Twinky

What really weird is when I fly to the antipodes... I arrive home before one of my flights has departed, or some such nonsense. Mind you, sometimes when going there I leap from one day to another two days hence. That could be really weird. If you left Australia, NZ or the Pacific Islands on 1 Jan, you might not arrive in Malaysia, Singapore, or wherever until 31 Dec the previous year... I think I'd better go to bed, my brain will start hurting soon. Dateline travel is very odd.

Happy new year to you all, folks. I'm already into 2023 but most of you will still be lingering in 2022. Let's try putting an argumentative year behind and moving on in a little more companionable way, hey? (I can see this as a NY resolution lasting a good 30 seconds.) Stay safe, stay well, and have a joyful year.

Regrettably I find it impossible to listen to American preachers at all now. VPW's voice gives me the creeps, and Juedes - well, I can listen to him, but other American preachers are hard. So it was rather difficult for me when the new lead vicar appointed by my church - is an American. Yikes! Even after living in the UK for decades, his accent has softened but is still very evident. He's a great guy, preaches as well and accurately as any, and I'm learning to overcome my prejudice. Okay, now back to the regularly scheduled topic.

Too far along a different path now. Better to look forward. I'd rather write about what I've learned since. Which has a root in what happened then - but indirectly. As I've posted before, I now do a lot of work in gardens. I have learned so much about God and learning what works and what doesn't. How a plant can flourish in unsuitable locations and how it doesn't thrive in what looks as though it should be perfect. I could easily write a book about that! How tending a desired plant, pruning it, nourishing it, weeding, companion plants, giving support, etc, all help. How to shape a plant, to show it at its best. Plants' resilience. Plants' fruitfulness, growth and dormancy periods. Positioning so that none gets in the way of others but that they work well together in shape, colour and usefulness, despite there being many different plants. The weeds: the things that'll spoil the desired plant by taking its nutrients, or entwining it and deforming it, or swamping it with foliage the desired plant can't cope with. Other pests: insects, viruses, and such like. Sometimes even the best(looking) locations sometimes just don't suit a plant. Why? I don't know, but the plant knows. God knows. Put it somewhere else and that might make all the difference. Even sickly plants can be helped along, though they often won't ever do so well. And then there are some plants, that no matter how much care and attention are given simply will not thrive. They seem to get smaller the more they're helped. Ultimately, the only solution is to remove them completely and put something else in place. What sort of plant are you? Are you in the right location, with enough nutrients, light, shade, moisture, and pollinators? Or are you stunted because you don't have your needs adequately met? Are your blooms, perfumes and fruits as delightful as they should be?

Nathan, you could group your posts together and post in My Story if you wish; add more info, too. It's a non-contentious forum (usually!) that elicits much sympathy.

Poor Mike. Such delusions.

Bolshevik - why are you here if you don't like the internet? And don't tell me you've never meandered through the net looking for information on anything. Or anyone. Because you found this place.

Wow. This 2017-2019 thread... is virtually word for word on the new late 2022 threads "Wierwille's Doctorate" and "Dr's Last Teaching." Everybody just says the same thing. I re-read the first 7 pages (of 24) on this thread - nothing new for or from anybody. You could say we're all consistent in what we now think.

And now, you'll probably have a go at me. You need your bottom spanking. Leastways, that would have happened, if anyone I knew as a kid who acted like you, would have got.

MIKE! SHUT UP! You are defending YOUR indefensible. YOU started this spat; please discontinue. In fact, didn't you somewhere in your spattergun posts promise to stop calling people Nazi Corps? Your entire post above is to insult Chocky, who pointed out YOUR naff post. So now you insult everything he wrote and writes. Everyone's getting just a bit tired of this. As you may well have been told as a child: Be polite, or be quiet. If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing.

Nobody is confused but you, Mike. Sad when your rose-coloured PFAL glasses are so cloudy that you can't separate truth from error. The rest of us took off those glasses long ago and have been gaining improved vision ever since.

On another thread,Rocky wrote: Been thinking this for a while, and some of you may not agree, but for those who keep picking up on Mike's outrageous and ludicrous claims (which occasionally includes me) - do you think perhaps you are harming Mike? Because the more he persists in defending the indefensible, the more he is pushed into that place that he feels compelled to keep on saying what he says. He hasn't time to process what's said because he spends that time "defending." Doubtful if leaving him alone for a while will change his mind, but it might stop him getting worse, more deeply entrenched.

Crikey, I go out for the day and come back to find five pages of increasing hilarity. It's been a laugh a post from p.38 onwards. Can't even begin to answer any of what's written for the tears of laughter rolling down my face.

FWIW, I don't think I Mike got "involved" with the girls or molested any of them. He was, like many of us, attracted by their enthusiasm and vibrancy,their passion. Don't think it was sexual attraction, but could be confused with that.

(Love it when we get newer people and they bump up some of the older threads )

Hardly. Hardly "joy in service." Any one of us, or any believer, should be able to point out significant things and themes in a Bible. But "teaching" is not "service." Teaching is teaching. Or in this case, pushing propaganda. VPW was (supposedly) talking about the joy OF service. I wonder if these teachers were also supposed to clean the place, set out chairs, make the coffee, clean the toilet, etc as well? That would be more "service" than teaching. But really, Mike, the JOY OF SERVICE is in actually helping, doing things, for people. Without the supposed kudos of "teaching" or "look at me" moments. Blessed are the meek and humble, Mike. The ones who just get on quietly doing things in the background. The overlooked ones, the ones who notice something and fix it without making a fuss. The ones who wash dishes, pick things up off the floor, help those who can't walk easily, find food for the hungry, and such like. Please pay attention. Please.

My lord! I dipped into a page at random (32 I think) and found this. I hadn't realised that CSBP was also God-breathed. (My bad!) There seemed to be quite a spat between Mike and Oldies (and others) about it. Still think that, Mike?

When I was sent out out Lightbearers one year, no team (each consisting of about 3 or 4 pairs) got a class together - we had to get 7 people, and start a class, within two weeks, leaving the further running of the class to local believers, who were not allowed to be involved in the witnessing. Got back, no classes started, we all got threatened with being thrown out of the WC. But actually we got sent out again to different areas. Second time was a bit more fruitful (?). Only good thing about this whole set-up was the escape from HQ for a couple of weeks.

I've heard this said before, but where is the information or evidence, WW? You weren't there at the time; who reported it?

Yep, you'd think after 20 years everyone would know what a fraud it is. (Everyone except one person already does know that.)

Reportedly. At his burial.

See, his emphasis is "serving up" something - not "serving" people. He wants to give people his message. To "serve it up" to them. He doesn't want to seriously help (or "serve") people by doing things that help, like feeding them, giving them clothes or other practical help. Yet another of those subtle shifts of emphasis in the bait-and-switch line. Faith and Works (James 2) 14What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that? 17So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.

Oh, don't you just pity those people who only have a Bible to read, and then go out and do as it says? Give to the underprivileged, comfort the afflicted, help those less fortunate. Great Christian charities that are set up to help widows and orphans. Churches that get involved in their communities. Organisations that help trafficked people, prostitutes, enslaved folk in other countries. Such extraordinary people and organisations only have the gospels and the epistles - oh, and the examples from the OT - oh, and the gift of holy spirit, but let's not talk about that - to guide their actions. Such failures! They really need the collaterals! And that's not to mention the zillions of people, non-Christian and otherwise, including Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, etc, who have the joy of service as part of their own expressions of faith. And those who just have an innate sense of service and helping others, in so many ways: doctors, teachers, and yes, even the lowliest - road sweepers, etc.

He was criticising anyone who tried to move grads off the truth of the Word (as taught by TWI).