get blood and other samples from the wrecked Hyundai. Before Henry and her husband divorced a few years ago, the couple had loud arguments, neighbors said. “It was evil,” recalled Delores Moseke. “I heard them screaming bloody murder, using foul language. She was tough. She was a tough bird.” Another neighbor said she’s kept in touch with Henry even after she was divorced from her husband and moved to Triangle. “Well my first feeling for a few days now has been shock,” said Jeanne Clapp. “I would have never thought she’d do that.” Clapp said Henry phoned her over the holidays but the two only spoke briefly. She said she knew the couple had a stormy relationship but said Henry never talked about hurting anyone. “She hadn’t said anything like, ‘I’m going to go kill somebody.’ She didn’t say that,” Clapp said. Clapp and her husband sought and received permission to visit Henry next weekend in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. Don Clapp is a chaplain and hopes to take Henry a Korean bible. “We wanted to remind her Jesus loves her and we love her and it’s never too late to give your life to The Lord,” said Clapp.