T-Bone

tough fight he had with Alzheimers...thanks for posting that video Skyrider.

Oh my gosh - the first squirrel to be knighted ! Sir Nutzalot

No wait I think you're on to something - it's like believing in reverse...you have to learn to $h it gears - - errrrr I mean shift gears.

Welcome to Pot Talk. I'm your host Linda Richman and I'm feeling a little verklempt right now since I can't find my rolling papers....so talk amongst yourselves.

There was also the way corps tent with that unique ambiance of a refugee camp... cranky people trying to catch up on sleep... the almost incessant buzzing of flies and the sharp whistle of fly swatters whipping thru the air... and there was always someone who wanted to turn off the huge ventilation fan because the noise bothered their kid trying to go to sleep.

I haven’t heard John L “teach” in a long time... it was like listening with fresh ears…and then it hit me…the amount of effort and emphasis he puts into the way he talks comes across like he’s speaking to a foreigner who barely understands any English…or to someone who has a mental disability…maybe it’s just the figure of speech condescensio patronizium.

Was thinking of a celebrity look-alike But I guess he'll do...then we can re-title our little TWI play as "Make My Cult Great Again"....and given the chaos of folks in and out - we might see a few more try-outs in casting from folks out of work.

I think that may be similar to wierwille's "creative" process - I bet if you kept refilling his Drambuie mug he could contemplate his navel for hours on end.

Well Grace, I was thinking in terms of Skyrider's Citizen Kane/Rosebud reference - what things wierwille might remember from his youth - what he could get away with as a juvenile. Juvenile delinquency is the habitual committing of criminal acts or offenses by a young person, especially one below the age at which ordinary criminal prosecution is possible. But I see your point too - as an adult wierwille figured how to get away with criminal acts thru various means - he created a persona he could hide behind - as God's apostle for our day and time (surely the flock can overlook a "little" plagiarism here and there)....the lockbox to keep a lid on scandals getting out...start a cult - everything in the kingdom - I mean cult - belongs to the king - he encouraged people to think of him as the man of God for the world - "so wouldn't you like to bless the man of God in the motor coach."

The carefree life of juvenile delinquency

Yes Grace ! i think I could have gotten a PhD from the corps program PhD = Piled higher and deeper = Permanent head damage good thing I dropped out

Maybe wierwille was ovulating at the time Actually my joke is referencing something wierwille said in an Advanced Class - he was relating an incident about his supposedly ministering to a woman (hey, what's all that snickering in the back ?!) ....wierwille said HIS ovaries hurt and then he realized "the father" was showing him he needed to pray for the woman's ovaries.... what if HIS breasts hurt ? Yikes ! What's next? The laying on of hands?! Let me bring forth a word of retroactive prophecy - wierwille go f0c k yourself! ....Hmmmm bonus features - that may have been a quantum leap of faith and maybe some discerning of spirits thrown in for good measure....not sure.... but I always say "covet earnestly the best gifts." Considering the variety of topics Skyrider listed I will say this - I tend to think wierwille and company were qualified to teach on at least one thing.....the fine art of indoctrination.

Great post Twinky - I'm glad you bumped it up....and a good reminder to appreciate former TWI clergy - and of course those who had served in any capacity - that now contribute to Grease Spot in telling the other side of the story.... ...I just wanted to add something to what you talked about in the latter part of this post; I can't imagine an apology coming directly from top leadership of TWI being enough to resolve all the damage done to followers - although it would be a good place to begin... perhaps for the time being Grease Spot may function as a surrogate "minister" or rather a "ministry " composed of decent, honest and caring folks intent on exposing these false prophets...speaking for myself, Grease Spot has done wonders toward a speedy recovery from life in a cult; that's not to say I'm all healed and everything is peachy keen now...but my life is a million times better now since I left that cult...and that I now refer to TWI as a cult is a giant step in the recovery process. It's like finally getting out of an abusive relationship after realizing my people-picker was broken...or rather my church-picker was broken. And to anyone still in TWI or offshoots all I have to say is physician heal thyself...quit thinking your god's gift to an ignorant world - open your eyes and take a good look at the damaging and long lasting effects of wierwille's legacy - - in your own life and in those you "minister" to.

Guess there were 2 reasons I took the class: it seemed like a natural follow up to my quest thus far and I wanted to continue hanging out with this special group of folks who seemed to have all the answers and were truly happy. Was raised Roman Catholic...but never considered myself a religious or spiritual person...but maybe curious...I was a seeker - looking for answers; I looked into psychic phenomena, Edgar Cayce, Eastern Religions, transcendental meditation ....and along with that I would smoke pot and occasionally drop acid with my friends....our conversations would get into those things and a lot of other stuff too - whatever else my friends were into. one late night after I got home I was freaking out on LSD and asked Jesus Christ to help me...oddly enough I mellowed out real quick and figured that was a miracle or sign or something. Honest, I did not have any orange juice or listen to the Allman Brothers. Sometime after that I was dating a PFAL grad and she got me going to a Twig out on Long Island...Twig Coordinator was Sammy P - a genuinely kind and laid back person -and a great musician too . I still remember his version of Blind Faith's "can't find my way home" - the opening line was something like "come boldly to his throne..." yeah - it was now a come to Jesus song but like I said , being involved in this Twig seemed like a natural follow up to all my searching. I still hold that time , his song version and all those folks in fond memory - it was all before The Way International became such a dominant force in my life... Sammy got me signed up for the class. He asked me to pick one of the "benefits" on the back of the Green Card...I chose "enables you to separate truth from error" - now I would finally have some answers I could sink my teeth into...or so I thought...and the rest, as they say is misery...I mean history of my 12 year involvement with TWI. But hey, my experiences weren't all bad....and here's a plug for Grease Spot - I think my participation here has done more for my critical thinking skills than any empty promises of PFAL. I still cherish the good things in life...the good people I met along my journey (before, during, and after TWI) , I still enjoy studying scripture AND the freedom to think what I want about it all. I met a great gal in my WOW family - and we're still together! All this stuff really happened to me. But it feels odd how I'm trying to present this all in a logical and orderly fashion to explain why I took the class - but at other times i look at my TWI experience and even other things as a little bit crazy ...mixed up ...or something...do you ever feel like that? I think our minds crave order, to make sense and find meaning. I mean it sort of makes sense to me now but when I step back and read my own narrative Grateful Dead's line from "Truckin' " comes to mind "what a long strange trip it's been"...hey I've caught glimpses of that on Netflix ( like their sound guy - was it? Who built their speakers and made his own acid...ok, forget about the acid - but imagine some 500 speakers - a wall of sound over 32 feet high on stage) Tonto has been checking it out....guess I'll have to catch up. Keep on truckin' Grease Spotters!

yeah, i think i'd rather read anything else

It's best to start the Indoctrination process at an early age... ....maybe you've heard of another one of wierwille's classics "Goodnight Brain"

you're welcome Thor !!!! hey, judging by your thought-provoking posts I believe you already know this - but for the sake of the wider audience (although I'm preaching to the choir at Grease Spot - uhmmmm - so maybe folks still in TWI or offshoots- anyway...) i just wanted to add something to what i said previously: any commentaries, systematic theologies, or Bible studies may prove to be helpful - ya know, checking out multiple viewpoints can be helpful for expanding one's horizon - but as a Christian and student of the Bible I try to adhere to the directive in I Thessalonians 5: 21 - prove all things hold fast to that which is good....i take that to mean that not only should i compare scripture reference with other scripture....but also see if it makes sense to me - intellectually... and morally, i guess....even then who knows for sure if there's even a definitive answer on some things - like the interpretation of the book of Revelation. so needless to say i don't agree with everything i read - but exercise my freedom to pick and choose what i think seems right.

Thanks for posting the video, Penworks Very weird to watch....I think there ought to be a Grease Spot re-make of that by incorporating WordWolf's Living in Wonderland - - where the story jumps back and forth between what is real and wierwille's delusional version of what took place....kinda like "A Beautiful Mind" but call it " A Deluded Mind" . My suggestion to casting would be to have some egotistical type person with a huge personality and orange hair - play wierwille and KFC's the colonel play uncle harry.

well, Thor both are quite useful; note my Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary is an abridged 2 volume set...single volume commentaries are great for getting right to the main point or just getting an overview or a feel for a particular book or chapter of the Bible. Keil & Delitzsch commentary is very detailed and will often give a little more background than an abridged commentary; for instance, on the same page (365) that I referred to in my post about Isaiah 19: 19 & 20, K&D said those verses are what Onias IV appealed to, when he sought permission of Ptolemaeus Philometor to build a temple of Jehovah in Egypt; he built such a temple to the northeast of Memphis (Elvis has left the building…no, not that Memphis ); the temple was unlike the temple of Jerusalem - being built in the form of a castle, and stood for more than 200 years – from 160 BC to AD 71…well, maybe that's too much extraneous or unnecessary info for some folks but I enjoy reading about things like that; but it is jammed packed with pertinent details on the language, root words, texts, historical context, textual context, as well as cross references too. I have more hardback editions than eBooks - personal preference I guess - if I'm working with multiple commentaries for me it's easier with real books - like my previous post...I've got links to the ones you asked about - and I added another that I enjoy on my Kindle app -- the Moody Bible Commentary - btw I find it easier to read commentaries and anything technical on an iPad with a Kindle app than on my Kindle... i do read a lot of fiction and non-fiction like history stuff on my Kindle - but it there's a lot of pictures or charts, graphs, etc. I use my iPad. Keil & Delitzsch hardbacks with CD Kindle edition of Keil & Delitzsch Zondervan NIV Comm. Vol 1 Zondervan NIV Comm. Vol 2 Moody Bible Commentary Kindle edition

I haven’t thought about the timeline on that, Waysider - but that makes sense to me…another reason to consider it prophetic…and looking at a few commentaries on Isaiah 19, I get the same gist… 19 In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord near its border. 20 It will become a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them. Isaiah 19:19, 20 NASB Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on The Old Testament, Volume 7, Isaiah, page 365 says the fulfilment of this prophecy – would be something built by the Jews for the Jews…(that also makes me think of what went into building the original temple in I Kings 5 & following by King Solomon…according to God’s specs with its cosmological and royal symbolism to teach his people the absolute sovereignty of the Lord over his creation and his special relationship as Lord over Israel – but I digress – sorry ). The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary Volume 1: Old Testament, on page 1077 also says the final fulfillment of this passage has not yet come. Regarding the pillar situated on the border of Egypt, this commentary suggests that symbolizes the claiming of the land for the true and living God…I should add a note from The Zondervan NIV Study Bible (page 1061) that ties in to this – it says the reference appears to be to a conversion to the Lord of a significant number of Egyptians! And along a similar vein The New Bible Commentary: Revised on page 602 says there will be (referring to sometime in the future) holy ground where all was once profane. == == == == == ok, now a different train of thought on a couple of posts by Thor ... Hey Thor, I haven’t said anything about your first post – but now putting all this pyramid stuff aside for a moment – your mention of the total eclipses in 2017 and 2024 really caught my attention…I know zilch about astronomy or the Bible and astronomical references therein but I try to keep an open mind – with critical thinking engaged, of course…and my mind mulls over what you said....and my faith says what if…yes…what if something really big does happen around the time of the September 2017 eclipse. Yowzer!...we shall see...

I agree Thor....all this stuff is interesting though...like I said I have one of his books...like a lot of things - I can get into stuff as long as I can pick and choose what makes sense to me and I'm not expected to buy the whole package. I'm not one to flat out reject an entire work just because I'm not satisfied with one or two points.

Predators prey on the weak....like Twinky said we all have our weaknesses...and I think the most vulnerable are those with weak critical thinking skills.

wierwille was truly a chameleon - a genius at adapting his deluded agenda to situations.

watching the Patrick H video by the link Thor posted did nothing for me…besides the video link that Bolshevik posted there’s lots of info online that talk about ancient builders’ methods for such projects – one article even made some comment along the lines of saying some “documentary” type shows often come from someone who knows more about how to get a sensational program on NOVA rather than having any expertise in building technology. Another thing I don’t agree with is Heron’s suggestion that Isaiah 19 is speaking of the pyramids of Egypt. Besides the passage probably being prophetic - temple design in the Old Testament does not incorporate pyramid shapes. And when he suggests the New Jerusalem might actually be a pyramid also – I think that is ridiculous! Besides being foreign to any familiar designs of ancient Israel – a pyramid design would also eliminate a lot of cubic-foot living space for inhabitants – if you change the design from a cube or rectangle to a pyramid shape.