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Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

The Honorable Judge, God the Father, is presiding. All persons having business before the court, come to order. Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to God’s Ultimate Supreme Court. We will hear the case as scheduled. First case on the courts calendar is {insert your name}. Counselors, are you ready to proceed?

Man… Have you ever wondered what it will be like to stand in God’s courtroom? “Well today, you will have the privilege of actually going into God’s courtroom kinda like court TV and seeing how at least one sinner fared in his trial…“ Believe it or not, one of these days we will ALL stand in the Ultimate Supreme Court of God. No one will be left out! The preachers, deacons, church members, popes, priest, nuns, choir members, drunks, whoremongers, drug addicts, pimps, pushers, homosexuals, liars, thieves, murderers, idol worshipers, fornicators, adulterous, brothers, sisters, grandmothers, grandfathers, moms and dads. The king, the pauper, the general, the president, the foot soldier, the master, the slave, the borrower and the lender we will all stand before God. There will be no escape and there will be no exceptions! {Hebrew 9:27; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Acts 17:31}

On that day the Judge will make no mistakes. His verdict will be true and accurate. His decision will be final!  There will be no negotiating. There will be no second chances. There will be no appeals.  Before the judgment begins, the earth and sky will be destroyed by fire {Revelation 20:11-12} {2 Peter 3:10} after that destruction we will then be judged accordingly. (2 Corinthians 5:10} {Revelation 20:12-13}.  The Books will be opened. {Romans 2:6-7} {2 Corinthians 5:10} {Matthew. 25:31}. We will be reviewed and examined. After the judgment period, we will witness the greatest separation that the world has ever seen. {Matthew 25:31; Matthew. 5:22; Mark 9:43 2Kings 23:10; 2 Chronicles 28:3}.  Are you prepared for the Final Judgment Day?  If you are not a Christian, you ought to be, and you can be one right now. Your eternal destination depends on it. Maybe you are a Christian, and lately you have not been living a faithful and fruitful life for the Lord. Possibly, there may be someone who needs to confess their sins before God. You may have been living in secret sin, trying to hide it from God and your brethren. But God’s hand has been heavy upon you and you are ready to confess. I just want to remind you that we still live in the day of grace. During this time in history, a sinner can come before God and cry out for forgiveness and the Lord will receive them and save them by His grace. Today is the day of grace. Today is the day of forgiveness. Today is the day of repentance. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day of mercy. There will be none of those things given out on that Final Day. Only judgment, swift and sure, will be issued from the Great White Throne and from the Lord. Please don’t do a foolish thing and die without Jesus! Come to Him while the door is open.

Allow me to give you a glimpse of events that might take place on that day. In Zechariah chapter 3, it gives us a look at the guilt of the sinner. This drama is in the setting of a courtroom.  It is in the Ultimate Supreme Court.  God is the Judge; Joshua the High Priest the defendant and Satan is the Prosecuting Attorney. Satan, bringing his case against Joshua before the Lord.  He is standing at Joshua’s right hand opposing him. Satan’s says to the Lord, He is dirty. He says to the Almighty, He is guilty. He is a sinner whose righteousness is as filthy rags. The audacity of Satan: In the Ultimate Supreme Court of God standing around accusing God’s people of their sins. Image that! Talking about, “Drama in the Courtroom,” Ole Satan; the Accuser of the brethren… See how subtle and merciless Satan really is. Bringing up past sins, things that God has already forgiven us for. Bringing up things we did yesterday and even five seconds ago, accusing us, pointing a finger in our face. Bringing accusations to God that we deserve to die in Hell. Satan, the Accuser of the brethren! Accusing us before God; accusing us before men, and accusing us before ourselves… Truth be told though, Satan was right.  Joshua was dirty, sinful, and guilty.  Satan knew it, God knew it, and Joshua knew it.  But thank God that in the court of Heaven we have an Advocate – a Defense Attorney who has never lost a case. His name is Jesus. His plea on our behalf is always the same. Your Honour, the defendant is indeed guilty, but the penalty has been paid. I myself paid the ultimate penalty for his sin and died in his place. The DEBT is paid in full!  Thank God for Jesus! We are not only forgiven; we are justified. We are declared righteous.

Listen, you may be a guilty sinner or a backslidden saint.  Either way I want you to know that you have an Advocate in Heaven.  So no matter what you’ve done, if you will bring your guilt and your sin to God, He will take your case, plead your case, win your case, and commute your sentence from death to life.  I tell you the most indispensable requirement for knowing the Word of God is to understand our predicament – the fact of our sinfulness before God. I am guilty. You are guilty. Everybody in your family is guilty. We are all guilty before God.  Hold on to this truth. Let it make you wise. I don’t want you to perish. If God is opening your mind to understand His truth, now is the time to act! For there will be no second chances on that Day. I want you to know that on that Day, Witnesses will be called forth and they will testify either for you or against you. The first witness will be the Word of God itself- (John 12:48}. Jesus says, “Every word I have spoken to you will judge you on that day. My Word will be the witness!” Also, witnesses shall arise such as the men of Nineveh, the men of Sodom and the Queen of Sheba. {Matthew 12:41-42}. When you stand before the Judge and your book is opened, the vast multitudes of Ninevites will step forward. Those who died in the holocaust of Sodom and Gomorrah will come forth, as will those of Tyre and Sidon. These wicked ones will gather round, incredulous as they hear the list of all the opportunities you had to receive the Word of God: Bibles, radio, and TV, teachers, witnesses, and friends, family. They will cry out, “This man’s judgment ought to be worse than ours! How could he reject so many opportunities and deny such powerful light? We had no Bible, no constant reminders, and no second opportunity. But he had all this!” Jesus says Sodom would have repented if they had heard what you’ve heard – {Matthew 11:23; Matthew 24:14}. If you know in your heart you’re not ready to stand before Jesus –Act Now! If you don’t I want you to know that this one message is enough to damn you to eternal hell if you reject it. It will stand as a witness on Judgment Day… I want you to know that the Judge is keeping an account right now! Are you going to pass the test?

Changing Lives Showcase

RIVERSIDE, CA – On Saturday, May 16, elementary and high school students will have an opportunity to rock the stage at University California of Riverside in the 4^th annual Changing Lives Showcase.  The red carpet extravaganza is presented by Music Changing Lives, (MCL) a non-profit music and art after-school program for at-risk children and youth, which works to inspire kids through performing arts programs to keep them focused on their education and their futures.

This year the competition will be fierce. Students from four schools in the Moreno Valley Unified School District, where MCL offers its after-school programs will go toe-to-toe to see who has the most talent.  Teens from Vista Del Lago High and Moreno Valley High will battle it out, while younger students from Butterfield Elementary and Edgemont Elementary will compete against each other.

There are three categories students can enter in: lyrical, dance and visual arts. The winners will be selected by a panel of celebrity guest judges. As students prepared to compete in the showcase they also fought to increase their school performance and volunteered for a minimum of five hours in their community.  Participants are instilled with the message, “Together we can be the change we would like to see in our community.”

The Changing Lives Showcase is sponsored by Music Changing Lives, MVUSD, Wells Fargo Foundation, UC Riverside, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Target, Edison International, Goliath Graffix and Clothes the Deal.  Through their support, The Changing Lives Showcase helps spread a positive message about the benefits of expressing yourself through the arts while making school “cool.”

For more information about Music Changing Lives or to become a sponsor for the event, please contact Josiah Bruny at jbruny@musicchanginglives.com or visit them on the web at www.musicchanginglives.org.

2014 PEACE OFFICER MEMORIAL

SAN BERNARDINO, CA.  – The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s video “Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony” has received a nomination for the 2015 Regional Emmy Awards.

The announcement was made Monday by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Pacific Southwest Chapter at a nomination event held in Palm Springs. The film was nominated in the Special Events Coverage category for excellence in coverage of a one-time-only, anticipated community or entertainment event, live or edited.

“I am thankful to the Academy for our nomination and honored that the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and our other local law enforcement agencies allowed me the chance to go behind the scenes while they paid tribute to their fallen brothers and sisters,” said Public Affairs Officer Christopher Lee, who directed and edited the segment.

The video is a 4-minute segment covering the San Bernardino County Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony hosted by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department May 22, 2014, at the Rancho Cucamonga Superior Court. During the event law enforcement agencies from all throughout San Bernardino County were in attendance to pay tribute to their fellow officers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

“Given the recent attacks on our peace officers nationwide, this nomination is especially timely,” District Attorney Mike Ramos said. “As we approach this year’s Peace Officers Memorial Day, let’s not forget our law enforcement officers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving our communities in the line of duty. And let’s not forget about those still on the front lines, risking their lives every day to make sure that our families and communities are safe.”

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15^th as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls is known as Police Week.

The 41^st Annual NATAS-Pacific Southwest Emmy Awards will be presented Saturday June 20, 2014, in Palm Springs.

Sweet Alice Harris

LOS ANGELES, CA-The California African American Museum (CAAM) is pleased to announce the next Conversations at CAAM with Watts community activist “Sweet” Alice Harris, Saturday, May 16, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., The discussion will highlight Sweet Alice’s unwavering commitment to the community of Watts and will be moderated by CAAM’s History Council Member Ruby Quallsgray.

A local hero and legend, Sweet Alice has dedicated her life to servicing residents in the community of Watts.   As the executive director and founder of Parents of Watts (POW), she has organized many programs for the community that focus on education, job training, voter registration, counseling, drug abuse and prevention on behalf of the organization.  Additionally, through POW she provides residents with necessities such as food, clothes and shelter.  During Christmas, Sweet Alice gives away free bikes to disadvantaged youth. She is also known to give the community’s youth five dollars each, under the condition that they place the money into a savings account.

Having founded POW in 1979, Sweet Alice’s drive for change comes from a life of struggle.  She was a mother by the age of 14, homeless by 16 and moved from Detroit to Los Angeles to care for her ailing mother.  It was then, she realized her calling for community activism.  Sweet Alice has received an honorary doctorate from USC and many awards including awards from Essence magazine and former President George W. Bush.

This event is free and open to the public. CAAM is located at 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, 90037. RSVP is encouraged by calling (213) 744-2024.  For more information visit www.caamuseum.org.  Follow CAAM on social media: Facebook/Twitter @caaminLA and Instagram @caaminlosangeles.

Derron Smith

By Naomi K. Bonman

The NFL Draft took place this past weekend from Thursday, April 30 to Saturday, May 2. Young men from all across the Nation seen their dreams of playing for the NFL unfold before their eyes, including Banning resident and Fresno State alumni, Derron Smith, 23. Smith was included in the third day of draft picks where he was picked to join the Cincinnati Bengals as Starting Safety.

Smith finished his college football career with 297 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, and 33 passes defensed—15 of which he intercepted. He was also the 11^th player in school history at Fresno State to be named to the all-conference team three times. Smith is the cousin to the editor of the Westside Story Newspaper, Naomi K. Bonman.

Immediate Family cast and crew

LOS ANGELES, CA- On Sunday, May 3, “Immediate Family” written by Paul Oakley Stovall and directed by Phylicia Rashad debuted at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum. Several celebrity guests arrived to the theater via red carpet. They included: Debbie Allen, Ava DuVernay, Jackée Harry, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Vanessa Williams, and a countless number of others.

“Immediate Family” is a biting new comedy which explores evolving ideas of marriage and family. When the Bryant siblings come together for the first time in five years to attend a wedding, the family reunion quickly becomes a hilarious family showdown. Secrets are revealed and long-held beliefs are challenged as a spirited game of cards brings all of the family dysfunctions to the table. Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune said the play is “highly entertaining … [it] just bursts with life.”

The Mark Taper Forum at the Music Center is located at 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles. The play will run through June 7. Tickets are available in person at the CTG box office, by phone (213) 628-2772 or online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org.

Photo by Jay Parnell

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Just in time for fight night, Willing Winn Association and Mission (WWAM) Inc., will be hosting their second BBQ Fundraiser of the year. They will be barbecuing it up behind the Family Dollar at 146 West Baseline Street in San Bernardino from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

For the fight there will be a special “Fight Fix” at just $30 which includes 1 slab of pork ribs, 1 pint of potato salad, and 1 loaf of bread. Regular menu items and price includes: a beef brisket, $14; hot link plate, $11; chicken plate, $11; pork rib plate, $13; combo plate (3 meats), $17; and peach cobbler, $4. Each plate comes with two sides of cabbage, red rice, baked beans, or potato salad.

For more information, please contact (909) 890-8674.

Photos by Jay Parnell

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Listen; if you want to get off to a good start, you need to begin in the right place.  And it begins with a very frank admission. “Not that I have already obtained all this…” You see, the Word of God in Proverbs 16:18 tell us that, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” That tells me that in and of ourselves we have absolutely nothing to brag or be prideful about. Now if there was anyone who had reason to brag about his accomplishments, I would think it would have been the Apostle Paul. But he doesn’t do that. Despite having met the Lord on the Damascus Road, despite having preached across the eastern Mediterranean region, despite being an apostle called by God, despite writing letters inspired by the Holy Spirit, despite all that he had endured, he did not brag about anything he said or did. None of that mattered to him. He knew that he was a sinner saved by grace. In fact in 1Timothy 1:15, he even called himself the “Chief of sinners.” He made no claim of being perfect or having arrived in his own spiritual journey. Now Simon Peter, that’s a whole different story. Simon Peter had made an assumption, and it’s the same assumption that we all make from time to time. He assumed that he had reached a place in his relationship with Jesus where he would never forsake Jesus and would never fail in his faithfulness to God again. I tell you, we must never assume that we can’t miss the mark, for the moment we do, we are headed for a fall. Paul said, although we are perfect through sanctification, through our salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, many of us – in fact all of us – still have a long way to go.

I don’t know about you, but there’s nothing that bothers me more than someone trying to claim to be all that when the Bible says that, “There is none good, no not one!” But some folks believe that they are the exception. My message to all of us today is this: Like it or not, whether we want to believe it or not, we’re not as good as we think we are. We’re not as smart as we think we are. We’re not as clever as we think we are. We’re not as wise as we think we are; and we are not as strong as we think we are. The only thing that keeps us going is Jesus our wonderful Savior, and He is everything we are not. Don’t get it twisted! It has never been about us and it is not about us! It is about Him; the Alpha and Omega; the Beginning and End; the First and Last; the Wonderful Counselor. We have absolutely nothing to boast about, other than Jesus Christ… Throwing ourselves a party! Self-congratulations! Boasting! This is human temptation and human tendency; and a dangerous one at that. Careful! You are threading on dangerous grounds! Boasting is a growing cancer, an infectious disease, an intoxicating behavior.

Sadly, we live in a very proud and egotistical generation where it is now considered acceptable and even normal for people to promote themselves, to praise themselves, and to put themselves first. Pride is considered a virtue by many. Humility, on the other hand, is considered a weakness. Everyone, it seems, is screaming for his or her own rights and seeking to be recognized as someone important. The preoccupation with self-esteem, self-love, and self-glory is destroying the very foundations upon which our society was built. What’s worst of all, the preoccupation with self has found its way into the Church.  Jesus repeatedly taught against pride, and with His life and teaching He constantly exalted the virtue of humility. Nowhere is that more clear than in John 13. I tell you, there is no better garment to clothe yourself with than to be clothed with humility. A humble person is a child of God; but a proud and haughty person is a child of Satan. Who’s your daddy? Pride should not be a problem to us; for according to God’s Word even our own righteousness is as filthy rags (Is 64:6). Get off your High Horse!

Don’t misunderstand me. It’s not wrong to brag. It’s wrong to brag about trivial things. When you brag and you should brag, brag on the Lord, that’s all I’m saying. Besides, if it had not been for the Lord… Hello somebody! The message is simply: Pride is the sin that made the devil the devil, pride makes us like the devil, and pride can prevent us from entering heaven and lead us to hell. Clothe yourself with humility –Boast only in the Cross!

Anyone and Everyone Carrying Deadly Weapons In The Name Of Public Safety Should Be Videoed While Working…

Publisher’s Commentary by Wallace J. Allen

The general police response to Black Folk in America is and has been corrupt. The truth of that statement is based on the common “feelings” of parents and guardians of Black boys as we acknowledge the need to tell our boys “how to act” when confronted by the police. We instruct our sons to not just “be” cooperative but to “act” docile, childlike and very cooperative, to give the police no “additional” reasons to mistreat them.  Statistics prove the corrupted attitude which police generally express when dealing with Black folk and Black males in specific. The disproportionate number of Blacks in the penal system is any thinking person’s evidence.  However knowing that Blacks are a target does not get disturbing to some until they realize that the police were just “practicing” on Blacks… That their callous treatment of Blacks might be just a tune-up for how they will also treat Brown people and as demonstrated recently by San Bernardino County Sheriff Deputies, white people too.

It is a common theory among “thinking” people that Fire is ok in the Black Community, unless the smoke starts to disturb the White community…drugs symbolically represent that fire. For instance some have been heard to say, “Marijuana arrests are ok as long as the bulk of the people arrested are Black, but rather than arrest all of the whites that use it, they make it legal”!

So what happens when the first white man is recorded while receiving the “Black Beat-down” from San Bernardino County Sheriff Deputies? Two things of real importance subsequently occurred that allows white people to maintain confidence in their Sheriff Deputies’ service attitude. Only twelve days after the incident was broadcast across the nation, the County Board of Supervisors made an unsolicited award of $650,000 to the white victim. That settlement offer, if accepted by the victim will also protect the officers involved, because their corrupt conduct at the scene will not have to be dissected and explained in a very public trial. The Board Of Supervisors’ response can have the (intended?) effect of keeping the smoky threat from irritating the eyes of some white people, but the alarm has sounded.

I think that each day and with each police action more people agree that all peace officers should be recorded while they work. What do you think?

Hakim Hazim

By Hakim Hazim

The words of James 1:2-8 should hang in a prominent place in every man’s home today:

“Count it all Joy my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double- minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (English Standard Version)

I wonder how many Christian men really believe that God is truly at work in their lives in terms of trials and tribulations. We are quick to point out what the devil or what people are doing to us. We rarely seek God for any reason other than to remove the source of irritant or pain. We rarely identify the trials that God places us in as his designed training, and we seek out numerous instructors to help us make sense of what is taking place.

The truth is, deep down inside, we have a sense that there is a purpose within the trial, but we don’t want to believe it. We know that God instructs us to rejoice in trials, but we refuse to do it. He instructs us to hold fast and believe, but we are double minded. He instructs us to give our best in the midst of it, but we hoard or talents and possessions. He instructs us to let him lovingly prune us and remove everything that does not belong in our lives, but we fight tooth and nail. The very process that realigns our wills and accelerates our growth, we do everything we can to deny as an option in our lives.

We have been duped into waiting on the divine gravy train that will remove all of our struggles in life. Many have preached a message that struggles of health, resources, relationships and mental anguish indicate a lack of faith. Our honesty about these things arouses the instincts of predators, because they are drawn to struggling people by what they see as the scent of weakness. They promise that they can help you with these things—for a fee if they are a business or an offering if they are a ministry. If you pay close attention to the passage above, God is the author of the trial that befalls individuals and communities as well. He will also be the finisher. The key to overcoming any trial is focused endurance. You have to be anchored into the purpose of it, not simply the resolution. The passage I cited in James says trials—it’s plural. More trials will come. As long you have breath, they will come. Welcome and overcome them by faith. They are yours, designed for you! It does not matter the form in which they come.

Lastly, men: be careful of the wolves in sheep’s clothing—predatory peddlers of false hope and instruction designed to simply fleece you and channel your emotion to their cause. They are everywhere and too numerous to list. You are ultimately responsible for who and what you follow. Christ’s sheep know his voice. The problem is we stray often and find ourselves in places we simply should not be.

Our trials are designed by the Almighty to strengthen our resolve and to rid us of double mindedness. If you persevere, you may be one of the people God is calling to help lead this generation.

Hakim Hazim is the founder of Relevant Now and co-founder of Freedom Squared . He is a nationally recognized expert in decision analysis, criminality and security.