Twinky

Well, so far this year my garden is a disappointment. It was really hot and dry; then cold and wet; now hot and dry again. The soil is clayey and either heavy (when wet) or a dust bowl (when dry). I planted runner beans and none have come up. My rhubarb started out well and has just about given up. My salad seeds aren't doing anything at all. Other seeds really doing anything either, just not germinating. My hanging baskets are just as originally planted. My courgettes need to be planted out (sorry gc to hear about yours). I had (note tense) some marigolds - seeds - only 6 tiny plants grew - I left them uncovered last night and all but one have been eaten (the slime trail betrays the culprit). What is thriving is the chard and my savoy cabbages (both last years) which have bolted. The cabbages are over 6 ft tall and the chard must be 5 ft, including their pretty flowers. I have decided to leave at least some of these as sacrificial plants. Maybe the slugs and snails will eat them instead of this year's chosen crops (that's if this year's chosen crops decided to grow at all). I am suspecting my compost. All the stuff that is not doing well is in the same compost. I have other bigger plants in this same compost or where I put them in a bigger pot with this compost or scraped away the top of their old potting material, and somehow they don't look quite as vigorous as they should. It came from the garden centre so you'd think it should be all right but it's the one consistent thing among my pot plants that aren't thriving or have died/disappeared. So how does my garden grow this year? Meeaaahh! PS If I could train the girlies to chase slugs and snails, now that would be good.

Gosh, your girlfriend's response is entirely normal for a "Wayfer." Unusual for leadership to be so "out there" and open in their condemnation of you, so early in the piece. Or perhaps you are particularly observant, and have lots of experience of genuinely Godly Christians. Stay sharp; you will need to. Are they still calling people "possessed"? If they are, you'll probably be deemed to be such, at some stage. Why else would you wish to draw her away from "the greatness of God's Word" aka TWI? God has called us to live in grace, not legalism. With outward manifestation of love; not in fear. They are a roaring lion (and, as they teach, a roaring lion is not attacking you, but trying to terrify you). Withstand the devil TWI and he will flee. Do check out those threads posted earlier. You will see the way it is likely to develop. What you will be up against.

Have a look at these two threads to see how things worked for someone in very much your situation: http://www.greasespotcafe.com/ipb/index.ph...st&p=405274 http://www.greasespotcafe.com/ipb/index.ph...st&p=405909 Brushstroke is still a Cafe denizen, if you want to ask him anything by, say, private messaging him.

Welcome to the Cafe! This is an interesting place, and sad to say, you will find others in the same situation as yourself. A lot will depend on how long she has been associated with the fellowship she attends, and how close her friendships there really are (probably nothing like as close as she thinks). At some stage she will have to make the choice between you and her fellowship / TWI. Whatever objections either of you has, have probably been discussed (more than once) here at the Cafe. You could find suitable argument / discussion / ammunition and also likely responses.

I don't think anybody hates it, Paw; I certainly don't. But it does have ... a rather different flavor from this one. Maybe it's the contrast that makes it a little hair raising at times. Some non-Corps see it for something it definitely isn't. I'm glad it's there and am pleased to have caught up with some of my Corps bros and sisters that otherwise I probably would never have heard from. I knew some great people there and have often wondered what became of them. Hey, Rocky you call it about like it is.

THW, I'm glad you think that, too. It's surreal sometimes. I enjoy meeting some people, but most of those are well "out" and have other lives now. They were always the most interesting ones in rez, too, by which I mean, not spouting the party line all the time.

So, John, Paw, how'd it all go?

Yeah, now I see, that's exactly what it was. Either that, or he couldn't find a commentary that he liked sufficiently well to plagiarise. God didn't have to have Revelation written. And Jesus didn't have to tell it to John. And John didn't have to listen, or at least, write it all down. The book is there because we are supposed to read it! Not only that, we are supposed to keep (like a treasure) the words of the book. How can you treasure something that you don't know you have?

I have a photo on my bookshelf of that sign that was outside the Chalet, the one with the Corps principles on it. Hmm, why do I keep it? (pause for pondering) Because at bottom, I must still appreciate the intent as I first perceived it. And it reminds me of some fine people that I knew. Somehow it seems dissociated from the organisation. Weird. Is it time to burn some chaff?

Hey Chockfull - in that bit that you excerpted - you didn't take it all wholly seriously, did you? The last sentence should be accompanied by shaking of the head, cringing, or other "denial" activity! T-Bone: I think we were told that Revelation was future, and could not be understood or properly interpreted going forwards, but after it all happened, we would be able to look back and see that it had all been predicted. Possibly part of the knowing in part now (1 Cor 13), but we'll get the full knowledge later. We didn't get a lot from books like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Daniel, except the odd out of context verse or short extract here and there. And there's a lot still to come from those books. (Yes, they did have the Way of Holiness theme one year, and that was a quote from Isaiah - but it wasn't a study of that book.) I really think that they only quoted stuff from those books and the so-called minor prophets simply to show off and to give the illusion of knowing and teaching the whole word. But most of it was out of context or flashed over too fast to really consider the full impact. Just showing off. "The rupture of the PFAL church" - ha ha ha

Now you have made me pull out my old Bible with all those pencilled notes in it. We did 1 John, where there are more pencil notes than printer's ink on the page; also 2 and 3 John but not in such depth. We did a lot in 1 Timothy, and a lot in Ephesians and Colossians. But when? You know, I really can't remember a lot of this stuff. Made an active decision that I wanted to use any other Bible and try to really learn and understand the heart behind what was written, without other people's interpretations of it. We never looked at Revelation, not even in passing. Nor much in the OT. BUT my research paper/thesis (basically a Greek word study), assigned to me by the great LCM himself, involved me reading practically every book in the Bible to follow through a particular theme. LCM had assigned me one thing, but God was clearly directing my steps in completely another direction and I ended up doing a lot of significant study on what it was to be a genuine and good leader, living the lifestyle, and how to guard and protect people. I learned about God's provision for his people by his people (his "social security"). It was awesome. (If you're still into "word studies" - try looking at the Hebrew word "Shaphat" sometime.) I also learned a lot about confrontation of hypocrisy (what a genuine leader is not) from the gospel of John. My research paper was very well received and I was surprised at who came up to me afterwards to say they'd read it and thought it was wonderful. There were quite a lot of people - didn't know that these things got such a wide circulation! I never got the research paper back, and there was only ever the one copy. It was when I started to apply this learning after graduation, when back on the field, that I really fell foul of The Powers That Be. I have never forgotten my research paper stuff and if for nothing else that time in the Corps was worth it. I am still learning from it and endeavour to apply it as best I can. But back to the point... Receiving training in the whole word wasn't (I understood/had been told) supposed to mean "receive training in the whole Bible," but also "receive training in the practical application" of what we were studying. If we knew how to do that, we would understand how to apply parts of the Bible that we had not at that time studied but would in the future. Hence the work program. Because the Bible is very practical, y'know.

Looks like they've upgraded their website: http://www.packhorseinn.com/index.html May menu looks mouthwatering...hmm, pass the cider. Ex10, do I need to confess to you about what #2 daughter and I have been doing? No, better not.

What Wordwolf says about knowing people by their screen name and having to think of their real name... I never had a nickname in my life. Never. Through all my school days and student days and all the rest ... till I came to the Cafe. And I needed a screen name. And I thought of my then (now deceased) cat Twinkletoes (Twinky). Seemed good enough. So that became my screen name and is gradually creeping into other names (e-addresses) and now finally I have a nickname and I am named after my cat...! And even that is getting "nicknamed" shorter... Twinx

No Tv. No live music. No piped music. No video games. No "fruit machine" / poker machine / slot machine, call it what you will. Just a tiny little pub with a nice garden to sit out in in the summer, and a huge open fire in the winter. And always, a friendly welcome. And excellent beer, cider, and meals. No carpets on the floor, just stone flags. The walls are 18" thick. There are wooden shutters at the windows. There are thick oak beams holding up the ceilings. The doors into the two drinking rooms are heavy, thick oak, and probably less than 6 foot in height. Sounds twee but it's all authentic. It's just what a very old Cotswold pub is like. Ex10 has gone back to the US today and I miss her already. The house seems very empty without her company.

Well, we just got home. A pint of cider in the garden, and another pint inside under the thick oak beams. Ex10 enjoyed it very much. So did I. To get to the pub is a short stroll of about 1/2 mile. I go through fields - there is another way via roads. Then we wandered back by starlight through some different fields. All very nice. I will leave Ex10 to tell you about her thoughts. But it#'s a nice "local" pub in a country village. It's not a town pub and it definitely isn't a "bar" in the US sense of a drinking establishment. (edited for spelling which after a couple of pints leaves a little to be desired. Well it's not so much the spelling as the typing.)

Very sad they have to go today... :(

Am quite pleased with how things are progressing. Cats especially Tuxedo love to be outside. And return quite readily when called. However, I was away overnight recently and Crypto slunk outside when I hadn't noticed. She ended up spending a whole night outside fending for herself. Gosh, she was pleased to see me when I got home. She didn't rush down the garden path when called, but appeared soon after. And if she goes out now, she doesn't stray far from the door. If I've closed the door, she looks anxiously at it (and at me, in the kitchen or wherever) in case she gets locked out again. She so dislikes being outside on her own! Tuxy has taken to yelling at me, in order to persuade me to open the back door and let her roam about outside.

If you want friends, Jeff, be a friend. It's an ancient axiom of life. You know you have friends here. You may not know their (real) names, but they are friends nonetheless. What is it that you are expecting, love and hugs and cuddles? You will get supportive help, compassionate answers, understanding, and space to express yourself and to grow, without condemnation. I'd say that was friendship. What else were you expecting? I see you as a friend. It's obviously not reciprocal. If you want a personal relationship, start one. This Cafe isn't some sort of dating arrangement, marriage club or whatever, though some couples have met via GSC and married.

So glad to have ex10 and other guests present. We are having a good time with Brit hospitality. We have also made the acquaintance of ... quite a few bottles of wine... hic! We have not got to my local 16th century pub yet (that had been scheduled for tonight, but we got distracted by the roast pork and wine at home) but that's a visit on the agenda for Saturday evening. (hic)

Well, the girlies are really settling well, with going out. Tuxy loves to be outside but she stays nicely in the garden, and more or less comes when called. If she want to go out she has taken to yelling at me and looking meaningfully at the door. Crypto is as often to be found inside as out. She goes out for a while then comes back in and stays in. But today she had an adventure. She must have slipped out without my realising. I was pottering about the house for some time (hours) - went downstairs, and there was this miaow, quite loud, from outside. I looked out and there was Crypto, with an anxious look on her face. When I let her in, she ran all around, and is skulking behind furniture. Perhaps she thinks she is in bad books. They seem to be behaving a little better towards each other. Crypto's temporary aggression seems to have settled down. They both come to me much more for a little fondle. That's quite satisfying. They (Tuxy in particulary) like to be near me when I work in the garden. They like eating my lawn. I am wondering if I can train them - like sheep. Grazing cats, LOL! I am not sure if they have discovered the joys of soil (real soil) for excretory purposes. I don't see any little piles of earth in the garden. Plenty in the litter tray (!). I'm almost getting the cats I want...if only they would consent to sit on my lap!

Hi Purple One. How're you doing? Happy birthday! Start of a good year for you, perhaps....perhaps as a model, or is that you already in GSG's photo (LOL)? Have a wonderful day! Twinx

I looooove working in the garden. Gardens have always been a part of my family life. My father worked shifts and sometimes came home and dug a few rows in the garden, if he got home at dawn. As well as our very large garden, he also had an allotment. Most of our family veges were home-grown. I've nearly always had a bit of a garden, and if not, then a selection of growbags or pots on windowsills. I used to have a high-stress job (the stress came mostly from the manipulative boss) and I would go home and garden - by the light of the local street lamp! It was so relaxing, after dealing with that b***'s games all day. Now I have a long garden and love playing in it. I can lose myself for hours, tending this and that. It can be hard work. But it is so rewarding to see your little plants thriving. Even better when you get to eat from them. It's a time I get to talk things over with God and he teaches me stuff. Once I put in 35 sacks of horse manure. As I loaded it on and forked it in, what I realised is that sh1t happens in our lives too, but God can turn all that badness and difficulty into something that makes our lives abundantly fruitful and he sort of de-natures the evil and makes it productive. When removing weeds - well, we all have those in our lives. We need to uproot them before they get too big. For me, gardening's a way of sort of "giving" without reward. The plants cannot say thank you for protecting them, watering them, guarding with slug pellets... They may reward with fruit (veges) at a later stage. Then you get the blessing of having a glut of (whatever) and being able to give away what you can't use or preserve. Not that I'm spiritualising everything, you understand... LOL.

Well I finally got busy in my garden. I have sown runner beans, radishes, lollo rosso, mixed salad leaves and beetroot. It has been horribly bakingly hot for weeks, and the garden has been a dust bowl. I had to water my garden before I could plant, last weekend, but thought I couldn't leave it much longer before getting seeds in. Last night it finally rained just a very little and today has drizzled all day. The ground was parched. But maybe something will start shooting up with the now damp soil. About 4 weeks ago I sprinkled my lawn with weed & feed, to kill the moss (mostly) and the dandelions. Then about 2 weeks ago I had to rake all the deadened moss (all black) out. This is very hard and tiring work. (Good for working on the suntan though, out in shorts and skinny shirt and not much else.) I have been sore ever since. Lately my wrist has been very tender. Turns out that I have given myself tendonitis (tenosynovitis) and so now I have a wrist brace which I have to wear for a week or so until my wrist stops hurting. Just shows. Gardening can be bad for your health. Lawn is looking nice, though. Well, it will be if the new grass seed (in the ex-mossy patches) ever gets going. Which it just might, with the dampness today. I have 8 fine courgette plants grown from seed. Too many, two is enough. Will have to find some swaps.

Would he be a bit of a hothead then?

I think I went Lightbearers in Cleveland. Nobody told me about this wonderful river of fire. Musta missed a treat. What's wrong with Detroit anyway?