A Seared Conscience: Open Letter to Ben Winston

There's an old saying, a hit dog will holla. Apparently, Paul Ockmond was hit hard because I heard him yelping all the way in Derby. Last night I was meeting new family members and awaiting the start of the Parker Family Musical when I noticed Paul Ockmond had posted a response under the heading of the Lies vs. Truth blog post on Facebook. According to Paul, a survey of his circle of friends determined that I'm contemptible because I like boys and now that gay marriage is legal I can't get anyone to marry me. Wait there's more, Paul Ockmond is apparently an attention heaux and is in need of his 15 minutes in the spotlight. Also according to Paul Ockmond, I'm upset because I can't win an election and because the City of Lumberton won't hire me. Now this is coming from a man of the cloth; a local bible toting, scripture quoting, prison ministry man of god (the g was purposely not capitalized because based on the fruit of his lips we're not serving the same God). While reading Paul'a rant, I was thinking is this the same Paul that used to come to my house bearing gifts? Is this the same Paul that told the Montgomery guy that's trying to sue the LPD that if he wanted to know anything about Lumberton he needed to talk to me? Oh little man, how you have fallen. I must admit that Paul's nipping at my ankles bothered me but I now know who he is and I believe him. What Paul Ockmond will not do is distract me from what's going on. The truth of the matter is Ben Winston, friend and former business partner of Paul Ockmond, was exposed this week. It seems that Ben Winston was planning on using money from one grant to pay the matching funds needed to secure another grant. Ben Winston was also caught telling several half-truths about the $600,000 CAP loan. One minute we have it, the next we don't but we might be able to apply for it......next year. Now you see why Paul Ockmond is taking one for the team and trying to distract me and the readers of this blog in an effort to keep us from discussing Ben Winston's alleged attempt to misappropriate government funds. Before I dismiss you Paul let me give you a little advice: never argue with a man that buys his ink by the barrel.

Now that we've addressed the little chihuahua that escaped his cage, let's focus on what happened this week in Lumberton's political scene. Sometimes I wonder if my blogging efforts are worthwhile. I am learning to hold my peace and let the Lord fight my battles. This week, Ben Winston was exposed and his house of cards is beginning to crumble. This week, I reflected on some things Ben said before he was elected. At the political ralley, Winston boasted that he had supernatural powers and he was blessed because his feet has been under a lot of good white folk tables. At the rally, Winston proudly held up a Chevron employee manual, saying he helped write it and his name was in the book. While he was bragging about being in the book of Chevron I was saying he should be trying to make sure his name being in the Book of Life. Ben Winton promised voters that there were businesses waiting for him to get elected so they can bring jobs to Lumberton. Well, what are they waiting for?

There was a time I thought Ben had a reprobate mind but after speaking with someone, I realized that was not the case. What Ben suffers from is a seared conscience. In 1 Timothy 4:1-2, "The Spirit clearly says that in latter times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits...such teachings come through hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron." At this point, Winston's mind is cauterized blocked by spiritual scar tissue. As a result, his sense of right or wrong has been dulled and desensitized to moral pangs. Ben Winston think he's doing the right thing because he prays in the marketplace every Saturday and encourages prayer at every board meeting but he's merely wearing a mask of holiness. His true nature was revealed this week when he told several untruths about a loan he never obtained.

Ben Winston reminds me of the Parable of the Rich Man in Luke; even God called him a fool. Winston think he's a self-made man, wise in his own eyes. The fact that he's won three elections and was chosen as a senior pastor does not mean he's a good man; it just proves that people don't have a spirit of discernment. Winston promised jobs but they're not here. He's purchased a lot of land in Lumberton but fight against a millege rate increase because he's not making the money needed to cover the taxes. Winston think he's such a shrewd business man but those formadahyde trailers been sitting on his property, unsold since 2005. Apparently he's not required to pay inventory tax.

Earlier this week, Ben Winston was caught on camera at the Lamar County Board of Supervisors meeting asking for a donation of taxpayer dollars. After Winston realized his comments were on tape, he said he was joking. Seriously!?! When I first heard the news, I said Ben know better but then I realized I was giving him too much credit. It's obvious to me and should be obvious to others, he don't know better because if he did he would do better. At this point, my advice to Mayor Ben Winston would be to sit down, swallow any pride you have left and write a letter to the Lamar County Election Committe and withdraw from the County election. You continue to embarrass yourself and your family. Take this opportunity to get out of politics and work on restoring your reputation. Right now, you are a joke; political fodder. You still have time to do something good in Lumberton but in order to do so, you have to stop bullying, bribing or brow-beating the board for their support. I'm more than willing to help you end your last two years in office on a high note. All you have to do is ask and sever the relationships, both personally and professionally, you thought would get you to the next level. You picked the wrong team. I'm the one that can help you or has your conscience been cauterized to a point that you can't admit it? As far as the County post is concerned, get out. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for your family. You have my number, if you're ready to do the right thing, give me a call. I'm headed to the Coast to enjoy my family reunion. I hope you all have a safe, enjoyable weekend. Ciao!