T-Bone

I'm for that I'm for that too

Way College of Emporia not accredited ? well that's just par for the port-a-potty....i should pay better attention to Grease Spot....must have missed that memo. i found out that Rome City Indiana Campus was not accredited when i went to a professional resume company...i mean - i was flabbergasted !!! The guy working on my resume was kind of taken aback by my reaction - he said here look for yourself - they're not in our book - and he hands me this big book listing accredited colleges (this was back in the stone age before the Internet)....just as well - who the heck would want to claim them as their alma mater ?!

i guess it was your use of the word circumvent (which i red bolded) that caused me to think you were suggesting i was being deceitful. i was not sure of your reason for getting into the life is in the blood idea and assumed you were keying off what VP taught in the class about it and suggesting that as the animating principle of man - sorry if i offended you; however - concerning that idea i feel there's a stronger correlation of the soul, breath, and life in Genesis - since it mentions God breathed into man the breath of life and man became a living soul.

on the contrary - it was not my intention to be deceitful or sidestep the issue of distinguishing soul from spirit - since both are intangible and physical descriptions fail to account for such things; my comments were merely a feeble attempt to speculate or suggest soul and spirit are some kind of "ethereal" compound (whatever the heck that is - />)....in some scripture references it appears to me that soul or spirit could be used interchangeably - but maybe that's just me. - as far as what i think the image of God is....other than the general assumption that it is spiritual (again - whatever that is),,,i don't know! as far as what it means for the image of God to be tarnished - that relates to the human condition - our fallen nature which is addressed throughout Scripture. regarding your PFAL reference that the life is in the blood and the assumption Christ's resurrected body did not have blood might be some more fun things to talk about....but like discussing whether or not the soul .... or spirit exist....or their relationship if they do exist - it's kind of difficult due to the lack of evidence.

Just wanted to add my 2 cents (the actual value may vary depending on today's opinion market); I lean toward WordWolf's approach – soul and spirit may represent similar concepts – but in some aspects are quite different. I may be way off base on what I'm about to say so consider this my disclaimer for the following. Even years after leaving TWI I've found myself at times having to make a conscious effort to "deactivate" the PFAL mindset of assuming everything in Scripture has a mathematical exactness and scientific precision to it. That's my bad – shows you how some things can linger on for a very long time. For me anyway I think I have a tendency to try and press ancient scripture into some state of the art technical manual. I see where folks get the trichotomy of man (body, soul, and spirit) in I Thessalonians 5:23; but then you have the four-part itemization in Mark 12:30 of loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Now is the heart, soul, mind, and strength of Mark 12:30 actually four separate and distinct aspects of a person? I don't know. While I more or less agree with Raf and Twinky on the difference of soul and spirit and that Hebrews 4:12 does speak of the word of God's powerful cutting-edge capability to separate the two I also believe the soul and spirit are of an inseparably design by God himself. But does that mean they could be separated? Perhaps – if one possessed the means that could duplicate the dissecting process mentioned in Hebrews 4. I guess in this modern age of quantum mechanics, superstring theory....we've got all kinds of theories coming out the wazoo.... "deconstructing" just about anything is possible. The word "asunder" in Hebrews 4:12 has always grabbed my attention since a similar idea (and the same English word – but I have not checked the Greek on either though) is suggested in Mark concerning marriage – the two shall become one flesh and goes on to say "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." Mark 10:9 KJV…I'm not addressing if divorce is biblical but simply the idea that on a practical level divorce is a fairly common occurrence and it doesn't appear to take any extraordinary power other than that of a divorce lawyer. Having mentioned quantum mechanics I marvel at the fact that man has achieved almost a god-like power to tear asunder the atom. In that regard I sometimes wonder if Colossians 1:17 where it speaks of the supremacy of Christ and says He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together NASB; does that mean Christ's power to make things cohere extends down even to the atomic level? What therefore God has joined together – but even there too man has figured out how to unleash the energy that has been bound up in the atom. I apologize for speculating all over the map but bear with me - my point in talking about things that are bound / separated is merely that what may appear to be inseparable may also be understood as having distinct components – and could very well be divided if you had the means. I tend to view soul and spirit in man as inseparable – this does go counter to what's taught in PFAL. It seems man and beast have the same animating force – a soul; however what I believe makes man different from the beast is that "fused" to the soul is the image of God (as mentioned in Genesis 1:27). PFAL taught when man sinned he spiritually died that day – he lost his spirit; I don't believe that – going on verses like Genesis 9:6 and James 3:9 it seems likely man has retained the image of God though it is a "tarnished" image now. A few years ago I read up on "death" in some systematic theologies and biblical encyclopedias and found in some sources that death carried the idea of separation more so than just a cessation of all vital functions. Which brings me back to my previous theme of separation; a person dies and their body is separated from its animating life force. When Adam died spiritually – his spirit was separated from God (along the lines of Raf's usage in post # 9 – man was no longer in touch with God). Adam still had spirit - and though he was once bound to God - he was now estranged. Once again sorry for the long and meandering post - but one could get lost in speculating about the soul and spirit if they are indeed such an inextricable thing. Carrying this thought a little further on the soul and spirit being bound together – I also tend to think this means the soul is immortal. And though immortal it seems it still needs a physical housing; thinking about the resurrection of Christ – his physical body was missing from the tomb – it had been changed – reconstituted; and in I Corinthians 15:35 to 54 I get the idea that the soul was meant to inhabit a body – whether it's a natural body or a spiritual body. It also appears there is some correlation – be it DNA, or the unique frequency of a person's "superstrings" or some other special identifiers that seem to link a person's natural body to their future spiritual body. And perhaps this involves the "bonding" process of the body to the soul – similar to how the soul and spirit are "bonded" together. That's all for now…just thinking out loud. No big whoop.

thanks - will do George

I usually don't post in this forum – (though I have been a lurker on the super hero TV thread). I recently watched Independence Day: Resurgence in 3D – and was so disappointed; but I'm not really wanting to post a review so much as tell you of my movie going experience. I know movies are a form of escapism – but what do you do to escape the sheer annoyance of watching an extremely contrived movie? Well, it's a toss-up between pretending I'm an emergency screenwriter repairman and mentally redesigning the décor and furnishings of the movie theater. These new theater lounge chairs are great! The only down side is catching a movie in an almost empty theater (I watched an afternoon showing of Resurgence – I happened to get off work early that day ) – there were less than fifteen people in the audience. So I am constantly aware of the little blue lit control buttons on the empty chairs in my peripheral vision. These glowing buttons are usually hidden by the person's legs when they sit down in the chair. So they need to have a little flap to cover the lights in the event of a small audience and lots of empty lounge chairs with blue lit buttons – or issue 3D glasses with tunnel vision (blinders so you can only view what is head on)…Oh yeah and I see someone reading something on their phone – naw I can't do that – I'm still in the denial phase of experiencing a sucky movie – so I have to commit a form of movie adultery – and fantasize about what would make this movie more interesting. I mostly liked the first Independence Day movie of 1996 – overall a fun movie to watch though the dialog and acting was rather cheesy. Which is somewhat duplicated in Resurgence but on a bigger scale. But here's my biggest gripe about it – and I am not revealing any spoilers here. It's just one little plot point. But it sticks out like a sore thumb and hits me as nothing more than a gimmick to justify this sequel and set you up for a third one. I'm referring to a space orb that appears out of a wormhole. This is introduced fairly early in the film. Several of the characters make it a point to refer to drawings of an orb made by victims of the alien attacks 20 years ago (referring to the previous Independence Day movie of 1996). And this is my biggest gripe with….I guess the screenwriters. There were NO orbs – or drawings of orbs, or people talking about orbs in the first movie! I mean even a scene in the '96 film that incorporated product placement - like Jeff Goldblum snacking on a package of Oreos with that eye-catching Nabisco Orb on it might qualify as an easter egg at this point. They could have flashed back to that scene and have a little spotlight-Ken-Burns style on the Nabisco Orb. I'm no screenwriter or storyteller but I've read enough good fiction and watched enough good movie sequels and franchises to know that a smart writer would plant some easter eggs and subtle unexplained details in a first story if they have in mind the possibility of a sequel; even if a producer never calls for a sequel those little mysterious items are ok because that's part of the sci-fi world where elements of the unknown abound. Independence Day: Resurgence lacks creativity; often Hollywood seems to put out a fairly steady stream of sequels, prequels, and remakes (before the movie I saw a preview for a remake of Ben-Hur as a case in point – I sincerely hope they do a good job – I love the original!). Sequels are cool when they expand on previous themes and ideas. But Resurgence hit me as a feeble attempt to make more money by rehashing the same old material – only make bigger alien ships and bigger aliens (well, the alien queen anyway – she's freakin' huuuuuge!), blow up more stuff on a bigger scale, etcetera, etcetera…Excedrin please – I've got a migraine from all the 'sploshins. Maybe I'm being too critical – but it just seems the writers were grabbing at straws to cobble together a sequel. Well, that's all I want to share about my recent movie going experience. …Sometime I may post a few other movie going experiences here. Perhaps you have a movie going experience you'd like to share. Something funny happen while watching a movie, some odd behavior in the theater, something a movie did for you, your own review….whatever.

Hey all, I've been a lurker – checking out this thread every so often; just wanted to say a few things. I was sort of embarrassed to tell anyone I watched Supergirl – until I started reading this thread and realized it is a cool show; so is The Flash – I've only watched a few episodes of it – but have watched all of Supergirl episodes and so caught the crossover one with The Flash. I wish there was more time to watch all the great shows you all have mentioned – for now I have to pick and choose. What impresses me the most about the DC TV shows is that they make the characters believable – they have bad days just like anyone else; that's a good development – when I was a kid and a big comic book fan i noticed it was Marvel's super heroes that seem to have had more personal issues – and that made them more real to me. I also liked that little dis of Superman in the Myriad episode – where you can only see his legs & red boots on the gurney behind Supergirl and whoever she was talking to – I can't remember – so funny.

Penworks, I am so looking forward to reading your book Undertow – your highly articulate voice is one of the treasures I referred to in post # 29! == == == == Don't Worry, thanks for your encouraging words and Tonto & I love you bunches as well; last night we reminisced about how we enjoyed your company at the Texas BBQ and wished we didn't live so far apart. == == == == Waysider, thanks for the link to Through the Fog podcast; it's been awhile since I've listened to it – it's about time for a "refresher-course."

Don't Worry, After meeting you at the Texas BBQ a few years ago I just have to say your posts pretty much reflect the way you are in person – and that's fine by me! Due to the fact that the insidious nature of TWI's top leadership is exceedingly abundantly above what other egomaniacs could ask or think - I believe it's going to take whistle blowers who have almost a "righteous" chutzpah (i apologize if that's not the correct word to use) commensurate with the size of the maniacs' egos....So don't feel like you have to adjust the volume or EQ knobs on my account. I consider you and a few other men and women on Grease Spot who have shared what goes on behind the scenes, almost like a bittersweet treasure; I am sorry for your pain and experiences but I appreciate your insight and compassion to help others. The inner workings of TWI are like black ops of all that is immoral, deceitful and spiritually dark; and perhaps Grease Spot is fortunate to have some tripped out Jason Bournes who now expose TWI's "Operation Treadstone" and their agenda of assassinating the soul.

I tend to look at the classes, programs, etc. as the delivery system – a means of getting his "fruit" out to followers. And even thinking of his doctrines going beyond the confines of TWI I don't put a whole lot of stock in any offshoots either since they're using the "seeds" of VP's twisted theology. Perhaps in the bigger picture the fruit of his labor was the insidious crop of crap produced on his own perverted and narcissistic heartland. I believe doctrine is linked to practice and that actions speak louder than words – so for me there's a lot more to VP's "doctrine" than just what's stated in the physical material of PFAL (the books and audio/video of PFAL); yes – even more so it is the way he modeled it ! He showed followers how to "walk the talk"….by example! Indeed one of the ways he flaunted his supposedly spiritual maturity…his "freedom" in Christ...to portray himself as one who had mastered the renewed mind - was to indulge in the most licentious behavior around devoted followers…. There's no way that anyone can stay in for any length of time and not be affected by VP's "fruit". I bet a lot of Grease Spot folks would agree that there was a time after leaving TWI when they began to suspect their powers of discernment, reasoning, decision making, etc. may have been compromised to some degree and in need of attention. the following is a Not so subliminal message: get out NOW before your "condition" gets any worse !!! . == == == == == == == == That account of Joan's suicide is sad and gut wrenching! Anytime I hear things like that I feel so creepy that I use to support and promote TWI. == == == == edited for clarity

wow wee wow Penworks !!!!! it's late - and i just posted something then saw your thread here - oh my! I showed it to Tonto - we're tired and going to bed - but i will definitely check out the link to a treasure trove of nonsense. thanks for sharing !!!

After mulling over my previous post I would be remiss if I didn't revise the last part of defining Wierwillization "…and the tapping of cheaper labor markets (the way corps program)" to include every and all life-sucking programs of TWI and not just the corps program – i.e. WOW, Way College, Fellow Laborers, etc. and let's not forget TWI staff – they're probably the "cheapest" labor force of all! I apologize for that oversight – due to the tunnel vision of my own experience. What can I say…it's a whine of the times…(referring to my time in residence actually - - they really pushed that you-work-until-you-die-so-quit-thinking-about-savings-and-retirement attitude). ….say….while I've got your attention I just wanted to add something to Penworks' and Don't Worry's comments describing the parasitic / narcissistic leadership of TWI….one of the biggest challenges to me when I began having doubts about TWI was wondering how to separate truth from error. Which is kind of ironic since that was the benefit on the back of the green card that got me interested in taking PFAL. But some 12 years later – at Rome City, in-residence Family Corps program - not long after the passing of the patriarch was read - - I find myself in the maelstrom of lies, conflicts, hysteria, pseudo prophets and wannabes vying for power - – I am lost…confused…doubtful…worried. I've learned a few things since leaving TWI in '86. Some of that involved developing critical thinking skills (still under development I might add); another thing was to realize that the pat answers, law of believing and all the other shortcuts to success taught in PFAL do NOT work in the real world. When it comes to reflecting on my time in TWI and the challenge of separating truth from error in those experiences – I would like to say it's always so easy now – but that would not be true; sometimes it has been a lot of hard work in the mind…and that's humbling work too…uncomfortable work…parasite-extracting painful work…cathartic work….is it worth it? Oh yes! You have no idea!!!!! Well…enough about me…but before I finish I just wanted to leave you some food for thought… In PFAL we heard VP say "the word" takes the place of the absent Christ. Do you believe that is true? What does that even mean? Did Jesus Christ ever show people how to separate truth from error? I believe he did on a number of occasions – one of which is mentioned in Matthew 7:15 and following – Jesus Christ is warning people of false prophets and says you will know them by their fruit. Did you ever build something, fix something, organize a desk, plant a garden? Did you ever stand back and take a look at the fruit of your labor? Have you ever looked at the fruit of VP's labor? If you've ever been involved in any of TWI's programs or worked as staff I would venture to say a primitive self-defense mechanism may have just kicked in – to where you mentally gloss over any of those little nasty incidents while being privy to the inner workings of TWI. We humans do have a knack for self-deception don't we. I think it was my long suit. Is it possible that Jesus Christ's criteria of fruit could be applied to determine the validity of TWI? I believe so. Matter of fact I think Jesus' criteria will work for saint and sinner alike – however, if the Christian happens to be a PFAL grad it will usually take them a lot longer to figure it out (that's a big change-up from the law of believing snafu in the aforementioned class); you know it doesn't take a theological genius to spot a hypocrite – and PFAL's cloak of invisibility does not work against unbelievers anyway. (really the only thing PFAL's cloak of invisibility is good for is hiding the real world from PFAL "enhanced" eyeballs) Just a few more words from "the absent Christ": In Matthew 6:23 Jesus said If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!.... Are you absolutely sure PFAL and "the word" taught in PFAL takes the place of the absent Christ? What if the "light" of PFAL is actually darkness? How then could PFAL help you find a way out of that darkness? Are you curious about that exit sign across the darkened room? would it hurt to peek outside? do you wonder what it would feel like if you momentarily stepped out the exit and turned around to look back in from the outside?

Good posts Skyrider – thanks! Since you drew upon current events – Britain's pushback to globalization - that got me thinking of some contrasts with TWI. I found this definition of globalization online: the act or process of globalizing : the state of being globalized; especially : the development of an increasingly integrated global economy marked especially by free trade, free flow of capital, and the tapping of cheaper foreign labor markets globalization definition online I'm not sure if this will make any sense but I enjoyed brooding over the Tentacles' Wrap of Integration (or TWI for short - i marked your phrase in bold red) mentioned in your post (used it here with a little poetic license). And perhaps it's the indomitable spirit within us all that at some point has had enough and wants out of this Wierwillization - the development of the various aspects of your life to be ever-increasingly linked or coordinated with the Wierwillian culture; it is marked especially by free trade (you trade in your freedom for TWI's agenda), free flow of capital (your money, time and resources should flow freely to Headquarters) and the tapping of cheaper labor markets (the way corps program).

yup - those are great, Word Wolf ! ....and as far as I'm concerned your input on countless other threads has also been extremely helpful. ....if there was an award for the proficient use of critical thinking AND inspiring others to do the same I would nominate you for exemplary service to the Grease Spot community.

Hi Blue Cord, I've marked in bold red your comments I'd like to say something about: Your wife is right in thinking that way….i think most folks when they first leave TWI are bitter and angry – and usually have more than that going on at the time. I think you'll find many folks at Grease Spot have mellowed out with the passage of time and in working things out – that's some of the mental baggage I talked about in my previous post. Btw – there's nothing wrong with being angry – sometimes it does take a "righteous" anger to spur someone on to speak up and right a wrong (think about Mark 3:5, Jesus' anger over the hardness of hearts and Matthew 21 where Jesus drove out those buying and selling, overturned tables, etc. to cleanse the Temple – I don't think his demeanor was happy and laid back). Anyway – like I said in my other post - open and honest communication between you and your wife is essential; matter of fact, my wife Tonto was into Grease Spot and its other "incarnations" long before I joined – and she got me interested in Grease Spot finally with things she would share because I plum run out of ideas on how to figure out the crazy-town-mess known as TWI....besides…. I think TWI was a man's world in many ways - I think a lot of guys/husbands felt superior to women, would snub them rather than consider their viewpoint on something. So when your wife says something like "be careful. You don't know those people" that's good advice. You "know" us only thru cyberspace. However, i want to offer another bit of advice to run in tandem while you're working things out - modifying what she said and pointing it back at TWI. Be careful – you really don't know the extent of the damage TWI has caused…I don't think anyone ever will.