Posts filed under: ‘Bishop Eddie Long‘
BISHOP EDDIE LONG… WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
Well, by now I take it that you know I must have seen the video or come across something which has alerted me considering this new controversy circling around Bishop Eddie Long.
Yes, as a matter of fact a few weeks ago I came across the YouTube 
video posted by the Bishop… or someone telling everyone that he was alright, but had started this new health kick or some kind of diet. But honestly to tell you the truth as I watched him… and paid great attention to his body language and facial expressions…
Well, to tell you the truth he looks like a man who has either consumed himself with alcohol or become an addict.
I know…. I know you probably don’t want to hear this. Some of you really do still believe and trust in the Bishop. But he is a man who is greatly troubled. And the demons which possess him do not seem to have finished with him yet.
I hate to see people brought down. Or shamed before everyone. But 
when I look at those boys whom he groomed into homosexuality… and think about how he claimed he was ‘David facing Goliath’ when it came to his legal battles with them over their abuse. I feel sorry… for them all… all the way around. Really.
I clearly understand how a demonic spirit can enter into your body and attack you… bringing you into submission IF YOU ARE NOT 
FULLY EQUIPPED to fend off such attacks through the Holy Spirit.
Unless you are FULLY EQUIPPED with the Spirit of the Lord… the devil will steal your 
mind. And don’t sit there and think that he won’t do it… nor that it can’t happen to you. Because it can. Even to me. Yes, it can… if I were not equipped and believed fully in God. And that God is able to keep me through all things… if I desire to be kept.
There is this thing that we must all understand… and that is ‘in order to stand and fight off the devil you better be fully prepared for the battle.’ We are not told as Christians that we must have on ‘the WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD’ for no reason. Without God’s amour… His protection… 
we too can become easily overtaken by demonic spirits. And when these spirits get a hold of you… when they enter into your body… and get into your spirit… they are not easily shaken.
We all need the power of God truly working within us in order to bring us out of such attacks. But… and it is a big BUT. But if we become captivated by the lure of the sin that is trying to entangle us then we loose. You cannot fall prey to such 
attacks, and the attraction to the evil doing that you begin to operate within it… for you will get lost in it. As we see how that thing took a hold of Bishop Long. One day out marching against homosexuals… while entering those spirits within his own flesh. And it over took him.
For the most part Bishop Eddie Long has long been recognized as a prosperity preacher. I will be 1 of the first to tell you… and not me alone… that God truly endowed him with the word. But he went astray… and got into all that prosperity mess.
Once Long got into the prosperity teachings and doings… he was lost. He got turned around and lost his focus. His god became mammon… riches. You cannot serve both God and the lure of riches. You will either love the 1 and hate the other.
Therefore, the lust of money then made him more susceptible to any other spirit that would attach itself to him. Hence, the spirit of homosexuality came calling upon him.
Thus, Long began to open up facilities to house boys from which a chosen few were picked 
for his sexual grooming… to fill his desire to interact with them on a less than religious manner… as a perpetrator… a sexual deviant. A grown man seeking to delight himself sexual among young boys.
So, these young boys came into his range where he had access to them… could ‘father’ them into a seemingly caring relationship where what he was doing appeared to them … and I guess all who were near as a harmless religious relationship among him and them… the boys. As Long 
did not take sexual advantage of them physically… per what the boys/now grown young men claimed in their law suits against him. But he did do touchy and feelly things… things that excited and brought about certain urges… which Scripture has called ‘unnatural.’ Creating longings and desires within the young boys… which when you see them you can clearly see the damage that was done. They were groomed like cattle …or a horse for a certain kind of thing… a certain kind of behavior. And that ‘thing’ … in my opinion when I look at their videos and pictures of those young boys turned to young men… that ‘thing’ stole their manhood.
Now, fast forward to Eddie Long today after having paid out some $9 million plus to these young men whom he had doctored up and touched… and groomed in his special way to be his select stable… to feel whatever demonic fantasy that was going on in his head.
Today it appears that the 
demons have chased him down. Long looks broken… as broken as a drunk on the street (I hate using such terminology as it is not how I view people or ever speak of them… but for the purpose of this blog and the message I’m trying to convey, it is the only way I can get you to really see what I’m talking about. So, please forgive my terminology when speaking or classifying anyone here)
Yes, Bishop appears a broken man in this video below. And unlike 
Pastor Zachary Timms… I do see where possible drugs or alcohol may be playing a factor in his life.
That which loosing all that money and some of his congregation could not do… I now believe his conscience is making up for it… sadly. Such a gifted man at 1 time in the Lord. And look how he let the devil use him… and now I believe he is truly paying for it mentally and physically… and it is ironic.
The irony is how much he worked to build up his body… and what was 
an apparent love of his physique. To now be dwindled down to almost nothing… half a man. A tormented man it seems.
I pray he find a way back to the Lord. As we serve a God who is long suffering and forgiving. But to have taken his position as a spiritual leader and have turned it into an artful predator, using the house of the Lord as his playground… might be something that 
God will not forgive… as He did not forgive Eli when it came to his sons.
I just read that Bishop Long is now on a medical sabbatical after revealing to his church that he is facing some health challenges. Repentance is the only cure. A true and real pouring out of his heart
UPDATE: Yesterday morning… Sunday, January 15, 2017… it was reported that Bishop Long passed. I will not comment or speculate as to my thoughts further on this matter. It is sad all the way around …for all who were effected and involved.
I pray peace and resolution to the minds and souls of the young then boys drawn into this scandal. And that God call them out that they may be saved from the perverse thing and things which have and are happening to them. Because this now is their choice to chose to live or die in that mess.
Well, God bless… and thank you for reading this blog…and my others. Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…” http://www.bsmith101.wordpress.com ©2016
Add a comment September 10, 2016
JESSE JUNIOR… BISHOP PAUL MORTON RETIRING…and ANTHONY WEINER what a JERK…
I think I may have written something on this story about Jesse Jackson’s son, Jesse Jackson, Jr… the now 
ex-Senator from the State of Illinois.
When I first got wind of this story it was while watching some camera man or woman poke a microphone in front of Jesse Jackson, Sr., his father. They were asking him about something or other and then shifted the questioning to his son. Jesse Jr. Jesse senior kind of smirked and said that his son was now doing much better following his rehab.
Hearing the word ‘rehab‘ I immediately believed that Jackson’s son had been in some type of auto accident or something. And that the reason his father was smirking was because his son was pulling through his injuries with flying colors.
But I Googled the story on Jesse junior and was very surprised. He had always looked so clean cut… spoke with such intelligence. Who would have thought that he would have become involved in drugs… much less had become an addict?
It appears that they were trying to say that it all came about due to Jesse junior falling prey to pain pills. ‘They’ being the Jackson family. But for some reason it all seemed a bit deeper than that.
In my continuing to Google more information on the story I noticed the tremendous amount of weight that Jesse junior had put on during the time since last I had seen him… it seemed to me overnight.
The Bible says that what is done in the dark comes to light… and I believe that this is the case in this story.
Now, I am not 1 for throwing stones. Goodness, no. I don’t want to do that. But as I was saying to a friend earlier today… this morning to be exact… as we were speaking on this story…
“Most people do not just start taking drugs later on in life.”
And they don’t.
They either got started in college or were doing it earlier somewhere during their growing up period. But they do not just get up and start sniffing coke or shooting up crack unless they have a history of drugs somewhere in their life.
So, I’m thinking that all those years… which really weren’t that many… since I first became award of Jesse Jackson, Jr…. who was not involved in politics until years after I left Chicago. But during the brief time that I knew of him or had seen him on TV… he appeared to be so handsome… articulate… and very clean cut. But underneath he had to had some deep dark demons … and those demons had to have been the cause of his living a double life.
Contrary to most beliefs there tons of people who live and work daily functioning on very high levels having some type of addiction. It many times is really not a very hard thing to do. We pay so little attention to the people around us really.
Many more people are functioning alcoholics or drug addicts than you may believe. The same way many people are functioning illiterates… or whatever else people may be trying to hide about themselves from others. They can function and work right beside you and you would never know anything was out of whack about them… or with them.
I once had a young lady who worked under me. She was promoted to an assistant managerial position before I began to notice anything… and it took a while for me to grab a hold of it. I had forgotten our many conversations… conversations that the young lady and I had shared together, as I was an immediate supervisor to her. But we were friendly with each other.
The conversations we had had were about her being in college… that alone would have been more than enough reason for me to never believe that she was a functioning illiterate. She spoke about going to college and having to take these ‘remedial’ classes. I actually had no clue as to what ‘remedial‘ classes were… but over a course of time while working with her… in her new capacity I came to find out.
When I think back on it now… I guess back then when talking about having to take ‘remedial’ classes she was trying to tell me something. Something I had no understanding of.
In New York City they have this thing called ‘social promotions.’ It is when they promote students to the next level or grade not based upon what they have learned, or having successfully fulfilled their studies… but because of their age. And that young lady had been 1 of the unfortunate students who had suffered such a thing as that.
The young lady… she could not read. Something I had never gathered in all my conversations with her… and certainly during any of the time she worked directly under me. Basically because I just never had to have her read anything. And I guess 
if she needed to read something… a notification or company document or something… she found someone who read it for her.
So, it was not until the young lady was promoted to assistant manager where reading became crucial… and something that she definitely had to do in order to fulfill the job and on a regular daily basis. But the young lady was coy… she knew how to camouflage her handicap. As a supervisor she had people working under her, so she merely passed on the written material to 1 of them telling them to read it aloud… while she pretended to be busy doing something else.
I never found out that the young lady could not read until a worker under her came to me and told me. I had never noticed it… never guessed it… and it certainly had never been evident to me or any of the other senior managers on that job. But I never disclosed her secret… and she continued to functioned on her job without anyone being any the wiser except the 1 person she used to read company documents to her, who later herself was promoted.
So, yes alcoholics and people on drugs or those with any other kind of diversity can function normally and 
quite well without those around them being any the wiser. Unless, they start exhibiting signs of a problem. Which does oftentimes start happening with some people. Things like a slurring of words, staggering… missing work… having to leave work early… appearing un-kept or unshaven… clothes unclean or smelly… not showing up for appointments… being giggly or overly loud… changes in attitude… mood swings etc… can all be signs that there is a problem.
So, whether I saw it or not I am sure that there were some around him who did. Who saw that Jesse junior was on his way down.
When I first read the story I must say that it reminded of the Marion Berry story. The ex-Mayor of 
Washington, D.C. who was caught in a hotel room shooting up crack. A similar kind of story about a politician going down due to drugs.
In mentioning that story to my friend, who had called me on the Jesse junior story… we both had to agree that Marion Berry did not just being using drugs after he became the Mayor. No, he probably had to have had a drug problem from before that even came about, but it was on the down-low… meaning few if anybody politically connected to him knew about it.
Busted and publicly outed as a drug user Marion was yet voted back in as Mayor. And I guess Jesse junior believed that the same thing could happen for him.
But it did not. Though Jesse junior did not remove his name from the 2012 ballot for re-election… he found out that his constituents thought differently from those who voted Marion Berry back into office after having been convicted for drug use.
Recently… like just yesterday… an Illinois Judge handed Jesse Jackson, Jr. a 30 month prison conviction, and gave his wife a 12 month sentence for misappropriation of election funds from her own campaign money in her bid for State Alderman.
Jesse Jackson Jr. sentenced to 30 months; Sandi Jackson gets 12 months
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/14/justice/jesse-jackson-jr-sentencing
It appears that my friend who called me on the story followed the Jackson story a lot closer than I did. She commenced to tell me that
Jesse junior and his wife were involved not only in drugs, and mis-usage of campaign funds to the tune of over $750,000… but also indulged in 3-somes… and had done a lot of foolish lavish spending which ultimately lead to their downfall… and their getting caught.
It is a shame how we vote these people into public offices believing that they are going to do and represent us in honor and with integrity. That they will be diligent in their labors and pursuits for us, as our representatives in government. And they go off and make a fool of themselves… and oftentimes of us too.
I happened to come across a YouTube video of Bishop Paul Morton announcing that he will be turning over 
the reigns of the leadership of the Full Gospel Fellowship to Bishop Joseph Walker, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Nashville, TN. I need not tell you that I was taken aback by the announcement. Well, for a few reasons…
- I wasn’t ready for it.
- It shocked me.
- I never realized that Bishop Morton would retire.
And it must have been a shock to more than just me based upon the body language… and those who applauded the announcement… versus those who did not… of those standing behind Bishop Morton at the time he made that announcement.
But with all of that being said… I must say that through the years I have caught the broadcast of the Bishop
Walker… and remember that not too long ago his first wife passed and after some time he later remarried. Beyond that I have nothing to say about him… because I know nothing else of him.
But I do wonder how this will play itself out amongst the inner circle of the current leadership of Full Gospel?
Usually the second or the third in command becomes the new head. So, I am sure this was a big surprise all the way around.
This was a decision made by Bishop Morton… and the Full Gospel Fellowship organization being his baby… as he 
organized it and gave it birth to it… he has the right to do as he wishes. I must say I thought it brave of him. I do believe that it is better to have people already in place for the sake of the organization or church so that the flow of the organization is not thrown into an upheaval when the leader passes or some other drastic change comes about suddenly.
Having, however, made such a decision will lead to challenges. There undoubtedly will be some fallout. Everybody is not going to be satisfied. Feelings were hurt and feathers ruffled… and there just is no getting around that when large and important decisions are made. And especially if something goes to someone that no one may have thought it would… for whatever reason.
Through the course of time the Full Gospel Fellowship has lost some dynamic preachers. People who went on to create their own fellowships and supposed religious dynasty’s… or desired to. Some of whom press has not been so kind to lately due to certain events either concerning themselves or their churches… such as Bishop Eddie 
Long and Bishop Larry Trotter. And if human nature has anything to do with it some others will probably be making an exit from Full Gospel, of this I am sure.
But I hope Bishop Walker well… and the entire congregation of Full Gospel delegates. I would believe that Bishop Morton did not create something only to 20 years later destroy it with his own 2 hands.
Bishop Joseph W. Walker III Announced as the Next Presiding Bishop of Full Gospel Baptist Church
http://www.mtzionnashville.org/dna/bishop.htm
But there may well be some skeletons in Bishop Walkers closet. In March of last year at least 4 women filed suit against Bishop Walker and others affiliated with his mega church for the sum of $5 million… for alleged sexual harassment, aggravated sexual battery, sexual exploitation etc…
In light of this 1 has to wonder how such an appointment could have possible come about… until at least all these allegations have been dealt with… and Bishop Walker cleared of any wrong doing?
It is certainly stated in the Bible that a Bishop should be a man without blame… and a number of other things.
And as the leader of his own mega church… if Bishop Walker had not been personally involved in any wrong 
doings that took place at his church… just what does this, however, say about his leadership ability?
It is so odd that I should hit upon this. Because believe me leadership is not what it used to be… either on the job… or at church. And it is a shame.
Only time will tell what is going to be the amount of fallout …or disenchantment due to come about from Bishop Morton’s announcement to step down, and loosing the reigns of his leadership over the Full Gospel Fellowship.
Well, God bless… It’s Thursday and I am just trying to be as productive as I possibly can before the end of the weekend… where I just like to relax. Hope you get in some relaxation this weekend too. And the weather has 
been great.
I was out on the road last weekend. I love to drive. It frees my head and I enjoy in taking in the beauty of God everywhere I look. It’s free and you should enjoy it too…
Just 1 more thing before I get out of here. 
How in the world would anyone even consider voting in that sexual pervert, Weiner… into any office ever again.
The mere fact that the man would ever consider EVER running for public office EVER AGAIN has got to be a joke… much less the Mayor of New York City.
It is quite obvious that the man has a massive problem… both psychological and sexual.
Was it not enough that during the time of his wife’s pregnancy he was having it out 
over his cell with some woman sexually, and sending her all kinds of nasty pictures of himself. Now, to be at again… and supposedly running for office too?
I would believe if he is that sick to be doing all this virtual stuff on-line with his lower part… then he probably is out and about dipping and dappling into the real thing too.
You have got to be kidding me. The man has no shame. And certainly no type of consideration for his family.
Thank you for reading this blog…and my others. Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…” www.bsmith101.wordpress.com ©2013
Add a comment August 16, 2013
BISHOP LARRY TROTTER and child in a bathtub…
I often check my blog to see exactly what people are referencing my blog to read. It often signifies a hot topic or that some event has just happened. And so was the case this morning 
when I logged in to check my blog and happened to noticed that I had gotten a lot of hits concerning Bishop Larry Trotter, of Chicago, IL., and a little girl… supposedly a 4-year-old grand-daughter of his in the bathtub together.
Immediately, I Googled the story and lo and behold there it was a picture of Bishop Trotter, and what is reported to be 1 of his young grand-daughters… and both appear naked in the bathtub together.
All I can say is who takes a bath with their children?
Or their grand-daughter????
I remember my father in the bathroom… there were times that we would pass the bathroom and 
would see that he was shaving or brushing his teeth, but by the time he was taking off any clothes we never saw him. There were times when he got into the shower and needed something and called for 1 of us… but he was always safely in the shower careful to keep himself out of our view.
For that matter my mother was pretty much the same. We never saw her in the tub or in the shower either.
They did not allow us 
into the bathroom with them while they were naked.
Years later, however, while growing up we… me and my sisters from time to time had gotten dressed in the same room or area as our mother when we had to… you know like while visiting a relative’s house or in some hotel etc. But outside of that no.
Bishop Larry Trotter Attempts To Explain Photo Bathing With Granddaughter… [AUDIO]
During a radio interview Bishop Trotter attempted to explain away the incident. But Bishop Trotter stated that he saw nothing wrong in getting into the tub with his very young grand-daughter. And he added that he had gotten into the tub with all of his children.
In that interview also, Bishop Trotter recalls his growing up, when he and his sisters and 
brothers bathed together. I would believe that most people who have or have had siblings may have also experienced this. But beyond a point it ceased to happen. None of us went into adulthood… or grew up as teenagers jumping in and out of a bathtub or shower with his or her sister and/or brother. That is to say… not unless something was going on. And I never grew up in that kind of family where those type of things went on. Least ways… I don’t think so… 
and never heard of any such thing in our family.
However, many people will tell you that they were sexually molested.. abused or raped by a close family member. Oprah, for 1, herself speaks of an uncle that sexually abused her. I even think Donnie McClurkin speaks of an uncle 
who abused him for years.
I have heard people testify about things that even their father had done to them sexually. So, these kinds of things do happen… and sad to say they happen more often than we all really care to talk about.
For years the DeBarge family carried around their ‘dirty little’ secret about what their had father had done to all of them while 
growing up in their mother’s house. So, this thing is not new.
So, yes eyebrows would go up upon seeing such a picture. Or when they hear of such a thing as this picture. And to say that you both had on ‘swimming trunks’… Well, it simply does not wash.
Who takes a bath with swimming trunks on?
Another question…
If it happened as Bishop Trotter says it did, then why was he taking a bath with the bathroom 
door open so that just anybody could walk in on him… much less a little child?
In fact, Bishop Trotter’s explanation for how the picture came about… the events surrounding it… and how he and his grand-daughter ended up in the same bathtub together in what looks like they are both naked… really opens the door to a whole lot of other questions?
In fact, if you really listen to that radio interview Bishop Trotter actually states that there was no reason for his little FOUR YEAR OLD GRAND-DAUGHTER to not be able to take a bath with her ‘pa-pa’ if she wanted to. WHAT??? And evidently, the little girl at 4 years old must have been down on her knees or something while on his lap in that water. Because at 4 she would be taller than we can actually make out in that picture.
I recall the first time I ever saw Bishop Trotter… he at the time was part of Full Gospel under 
Bishop Paul Morton. And I think that was about the same time that I first saw and heard Bishop Eddie Long too. Shortly, after that Full Gospel conference both Bishop Trotter and Bishop Long broke from the Full Gospel Baptist organization, and decided to pursue their own separate church organizations, New Birth and Sweet Holy Spirit.
A few years ago Bishop Long fell into his own share of 
troubles by the way of 4 or 5 young men who had been a part of his New Birth organization. To which Bishop Long later settled out of Court with, for a few million dollars against allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse.
The moment I read the story and saw the picture of Bishop Trotter, I must say that it brought back memories of Michael Jackson… and all the controversies of Michael with little kids. Namely little boys…
And just like Michael, Bishop Trotter in his radio 
interview clearly states that he found nothing to be inappropriate about him being in a bathtub naked with a little child… much less a little girl. With Michael it was that he found nothing wrong with being in bed with little boys. And like Bishop Trotter, Michael said that he did it all the time.
Bishop Trotter stated in his radio interview that ‘he used to jump into the bathtub all the time with his son, and their army men.’ Then added ‘I guess the times have changed.’
It really has nothing to do with how times have changed… which is what Bishop Trotter was trying to pass off as an accuse for the uproar over the picture. Because when you get right down to it… it is not about times changing at all. It is about putting yourself in a situation where something could happen… or bringing a small child into something they are not supposed to be exposed to.
I recall how when we were small my mother used to take us to this wading pool in our neighborhood. All the kids loved for summer to come around… and so didn’t we. During the summer our mother always took us swimming when it got too hot. There were times when she would pack us up and drove us to the beach… or to the pond where we could feed the ducks… or to that small wading pool, that was not too far from where we used to live.
The pool wasn’t very deep… but got deeper as you stepped closer and closer to the center of the 
pool. In the center of the pool you could float or try to swim and then put your feet down, and stand up any time you liked. So, we had fun playing in it… splashing… and sometimes running through it.
But then there came a time when our little pool became invaded. An occasional Spanish man or 2 would get into the pool playing around with the children. They mostly hug out near the center of that small wading pool so you could not see below their waste. Therefore, anyone sitting along the far outside edges of the pool could see the children in the water… but nothing too much under the water that 
may have been going on. And of course, the pool always had lots of kids into and out or the pool or running in the water… or splashing about further obstructing any parent’s watchful eye.
But 1 day I came to find out why they… those men liked being in the pool with us… I saw something… and I never liked going back to that pool again.
Pulled this off from over the internet…someone had writen a comment about having attended a conference where Bishop Trotter spoke here is what she said:
I went to a convention where he was at in Virginia.
He was promoting his newest series “My Wife, My Mistress, My Bitch or My Whore”.
The whole church gasp, he said don’t be in shock, don’t judge,get the CD and then you will understand. For a Bishop I thought he was out of order fo
r that.
I had come across where Bishop Trotter had written that book a while back. The title was curious to me also… and like the person who wrote that comment over the internet… I too thought it very inappropriate. Especially, since Bishop Trotter had written that book about his wife… who was… is … and had been the mother of his children… and I guess at some point the First Lady of his church.
Inappropriate is a very good word here. And I guess we can all say the same thing about him climbing into a tub… or allowing a little child to climb into a bathtub with him while he bathed.
God bless…hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend. The weather has broke here. We are now experiencing mild weather today… but for past couple of days it was freezing cold.
Remember that Monday… this coming Monday is both President Barack Obama’s second inaugural… AND Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.’s birthday celebration. Enjoy them both… and I am hoping to see you in D.C for the festivities. But if 
not please enjoy it for me too.
I am so happy about it. Truly a time to remember… And if you can be part of it don’t let the opportunity go by… by not being so.
And again…happy belated birthday FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA… can’t close without saying that. Love you… In fact, I love you both…. And 49 is still a great year… A very special year in fact…
Serena Williams on the bike champion Lance Armstrong finally admitting that he 
cheated…
“Serena Williams said Armstrong let all athletes down by doping and lying about it for so long, while No. 1-ranked Victoria Azarenka says the disgraced cyclist “deserves everything he gets.”
“I think a lot of people now look and are like, `OK, if somebody (is) that great, what about 
everyone else in every other sport?” Williams said.
“As an athlete, as someone that works really, really hard since I was 4 or 3, I think it’s a sad day for all athletes in general. Overall, it’s even more disappointing for the people that were adversely affected through everything. You can only just hope for the best for them.”
For years Armstrong had denied that he ever used any drugs to enhance his ability to become the top ranking bike cyclist in the world. And recently sat down with Oprah and confessed that he had lied.
And I hope that you are checking for a picture 
of me in these blogs… Who knows I might even think of doing something real special. Just keep looking out for me… in my blogs.
5 comments January 19, 2013
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THE TIMES…Pastor Zackery Tims and Nicholas Ashford… gone…
First Zackery Tims …and now Nicholas Ashford.
Oh, I know… I know that Nick was not known for writing and singing gospel music. But no one can deny that he did come from a strong gospel background… that sometimes even managed to show up in his song writing and way of singing.
And what songs they were. He was gifted… and what he didn’t have …his partner and later to become his wife… Valerie Simpson had. Together they wrote some of Motow’s best known music. Songs like ‘Ain’t No Moutain High Enough,’ ‘It Takes Two,’ ‘Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s 
Hand’ ….just to name a few. And I do mean just a few… because their list does indeed truly go on and on.
For a while Val and Nick could be caught holding down the evening drive-time radio slot at WBLS,in New York City. In fact, 1 afternoon I decided to drop by BLS with the hope of getting in to see Vinny Brown, an old friend and co-worker who at the time was the Program Director for the station. While waiting …to my unexpected surprise as I happened to look up… standing before me were 2 people I would have had to be totally blind to not to have recognized from the very moment my eyes came up on them.
“Val and Nick,” I heard myself say… as my head jerked back slightly in surprise.
It just kind of eased out of my mouth… I hadn’t realized they were handling BLS’s on-air drive-time shift at that time. So, I was really surprised to look up and see them, standing right there before me… close enough for me to just reach out and touch them. Nick slightly smiled at me… while Val kind of looked off.
From the time I hit college Nick and Valerie had been busy in recording studios. So, I had 
looked at and played just about every album of their’s. Definitely a sign of the time… because most of the kids don’t even know what an album was …or a 45 for that matter. But yes …I had played Val and Nick for many years. And it didn’t hurt for me to be a big fan either… which meant as often as I could I would sneak them in on my music lists rotations.
As the years went on I didn’t have to continue to ease… I just played them… back to back …or 
however I wanted. Them and Phyllis Hyman… Donnie and Roberta… Friends of Distiction… Dells… Roy Ayres… George Duke… and whoever else I wanted to program. Including
Motown’s Temptations, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye… and just so much good music… The kids don’t even have a clue… they have nothing like it today.
Nobody writes good music any more… they don’t even know what it is to have 
anything called ‘good lyrics.’ They… the kids are too busy buying beats. A lot of which are stolen from times gone… times that music like that during which Val and Nick came from …and wrote during.
Though they …Val and Nick had long since turned their attention to other things …such as going into the restaurant business… New York’s Sugarbar and I forget what their first restaurant was called …it had been on 22nd Street also in Manhattan.
And whenever traveling home on I-95… as I passed Stamford, CT… my mind would always run across them, as I knew that for a while at least they had made their home in Connecticut.
Having their number I called them once while seeking investors for 1 of my feature film projects. Though I failed to reach them initially… you will never know to my surprise… how thrill I was to receive a call back from them concerning the message that I had left. Val told me that they were just getting ready to open up another restaurant… which was to become the Sugarbar. So, they couldn’t afford to do it at the time. She appologized and told me maybe the next time.
I hung up not at all feeling let down. All I could think was… wasn’t that nice for them to take the time to call me back?
This is my all time favorite song by Valerie Simpson and Nicholas Ashford.
While living in Chicago… Millie J… used to visit a friend of mine by the name of
Jean… who was Tyrone Davis’ sister. Millie had come to town to perform and while talking with Jean… I overheard her say-
“While I was coming through the airport guess who I came across? 
These two people walking around holding hands. I didn’t even have to look twice. I knew right off it was nobody but Nick and Val.”
They had that something special… kind of like what Michelle and Obama have. A total appreciation for each other… and a desire to always be in touch with one another… as though they cannot do or bear to be without each other.
Just a few seconds ago, a friend of mine informed me that Nick had dealt with sustance abuse. Never knew that …or ever heard that. So, I don’t know for sure. I have not seen him or Val for years now. But I know their music anywhere or anyhow I hear it.
Personally, I cannot imagine Val without Nick. She loved him… and held on to him. And he loved her… and held onto her. And together they held on to each other …a profoundly good example of 2 people who truly walked in love with one another. I certainly pray her strenght in the Lord… and that of their children and other family members.
I had heard his testimony. And what an awesome testimony he had had regarding how Go
d had saved and pulled him out of a messed up life of drug addiction… and having come from a home where nobody knew the Lord. How God had put someone in his path that gave him an invitation… and 1 day for whatever reason Zackery Tims, some 8 or so years ago… called a man on his job who had invited him to come and go to church with him. And that night he got saved… and his life was forever changed.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20092873-504083.html
A megachurch Pastor having a congregation of more than 4,000 members in the Orlando, FL area… on this past Wednesday, Pastor Zackery Tims was found dead on the floor of his Time Square hotel room. The first information said… heart attack. But later information started circulating… that a white powder sustance… cocaine had been found on him.
I had long ago stopped watching him … or some reason or other. I cannot remember why… but it always seems to me that as you watch some of these television evangelists… you like them in the beginning, but then they begin to shift. And everything about them and what they are preaching changes.
I cannot say that about Pastor Tims… because I cannot remember what prompted me to stop watching his program. And it might not have had been anything with him… but a time conflict between the show schedule and my schedule.
His eyes lately were watery or shiney… glossy I guess you could say… whenever I would happen to catch the tailend or some part of his show. And I am not just saying that because I am hoping that after the autopsy is finally released… it will show any drugs in his system. Because I am not… if anything quite the opposite.
I would hate to think that he would have been drawn back… into something that he was blessed enough to have been released from. But when you think back to the events that lead to his divorce… you have to think… Well, maybe.
He was involved with a stripper for a year… that is what the article read. But if it
read a year… then it is possible that it was for a longer time than that. While he was engaging in adultry with her… it is very likely that he was also indulging in other things too. And while that relationship may have ended… and who really knows… But if he was drinking or indulging in drugs as well… it is not so likely that he also just stopped abusing either. And do note I said ‘if’… because I don’t know.
I didn’t know him… or much about him except what most of you who also watched the Word Network knew about him. But I was watching the day he leaped upon the top of his pulpit podium to dramatize something he was preaching. I did think that was very odd… and all I could think was-
“That is suppose to be holy. How could he jump up on it?”
But it would seem that not much is still considered to be holy any more in church. 
I see preachers with baseball caps and hats on in the pulpit… and sweat suits and sneakers. Anything it seems goes today… whatever… however… whenever. My, Lord…
Whatever happened to reverencing the house …and the things of the Lord?
UPDATE: SUNDAY, January 15, 2012…As of New Years Eve this 
year Pastor Paula White has been chosen the Board of Regents of New Destiny Christian Center. And it would seem that since the autopsy done on the body of Pastor Tims was never released to the public…that drugs had indeed been found in the blood system of the late Pastor Zackary Tims.
With the announcement of Paula White becoming the chosen replacement… Well, it did not seem to sit right with Pastor Tims ex-wife. Tims’ ex-wife claims that Tims’ and her children are being robbed of their inheritance. You can read more on that by CLICKING the LINK below.
Since I am on the subject of Pastors… and since I did write a blog on it. Let me just note here that I read somewhere… or heard it… that Bishop Eddie Long quietly settled his cases 
with the young men who had filed law suits against him, for supposedly taking sexual advantage of them while they were under his religious leadership as young teenaged boys.
The settlement is said to have been $15 million total going out to the young men in question.
Perhaps it is a sign of the times… but I
sincerely hope not.
Visiting with a niece and enjoying myself. Can’t you tell?
I have so much time on my hands that I decided to take some of it to write this blog. I rarely have much time these days. I am on assignment… and must pick up my pace. I have to stay busy in the things of the Lord. And at the end of the day… I just want to be ready when He comes.
And for as long as I can remember that has not changed.
I still love this picture… It is sooooo refreshing looking.
Speaking of which… while talking with a cousin this evening… she told me that they were buckling down for a bad storm that they… the insurance claims agents of the company she works for …are being prep for if it should hit us this week on the east coast.
Better get out and pick up a few things for just in case. And no need to wait until the last minute… do it now since you have gotten 
some advance info.
One other thing… while here. My niece took me by Dr. Martin L. King’s house and the Center for Non-Violence. Took a picture with a tour guide who informed me that every house on his street was bought by the Federal Government… and the 
only house on the street that is not owned by the Federal Government on that street is the King house… which is still owned by the King family. But the house is open for tours …which are done on the half-hour. 
It was amazing watching the people… black and white touring the grounds of the King’s house and the Center for Non-Violence. And it is all free… parking and everything without any hassles.
Mrs. Coretta Scott King was a very smart woman. A woman who was determined that her husband’s death was not going to be in vain… or forgotten. And I mean she did it… and she didn’t do it half-stepping either.
Well, God bless…
Thank you for reading this blog…and my others. Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…” www.bsmith101.wordpress.com ©2011
4 comments August 23, 2011
Bishop Eddie Long…can it really be true?
I have been thinking about this all day. Since last night, really. Ever since my son called me to tell me this story it has been on my mind.
I really can’t begin to phantom any of this. I hardly know where to begin. 
And it is not that I am soooooooo in love with Bishop Eddie Long.
The truth is I know little of him really.
The first I ever saw him…he was part of Bishop Paul Morton’s Full Gospel organization. He had been one of the speakers during one of the Full Gospel Convocations…him along with Bishop Larry Trotter, whom I really loved. The man preached.
I guess that is the problem.
They can preach. And many times we get so carried away with their ability to preach that everything else about them somehow gets around us. Even when it is glaring at us.
We exalt people because of theatrics…and their ability to spin ‘The Word.’
Clearly, charismatic…Eddie Long was and is a master at what he does, and
has been doing. I loved his ability to speak to the ‘everyday man.’ Whatever that may mean.
Well, it means to bridge through to the masses. To have the ability to reach the man in the street in a way that is clear and understandable to him regarding God, how we should live, and what God desires of us.
I have no idea of whether or not these allegations are true. But the truth of the matter is this. It does not look good.
No, it just does not look good at all. And when these type of charges start emerging against anyone…they only get worst.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/22/national/main6890214.shtml
When the charges against the Priests in Massachusetts got started it was just 1 person. Then it grew to more…and finally it ended up with more than 92 cases of people claiming that they have be abused by the Priests in their Parishes.
In my book, THE BISHOP’S WIFE, I state that I have come to realize that it is not the Church which is under attack. But God bringing some things to light…or to our attention, if you will.
Though my book, THE BISHOP’S WIFE, is basically a fictional novel…at the rear of the book I state some things which God has revealed to me. Much of which has to do with Pastors and ‘so-called’ religious leaders… mega churches… prosperity… women… etc…
This is not to say that I am talking against Bishop Long. But one does have to 
wonder. And because of our discerning spirit…or ‘supposed’ discerning spirit… somehow it rings as true. As much as I would love not to believe it…something in my gut says-
“Its true.”
I recall the last time that I watched Bishop Long’s broadcast on Streaming Faith…maybe a couple of months ago. During that broadcast he took the time to bring out onto the stage…or pulpit…but at New Birth it seems more like a stage. But anyways…he brought a young man out from the choir who he refered to as “1 of his spiritual sons.”
This young man was one of the youth leaders of Bishop Long’s church in Atlanta, who 
had recently won some type of national recognition on “America Got Talent”…or something. The boy…or young man stuck me as being possibly gay. Or so I thought in the back of my mind.
But then I am told by a friend that I am always calling somebody ‘gay.’
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/09/21/robinson.complaint.pdf
But having been ‘gay’ and having lived in ‘the life’ for some more than 25 years…it is hard for me not to spot it no matter how closet-ted it may be.
Besides I am told that ‘you can spot’ …whatever it is that you do…or used to
do. That is to say that an alcoholic can spot another alcoholic or an ex-alcholic…or a drug addict another drug addict or ex-addit…even if it might be difficult for someone else to pick up on certain things about them.
http://www.examiner.com/christian-tv-in-national/bishop-eddie-long-scandal-divorce-info-pastor-denies-2010-controversy-videos
In fact, that was not the first time that I had heard Bishop Long make mention of his ‘spiritual sons,’ as these legal charges against Bishop Long are being brought against him by some of his alleged past… possibly near-present ‘spiritual sons.’
I have also heard Bishop Long call Bishop T. D. Jakes
his ‘spiritual father.’ Whom I am sure by this time has sought him out to assist him regarding this matter.
Just how much collateral damage these allegations will bring about is uncertain. Sometimes just the sheer allegations are more than enough to make everyone run to the hills and dessert you.
UPDATE: Wednesday, June 22, 2011… Nooooo, not so for Bishop Eddie Long’s congregation. They are sticking by him…while Bishop Long has vowed to fight this to the very end. Though I heard that maybe some negotiations have now taken place. And maybe some paying off may take place.
In searching over the internet for information on this story, I came across something on Bishop Trotter which shocked me. It is the title to one of his books….”My Wife, My Mistress, My B–ch or My Whore.”
This stuff is too wild to even be fiction. This is why we are informed in the Bible to put our trust in God only…and not man. We can admire them…respect them… and give them honor as being our Pastors. But at the end of the day many of them fall very short.
Another item on the radar is about Kim Burrell.
Has anyone heard this story?
Kim Burrell has left her church, Nelson Temple Church of God in Christ, in Houston, to start her own church. And has declared herself to be a ‘bishop.’
Kim’s church which she stated in a radio interview will be called ‘Love and Liberty Fellowship Church.’
It seems that Kim Burrell is determined to remain controversial.
There is definitely a war going on.
Perhaps, when the Bible said that ‘there would be wars and rumors of wars’… some of the wars that it was referring to would not be as traditional wars. But perhaps some mighty great ‘spiritual wars.’
One other note on Bishop Eddie Long…one could say that he was… and still 
is a ‘Preaching Icon.’ There are hardly any current Preachers who do not duplicate at least one thing or way that Bishop Long routinely says something. Often now you can a Preacher or 2 saying “Look at me.” Another Bishop Long line that is widely used by others is the word ‘scared’…Eddie Long’s way…‘skarrr-ed.’ Then there is…”I’m not afraid of nobody in here.’ And the list goes on.
It will interesting to see just how many of these sayings survive this latest religious scandal.
UPDATE: On Bishop Eddie Longe saga… What a shame. It really sadden me… in regards to all parties.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/bishop-eddie-longs-wife-claimed-vicious-abuse-divorce/story?id=11765648
A 4th young man has levied accusations against Bishop Eddie Long. When these kind of allegations come to light there are usually more. The probably
is… this. When the door is open… as this door has been opened many more may come forward. And it may or may not be true regarding all of them… but the door is definitely open for more allegations to come.
One of the first things one has to believe is this. Whenever someone states something about you …or says something about you…or that you said…or did which is not true… the natural and first response from you is to call it a ‘lie.’ But this is yet to be said on the part of Bishop Long.
UPDATE: Monday, October 24, 2011…Trouble upon trouble for Bishop Eddie Long.
http://elev8.com/news/orethawinston/new-birth-church-members-sue-bishop-eddie-long-video/
Well, hope that you are enjoying this weather. For the past 2 days it has been very hot here.
Yesterday I went to our state fair. I only go to eat the food. I love fried dough…and the sausage with onions and green peppers…and mustard, of 
course. I also can’t leave without buying a large fresh squeezed lemonade. And the only thing I missed…was the mini donuts.
I just didn’t feel like walking that far to get
them. Otherwise, they would have been had. But after eating all of what I had already bought…
Well, who had the energy?
But I am sure 
missing those mini donuts now.
Well, God bless…
Thank you for reading this blog…and my others. Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…” www.bsmith101.wordpress.com ©2010
6 comments September 24, 2010
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