Twinky

Hmm, Old Skool, they can't do anything? Well, for one, they could consider you so spiritually proud and un-meek that you would be a danger to the people around you, not heeding their gentle guidance (cough) and God's will (cough cough) and they could drop you from Active Corps. (Martindale had some wonderful things to say about DFAC folks.) If you're an innie, that's probably a fairly terrifying thought, even in these days of the new-look TWI. They can exert a lot of mental pressure and manipulation. If someone is on paid staff, they have employment rights and possibly changing the location of one's workplace to a long way away might contravene legislation protecting workers. Field WC, as volunteers, can't be pushed around like that, never could be. A lot of things happened that were "consented" to. Others might say that consent under duress is not valid consent. Maybe they are so short of WC that these days they daren't offend the "faithful remnant" too much and daren't make them move in case they just plain move right away, permanently.

Ambassador One was long gone by the time I was traveling to HQ. It would have been good, though, wouldn't it! You know, I just realized what the L in LCM stands for...Legalistic! His cry: "Be exceptional, not an exception!" And International WC shouldn't expect anything special or exceptional, over what mainland US WC got. I can see that it might be difficult to run a collection service for every single person coming to RoA or even Corps week - but for those who have no option but long flights, a little help would be welcome. I have to say, though, that I never had real difficulty, thanks to the International Outreach office, helpful staff in that office and others who really did love helping Internationals; and big-hearted believers on the field who were always willing to help WC. God bless 'em (in one case, God rest his soul). These people realized how heartless that mandate was.

Even worse for international field Corps, because of the cost of airfares from home countries - for flights taken often at busy times (summer hols), therefore at highest rates to pay. And from countries where the pay rates may be considerably lower than in the US. Never any offer of a subsidy or partial refund. Just a questioning of one's priorities, or ability to believe God, if one wondered if it might not be possible. Sometimes it was hard to get a ride from the airport to HQ - that was our responsibility to arrange - not HQ's. Or they would say they'd pick us up from somewhere that was easy for them, but difficult to arrange on international carriers. Columbus was reasonably easy for international travelers, but too far for HQ to pick us up; Dayton was hard (or considerably more expensive) to fly into but they would collect from there. Thank God some of the staff (usually in the International Department) or good solid field believers, out of the goodness of their hearts, would come and get us from whichever airport we managed to arrive at. And also...partly because of the cost of airfares (but there may be other family factors as well, like pregnancy, or several small children, or school - because August is term time in some countries), not everyone could make it to RoA. So you make some arrangements for people staying behind to meet and fellowship back in the home area. One year, the instruction from HQ was, don't bother with those people. If they can't be bothered to get to HQ, they aren't really interested. Don't bother making any arrangements for them. Loving and caring, or what?

Discerning of spirits... with categories of "baddie" spirits, proud ones, lying ones, sexual and alluring ones, and I don't know what else (and please no-one remind me). But what about "goodie" spirits? We're so smart we don't need "goodie" spirits (angels) to help us because the Christ in us is superior to any kind of angel. (That's what they taught.) Therefore we don't need to know about angels, how they work, what their functions are, how they might help us. But through the Christ in us is also clearly superior to the devil spirits, we need to know all their different categories ... in lurid detail ... but not know about those on "our side"? <_< (If we did but know it, all we needed to do was consider some of the high-ups in TWI. "The secrecy of his [the Devil's] success is the secrecy of his moves." And the high-ups at TWI sure kept a lot of their moves secret.)

Welcome! You can laugh, cry, shout, scream or just say nothing here at the Cafe. We understand. You can change your mind, try new ideas, laugh at old ideas. Lots of nooks and crannies to explore at the Cafe. Even a reading room! Anyway, draw up a chair, let's have a chat over a cup of coffee. You have the cake, I need to shed a few pounds.

There are international witnesses against TWI. And JC didn't set the requirement; it goes right back to Numbers 35, Deuteronomy 17. Reiterated in gospels. Reiterated in Pauline epistles. So no escape, doesn't matter which "administration" you choose. TWI has been afforded myriad more witnesses than they ever gave those they flung out, who were often dismissed on mere "spiritual suspicion." No witnesses at all, not even any disreputable behavior - just that someone at TWI didn't like 'em.

First thing I threw out was that TWI is an organization dedicated to following Christian principles. That all of them would behave in accordance with scriptures. That they would live a Godly life. When I found out about the adulterous behavior and the vile personal life of LCM (thanks, Grease Spot Cafe) it was easy to see how all the rest of their treatment of other human beings (especially their own followers) was RIGHT OFF and to reject anything they said about personal relationships ... of any kind.

And now another advance...this time Crypto. For a long time now, Tuxedo will come to my chair when I am at the computer, and mess around, wanting her head fondled. Crypto watches this but avoids contact. But this evening, she's kept coming up to me, miaowing her croaky little miaow, and actually wanted me to stroke her neck and fondle her head a little. Utterly amazing. Actually what she wants is for me to go and play with her - flick a whippy thing about or wave feathers. Contact!!!! Maybe she's finally realised I don't eat cats, or whatever her catty little brain fears so much. (Rather spoilt the effect by running away after a few minutes, but hey, it's a start.)

Ghastly, and a serious threat to people's livelihoods as well as to who knows what unique little crittters. And even not so unique critters. Aren't we supposed to steward the earth? That means, take care of! Never mind. We screwed up the southern states. Let's go raid somewhere pristine and start again. No-one will notice if we mess up the arctic. It seems utterly incomprehensible that BP could do this and not have a worst-case plan, fail-safes for fail-safes and then some. Sorry for the men, for the families, with the first deaths on the exploding rig. They are but the first of many to suffer.

Well, I don't know where you got that from, mstar, but looking at the salaries, I'm not entirely sure that it would be representative. $100K+? And I also think that 39% having gone to grad school is excessively high. Where'd these stats come from? Not entirely sure that that quantcast organization, whatever it is, has it right on this one. Probably a best guess based on declared ages - not on declared circumstances.

Staff sneaking off grounds to go to a CFF fellowship nearby...

Well I quite liked: and the rest of it's pretty good too except that "Jesus Christ" needs replacement too ...we are talking about the Weirwille home, no? ...as the "unctuous outhouse"?

God bless your great big wonderful hearts. You're the best! You're tremendous!! (Sorry it adds two other popular Way expressions, but it adds to the fun.)

To those still in... when did you last see Rosalie wash someone's feet - anyone's, not even a lowly twiggie, what about a Trustee? When has she helped you with your work tasks (eg hauling in the fishing net - for work, not pleasure). Doe she even know how to work the dishwasher or the lawnmower? Or even... When has she stayed up all night to pray with you? When has she worked or walked alongside you, expounding the scriptures? Did your heart burn within you? When has she visited you when you were not feeling too good, blessed you, and prayed for your healing? Ever to your knowledge prayed for you as an individual? How about the other HQ hotshots? Any of them help? My Corps Coords would come alongside; I know they got stuck in and did things with the in rez Corps. And Rev Al@n Brown was a ready volunteer for extra work, as well, in RoA set-up. Other Revs weren't, never saw 'em. Probably spending time mowing their office carpets or putting their paperclips in decent order, or some such.

Soooo...turning it back on VPW.... Who slept with Dottie? Who slept with Wierville's daughters? Before or after he left his church in Van Wert? I don't think so, somehow. The man would soon have had something to say about that. He just took advantage of the times, when he got started on this abuse.

JJ, is she supposed to have mentioned Grease Spot Cafe by name? Wow, a cult leader advertising for us! Just wondering: for those innies that have computers (there weren't many about when I was in rez) - where do they plug them in? Oh, I guess they have to use those dongle things. No way has founder's hall been re-wired to give a plug-in socket in every room (or even some of them). Study hall? Ha!

Burn that chaff! Or in your case, trash that chaff! I had a copy of Athletes of the Spirit. For some odd reason I'd thought it inspiring when I first watched it - in tee Auditorium. Ten years later I found my own (required purchase) copy and started to watch it. My lord, it was excruciatingly bad. Where exactly was my head, all those years ago? AoS made it into the woodburning stove. The lake of fire, early. It went really well there!

Things harbor devil spirits, doncha know, JJ? Like old annotated bibles. You chase 'em out, girl! Consign them to the fiery pit right now! Seriously, though...it's a book. It's the contents that matter. You haven't the power to destroy those. The words themselves are easily reacquired, in our culture. Just go to the nearest bookstore and choose from scores of versions. It's often helpful to read a variety of bibles, including at least one quite modern translation, as an antidote and to stop your mind running over familiar phrases and TWI interpretations.

Not to mention those in South America, of which certainly there are / have been some. And there are lots of (ex?) Wayfers in South America. You also forgot Scandinavia, also a lot of (ex?) Wayfers there. Scandinavia isn't really "Europe," it has its own identity. There are also lots of (ex?) Wayfers in India.

Heh heh, funny.

Donna also taught that having a quick shower might perk you up better than a quick nap. See, you really don't need sleep at all, just SIT and shower a lot. Didn't they also teach that dreams often meant visions (= revelation), and you were fully conscious during them, watching like watching a movie? As opposed to dreams, where you have little or no conscious involvement? "Your sleep may be sweet" I always took to mean "sleep may be refreshing and undisturbed by nightmares" not undisturbed by dreams.

Why do you want to do a questionnaire, anyway, SS?

You might find these threads of interest: Who comes to the Café? Where are you from? Doesn’t specifically cover what people may believe now. There was a sort of mini-poll a while back that might have covered some aspects of that. Too wide a topic to categorize easily. You’d have to ask very narrow questions. One's in About the Way, the other in Open. I bumped 'em both for you, SS.

bump