Twinky

After I got chucked out I was under major condemnation. LCM had managed to cut the Book from us ("It has nothing to say but reproof to those who walk away!" - don't forget to add the yelling and spit flying out of his mouth) and after 4 years of in-rez and WC training, reproof was something that I'd had in sackfuls (once even for just being happy). I couldn't handle reading the Bible at all for a long time. Actually I couldn't handle life at all - but that's another story. I try to LIVE what I know - not read about it all the time [and then do something different, TWI-style]. I don't NEED any more words to read - I need to know how to APPLY the words that I've already read. So I ponder the paths of my feet and take it easy with myself. Then when I am unsure or realize I don't quite remember it all about some particular thing, then I read the book more. I go to an Anglican church which is very laid-back, no conventional liturgy. The first few months I went, tears poured down my face at every sermon. I was so happy to be "home" in a place where there were other Christians. Their beliefs/views often conflict with my TWI taught/influenced beliefs and now I enjoy reading and some study to see how their views might have been formed and whether and where I need to change my own. And the pleasure of just reading OT adventures or whatever is returning. I never went to twig for the social aspect. But church has a social aspect and some of them are so unlearned about the Bible it's painful. I echo Polar Bear's statement above.

This seems to be very focussed on TWI's idea of SIT but don't forget that there are a lot of other people out there in churches (esp Pentecostal) who also SIT (or claim to). They believe they are speaking in an unknown language and do it privately because they also believe it has benefits ("quickest way to pray and get results", according to one woman in a car I was travelling in recently). The interpretation of tongues is the TWI specialty. Other churches do it differently. Agreed the KJV interpretations were a little weird and generally it was all very repetitive. However, I have heard some people give interpretation (one guy in particular) and the message is always so fresh and interesting in the choice of language that you want to listen. Ah yes... just thank you, just... Never heard this word used so many times as in some believers' prayers. Never speak like that in "real life."

Interested in a different way now. Or perhaps it was that TWI derailed my interest. I try to read it for pleasure, interest, understanding and application. I specifically try to avoid reading it to understand the Greek/Hebrew/other words. Rarely read KJV (too many connotations) but I miss the notes in the Companion Bible. Now I read a variety of other versions, some of which are wild (The Message), some of which are bland (NIV) and occasionally some which are questionable (NLT) However, the pre-WC days when I would spend a morning lounging in the sun engrossed in some OT book (just for pleasure) seem to have vanished.

...Alienated all my family and my friends... Yes, some are still friends, wonderful people, and I've made it up with the family, well, most of 'em. Oh wait, you CAN believe I did that, y'all did too.

Oh well that's you gone for the next couple of days while you read it...

Well, he did call himself "The Teacher". He was just teaching more than we all realized when we first took PFAL. Naturally he would want to promote ("ordain") those who followed him and his teachings most closely. And who helped him to enjoy the bright future he envisaged. ...Could it be that some others were ordained simply as "cover" for the ones who followed his practices most closely? (PS - A bit tongue in cheek that; there were some great folks who were ordained.)

W's family are from another country and their native language is not English. W's mother is/was a Pentecostal believer. W's father did not believe. W's father became seriously ill. Appropriate treatment was not available. W's mother had told W's father on many occasions he could be healed (by God). The father denied this, did not believe. One day, W's mother went to church, came home, same routine. Father by this time getting very ill. He walked off. W's mother called to him in English, a language she did not know but he did, telling him he could be healed if only he would trust God. Father snapped round, demanded a repeat, got it, so astonished that he instantly changed his mind, accepted that healing was available. W's mother had no idea what she had said. W's father is (I think) still alive today. W told me this. I consider W to be an honest and reliable witness, loves God. Some time later the family got to hear about TWI.

My understanding is that Muslims are required also to give 10% of their income away. Not necessarily to the mosque but give it away to those in need. Muslims don't even figure in this breakdown. "Christians vs atheists" is so much putting people in boxes. It's a false distinction.

Yeah, Bramble, LCM did say that. Maybe VP did as well, but I have heard LCM say it. Oakspear - too much! I guess if you had arranged the books by size that would have been wrong too, shoulda been by category. How rude of the BC to stamp all over your fine Christian courtesy in cooking a meal. Good you put him in the garbage can with the scraps .

It's a nice picture, painted around the time my cottage was built except that my cottage is far too small for something of that size! A smaller print would be nice here. The glow of the lanterns is warming and hopeful. The little girl's face (the one facing the viewer) is sweet. I like it more as I look at it more often. Would the full size version be a little overpowering? Not sure if I would give it house room as it doesn't appeal particularly to any emotional area. It's just nice to look at. My house is filled with things that people have given me/old family pieces. They have an emotional investment. (PS I have a rose just that color pink in the garden, too)

So go vote, Excie.

Jim, did you see Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" yet?

Dave, you knew about the sexual predilections of the BoD in the early 80s? :blink: Or have I misunderstood your post? That's what I understood too. I would've been more than appalled if I'd realized those guys couldn't keep their zippers up. I thought this website was libellous when I first read of the sexual allegations. Decent Christian guys just wouldn't do that, would they?! (Well, no, decent Christian men probably wouldn't (LOL). At least not as standard practice.)

"Levis and a t-shirt" Just that he would dress like other young men of our day and time. He wasn't the only one wandering around in a long dress, sorry, robe, in his day and time. D'ya reckon he would be the kind of guy (in our time) who would help with the washing up or shoving the vacuum cleaner round? (probably women's work when he was walking the Earth). I reckon he was good with kids though. Younger siblings would help with that. Not fazed by baby sh**, or puke over his shoulder.

I had a really good job as a WoW. At the interview my boss asked what pay rate I expected and I named a price, and she said, "That's not enough!" and named a figure a third more than I had asked for. I worked 4 hours/day and still got more than everyone else in my family. I stayed on there when the year ended and six months after that I thought my life had ended too (got kicked out of the WC). She was a wonderful friend and employer, and put up with my inability to think straight, to speak, to do in fact anything at all (including turn up within an hour of the agreed start time) and one day (some months later) she just sat down with her arms round me while I wept all over her beautiful suit. So no, not ashamed - really blessed by it.

So glad nobody ticked that they keep their place immaculate!! I often wondered how tidy the home in which the young Jesus was. There was him, a mom, a dad, quite a number of siblings; and as a great crowd of them went off to Jerusalem (such that the young Jesus's absence was not noticed), it might be that there were a number of cousins or at least friends wandering in and out the house. Any family with a home with (let's say) 6 resident kids hardly has it immaculate all the time unless kids' sticky fingers are a recent invention. And (yes, Oakspear) - the workplace (carpenter's workshop) may well also have been attached to the residence. Dan - I reckon he wouldn't be in a robe and sandals but in a pair of Levi's and a T shirt. Perhaps using a motorbike. Great posts all, a decent dose of realism.

Three things: 1. Finding and reading articles at the Cafe 2. Reading the Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse 3. Talking it over with a very very patient ex-Wayfer who really has managed to get his life back together (he was never as deeply in as I was) But it took around ten miserable years of self-condemnation before I could break out of the mold, before I discovered the Cafe, which I found as a detour on the way back to TWI (waaaa!) (I never got past the Cafe). Be really positive with your friend and show compassion and respect for any decision (right or clearly wrong). It's really hard to get the brain functioning so that there is some self-confidence and self-assurance.

With various name tags in a drawer. In another country. Guess I should sort that stuff out one day. I do have a Corps ring. I earned that. No way would I dispose of it. Even if no-one here even knows what it means. The remaining Way mags got recycled last week.

A bit of a fun poll... Do you ever wonder what Jesus would say if he were to visit your home – say, today – and see you living in your normal mode? You know, with a few newspapers or magazines on the table, children’s toys under a chair, dog hairs on the carpet, some letters or bills you need to deal with on a desk, and a box of cereals on the counter in the kitchen or the clean crockery not yet put away? (Or even - shock, horror - some dirty crockery in the sink?) (A home that people live in, in fact.) Or perhaps there’s some mud tracked in on the floor where you were out in the garden? Maybe the car has a few wrappers in it, from a burger or some candies? Are there a few weeds in the vege patch? I say this in light of TWI’s ultra high standards for cleaning, tidying, making everything physically perfect -cushions perfectly plumped, furniture always exactly in position, hard floors washed daily, carpets vacuumed daily, shelves dusted daily. (As there are fewer in rez Corps now someone at the Café indicated that standards had resumed more normal levels.) Imagine you were Zacchaeus and Jesus invited himself to your home to share the evening meal. Or Mary, Martha and Lazarus, and Jesus called by on his way to Jerusalem. That sort of scenario. Would he find a "show home" or would he find a place that was “lived in” :blink: ? Or would you be so embarrassed that you wouldn’t let him in the door? Okay, now I'll go and mop up the muddy footprints that I tracked in by the kitchen door from when it rained while I was planting out in the garden...

I hijacked a meeting during my WoW year. Others in the family had suggested we went to a Christian fellowship meeting at a local college. So with some reluctance I went with them. The two girls organizing the meeting (it was the inaugural one) suggested we write on some blank paper things we were worried about, and we would pray about them. I think they also went round the room asking what we were afraid of (or something like). Well, no way was I going to spout off to strangers about that and I moved straight into a teaching on Seven Things God Wants you to Know (it was on a credit card sized card produced by TWI). The girls were open mouthed about it but there was a young lad there who was thrilled. After the meeting, the girls were a bit baffled about the takeover and the lad left so two of us distracted the girls and the rest of us rushed out after the lad to see if he wanted to know more. Actually he did, he came to our twig faithfully for the rest of the WoW year, we had a great time together, and he went WoW after the end of the year. He was a great guy and I hope everything worked out well for him and he didn't get hurt. As for the girls, I hope also they progressed in their knowledge of the Lord. Whilst out Lightbearers, I got "I'm not a Christian, I'm a Catholic" a few times when doorknocking. Hard to respond though when the door is closed in your face. Very funny one about the Prez-to-be being kicked out of the shopping mall . Gives a whole new look to "VP and me" and the claims made therein.

A "fisher of men," perhaps (LOL).

"Fellowship." What a misnomer for those with kids, or for kids.

Still get the shivers when I see those things. It didn't ring true at the time and even less so now. God blesses us regardless. Anyway I have a tiny one, no longer than about 6", had it for years and longer than knowing of TWI, no idea where I got it but I keep it as an ornament with a small selection of very pretty shells in and around it. My full size model is in a cupboard on the other side of the world. Hey, Twinky might like to play in it. He's a funny cat, loves to hide in things.

Some fine and considered posts here. The empathetic reaching out to help (compassion) shows that we as individuals can be part of the solution. It's not just telling people Da Verd and demanding they "renew their mind" to it. Kinda like James, "faith without works is dead." Speaking Da Verd but not following through with appropriate action may well be meaningless. Worse than that: hurtful. Because the practical answers that one in need is looking for are not there. (Eg, it may be "correct" telling someone with a sick kid in hospital that they can believe for the child to be healed; but what about practical help to enable the parent to hospital to visit? Offering to drive the parent there; or look after other children while the parent visits; or financial or physical help or food - or food preparation - while the parent is visiting?)

The junk table appeared at all the ACs, not just those by VPW but LCM did it too. Dunno if he had added his own junk to it as well, too busy "serving" in other areas to have time to go look. You might ask why a man who hauled off 300 Bible study books and commentaries to the city dump (as stated in PFAL) would not with the Bible books also haul off his several table loads of spiritualist mumbo jumbo.