Twinky

Rocky, nice article. I like this point: So closely coupled (in the article) with mercy yet it is very different. Yet another reason, perhaps, why we were dissuaded from reading the gospels. Then we wouldn't see JC's compassion, but instead we could read in the epistles and read how Paul confronted poor thinking (lovingly) which was then taken to the extreme of confrontation in practically every situation and claimed as "love" or "mercy". Okay, how about this for a "definition," based on the definitions of grace and mercy: "God's divine empathy and yearning for the wellbeing of all humankind."

"Love" took on an entirely different flavor - this would be TWI2 - it was "loving" to "confront" someone and bring their supposed errors to their attention. Not a lot of reproving in a spirit of meekness, just in-your-face hair-streaming-backwards eye-watering yelling. Those definitions of "grace" and "mercy", they'd be in the foundational class, right? Or did we not get those until, what, the Advanced class? So Wierwille himself could have defined "compassion" at the same time. I'm left thinking he plagiarized those definitions (I have seen them elsewhere) and he never found nor thought up a definition of "compassion" or if he found one, it ran counter to other stuff he was teaching. Jen-o: point taken about it tying in with the "law of believing" and I think that would be specially true for TWI under LCM. Not sure about under VPW. Socks: yes, exactly. Empathy, sympathy, compassion...a genuine reaching out to help, not to show off one's knowledge. Compassion also has an element of doing something to help someone in need - a hug, a dab with a handkerchief, a visit, a gift of money, etc, rather than just preaching da Verd at them. OCW: Yes, individuals did show kindness and compassion. There were some very genuine bighearted people in TWI. I am thankful for them and for their lives. But the corporate machine minced that up and in many cases the compassionate ones as well. So no TWI definition? (Hey TWI, if anyone is lurking, ask Rosie what she defines it as. Put it in a soon-arriving SNS.)

UK Parliament has just had big debates all about issues like abortion (how many weeks must a fetus be before it can't be aborted?) and assisted reproduction (when allowable, including for "savior siblings" to be best match for a child suffering serious illness). With the assisted reproduction - big issue was whether it was permissible for single women, unmarried couples and lesbian couples as well as married couples. They concluded that it would be a breach of human rights to decline assisted reproduction to single women and lesbian couples. It sure is different from the values instilled in me at adolescence - and my parents' and grandparents' generations. As there is a legal right for one or two such attempts on the National Health Service (ie, free), I just wonder about the breach of MY human rights in supporting such behavior which runs counter to what I consider best. But then, I guess that goes along with my taxes that pay for bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I now attend a church and sometimes they drive me mad with what they say. The vicar is fine, very thoughtful and considered (a man with real study credentials) but the house group makes me feel like running out screaming. For one thing, they think healing is not always God's will and he sends sickness to people; or that God will allow healing in his own time. Last week someone came out with (and others agreed) that God kills people (but it's okay, because he takes no pleasure in that). OT thinking. But I always try to consider why they think what they think. Is there any sort of truth that I haven't considered? Did I miss something - in TWI? What I do see is that this house group spends a lot of time praying for people in other countries; missionaries/church members who (of their own choice) have chosen to work in other countries; and their prayers ALWAYS evince a genuine concern for other people and there is very little "personal" prayer such as was so common in twig. Sometimes now I read the Bible with a view to seeing the opposite of what I know/believe. For instance - what do they base the belief that JC=God? (NIV is wacky for that). Why do some of them think that healing is not what God wants? (That's not what the vicar teaches; he knows healing is "available" - sorry about the Wayspeak). And I think much more about what I do read, even that which "fits" with my own beliefs (mostly TWI formed). GSC is a great place for trying to sort out some of this stuff. Like, the thread concerning what is scripture/the scriptural canon?

Was just thinking about compassion and what it is and isn't. And it occurred to me that we have TWI definitions for "grace" (God's unmerited divine favor) and "mercy" (God's divine withholding of merited punishment) - have seen similar definitions in the work of Christian writers in non-TWI books (omitting the word "divine"). But I have never heard a TWI "definition" of "compassion." Anybody aware of one? Or even a non-TWI definition? It strikes me now that there was no definition because, perhaps, compassion had been so seriously overlooked in practice. No need to define what doesn't exist.

Though even now I find myself wondering and "thinking badly" of someone when I read of a former priest or ordained person who is now working in some secular capacity. (Need to clean up my own thinking on this.)

An interesting thread and one which I think ex-Wayfers will grapple with far more than the average church. I had to deal with serious (self)condemnation and misery because of the breaking of my vow to God - being salted when graduating into the Way Corps. Had vowed to stand for God and then ... even though they chucked me out... had I had any sense maybe I'd have seen that in that case God had broken the vow (or some such, dunno now) - being as I had vowed to God in the form of the Way Corps. Or was it that my vow (and salt covenant) was unacceptable to God? Years later I worked through it to realize that I had vowed to GOD and not the WC and the heart of the vow was at all times intact. Just because TWI removed themselves didn't negate the vow. I think God looks on the heart of what the person making the vow felt at the time, whether in a marriage situation or whatever it may be. God knows the past and the future. He knows what each avowal means. ...will he, if it gets very difficult, make a way to escape [the temptation to break a vow, though not the vow itself]. if it gets really tough? For us, I feel that forgiveness has to be available when we bite off more than we can chew (and Dot, that's not just pizza either, LOL) if we have made serious efforts to fulfil the vow. Perhaps a vow is for the person, to understand the seriousness and significance of the commitment/promise he/she is about to make. I think of Gideon - vowing to dedicate the first living thing he saw if he won a battle - too bad it was his beloved daughter. And loyally she submitted to that vow. Awesome. But we live in a different culture and are not brought up so strictly with our word being our bond and our underlying culture does not provide the supports to facilitate that (eg extended family support in cases of marriage/family difficulty - so that problems could be dealt with before they got to vow-breaking stage). And even in the OT, divorce was legal. As you say - a God of peace...

A blessing from TWI! (=Something that wasn't offered (?) to the later in rez. Musta been discontinued, then, about 1990 (?) )

A "PK"???

In the act! I caught Tuxy in the act! Just straddling the back legs and getting comfy on my carpet!! A firm "No!" has her now hiding on a chair under the table...no doubt waiting for me to go to bed so that she can continue. Definitely need to be able to handle these animals. For one thing, Tuxy needs to learn to wear a diaper. Grrrrr!

Now these lovely beasties have a new trick. I just got a new (second hand) carpet. They really like it. They rolled on it and sniffed it and appear to really enjoy having it there. Much nicer than what I had before. They like to lie on it. But (the pests) they (at least Tuxedo) have taken to using one corner for a latrine. Wet only (so far). I scrub it up as soon as I realize but sometimes I don't find it for a day or two (the smell gives it away). I wonder if a previous animal peed on it there? It's driving me crazy and I think soon I will hire a carpet cleaner with special "animal" shampoo and clean all the carpets. I was pleased I'd read a thread here, just before my net connection crashed for 2 weeks, about cat urine and ways to dispose. Tuxedo has also twice taken a dump on my sofa cushions. To do this she walks past the bathroom where the litter tray is. Tray is clean!!! Research on the net suggests it's "separation anxiety" and true, she has done this if I have been out later than usual in the evening. (Not like they pay me any attention when I am here!) Crypto is really coming out of herself now and is very active and agile at chasing the whip (toy). She also stands up for herself a bit more and sometimes smacks Tuxedo back if Tuxy just hits her for no reason. More usually she runs off. Still can't touch either of them.

The perks, yes... Like a lovely log cabin. Not a dorm in Founders Hall. "Given to the ministry"? Well there were lots of collections eg at the end of a class or even for a "gift" for the Prez. A personal gift. For the Prez - not for "the ministry". Of course he owned things. Though I can imagine that bigger items (furniture) might belong to TWI (just like the bunk beds in Founders Hall) - except all theirs in the Chalet definitely was of a different standard (no doubt personally selected by you know who). Probably considerably better than most stuff in the trailers too. Also I recall at least one time in rez that he gave gifts to us. He had so much stuff in his home as gifts from various people that he had collected up a load of smaller items, ornaments and such like, and we got to pick one that we could keep. Couldn't do that if they all belonged to "the ministry".

Purpose of GS? Possibly to drive us all nuts with arguing. Or possibly to drive all the nuttiness out of us by helping us think out of the Waybox in which we kept our thinking ability. I've had no net access for two weeks. I really missed being here!

Small plot, was a lawn till I gave away the turf. Now got lots of well-rotted hoss muck in it. Bit late in the season for doing this so some plants may not like it. New plot currently contains: Runner beans - 2 varieties Rhubarb 3 raspberry bushes (2 of which not showing signs of life - kept in a bucket of water too long perhaps) 1 gooseberry bush (another one in another part of the garden in flower border (!)) Short row radish Short row beetroot Short row salad leaves Short row Little Gem lettuce In seed trays: Lots of leeks - if they all come up there will be over 100 Lots of onions - if they all come up there will be over 100 On window sill: 2 cucumber seeds (threw a cuc in the compost and seedlings sprouted a few days later) Herb garden: Basil, parsley, thyme, lemon balm. The coriander got eaten by the slugs Coming today: 1 chilli Tomato plant(s) Elsewhere: Lots of sweet peas Foxgloves, hebes, grannies' bonnet, rose of sharon, heaps of other plants both flowering and shrubby. Would like a fruit tree (maybe a small apple or a plum) but other things are more pressing at present. Friends are having an extension built over a border which has some nice plants and shrubs in it so I will be uplifting some of those shortly. These are to go in a shrub border which I am currently trying to clear of ground elder but it seems this noxious plant thrives on Round-up. Also in the shrub border are 4 leylandii which I chop bits off periodically. Would love to extract the stumps but no idea how to do that. Seeing what else I can get in the vege line, from Freecycle or from friends.

Also doubles as a vintage motor cycle helmet.

I'm only coming along if I can have some ice skates (so that I can make nice straight lines in the ice)

Shiftthis, how many times did you read about Jesus Christ "screening" people before he would talk with them? One can have a genuine desire to learn about God AND learn about God in places other than TWI. One can ask questions and get considered answers. One can disagree with answers without being marked and avoided or considered possessed by devil spirits. You will find a lot of people here still have a deep (deeper) love for God and a much more outward-going way of showing it than TWI ever had. Wrongly kicked out? Well, if we were, why aren't they knocking on our doors or really working hard to find those people, apologizing, explaining, and asking us back? Shiftthis, you say you have read a lot of the posts here. Have you read the editorials? The lawsuit papers? The tales of abuse over many years? Look below the surface. Is it really different? Really? Stay with TWI if you must but stay there with your eyes open and your heart guarded. And when it all falls apart and you are bleeding from the knife sticking out of your back, you will find the First Aid (sorry Third Aid) box under the Cafe counter near the till. Ask any of the waitresses.

Wisdom and understanding are commonly mentioned together. Brushstoke, TWI teaches that wisdom is "knowledge applied," ie, doing something with it, not just head knowledge. Very interesting just looking quickly at a concordance at the scriptures mentioning "understanding" and how it governs our actions (or should do). There are two forms of effort required: one is to get the knowledge in (by reading, study, or listening to/ observing/ following a teacher or more experienced person); and the other effort is thinking it through (meditating thereon) to the point you can apply it accurately to any situation in which you find yourself. TWI suborned our critical thinking ability and replaced it with crippled thinking ability. It called use of our God-given ability to use our brains as "leaning to our own understanding" if we "understood" something differently from what the leaders there wanted us to think. Crippled thinking ability meant that we could not think things through to the point of applying them accurately. We lacked wisdom and understanding and empathy by seeing things too simplistically. Thank God, He can teach us anew and give us fresh understanding of those things that we "learned" inaccurately. In vain is the net spread in the sight of the bird.

Oops attached wrong photo before, of Tuxedo with the cat toy. Don't think Crypto is annoyed, more a bit scared. She tends to gaze with eyes half lidded, perhaps because a wide-eyed cat is seen as a threat and she is too timid to want to be a threat to anything. But she's getting a little better with chasing the whip. She emerges rapidly to play (or at least watch) as soon as she hears me flipping it around.

Found a book in the local library which looked interesting so I took it out and have flipped through it. I found the following extract. I am not very impressed by what this book says on much that is recorded in the Bible: but then, it does say, Jewish Lore & Legend, not Jewish truths. Nonetheless, there may be traditions that have been handed down that throw some light on the customs alleged in the second paragraph. I have split the extract into two, the first part being what is recorded in the Bible and the second part being apparently pure PI but I'm just wondering if some of our Jewish cafe society (Abigail?) can offer any comment? Extract from "Dictionary of Jewish Lore & Legend" (Pub: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1991) "Bathsheba: Favourite wife of King David and mother of his successor Solomon. David fell in love with her when he glimpsed her bathing and had an affair with her. When she became pregnant, he arranged for her soldier husband Uriah the Hittite to be sent home so that he would regard the child as his own. This ruse failed, and Uriah was posted to the front line so he would be killed in battle. Nathan the prophet upbraided the king for his evil doings in taking away another man's wife (II Sam 11,12). "Despite the Bible's negative portrait of David's relationship with Bathsheba, the Talmud maintains that he did not in fact commit adultery. All soldiers in the king's army had to give a conditional get, or bill of divorce, to their wives in case they never returned from the battlefield. Thus, Bathsheba was a divorcee, and David's affair with her was not an adulterous one. She was in fact a very young girl at the time of her first contact with David and still a virgin, for Uriah had not consumated the marriage. Even when she eventually gave birth to Solomon, her first child having died in infancy, she had still not reached her teens." I can't see what possible basis there might be for suggesting she was a virgin at the time of David's first naughty deed. David at the time was no spring chicken and this makes him out to be some particularly nasty old lecher with serious paedophile tendencies. But then again he did have a young maidservant to warm him in his last days.

Okay, I'm putting this on the other thread about All the Women in the Kingdom.

Well, I finally captured them both on camera today - see attached. Tuxedo/ Tuxy/ Sedo (Tillie) usually runs a mile and Crypto/ Heidi (Tallie) has never been around long enough. Nice view of the underside of my table too. You can see Tuxy's cute markings (bib and feet) and might just be able to make out Crypto's little circular mark just under the chin. Had the kitchen window open just a little today. Tuxy made a definite bid for freedom. She is sooo keen to explore outside. If only I could catch her or at least handle her occasionally maybe she could be allowed out. Maybe. Tuxy loves the toy in the photo and attacks it with enthusiasm. It's wound around with string which is completely ripped off in places.

Try removing soil with a mixture of enzymatic washing powder (like Ariel) - don't get it too wet, scrub with a brush and use clear water to remove washing product. Pat dry with towels or other clean material. Also you can use WHITE vinegar to remove any residual smell noticeable by animal noses but not perhaps by human noses. (Don't use ordinary brown vinegar because it may stain the carpet.) Splash a little onto the area or onto a damp cloth and rub over the area (be careful if the way the pile goes).

Jesus? Isn't that the name of some big fat devil spirit? Oh! You meant Jesus Christ? Oh, not sure he's here today. (BTW no chapter and verse was ever presented for saying there was a big fat DS named Jesus.) So has the "secret agenda" moved on now, from considering adultery to considering the disappearance of Jesus Christ?

ie, the ministry was blown about by every wind of doctrine and happily funneled these to all the followers. Never any end to the busy-work that they got everyone doing. Never any time for quiet contemplative time.