Because of this scandal on last Sunday, the big day that Mr. Long had committed to speak on the alleged sex scandal, I must admit that I sat with nervous anticipation. As a man with sons, I sincerely hoped that Bishop Long would say all the right words that would comfort and soothe the souls of the people. The accusations that have been made public against him has concerned me to the core but at the same time, I am relieved as I breathe a breath of fresh air that my sons are fortunate and blessed to have me, their dad, in their lives everyday.

For as we already know, there are just too many young men who aren’t as fortunate and can’t say that their dad’s are present and in their lives. Many of these young men are so impressionable and desperately need their fathers and/or mentorship programs and support such as what many churches offer.

I really wanted to believe Bishop Long and I wanted his words and his heart to resonate with truth and justice and to spiritually align with the word of God. I hoped that after he spoke, his words and his demeanor would help to change the perception of guilt in the court of public opinion and once and for all I wanted it all to be better and ultimately go away. I desperately wanted his words to speak truth to power.

As I waited, flipping TV channels back and forth, I wondered how would he ultimately address the church members and the media and why did he wait all week to make a statement? If I were his attorney, I would have suggested that he speak out without hesitation and make a preliminary statement…declaring his innocence. Then on Sunday, I would have advised him to put the facts on the table, address his church members and go for the home run of truth.

However, to my surprise and disappointment, I didn’t like what I heard on Sunday. The man was talking in riddles. Even one of my sons ask me to explain what Bishop Long meant. I told him that I can’t really explain what a man is trying to say when he appears to be saying nothing. It was one of those teachable moments…funny and sad at the same time. I then said to my sons…”let this be a lesson sons, whenever you speak in front of people…keep it simple and make it plain, then say what you mean and mean what you say.”

I didn’t expect that Bishop Long’s attempt at making a statement for the purpose of clearing up the alleged sex scandal would create even more doubt in my mind. I didn’t expect to have to explain to my sons who continued watching, why the church members were all standing and applauding when he didn’t really say anything significant. This was actually confusing to me when I tried to explain to these inquisitive little fifth graders, what was happening. One son called his words “double talk” and the other one said “mumbo-jumbo” and I felt stupid as a grown-up having to try and explain or defend Bishop Long’s comments because at that moment, I too had the same questions and doubts.

Because I didn’t hear what I wanted to hear last week from Bishop Long, I decided to write out a statement that I wished I could have heard. Tell me how this sounds to you…let’s play a game of pretend. What if Bishop Eddie Long had said something like this instead of what he actually said on last Sunday? This is called…

STRAIGHT TALK: What I Wish Bishop Eddie Long Could Have Said…

“I am innocent! I have done nothing wrong. I am hurt and sadden by these charges that have been brought against me because I only tried to help these young men as I have tried to help tens of thousands of others. Let me be perfectly clear, you will not be ab1e to prove any of these allegations because my actions and my intentions are pure and can only reflect the sincere love and patience of a man of God with overwhelming integrity. I have provided excellent leadership and nurturing and have only acted in the capacity and role as minister and spiritual father to these young men.

My efforts to positively help shape these young men’s lives were sincere, appropriate, righteous and clean and even though I am under attack and all my sincere efforts have been undermined… I will sleep good tonight like Jesus did when he went down into the belly of the boat with troubled waters all around him.

Jesus slept in peace even though the disciples were afraid. I am not afraid and neither should you my church family be afraid for I have done nothing wrong. In the days ahead, I will calm these troubled waters just like Jesus did for even though I have never portrayed myself to be a perfect man, I can say with complete confidence that I am not that man that they are talking about. I have never abused, intentionally mislead, improperly touched or had sex or a sexual relationship with any of these young men… as God is my witness.

And just like David, I have my five stones but I have not thrown not even one stone yet but let me be very clear, I am going to fight this thing with all my might. I am going to fight and vigorously challenge every allegation and I will be victorious. Soon, I will have my day in court and the truth will be revealed and shall set me free. This I assure you will be my ultimate outcome for I know that God will see me through.

Pray for me and my family and pray for our church. Also, pray for my accusers for God is good, righteous and just – all the time and God will see us through.
Amen….Amen and Amen.”

How does that sound church? I don’t know about you but I believe that it’s time we all step up and demand truth and justice for all. I personally would love to have heard Bishop Eddie Long speak with sincere words that resonate with love, truth and forgiveness and skip all the “double-talk mumbo-jumbo.” Next week or very soon, I hope he will tell the people in plain language that a 5th grader can understand, “I am innocent and I didn’t do it.” This is the way real people talk when they are innocent and have nothing to hide.

Bishop, You Are Innocent…Aren’t You?

Peace,
Tony L Harris
OLD SCHOOL DAD

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In America then, college students were being asked to show their willingness to participate in a movement that would perhaps improve the quality of life for all who dared to dream the American dream. I, along with six other willing but apprehensive students, received my training and directives from a well-established fraternal organization (Alpha Phi Omega Inc.) We were told where, when, what time, how to dress, and what to expect during our first Sit-In demonstration.

I will never forget the feeling of oppression when we were told we may be yelled at, called niggers or roughed-up by the police. However, dressed in what we called “Sunday clothes” I, along with the others, listened carefully to the very detailed instructions, “Always look forward, don’t raise your voice or use profanity, and remain calm and polite under all circumstances.”

01 Apr 1960, Marshall, Texas, USA --- Police in Marshall, Texas arrest two African-American students from Wiley College after they staged a sit down protest in a drug store. --- Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

Upon ordering coffee, service was quickly denied and we were told to leave. In fact, we were told several times to leave, but we held steadfast to our orders to sit until we felt we had made a statement without words. Sitting at the counter wondering how the sit-in would end felt like an eternity.

After four decades, I can only remember the names of two individuals who shared this experience with me: Herman Ferlough and John “Doc” Coss. But I will always remember the heart-wrenching sound of pistols being cocked by police officers insisting that we leave. Being careful to move slowly out of the door with no sudden moves, I wondered how long black Americans would have to fight to be accepted in the one nation under God that claims to give liberty and justice to all.

Times back then were difficult for black people; educated and non-educated had to fight for the simplest level of justice, equality and respect. That day, only six of the seven who participated in the Walgreens sit-in went to jail and remained in holding until the next day. I have yet to find out why I was not taken to jail like my classmates. Yes, that was then, when people were sacrificing their lives for justice like Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner who were brutally murdered in Mississippi as they worked to assist African Americans execute their constitutional voting privilege. Although our sacrifice was small in comparison to many, it was very significant during the struggle back then.

Now, times have changed for the better as a result of the Civil Rights Movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other pioneers. Now, we have a newly elected President, Mr. Obama, who happens to be black. Unlike then, now, Americans can be proud to live in this country and truthfully say that we are indeed making tremendous strides to be one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all. Thanks to God that he allowed me to live long enough to see, cherish, enjoy and appreciate THE NOW!

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Play along with me… and see if you can visualize my point. Let’s do a ‘Pretend’ scenario. You are a player in ‘the Game’. You, along with all the others players, will use your most powerful option available to you…the Power of Free-Will Choice. You, along with everyone currently living, are players in this huge Solar System Arcade called “The Game”. Inside this solar system arcade, there are infinite mini-parks where any and every conceivable titled game that you and anyone else in their wildest dreams could dream-up, create, patent, and sell can be played for free. That’s right! You heard me… FOR FREE!

In ‘The Game’ you can go from mini-park to mini-park playing any game you choose, and for as long as you choose to play. Please note: there is this one major unconditional rule that applies to Everyone… you get back what you put in ‘Multiplied’…Good or Bad…the more you put in, even much more you will get back. You have heard it said, “you reap what you sow…what goes around comes back around …what you focus your thinking on so shall you become”. “What the Mind conceives and believes it will eventually achieve”. So, you are mentally planting seeds into mini-fertile gardens and you get to water, weed, replant whenever you choose…it’s all up to you.

Tiger Woods! He just won the 2008 PGA Open in a sudden death play-off. He hobbled with excruciating pain from a torn ACL, Anterior Cruciate Ligament, against 45years old Rocco Mediate and yet won. Inbee Park, at age 19, out of Torrance ,CA, she is the youngest female to win the 2008 Women’s U.S. Open. At age four, she was awakened at 3am in Korea to the cheering of her parent’s elation of the first female Korean to win the Women’s U.S. Open. At age 4, she planted, nourished, and protected her thought to living proof. And Kobe and the Los Angeles Lakers now possess the record for the largest margin-loss, 39 points, as of 2008 NBA history after being trounced by the Boston Celtics. And, then, there’s me with all of these names mentioned earlier… Get to the Point! How does this so called game apply to all of us?

Okay! Here goes. Let’s remove the pretend part. Let’s say this scenario represents all of us in our ‘present’ solar system, ‘The Game’ as it is played in Our Lives… Our jobs, titles, circumstances, whatever, are picked according to our own choosing. We can stop, go, change, quit, re-choose and restart whatever…whatever …whatever we choose. We can decide upon whatever we wish to plant into any mini-garden using our free-will choice. We can decide, change, and redecide at Will. We can plant as many seeds as we wish and maintain or neglect, when and whatever as well. It’s all up to you, me and all the rest…including, of course, Tiger. If you go to the internet and Google the story, you’ll find that Tiger refused the seed-thought advice that his doctor offered to him. He was told to plant the ‘rest and rehabilitate the knee-seeds’ following his April surgery, and skip the U.S. Open. The story continues that Tiger told his swing coach to give him his crutches. And, looking back over his shoulder, staring dead into the surgeon’s eyes, he affirmed that he was going to play the U.S. Open. We all know what seeds Tiger selected to plant, nourish, cultivate and raise. He played the tournament and won using his very own power of ‘free-will choice’. The very same power we all have available if and when we choose to use it.

So how does this story relate to me, Bill Parish, aged 65 and semi-retired? I am semi-retired because I chose to play another mini-career game. I’m still actively choosing to keep working in a new and different area. Yes, I have had some successes and care enough to share the above reality story with you as readers. Though not famous, I have been the 1st in many cases to succeed, and the one in many attempts to fail. So of these times, why is it that I have sometimes won and sometimes failed?

It’s because I truly believe in this ‘game of life’ story. The times we have collectively and individually failed to win a fight that we said we really wanted to win is when we surrendered the battle before we let the Universe Guide and Bless us. We have thrown in the towel and surrendered. We take the bread out of the oven before it has finished baking. We know because we all have done it at some point or another and can relate. Hopefully, there are lessons though sometimes very painfully learned, as we thus receive the Spiritual blessing.

Many times we have planted seeds and failed to continue watering, nourishing, cultivating them with Faith, and Protecting them with the Armor of Dedication. We go on to other games and leave the Demon Weeds to over take the seedlings which suffocate and die due to the lack of Care. I know we all have been looking for misplaced car keys, a friend, papers, etc. and have called upon the Great God Father to help us find whatever we had asked for and have gotten it. Miraculous healings, you name it, have happened and we really didn’t know why. What was it? What really was it that happened?

With all due Praise and Respect to the Universal Power that some of us refer to as God, it was that we asked and received it; we sought and it was revealed to us; we knocked and the door opened. We just didn’t know that it was our Heavenly Father’s Good pleasure to give us the guidance to win any and all of our situational games. Most of the times we go with our own knowledge until things go awry, then we call on God. Just think how much more pleasant our lives would be if we would first just ‘let go and let God’ lead. But no, that’s too easy. That’s just nonsense. It wasn’t for Tiger. And neither was it for the Americans while playing their own little games created and patented the cell phone chip, internet, stop lights, refrigeration, and air conditioning, etc. who just happened to be African-Americans. But the power of free-will choice is available to all races, creeds, and sexes with freedom and justice for all. Sound familiar?

So I close by suggesting that we take time to set-up as many mini-game arcades as we wish or can imagine. Decide what dedication and faithful attention and guidance you will apply to the seed-thoughts you wish to plant or choose to deposit. Knowing that you are guaranteed to reap back more seeds from the fruit harvested than you chose to sow, what will you sow? To what will you dedicate your time, faith, strength, and love. And be able to pay-it forward as more fruit for the future of mankind? That is the question that I leave you to ponder. I know we will indeed talk more about this Bill Parish ‘Game of Life’ theory. Guaranteed, you can take that to the bank! And so it is, and is to be so.

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