St. Joseph, MI -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/01/2013 -- Bully's beware! Gossip Free founder Kevin Hester has targeted you! Five years ago on 8-8-08 church planter Kevin Hester from Southwest Michigan challenged the world to go gossip free for eight days, (the number eight means a fresh start). Kevin challenged people everywhere not to share gossip or to participate by listening to it and many people took that challenge. To no ones surprise, Gossip continues to be spread. We gossip about Politicians, average people, Heisman trophy winners(such as Tim Tebow and Johnny Manziel), even young TV stars such as Honey Boo Boo,we gossip everywhere, in Churches and in all communities. Many use gossip like it is a harmless form of entertainment, but Kevin believes, gossip can and has effected many lives in some very harmful ways. When gossip is used as a means to intimidate, control, or harass others it crosses a line and becomes a form of bullying.

Bullying has infected our culture, in fact, almost 80% of people claim to have been bullied recently. Through his studies, Kevin has found that Bullying and Gossip are connected. Just as social media has changed the face of gossip, it has also changed the face of bullying. Bullying is no longer just the big kid in the school lunch line. Bullying no longer requires brawn, it can now just as easily be a seemingly weak and innocent perpetrator of gossip through social media. We all have to check ourselves and see if we've contributed in some way by sharing a post we came across or posting something ourselves that could have been used to intimidate, control, or harass another person. When it comes to social media, we have a much greater responsibility to censor what we post as it goes out to all the world and can never be taken back. Kevin is asking people to PAUSE before they text, type, or tweet.

Kevin wants people to ask themselves is this that I am about to share Private, Attacking, Untruthful, Sensitive or Exaggerated. If it is any of those things then don't share it. Kevin believes that we can see bullying decreased but we all must do our part. So take this year's Gossip Free Challenge on 8-8-13, go 8 days Gossip Free. Kevin is also releasing a book titled “No Bull(ying) “How our talking, texting, tweeting, and typing of Gossip leads to Bullying”. He is also offering Bully Free = Gossip Free bracelets to be worn during the challenge.

For more information use the contact information below:
Kevin Hester
hesterkev@yahoo.com
http://www.gossipfree.net
http://www.theshorechurchmichigan.com
269-208-3844

You can also follow him at:
@go_gossipfree
@kevin_hester
@theshore_church