"PRAY.....SERIOUSLY PRAY!!!" The National Day of Prayer-2015

Today is The National Day of Prayer. A day set aside for this nation to pray as one for one goal. Unfortunately, some people are going to use it as a political tool to bring more hate, lift up racism and to bring down our President, President Barack Obama. This man Needs the True Prayers of The Righteous and of the ones who Love God...For Real. So even if you do not agree with everything that he does...We should Pray that the Holy Ghost will direct him when he needs direction. And Right now in the name of Jesus, I Pray for President Obama, First Lady Michelle and his daughters and Family. So on this day, I am asking those who Really Know the Lord, to Pray Jesus Peace, Jesus Love, And to Pray Jesus Blood over Our Homes, Our Body and over this Nation. For Greater is He..Jesus, that's in us than the enemy in me, the Haters, the Police Brutality, Economic Lack, isis and the like, and even the devil himself that it's in the World.....For God is Greater!! But we must not forget, what else that We Must Do...So, let's take out a moment and read 2nd Chronicles 7:12-14.- 7: 14 Saids "If My People who are called by My name, will Humble themselves and Pray and Seek My Face, then will I hear from Heaven, and it is then that I will Heal their Land" Yes, We Must do this, as We Lift this Saviour Up! for it's time to Stop Lifting up the Haters and evil doers who only want to destroy across this world... for when all of the haters and evil folk are gone, God will Still be Here! For Always and Forever and Forever, and Ever..God will Still Be The Great I am!. So on this day, Pray. And to the Church Get Ready, for playing time is Over. For Jesus will be Coming Back Real Soon Now, Sooner than Soon! So, Let's Stand up, Fight and Seriously, Seriously, Seriously.... Pray! Blessings PastorD

"IT'S YOUR HEALTH......REALLY! ( Consumers Corner)

Greetings, Today's Consumer Corner is going to be about Your Health and how to handle it, concentrating on your doctor's and hospital visits. This blog is a result of being on both ends of the stream. I have been patient and Medical Personnel in Nursing etc. as well. So here are a few tips: 1. Demand Respect. I mean by Demanding I mean very nicely...Demand Respect. We all know about The HIPAA Law that requires a patients confidentially and privacy, but what about a RMAAP Law...."Respect me as a patient" If I owe a co-payment or something...Respect Me, Don't tell the whole world, or humiliate me if I don't happen to have it that day. You don't know my circumstances. Don't put up with that. 2. Your Doctor's Visits: a). How comfortable are you with your physician and staff? Be careful not to see a doctor because your family all the way back to The Flintstones always saw them. Make your own assessment. b). How much time do they spend with you? Unfortunately, some insurance companies...Especially HMO's require a doctor to only spend 15 minutes with their patients. That's Pitiful! Too bad that requirement by some insurance companies couldn't of been removed by The Affordable Health Care Act. I Mean, You break your neck to get there, pay for gas, bus fare and the like and pay a co-payment, right? Well after all of that, they need to give you your due time of a Patient/Doctor Quality Visit. Thank God that some Good Physicians do not worry about getting bonuses from insurance companies but will spend all the time that they need with a patient. 3. PRESCRIPTIONS: Know what your doctor is giving you. Ask him or her many questions about your meds. And when you ask if there are any side effects, and they say none....Red Flag! There are Always side Effects. And your doctor may just want to push it to get some walking around money from The Pharmaceutical Company. Do your Own Homework. It really upsets me when I am at a pharmacy and I hear a Good Pharmacist ask a Senior Citizen..."Do you know why your doctor is giving you this medication"? And a lot of times the answer from the senior is.."No, He just gave it to me". Listen, if you have a senior parent or loved one, don't let them go to the doctor by themselves. or at least talk with the Pharmacist Before they fill their prescription. And listen, Old or Young, know what your doctor is giving you. Don't be fooled. All Dementia cases does not stem from age. but they can also come from meds that do not cross reference well. And meds that a person should of Never been given in the first place. 4. TEST RESULTS: Know your full test Results. First of all, ask your doctor why he or she is a running a particular test. And then when the results come back, go over them with your doctor line by line. I don't care if it will take more than 15 minutes of their time. Make them tell you. Please, don't just accept a phone call or a letter that saids..."Your Test are Normal" I mean yes, that is Good News. But it may not be the Whole Story. Sometimes levels of blood test may bLe borderline, or not normal for your medical history. And probably should be repeated in 3-6 months. But you will not know that, if you do not press them for exact answers. Thank God that more hospitals are using "My Chart" where a patient can look up their results on line. Too many medical conditions have been missed by a quick blanket interpretation of a test result. The same goes for Cat Scans, Mri's ,Ultra Sounds and the like. For Example. If your Hemoglobin as a post menopausal woman has always been 14.5. But now it is 12.75. Even though that may fall close to a Normal range for the lab, It is not normal for you. And it should be investigated to find out why it changed. And on the note of Women..You know your body, if you know that something is wrong with your menstrual, pelvis, breast or anything. Don't let the doctor dismiss you by saying that I wouldn't worry about that. You know when something is wrong. And I don't care how many test that they ran....if They didn't find Nothing...Take it again! Because you know your body! AND THIS GOES TRIPPLE FOR YOUR CHILD AND THEIR PEDIATRICIAN!! So, be your own Advocate. If you have a Good Doctor who takes time with you, explain things and listens.. You need to Praise God for that. But if you don't...start looking for another doctor. Because It's Your Body. You are the Patient, the Doctor works for You. So in a nice but bold way, Demand Respect and Excellent Health Care. For "It's Your Health...Really!" Blessings PastorD

"NO JUSTICE NO PEACE....PEACE BE STILL!"

Well, Well, Well! Just when it looked like nothing Was going to happen for a while or at all, here comes State Attorney General Marilyn Mosby making an announcement in front of a judicial building. Her announcement was that all six officers were charged in regards to the death of Freddie Gray. But not only that, one or two were charged with Murder. This was unexpected or at least not expected at this moment. while this is a sad case for the families of the officers and the family of Freddie Gray, you can hear horns blow in the streets of Baltimore when that was announced. And you can almost see a sense of relief on some of the citizens face. It is like someone lifted a boulder off of their shoulders. But on the other hand, the police union in Baltimore has called for an independent investigation, feeling that they need a second pair of eyes and ears who is not connected with Mosby's office. Wow! how ironic.. I just remember recently from Michael Brown, Eric Garner's death and others that the attorney's for the families of the deceased were asking for an outside independent investigation as well. And you know what? Some of the same ones who have asked for this action to be done in Baltimore, maybe back then felt that those request were offensive to police officers. It was also something to finally get the long pained question that America has been asking answered, and that was...What did Freddie Gray do to get arrested in the first place? Well, according to Attorney Mosby's investigation ..Freddie Gray did Nothing. And the knife that he had on him was not illegal. So, what happened in that van? I mean for Real. Seeing Mr. Gray in pain on his way to the van in the hands of The Baltimore Police was awful. But to see that he was in respiratory distress and was ignored when he asked for an inhaler was very painful. You know, That could of been anybody's son...Wake up Everybody. In Peace and in Prayer, we need to take all of these cases like it's Personal! No matter what community or city that you live in! And making it personal also goes with this black on black crime as well. All of it Has to Stop Now! So, where do we go from here? Well, my advice is to Take a note from the page of a Man of Great Wisdom. And that is congressman Elijah Cummings! Every night he has been on the streets in the faces of hundreds of protesters giving them advice, loving them and telling them to go home at curfew. Rep. Cummings is no punk, and no sell out. He is genuine. And he has been a fighter for all of us for years. He knows about injustice. He knows about fighting. This man of wisdom has been humiliated on the floor of the congress and in many committees by the republican party many times. But he has always kept going. Congressman Elijah Cummings, We Love You and are Proud of you. And please, just keep on keeping on! The young men in the community and this nation can learn a lot from you. So to the protesters in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Minnesota and the like. I have a challenge for you, Put Your Common Sense and Guts where your mouth is. It's just like what Atty. Mosby said...You said No Justice No Peace, well justice is now in process. So, Man Up, Woman Up and keep the peace. Because if you don't...your sins will find you out. just as some of us suspected, we will see that it never was about Freddie Gray with you. We will see that it was never about your voices not being heard or about jobs...You just wanted to tear down and destroy and maybe you were getting a few bucks to do it! Well if this is You. The people who do care, love their community and who want to fight peacefully, they will move you out of the way...So No Justice, No Peace! But, Peace, Peace, Peace Must Be Still!! Blessings PastorD

"THERE'S SOMETHING SMELLING...IN DENMARK" (Consumers Corner)

Goodmorning, Today is Monday, April 27th, 2015. And as I promised myself, today will be the first of weekly blogs for the consumer. It is called: "Consumers Corner" It will be one day a week addressing concerns of consumers in the stores, doctor offices, car dealers and the like. It is important that not only should we know our rights, but we should also stay informed and use the wisdom that God has given us. Starting at the age of 11 following my mother's footsteps, the (late Birdtrice J. Smith)...Consumer Rights was one of my fights. In these blogs we will talk about your right to be treated with respect as a customer/patient. But it will also remind us that to get respect, we too Must be respectful. So stay tuned. Today's Consumer Corner is below: God Bless You. "THERE'S SOMETHING SMELLING...IN DENMARK" When you enter your grocery store, what greets you first, a greeter or the smell from the back of the store? Do not be fooled, a Dead Cow or Chicken should not be the one to meet you as soon as you walk in. Just like urine should not meet you on your way in the door when you visit a loved one in a nursing home. Do Not put up with that. Please go immediately to that store manager or director and address it peacefully. It is very important to develop a relationship with the management of the store that you frequent. And if a peaceful conversation does not work, go to the next step, go to the corporation who owns the store. No help there?...Then go to: www.usa.gov and file a complaint. No one should have to put up with bad food, and a dirty store. That's Your Money that you are putting into that store. That's Your family who you are feeding from that store. And if when you do address the manager, don't fall for no quick answers like somebody spilled something in the back. Speak up. And let me close with this. I see this a lot in the inner cities. For you may have a store that may be the only store within miles of your home, and I have walked in these stores and have saw filth. Do not let them think that because your choices are slim that you have to deal with that mess.. Report them! You are the consumer...You are the boss! And to those Large Chains like Kroger, Meijer Spartan Stores and the like...I am watching You. when I pick up a pack of chicken or pork chops, I should not have to see old dried blood, or a meat shelf that looks like it has not been cleaned in years. And guess what?...It Smells! You better get your act together! My four and two year old granddaughters can do a better job of cleaning that up! So, is something smelling in Denmark at your store? Demand a Clean up, Report it, and if to no avail..Shut it Down!. And Never Shop there again until it's Fixed! Blessings, PastorD

WHO THE HECK...ARE YOU?!!

Here we go again, without knowing all of the facts, it appears that we are now dealing with another senseless death at the hand of the police. This time it was in The City of Baltimore Maryland. And this man Mr. Freddie Gray did not die by a gunshot. As a matter of fact, how he died is still a mystery. It was a week after he was hospitalized that Mr. Gray died from a Severe Brain Spinal injury. But how did that happened? And why was he arrested and dragged to a Police Van, Moaning in Pain...in the first place? So while We say after Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Mr.Dent in Michigan and Others that Enough is Enough, And while the investigation is in process, I have one Question to ask....... "Who The Heck..Are You?! The People who have been protesting peacefully in Baltimore, I am praying for you, and keep on protesting. But to the ones who are causing Violence..Who are You? And where did you come from? Do you even know Mr. Gray, Michael Brown or the others? Do you even care about what happened to them or to their grieving families? My Answer..probably not. It's ashame, but just like in Ferguson, St. Louis, La, New york and The Like...You Probably don't know Nothing!! You see, it's folk like these who give good citizens a bad name. Like those racist cops give good cops a bad name as well. I can almost guarantee you that the trouble makers do not have any ties with the community or even care about the community. What was your social activism before this? you know, Michael Brown etc.? Do you Vote? Do even know how to vote? Where were you when the folk in the grass root community were getting their tail whooped, by lies and abuse just to fight for your rights?..Uh! Where were you? Well on this day, April 26th, 2015, you better Listen up. You see, you have No respect for the community, the grieving families and obviously No respect for yourself. So You need to leave, get back on the bus, and get the heck out of the way. Because You are "In The Way"!! And let me say this.. to those of you Brothers and Sitas ( And even a few folks from the Caucasian persuasion )..who have taken money from some groups/corporation that means no one any good, and who have put you on the bus just to start the riots and the fights....Watch Out, God Knows Who You are! And He knows who Sent You. It's Judgment Day Baby, and your day is about to come! Oh and listen, I am not talking about justice coming from the courts you understand, I am talking about the wheels of justice from a Mighty God. He is about to Deal with You!! Enough is Enough!! So let the righteous and the true fighters of justice continue the fight through peace, prayer and your vote. And do not let folks like theses distractors and those who are profiting off of them, Stop You! So Please Continue to Pray, Stand Up And Fight...In Peace! Blessings PastorD

"THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM......KICK IT OUT!!"

Blessings, Happy/Blessed Palms Sunday! I have not been with you for a While, and Today's Blog may be a little Controversial, but it is Real and it Must be dealt with. How many times in our society, have we heard about stories of rape and incest among the family? Incest that might have taken place as a child but has now come to fester and cause harm in the victims adult life. And just like in Joyce Meyers case, when the child told the parent or responsible guardian of the act, The Parent turns their head, accuse them of lying, or somehow made them think that it had to be their Fault. And what happens?...that child feels like they just got raped all over again. But as bad as The rape or molestation was, not being believed or getting help when Uncle or Aunt so and so raped or touched them inappropriately is Worst. And all anyone cared about was keeping the family name... But let's go outside of the house. Let's go to The Church. When all of those awful charges came out about the Catholic Priest who either raped or had inappropriate behavior with an Altar boy, or child, I charged my denomination not to smirk. For I told them, don't you dare laugh about this. Because You know what You are doing. And just like for the Catholic Church, your mess will come out soon. The Elephant is in The Room. You know, it hurts to have someone very, very close to you to tell you in their adult Life, that an uncle molested them when they were a child. And even though You Never Denied that it happened, it still feels bad when in hind site you realize that the warning signs were all there, but you just did not see it. And then to find out, that the person that they dearly loved was told, but nothing was done...That Hurts..It Really Hurts! Well, How about that Young Child, Adult, Male or Female or preacher in the church who went to that Bishop, or Leader and told them that Pastor so and so, or Deacon, Steward, or Sis. Evangelist so and so, touched them where they should not have, or had sex with them, and that Leader did Nothing?! How about Those same young victims running to their parents and telling them about the offences of a Pastor, or Deacon etc...And when they did, they were told that they were Lying and that Pastor So and So would Never do that, And Don't You Repeat this! But The Church Knew, just like other family members knew about cousin Pooky and them. But it was just The Elephant in The Room. And then there is The Cooperate World...( Oh excuse Me, sometimes you cannot tell the difference between the Corporate world and the Church)...Anyway, How many sexual harassment cases or Racial Discrimination Cases got swept under the rug. or The Victims in the office, were afraid to speak up because of backlash or they knew that the CEO's wouldn't believe them? But The Office Knew...It's The Elephant in the room. And then there are preachers, preachers who are going through their own hell, not from anything that they have done, but from the stress of pastoring, the church members from hell and just being overwhelmed. And when they go to their leaders, they are ignored or brushed off. Just Get that Budget in, they are told. and so no help is given. And then when you hear about the Suicide of preachers and The deaths of young preachers due to heart attacks or a stroke. What do folk say?...oh that was too bad about Rev. So and So...But No one wants to address the Real Problem. Again, it's that Big Elephant in The Room. And Baby, That Elephant has got to Go!!! Enough is Enough! So on this Palms Sunday and Holy Week, Let's Stand Up and Fight for those who have been victims in and out of the Church. Let's Stand up and back up those who you know that Corporate Bosses have illegally and immorally did your co-workers Wrong. Let's Make our Episcopal Leaders Listen to their preachers and give them the help that they need...Now! No More Sweeping it under the rug. From The Catholic Church to The Church of God in Christ, A.M.E. and More. The Abuse, The Denial, The Passing of The Buck has got to Stop! And to those of you who are in Charge, You might have turned your back when your Son or Daughter in the Ministry who highly Respected and Loved you, came to you for help, But When you Face God...(And You Will).. What do You think that God is Going to Say?! Black Lives Matter, Preachers Lives Matter, Your Congregations Matter, Our Babies Matter! And as I Close, I have to wonder, Would that CEO, have not turned their head to that Supervisor, Director or Boss's Mis-Conduct if they weren't bringing the Money or the Best Clients in? Would that Pastor or Church Leader have been Prosecuted and taken down, if Their Church wasn't Paying their Budget on Time? What's Your excuse? And Parents...Listen to your Children. And Listen People, You Must Listen to The Holy Ghost. Because He is speaking. And Judgement Day will Come. Repentance Must Come All across our Families, Our Corporations and Especially in Our Churches Now! So, let's All get together and Kick that Elephant out of The Room. For We Must, Pray, Stand Up and Fight! And to those who have gone through or who are going through Preacher Burn out. For those who were abused and found no help. Healing is in the room. Just like someone real dear to me, you too can sit down with God, and ask him to Search yourself. For even as we go through, there is always a lesson for us to learn. And when God has His hands on You.. All that you have gone through will be to "His" Glory and So that You can help Somebody Else. For The devil Will Not have No Victory! Amen?. And There is a Book that will be coming out around April 1st, 2015, that may help you. It's entitled: "REBUILD" by Rev. Dr. Marcus A. Cylar-You can go to amazon.com and Get a Copy. For We were Hurt, But Now...We can be Restored, Healed and Set Free!! Blessings PastorD

"EBOLA AND RACISIM, TWO DEADLY DIEASES.....IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?"

There is a sickness among us, creeping around hurting people and taking lives. In the last several years, Africa has been infiltrated with the Ebola virus. Many Africans have died. But, no one cared until it hit The United States...Um.. Deadly! But there is also another sickness among us that was here before Jesus came, and that sickness is Racism. And unfortunately, there is no antibiotic, or serum that can destroy it. For there is not one thing that The CDC( Center for Disease Control) in Atlanta can do about it!....And in these two cases, I have to ask the question...Is There a Doctor in In The House? Let's Get The Facts about Ebola: Ebola is a EHF ( Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever) Disease. It affects Humans and some mammals. And it is caused by an Ebola Virus. Symptoms start 2-3 weeks after contacting the virus. There is a 21 day incubation period. Symptoms are: Fever, Sore Throat, Muscle Pain and Headaches. Typically Diarrhea and Vomiting do follow, along with a Rash. Blood samples will be taken to rule out anything else and to properly diagnose the disease. Contact is through Blood or Body Fluids of an Infected human or animal. And Washing of the hands and being properly clothed when working with meat, can't hurt. One must be aware that some of the disease could possibly travel through Fruit Rats. Even though Antibiotics are used, There is no specific treatment that can be guaranteed for the disease. And as of October 10th, 2014, in the area of Liberia about 4,024 people have died. Deadly, Deadly! RACISM: Racism has been here for a Long, Long Time! And ( Wikipedia) Defines that Racism consist of both Prejudice and Discrimination. And it is based in social perceptions of biological differences between people. And it often takes the form of social actions, practices or beliefs. Or it involves political symptoms. These symptoms considers different races to be as ether inherently Superior or Inferior to each other. There is this theory that members of a different race should be treated differently. Racism causes assumptions or presumptions. It causes stereotypes whether intentional or unintentional. And of course it crosses institutional divisions. ( Like in Colleges). -Racism...Deadly, Deadly! So is there a Cross reference between Ebola and Racism? Was Mr. Thomas Eric Duncan treated differently because of his race? And if the rumors are true, the way that he was treated in that Texas Hospital was Disgraceful! As I mentioned, This disease Ebola is not new. But it became brand new when it went from killing thousands of Africans to infecting white America.....And others. And you know, All of this has got me thinking. How fair was the distribution of good health care in the past? For example: when I was two years old, I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance with a very high fever. They thought that I had Polio. But it turned out (like in many cases back then),that What I actually had was Rheumatic Heart Fever. I was in the hospital for weeks. And months later I had to learn how to walk again. Anyway, I really wonder now...how long was the Polio Vaccine out before the brown kids or the olive kids were able to get vaccinated? Was it like financial aid in college? You see, When we found out about The Basic Grant. The white students had benefited from it for years before we ever heard of such a grant. So, in the case of a disease like Polio, how long did we have to wait before we knew anything about a vaccination? And here in 2014, are we really prepared? You know this type of Racial Division of care is not new...Remember the war on drugs? There was no war, until the drugs left the poor neighborhoods and went to the Caucasian/Elite. Only then was it a tragic epidemic! Anyway, the nurses union has complained that the nurses, the hospitals and even the doctors are not really being prepared for this disease. And I can understand their concern. You know I worked in the medical field for years before going into the ministry. And I worked at a Major Hospital in Michigan in Nursing, Pathology and as a Pre-Med Student. When Aids became a big issue, our Infectious Disease Control Department did a Good job helping us to deal with it. But the problem was, every 5 minutes they were always changing the protocols. One day it's no glove then double glove, you must wear gowns, mask and on and on. So, I understand the frustration. And if something goes wrong, it's the nurses and staff who gets blamed and Not the Ceo's. And who gets hurt the most is the Patients and Their Families. And it was a mess during that Aids Scare. People just feared the unknown. And there were times back then, when if a Aids patient was coding, The Respiratory Team would take their time. Yes....I am telling you the Truth! Me...I had no problems working with Aids Patients. I had No fear at all, I just Prayed and followed protocol. But then one day a colleague put this thought in my mind. She said "Deborah, that's good that you are not afraid of working with Aids or IVDA ( Intravenous Drug Abuser)patients, but you need to remember that you have two kids at home. And you have to think about them" So, I understand what the Nurses and Staff are going through. They feel that they are receiving dysfunctional training. Racism in the country has grown rapid. Especially after Barack Obama became president. The haters are probably blaming him now for the Ebola Virus. Saying something low like he probably brought it over with him from Kenya, ( You know the country that they say that he was really born in). Pitiful. Yes, Racism has really been out there. It's been in the Congress, the police department..etc. Hate has taken too many lives in this country. People like Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, Eric Garner in New York, Renisha McBride in Michigan, Michael Brown, the young man in Walmart, St. Louis and others. And although we must understand that violence does not solve Anything, I understand the Frustration and Anger. That's why we All Must Get Out and Vote. Vote, Baby Vote! And on that note: to All of you Democrats who have been hiding from President Obama and his accomplishments, denying that you are associated with him, like the disciples hid and denied that they knew Jesus after the Resurrection..you folks better watch out! Denying someone that helped you in the past, just because they are not on top right now just so that you can get Re-elected, is wrong. And you cannot be trusted when the heat hits you, on the floor of the congress. And in Reality , you may not get ahead anyway. So, as I close, let me say this: Everybody need to search themselves. Find out what prejudices that you may have. Do we Really love our neighbor? Even our neighbor who looks like us? And then we all should wonder..Is this Ebola Crisis a Disease or is it a Plague? Check the scriptures as you check yourself..( See Exodus 9:14). A Plague could have been allowed because of our hatred, racism and falling away from God......I Don't Know. Think about it. You know The Bible talks about how some things can only be solved by Fasting and Praying. You see, Racism is a Spiritual demon and it must be dealt with Spiritually. And that includes the hate of folks like Isis and the like. It's Spiritual Wickedness. But God has All......Power! And I don't care what your race or ethnicity is. I don't care if you are a Religious Right Conservative or a Progressive Democrat. It does not matter to me if you are a Bible toting Baptist, a shouting Apostolic or a card carrying A.M.E.- Racism and Hatred is Wrong. And with Ebola, Isis, and other issues facing us, this should be the time that we should be coming together as one. God has been watching. And He has found that a lot of us have missed out on an opportunity to Be Blessed by coming together. And now We are going to have to pay the price. So, I say this to you all today. Search Yourself. Make sure that Your Heart is Right. And After you have done that, do what God said to His people in 2nd Chronicles 7: 14. For He said.."If My People, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves pray and seek My face and Turn from their wicked ways, Then...I will hear from Heaven. And it is Then that I will Heal Their Land" So let's be clear, The Ebola Virus and Racism are Two Deadly Diseases. But if We will Pray, Repent, Be Honest with Ourselves and Seek God's Face...( For Real)..Then as a Nation We All will see, that There is a Doctor in The House! Blessings, PastorD