Amazingrace

In the beginning of my WOW year, I confided in a corp person about my insecurities regarding the upcoming year. He told me I had a lot of fear and that most fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. This saying helped me a lot, not only in my WOW year, but throughout the years. I was just wondering.... was this a teaching directly from the Way Corp? Has anyone ever heard this saying.... and if so, was it through TWI?

East??? That means me! I'll try to grow it and see what happens. The soil here is very acidic. Maybe that's the key... but I'll do a bit of reasearch before I try. Thank you for letting me know it can be grown at all.

Mark, Thanks so much for post #5. It contains many good points to consider when trying to find an understanding as to "what feels right" to belive. I joined a Bible Study. All I can say is, "this is tough!". Many of the teachings of the church go along with Dorothy Moore, Joyce Myers and Rev. Stanley. That's ok by me, I guess. I mean... afterall... I have listened to all three of these preachers, sometimes on a regular basis, since leaving twi. But even something as simple as a bible study gets all bunked up. The last study kept referring to the Books of Timothy. The preacher kept saying how he loved Paul so much for writing 1&2 Timothy. Now... my Bible states that the Books of Timothy probably were not written by Paul, but by some of his faithful followers. Bottom line is: there's an argument for both sides as to the authorship. I found myself getting caught up in the technicality of the authorship of Timothy instead of what was being taught. It was difficult to remain focused on the teaching.... but, eventually, I DID get focused. I answered many questions the leader threw out regarding scripture. I waited for others to answer first. They were simple questions... really simple questions (why was Abraham chosen?...). In the end, I let the leader answer the questions himself. I wasn't embarrassed to answer.... just didn't want to appear like I was showing off. Again, this is really tough!. The whole bible study experience gave me an insight as to how much Word these people knew. I found myself wondering "what kind of church is this?" Found myself knowing that there's lots of room to grow in this church at any level, and that's a good thing. I can't be bothered with trying to decipher who wrote the Books of Timothy. For now, I'm going to have to ignore clashes of thought on trivial matters. There's too much I like about this church right now. Whether they will continue to like me remains to be seen. More than one person asked what church I used to belong to... Uhg humm....gosh, wish I would have read some of these threads which say not to tell people you were in the Way BEFORE I told people I was in the Way. I suppose if they can't forgive me for making a mistake OR if they feel I am a threat to them... well, I suppose I'm in the wrong church then. But as a rule, from now on, I won't tell.

That does it! I'll save all the dark chocolate from my Easter Basket for you Krys. Sure beats the price of the laser.

Out and About, Thank you for your personal testimony of the tribulations endured while in twi. I saw you repeatedly doing your best to serve God throughout your story, but never getting the credit you deserved. You did an awesome job in describing it all and I am thankful for every word. I'm sorry you went through so much hell, but thankful to God you found your way out.

Just when I posted somewhere else that you'll not see me arguing about anything... Many truly mentally ill people function in society everyday. Serial killer, Ted Bundy and that BTK guy were capable, functioning members of society with extreme mental illnesses. One of the most prominent men in our community, a lawyer, developer, governor's aid, is now serving a life sentence for murdering his girlfriend, the governor's secretary. Proclaims his innocence to this day. He snapped. An obsessive compulsion made him snap. Some mentally ill people do confess and say put me away. Others have split personalities. There are all kinds of reasons people don't confess, probably fear of what will happen if they do, being the greatest reason, but I don't really know. Yes, Satori, rape is about violence and control, not the need to satisfy a sex drive. In states where death penalities are allowed for murder, murder rates are higher. It's been proven throughout history death for a crime does not diminish the crime. As a "thinking parent" the only thing I can do is educate my children. Evil will lurk in all areas of society. People "cross the line everyday". If I fail to point out the dangers to my kids, if I fail to drill into them the steps that are necessary to keep themselves safe, then I've not done my job well. I don't leave my kids alone on the computer. I thought most of the places they were going to were harmless. Last night, a review of the "history" proved me wrong. Innocent games from reputable web sites often have stuff attached to them. But I found some "sick stuff", not illegal, just "sick". There is no one in my household who would have gone to some of the sites I found. My interent provider's response was "they must have gone there if it's in your history." I didn't dare open the names of the sites.... just by the names of them, I knew I would be highly offended. Watching my son on the computer today, it was obvious how some of this crap got on our computer. Instead of typing "stickman games" in the search engine, he forgot the "t". Innocent mistake, but not good. It was a good opportunity for a talk. It was a good opportunity to see I need to monitor "everything".

and HE DESERVES TO, but will he? Why do I feel that because he's in a position of power that he'll get off with a slap on the hand? If justice is served here, he'll get and deserves the maximum sentence. This is truly outrageous.

I'm two hours from NY and two hours from DC. One hour from a major National AF Base and five hours from Pittsburgh. I travel through all these cities often. On 9/11, I felt safe nowhere. I felt smack in the middle of hell. 100 years from now would be too soon for me to see it on the big screen. It's a reality too close to home. I'm sure others will feel differently and they are certainly entitled.

Bramble, Tappering off steroids... progress, for sure. And yes, a low scarring factor IS in your favor. Hope you make it through allergy season without too much discomfort. So sorry I haven't been able to find my anti-inflamatory list. I do know it had a bunch of foods that I just don't like, but maybe you would. dmiller, Thanks for the suggestion to replace sugar. I don't use a lot, but cinnamon may do the trick on oats or cream of wheat. I'll keep my coffee with some cream.. have a difficult time drinking it black, but wouldn't ruin the taste (as I did years ago) with sugar.

((((Dot)))) ((((NL)))) Yes, I'm sure you would have been great friends. Your mom was wise to tell you so. Good point about teens, Dot. Hard as I try, I'm not always successful in showing my kids I'm not the enemy. It's the nature of the age, I suppose... head-strong. I do know.... whatever it is they scream at me.... no matter how they feel.... I do know they don't mean it. I do tell them this. It only makes them angrier, but it's ok. Some day they will understand. They were my step in "moving forward". We adopted them when it was clear I would never get pregnant. Time in itself has been a healer to me in many areas, but I don't mean to say that it would take away the hurt of losing someone you love. I've not been down that road yet, but I am very sure I won't be saying "this too shall pass".

Somebody mentioned Cream of Wheat! It's a favorite around here. But I'm still on the diet so I haven't indulged. I suppose if I didn't load it up with sugar, it would be ok. Bramble, do you know how long you would have to stay on steroids for your condition? Only asking because sometimes the doctors state a certain amount of time to strengthen the system.

Temple Lady, Despite 50's and rain here in PA, I'm doing my best to keep a sunny attitude. It was 73 last week, but that's typical for around here. Warm/Cold, Warm/Cold. I love visiting GSC, but there aren't too many things you'll find me arguing about right now. My life outside the cafe is challenging and sometimes very stressful. I just visit here for the fun of it and for learning. I could jump into some of the arguments. Others are way too deep for me. But... it's just not my way. Nothing like being outdoors in great weather to make one feel good again. I'm hoping it warms up your way real fast. :) BTW, do you also live in Mi? I'm a bit confused.

Ahhh, yes.... the Royal Oak Theatre... how quickly one forgets. 1981.... my life was wrapped up in twigs then.... most of them, ironically, in RO. Didn't know much about anything else then. 1981... a fog year for sure for me. I was 23 and naivee.

Thank you, Krysilis. The Sacriment of Shaving.... I don't even have a guess as to what that's about, but I'm all ears... or eyes... David, I've not begun to read but WILL. Your abiilty to "pull things out of a hat" never ceases to amaze me. I imagine I'm not alone in saying "thank you!"

I've always been a TR fan. I, too, am surprised he's teaming up with the Cars, but hey, that's show business. I recently bought his greatest hits CD. I made huge mistake and bought a "remix". NOT the same, but I didn't know any better. Now I know. If performing, where does one perform in Royal Oak? I know RO, MI well, but can't think of where one would give a concert there.

Curiosity got the best of me... I had to know about this thread called THE. Night after night I read and I read but with little understanding of what was being said. I clicked on places called the real "THE" but a full understanding I just could not see. I admit I didn't read every single post but I did detect a race as to who had the most. Resigned myself to Newbie stupidity Just couldn't grasp the "THE" validity. Then one day I read Raf's creative origin of THE and David generously followed with original stories from THE. And now I am ever so thankful for all to see, I have a little understanding as to the thread called THE.

Bramble, My diet probably can't be found on the internet. It's a combination of all the things that have worked for me in the past. I've tried so very many diets (Atkins, South Beach, Cabbage Soup...) and have been successful with all, but... I have problems sticking to any one diet for more than three weeks, so I tried to devise a combination of things... foods that I love and that are healthy, so that when the three-week time period is up, it won't be difficult to stay on the diet if I desire to lose more weight. A herniated disk in my neck last October has prevented me from weight-lifting for a while. The lack of lifting put an automatic 15 pounds on me. I was already 10 pounds overweight. I am committed to a good diet right now because I need to feel good about my physical self again. Amazing machines our bodies are. I guess my diet could be summed up as low calories and low carbohydrates and an occasional "cheat". I'll post the anti-inflamatory list of foods when I find the sheet they are listed on. I filed it..... um....hmmm. Might be easier to ask chiropractor for another one. I could be wrong, but I think Trader Joe's (are they national yet) sells wild salmon. I never thought to buy it in a can... so that's something I could also try. I have very little time to cook although I love to do it.

The Girl Scouts of America warmly thank you for your support! We're in our 6th year of Girl Scouts and find ourselves inundated with cases of scrumptious cookies each year. The garage... the freezer... the cupboards... they're everywhere. Dosidos are my favorite. I ALWAYS say, "I'll just have a few". But I have no control when it comes to this cookie. A "few" turns into many, and before long, (but not too long) the entire box is gone (and who drank all the milk???). Confession IS good for the soul. Oh...... the price I pay (see Perricone Diet thread), but it was worth it! BTW, if any of you know my chiropractor, personal trainer, or pastor, please don't tell them about this post. The first two would condemn me for contaminating my body. The third would condemn me for not sharing.

Wow! I checked out the website and was surprised to find that this diet is quite similar to what I'm already doing. I've been dieting for nine days now. It's part of the reason I don't post much. An awful excuse, I know, but it's hard to sit down at the computer without a bag of "something" at my side. My own version of dieting consist of a list of foods given to me by my chiropractor. They are known to reduce inflamation. The majority of them are listed on the Perricone Diet. I really have no time to cook up anything for breakfast, but hard-boiled eggs work well for me. When my doctor gave me the list "eggs" were listed in the "inflamatory" group, but he did tell me that the latest and greatest news was, based on an entirely new study, eggs were found to be "neutral"... I haven't eaten any wild salmon, but I am stocked with tuna, halibut and cod. I've tried to cut out all refined sugar. I eat non-salted roasted almonds to snack on and drink lots of water. I'm not ready to get on the scale yet, but I do notice my clothes are fitting much better. Can't really say there's an improvement in my skin, but I think it's still too early to determine effects on skin. I'll have to look into where wild salmon can be purchased.... and then.... if I can (or want to) afford it. In the meantime, I'll ask my chiro about th diet. I do respect his opinion.

A very touching story of triumph. Thank you for sharing it. :)

Yes, Belle, the word "wish" just wasn't allowed. IMO, I do think it is indicative of regrets. I interpret the epitaph to be saying, as igotout, suggested, "I'm sorry". Of course, there's no way vp would be able to comprehend all that he had to be sorry for, but, IMO, I feel he knew he had messed up big-time.

In '83 my WOW sister was married to another WOW. Didn't seem strange to me then, but it sure does now, considering they'd only known each other a matter of months...hmmmmm. My husband (who was then my boyfriend) was best man and I was maid of honor. The wedding took place on a southern plantion, complete with southern mansion where the reception was held. Family was flown in from both sides. It was a picture perfect day and I've got an album full of them. I think the BC presided over the ceremony.... no glitches, beautiful ceremony, full of a mixed batch of people. I left twi upon completion of my wow year, married the following year. It went well despite the predictions of people in the ministry. Almost 22 years later, it's still going well.

I have found a church. Right now, it seems awesome. I've joined a bible study group of women and feel like I belong there... feel like I contribute something positive to the group. GS is a place I can probably get help in areas where I'm confused about what to believe. I don't think I'll become a "member" (of my new church) too soon. Happy as I am right now, I need to know that I embrace the majority of their beliefs before I sign on the line. Right now, I can't say this... I'm still in the "checking it out" phase. Bookmarks! Yes, I'll do that. Goodness! Sometimes the most obvious answers just don't come so easily to me... thank you for reminding me (and to think, I used to call myself computer literate). I hesitated to join GS because, at first, honestly, I felt intimidated by the knowledge of all the former corp people here, but then.... realized it really doesn't matter "where" you were or "who" you were back then. We were all "in" twi and we all have something to share, but most of all, I joined because I have some experiences that people need to know about before they join twi. I do agree, with so many good churches today... why would anyone want to join twi?

Stopping by to say hi. Would have been back sooner but I have trouble remembering where you are. Talk about lack of gray matter. I do believe my gray matter is leaking rapidly these days, taking on a new identity and is being manifested in my hair. Or it could be the result of raising two special needs kids. (For sure they are responsible for losing my post-it with my forum directions on it.) Anywaaaaay, I went WOW in 82. In my first post, I should have said I missed worshiping "with a body of believers" because truth be told, I've never stopped worshiping, but it's just not the same all by yourself... and that's definitely not the way God intended it to be.

Thank you kindly for the welcome. I can't help but think that I would have been so much better off had I found GSC a long time ago. But I DO KNOW that the timing of my discovery is for a purpose. But, it's like when you first get into the Word... everything you learn you want to share (at least that's how I was/am). I feel the same way about finding GS. Good point, ChasUFarley! I went wow with over 400 people. I've not found a trace of them here. I sponsored Corp. Don't see them either. I DO wonder, what happened to all those people??? For anyone struggling with their past involvement with TWI, even in the least bit, they need to be here. Out of the 400 wows, 162 completed the year. I'd say some people were struggling with something back then. I do wonder (but don't dwell on it) if a good percentage of people are still in the dark. I wonder if there are still any "clueless" people out there. Many people still hold a place in my heart. If finding GreaseSpot would do for them what it has done for me, they owe it to themselves to overturn some boulders.