I Love Bagpipes

I was thinking a couple days ago regarding choices I have made. Some of my choices have been wrong (of course) and I missed some paths God had cleared. And there have been consequences. Yet, though I sinned (and still do), God has continued to provide and my life is truly rich. He has continued to provide in spite of myself. So I penned this prose this past week. Of Paths and Surrender God looks upon you with favor today. He rejoices that you are His child. He tenderly reaches out And clears a path for you. You observe from a distance and ponder, "Can I trust that path? What if danger lurks? What if it isn't what I expect?" All the while God patiently awaits. And you wait... And you ponder... And time ticks by. Later you revisit the path. It is barely visible for weeds have overgrown. You turn and walk the other way... Still pondering And time ticks by. You again revisit the once clear path. Yet now the landscape has changed. There is no path. A city has been built And the path is no more. You drop your head For it is too late to travel that path. Your heart sinks With regret and despair. But with God all things are possible. He looks upon you with favor. He rejoices you are His child. He tenderly reaches out And clears a path for you. You observe from a distance and ponder. You approach for a closer view. Your heart is quickened with a spark of hope, "Maybe, just maybe....." As you take the first step. "This time I will trust. Even if there is danger. Even if it isn't what I expect. For He looks upon me with favor. He joys over me with singing. He tenderly reaches out. I will grasp His hand And surrender to Him. In thee O Lord will I put my trust. Thank you Lord for another path." 10/30/06

Gosh dmiller....I chuckled as I read your story. What a ride that was!!! We could start a thread about horse stories. I'm sure Rascal could fill that thread!!!! Ex, Daughter still has her boots! So I can ride "professional". (hee) Can that "sissy" huntseat handle western riding boots? Hope it works so that we can ride and view that TX countryside!! I can smell the horse sweat and leather now...........

Good gawd Ex? You serious? ABSOLUTELY!! Will that horsey take a western saddle or do I have do huntseat?

Giddy up!!!! I'm game Ex!! I can even bring jerky. But alas....you was a kiddin'.

Happy, happy birthday to you from all at the Pipes' home. Thank you for your deep friendship, kindness, empathy, insight, and strength. Love and blessings all around!! (with a special ABC song...:) )

Happy Belated Birthday to a true gem! I've been blessed time and again by your presence here and in my life. One day we will get to sit and talk for HOURS!! We will talk God and string theory (uh, yeah...right :blink: ) and Candace Pert and ......MEN!!! :)

Happy Belated Birthday CW!!! Hope your day was filled with colour.

Wondermous and awesome!!

Thank you very much for your kind words. :) Glad someone got something out of it. Rereading it, I found a typo. (There shouldn't be "let" before "allow" in that 6th verse.) Lordy me!! There may be a few more typos in there. At least ya'll were able to get around it! Lae that's a beautiful thought! Even though we may not see it, God is at work in what may look to us chaotic...and if there is true disorder, He can work even in spite of the disorder. Judy Collins....you are showing our ages WS. Hee. Haven't though of her in awhile. Though I have listened to Joni Mitchell some the last couple years. :) Vegan, my journaling was my "hiding place" working through so many thoughts my last 5 years in TWI. I could at least have a voice in my journals, until I got the courage for the next step. Thanks again.

Perusing one of my journals I found this. I wrote it December, '04. I was still in TWI at that time and never shared the poem because I thought it was so off the Word. :( So..I'll share it here. The leaves they are a changing color!!! Of Leaves, Squirrels, Dogs, and Dances I look out my kitchen window. Nature has again made her mark. The change of seasons has again landed. She didn't ask my permission to make this change. She didn't scatter her leaves in an orderly fashion. She allowed them to fall where they may. Yet there is great purpose in what she does and what she allows. I observe the squirrel. All that matters to him is the next nut... Or the next squirrel to chase around the tree. I observe the dog. All that matters to him is the next two-legged animal that comes along to caress and talk with him.... or the next meal... or the next intruder. The animals do not worry or engage in much ado. Aye...I do think the animals in many ways are wiser than man. What is their secret? Simplicity and instinct. Oh humankind... why have we allowed so much complexity, strife, and unease? Where have our instincts gone? Who has stolen them? And why did we let allow it? Perhaps if we jump off the "Jones" wheel... perhaps if we smile and touch again... perhaps if we quiet ourselves long enough to observe the animals, even in the cities... Perhaps we can again arrive at simplicity.... arrive at instinct... arrive and arise each day with thankfulness in our hearts and a skip in our step. Perhaps then life in all its richness and oneness can be enjoyed And we can basque in all the goodness with which we are surrounded. Will you join me? Here...take my hand and dance with me. Show me your steps and I'll show you mine. And together we can make our lives, our families, our world A little better place.

I had to establish a universal rule in our house when the kids were younger: "Keep you body to yourself except to bless." One day I hear from another room: Daughter: "STOP IT!!!" Daughther: "I said STOP IT!!" I enter the said room. Daughter accuses got-to-irritate-my-sister son of bothering her. I make a few inquiries. Son: "I didn't touch her." Me: "She said you did." Son: "Well, I didn't......this stick did." I had to change the rule: "Keep you body, and all extensions thereof, to yourself except to bless."

Happiest of birthdays...for this year anyway!!!!!

I'll chime in too....or should I say bellow in (with bagpipes ).Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Glad it was a great one!!!!!! Thank you for your insight here on GSC. You have helped and continue to help me with perspective/clarity.

That's beautiful Oenophile. Please continue to share with us this journey. Your writing is pituresque. I can see Eddie eating blueberries petting his poodle. Wonder what color Stuart is? Gosh, Vegan, thanks for sharing that incident. Sure helps keep my life in perspective.

I guess I'll chime in too. Mr. Pipes, Dooj, OFM, and Excath state my sentiments/perception pretty well. Igotout, yes..thank you for the clarification. I don't "agree" with all the CFF doctrine... I'm unlearning/relearning so much now. I do know that God put CFF right in front of me when I was looking for a place to turn when I was exiting TWI. I do know that W*yn* has ministered personally deeply to my soul and helped me tremendously. CFF has asked nothing for itself in return. Like some have said, we are to be "cautious" all the while trusting God/Christ to lead us where it is we need to be at a particular time in order to let Him do His work within us. For me that has been CFF, CES, GSC, and a hosts of other individuals and a few other groups. LIke OFM (and I think most of us), I am thankful for all the people He has put in my path. IMO, this thread is a healthy discussion and example of not allowing elephants to hide in rooms. Like Tiny Tim said, "God bless us, each and every one." (Wasn't it Tiny Tim who said that?)

Happy Birthday Catcup!!! Dittos to all the above and big thanks from here for your insight and encouragement. :)

Beautiful Likeaneagle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope you had a wonderful, grand, and "humdinger - humdinger- humdinger" birthday!!!!!!!!! Last night hubby and I were at a convention center in G'boro and admired a magnificent eagle sulpture. Sometime I'll take ya' thar', and you too can admire it. Anyway, thought of you when I saw that eagle. Love you BUNCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Obviously, so do some other awesome folks!

I pondered T & O's response today, wondering about the break down of Jesus' name into an-almost feeling of blasphamy for me. (Apparently others have felt this way too?) I pondered when/how this idolatrous association was slowly forged in my head and heart. I'm sure (for me) it happened with LCM's reign. The breakdown was like this: TWI is the true household of God. If anyone is a true believer, they will eventually end up in this true household. Most Christians outside the true household worship Jesus as God. To worship Jesus as God is to worship the creation more than the creator (Romans 1) and is akin to homosexuality, which is the dregs of sin itself. Thus the name Jesus(without the Christ) carried with it filth, dirt, sexual vice....and was associated with all the "cathouses on every street corner in America that whore every Sunday" (or something like that). So...I don't know if that makes any sense to anyone else. :blink: But it sort of helps me understand how my Lord's name became distasteful to me. :(

Glad to meet you T & O. I remember those years..and for us the worst year was 1998. Don't know if that was the case for other folks. And we weren't even hfc's that year, only assistants. We almost left that year...but alas.....we stuck around. We moved late that year and leadership in the new area wasn't as heavy handed, even though we were hfcs. Seems much depended(s) on local leadership. Then we got new local leadership, still not as heavy handed as the lcm days....but there was more an air of control. Belle...the tried to step down...tell me about it. I decided I wasn't coordinating anymore in the fall of 2002. Hubby said that was fine, that I didn't have to. I called the BC and was told I couldn't do that. For once I stood up for myself, ended up in tears, and raising my voice (not my standard mo...raising my voice). The BC shut up at that point. Hubby gave his notice a month or so later.....but kept at it for another dang 6 months because no one was "qualified" (out of debt, ac grad, willing). That 6 months really took a toll on our marriage. I was the good wife and played the role, but never attended another leadership meeting. My doctor had told me to quit going to the leadership meetings. Every time I went to one it took me 4 days to recoup; I'd be beating myself up for not being able to live up to the standard. Potato, glad to meet you too. I don't recall the specifics of the oversight in the V & D. I remember a stapled hand out with all the info...and that we were to spend time with each grad. It seems we were to be helping them with witnessing, time management, and maybe finances? T & O may have a better recollection of that than me. I can check with my hubby later to see what he remembers. Anyway,this letter reminded me that the lighter demands after lcm were still not light. I don't know/recall how long the V & D oversight persisted.

I'm cleaning out some files....YAY!! I have all sorts of twi paperwork, sitting in these drawers taking up space and emotional energy. Anyway I ran across a letter from mid October, 2001, written by my hubby to the Limb Coordinator. The letter was written with great respect and I imagine the LC responded with great respect. I think we resigned from hfc within 1-1/2 years of this letter. If my memory serves me correctly, latitude was granted, but not enough; our marriage took a great toll and continued to come in second to "keeping God (twi) first." I post it as an example of the demands put on hfc's at that time, even after lcm left. I was just talking the other day how the demands lightened toward the end of Craig's reign and after he left. And the following are the lighter demands. Letter excerpts: "After reading and reviewing the Vision and Direction for HFC's, I was overwhelmed. ....... I was overwhelmed by the work involved in the oversight and expansion parts of the Direction. I cannot fulfill those requirements and lead a balanced life: I can pretend those requirements do no exist and go along as best I can for awhile, but it will become evident at some point I'm not fulfilling those standareds. The time requirements are huge. ......... There are at least eight regular meetings, an HFC meeting, a STS hookup, and an outreach event in a month. That would mean 30 hours per month spent in meetings (including set-up, travel, tear down, etc.) plus all the communication, oversight and planning associated with those meetings. In addition to spend time one on one with each disciple in witnessing, teaching, and development goes beyond my ability. ....... (In fairness, the additional meeting to the STS and the increased size of our HHF are the straws that are breaking my back. .....) I can do the work as the job descripition sets forth, but at the expense of my wife, children, and health. .....I cannot oversee 16 grads who are outside my family on the detailed basis set forth in the Vision and Dirction. I can follow up with them after meetings and call some between times, but I'm physically absent from home 55 hours or more per week for work and cannot have any meaningful time with my wife and children and provide those oversight guidelines. ...if this means I need to give up coordinating a HHF, I understand. If there is latitude.......then I would be blessed to continue..... If this letter opens the door for some honest discussion of the cost versus the benefit of actually having nine regular meetings in a calendar month plus a STS hookup, a HFC meeting, and an outreach event...that would be good also.... ...thank you for your labor of love; I know this letter just made it harder." End letter excerpts I know this goes on in other religious organizations as well. As a dear ex-Way minister once told me, "You can plan so well that you plan God right out of it." Folks can gather 9 times plus a month and be very happy....but in twi, each time was such a production!!

Thanks for starting this thread Jim. It had been on my mind to post about "Jesus is no longer a 'dirty word'." It took me about 3 months outside the "walls of Zion" to not respond with a more-than-slight cringe when ex-way folks used "Jesus" without "Christ." It took about 9 months for me to say that Jesus truly is the sweetest name I know. I left twi before my hubby. I asked him after he had been out for a few months, "So is 'Jesus' still a dirty word to you?" I smiled when he responded, "Not at all." Sad to say, most often while in twi, when the name "Jesus" was stated by itself, I felt distaste and sometimes almost disgust. :( Craig so pounded the devil spirit side of life...and even though LCM wasn't around my last 6 years in twi....the damage had been done. "Jesus" outside twi was a devil spirit. I don't know if LCM ever directly said that, but it was well implied. Interestingly, I would wonder while in twi: Why is it that I can sing the name and it is okay, but when/if I state it, I feel like I blaspheme God and am committing idolatry? I'd dismiss that kind of thought real quick...and never had the guts (while in twi) to voice it.

So cool RR!!! I missed this thread when you posted it. Congrats!!! I'm your kids' noses are happy too! :)

Likeaneagle graciously opened her home as bed and breakfast to my daughter and I this past weekend. THANK YOU....THANK YOU.....THANK YOU!!!!! What a lovely home she has, but nothing to match her heart of love, empathy, understanding, and humor!!! What a wonderful lady and woman of depth. We laughed so hard that I'm sure our core muscles had a great work out. Likeaneagle's daughter should be a stand up comic; she is soooooo funny ....and her Chicago accent just makes it funnier. (humdinger..humdinger...humdinger!!) BTW: Likeaneagle won the Scrabble game even admist all the laughter!! And thanks to Oenophile for the Wilber's recommendation. I am not a bar-b-que fan, but that was the best bar-b-que I have ever eaten. (Our daughter's thought it hoot that we called someone in another state that we know from GSC while sitting in a barbque barn in NC.....to get a recommendation of what to order from the menu.) Thank you again LAE. I'm so proud to have you as a friend, and so thankful that God has brought us together.

Mr. Strange....you sure have proven to me that you an make sense of things!!!! :) Now...help me make sense with your Beatles response. I've thunk and thunk ....but I don't get it.

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A limerick battle!!!!!!