Twinky

Hope y'all had a great and Thankful day. Lots to be thankful for, sound mind, healthy(ish) body and freedom from unrealistic expectations. The gook in the brain, is that a new name for a devil spirit? (Oops, this isn't About the Way...) Have a bunch of fun, over-the-pond buddies.

Paw! Happy birthday! Your very good health, sir. T

Oh my goodness. Are we the Pres of the USA or something??? The greatest leader is the greatest servant - so would this preparation be to make sure there were crowds of people who might be sick - perhaps so that they could be healed by touching the hem of his robe, or his shadow falling upon them?

Interesting, Bumpy. When in rez we got (had) to watch a Michael Jackson video (Thriller??) and LCM said that there was something to learn in the way things were done if they were done well, even from worldly things. We were to look at Jackson's skill and ability in dancing and his "moon walking". Now how much more weird can you get than Jackson? I don't think Mozart or Beethoven were in his category, really. As if nothing worldly could be well done... As if there are no skilled people out there who just like to do a really good professional job at whatever it is that they do...

Special Thank you to Winking Belt Productions for the wonderful CD of photos.

Outfield, that's a major cringe (ouch!!) But what you can do is microwave the cold water to boiling point, and when it reaches that, then drop in the tea bag and let it steep for a few minutes (covering the cup/mug is good). This would work for the single-cup tea bag (eg, the Lipton stuff) but if you have stronger tea, it'll get too strong OR if you remove the bag before it gets too strong, you will miss all the blend of the tea and just have the harsher notes.

Thank you all very much for your replies. They are heartwarming and I feel comforted at your generosity in supporting the in-rez WC and kindness in letting people grow and be where it was right for them. Edi - I echo your long post. I knew all of my SPs personally and some of them sent quite a lot of money. Few of them had much to give but I deeply respected all the financial assistance they were able to provide. Two at least of my SPs later went into the WC (one left of his own volitiion - "afraid of leadership"); the other may have graduated. One is dead; several went into rez in the year or two after me - current status unknown; at least 3 others are WC still with TWI. One couple is now divorced. One man ran a CFFM fellowship for a while. The rest I don't have a clue about. It would be lovely to catch up with so many of them - perhaps some even post here. I think it was right for me to go into the Corps and it's definitely right to not be there any more. I'm (now) glad I was kicked out because I probably wouldn't have left under my own volition (or left so soon, at any rate!). The only thing I regret now is that it took me so very long to get my head back in order afterwards and to start to live life (I'm talking a decade). My Dad has been so very good to me now that I humbly seek his love and kindness and am willing to receive it! A couple of times in rez I had my sponsorship for the block and with the agreement of sponsors, donated some of their funds to other in rez Corps who hadn't made their funding by the required dates. (We didn't tell the Finance Office of this arrangement.) I too had been told sponsorship was over and above ABS, which didn't seem right at the time and seems distinctly contrary now. Tithing was to support and provide for the needs of the priests and their families - which would include "trainee priests" as these could only come from certain families/tribes. What else was the in rez Corps except "trainee priests" and such as should have been supported from ABS?

It’s many years since I completed the Corps program and very soon thereafter got myself kicked out - as with so many, not really for doing anything wrong but because my face didn’t fit, in somebody’s opinion. (Actually I followed the example set the guy who kicked me out, but he didn’t like what I had done…) No doubt I was disparaged and generally abused and accused of who-knows-what, after my departure - that’s if I had been spoken of at all. I often wondered what my spiritual partners thought. Did they feel ripped off? That the funding they had lovingly provided (and it wasn’t easy for some of them) had been wasted? That I had let them down? That I had had this wonderful opportunity available to me, and I had not taken full advantage of it? Did they look down on me as a fraud, a waster, a cop-out? No way of contacting most of them now, but for those of you who sponsored someone (which will be many at the Café), how did you feel when someone you sponsored left the training program, either voluntarily or was booted out? Did your feelings about someone leaving differ if they had graduated, rather than just being in rez? Did you wonder why they’d left? And did you question the truth of any explanation you were given (which would be from leadership, not from the person leaving)? (I felt so disappointed that I had let people down and wasted their very hard earned cash. Another stick to beat up in-rez with…)

A tea ball isn't cheating at all, it saves cleaning out all the tea leaves!

Listening to this podcast, I was struck by what John has to say about prayer, coupled with TWI arrogance in expecting God to "deliver" (or just expecting the delivery without even considering the deliverer!). Were we taught to pray? Really? Remember, in an early session of PFAL we were taught that "the Lord’s prayer" isn’t something that we can pray. It’s not relevant to us. Although one aspect of that prayer was pointed out as having been already provided (like we don’t need our daily food any more, ha) in fact, subtly throughout the class and in subsequent teachings, the whole prayer and the structure of the prayer were dismissed. What about recognizing our unique personal relationship with him, as a loved child? What about recognizing the holiness of God? What about recognizing his might, power, kingdom, authority? What about recognizing that it’s his will that is to be done? What about recognizing his forgiveness and grace? What about recognizing what he truly has done for us and will do for us - his deliverance? What about recognizing his gloriousness? We were taught (by example) to "thank God for having already provided for us," and to simply to appropriate it. By "believing." But not by recognizing our relationship with him as our Daddy, his loving kindness, his grace. We were taught to behave like spoiled three year olds, kids at the check-out demanding candy. It’s good to recognize what God has done for us, and to claim what we have been given. (The weakness of some churchy folk of thinking illness is sent by God to test them drives me crazy!) But within TWI, I wonder how many were genuinely thankful and how many simply learned to "thank God" simply as a matter of rote as they presented a list of demands? In the same way, we finished our prayers, "in the name of Jesus Christ" almost as some magic formula, rather like we were hiding behind our big brother, not standing in the confidence of what he has made available for us. Words - not wholeheartedness. Where were we taught the *humility* of prayer in the manner that Jesus taught his disciples when they asked how they should pray?

English Breakfast tea, of course! Common sorts available in the UK are PG Tips and Typhoo and they come in bulk packs of 240 bags and are cheap. Soooo--- ----do join me in a cuppa!

You're right on that. I recall the WoWs who witnessed to me were young and enthusiastic - but didn't really know anything about life and real practical help in dealing with problems (including "gray areas" which so much of life is!). One WoW went into the Corps but he was slightly older by a few years and he wasn't long there. I wonder if so many would have been so keen to sign up if it had meant going to a seminary for four years and actually training for priesthood/ministerial/pastoral responsibility in a more usual setting? But what would the TCs (or whoever) have to say about such young and enthusiastic kids? Was it any different for FC applicants? Were their children also subject to references or otherwise vetted for suitability?

INGREDIENTS 1 (12 ounce) package pork sausage links 2 eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup milk DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). 2. Brown sausage links in a large skillet; drain and place sausage in a 9x13 inch baking dish. 3. In a small bowl beat eggs; add flour, water and milk and beat all together . Let sit 5 minutes. 4. Pour mixture over sausage and bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until top is browned and crusty. 5. Serve immediately, before batter collapses. COMMENT Batter can be made the day before. Best left to stand as long as possible. Beat batter thoroughly to incorporate lots of air. The cooked batter mixture will rise and the sausages will remain in the bottom of the pan but not covered (unless you made too much batter!) Nice with mashed potatoes and thick gravy and a green veg (not mushy peas).

Some after the BBQ asked about it. It really isn't complicated, just a question of keeping everything as hot as possible.

You leave Twinkies out of the peanut butter, you hear?

This is so simple but is a lost art in the US: 1. Bring fresh cold water to a rolling boil. Reasons: (i) Fresh water has more oxygen, makes the tea taste a little better (but if you live in a heavily chlorinated area, you might want to use water that has stood for a while, or use bottled/filtered water) (ii) Must be a rolling boil (not just hot, or simmering) to extract all the flavor from the tea 2. Meanwhile, ideally warm a dry tea pot (especially if using a pottery tea pot). Reasons: (i) Tea pot means that there is plenty of space for the tea to brew/infuse so that none of the flavors are lost (ii) Dry tea pot will mean that it is boiling water that hits the tea leaf, not cold water, extracts more flavor (iii) Warmed tea pot will mean that tea remains hotter longer and the heat of the boiling water isn’t "lost" into the tea pot (iv) If you are using leaf tea (ie not bag), the tea leaves will float if you don’t use boiling water. 3. Add one teaspoon leaf tea per person + 1 teaspoon "for the pot". Alternatively, use one tea bag per person but check the strength of the tea bags - you may need another one. Reasons: will ensure a sufficiently strong brew 4. Take the pot to the kettle, not the kettle to the pot Reason: (i) Keeps the water at max temperature so that it is boiling when it hits the leaf. (ii) Safety! 5. Cover the pot with tea pot lid and leave to infuse for 4-5 minutes. Cover the tea pot while you wait. Stir the pot before you pour the first cup. Tea is not ready after 30 seconds Reasons: (i) will draw all the flavors from the tea, not just the top note (ii) Covering pot will ensure tea is hot when you drink it (iii) Stirring will distribute the infusion (the tea sinks to the bottom of the water) Serve: With milk. Do not use cream or half-and-half as these will dull the flavors With a slice of lemon (maybe make the tea a little weaker if you do this) Sugar/sweetener as liked. Comments: If you use a tea pot, you don’t get an insightly ring in the tea cup If you must use a cup or mug, make sure it is big enough that the tea can infuse sufficiently without getting too strong. When you use a different brand of tea, you may find that you need a different amount in the pot/cup Please don't make a cup of tea by putting hot water in a cup, and giving it to someone together with a tea bag so that they can make their own...

From the Face Meltings thread: When I applied to join the WC, I had to supply two references from current standing Corps. I assumed this was to check that applicants attended twig regularly, supported the ministry (ABS'd) and acted in an appropriately Christian manner; also that they had a few smarts (minimum educational level) and some leadership potential. Can't remember exactly what was on the form/reference that had to be completed. Anyone out there who gave a "bad" reference that someone was/was likely to become, an "unfit leader" or should not be accepted for this sort of reason? And was the applicant then accepted for the WC? What other feedback do you have about the "selection" process? (I do know that some were not accepted for lack of sufficient education but that's not my concern on this thread.)

Washn'wear, welcome to the Cafe. Glad you are interested in our new regional speciality dish. You can have it with Brussels sprouts, broccoli or cabbage, but not with mushy peas.

I'm still looking for a Twinky

The roux is just fat of some (any) sort and flour, which are blended together and cooked. That's a base for thinning with some sort of liquid, milk or water or broth. In gravy, it is the fat (dripping) from the meat mixed with flour to thicken, and then thinned out with water, usually the water in which veges have been cooked, to retain any water-soluble vitamins that have leached into the water. Sausages don't usually make a lot of fat so to make gravy traditionally extra fat will need to be added. For roast meats, the fat will also include some of the other juices from the meat. It's really flavorsome. Gravy is often nowadays made more quickly with gravy browning which is a mixture of seasonings, sometimes with thickeners, and with caramel to color the resulting liquid brown. Penguin, you can make it with margarine but the flavor might not be very good. Soy milk would work - again, check the flavor. You could experiment using olive or other vege oil instead of margarine.

Which part don't you like, CoolChef? BTW the sausages are in links and they are generally about 1" in diameter and about 5" long. They come in many different flavors.

Man...it's time you guys got some real sausages (links), fried 'em up with some onions, and made a nice thick gravy (brown, and made with water) to pour over the whole sausages. Accompany this with some boiled and mashed some potatoes and pour the gravy over the sausages and the mashed potato. Yum yum. Serve with Brussels sprouts or some kind of green vegetable. Lovely evening meal. :) If you must use the milk sauce, grate cheese into it and dump it on top of some cauliflower. The "biscuits" are quite nice as scones for afternoon tea. Put some sultanas into the mix before baking and serve with butter and perhaps jam (jelly).

Not exactly a friend (I hardly knew him) but someone who did know him well has asked me if I know what has become of him because he was very helpful and supportive to her a few years ago in a very difficult situation. Is he still with TWI or has he departed to a splinter group or just departed completely from TWI and look-alikes? I believe he was married to Marcia; are they still married?

When I was getting my "medical" done, there's the one about smear tests. The doctor read this and clearly thought it was a weird request and he didn't bother to do the test, just asked me generally if I had cause for concern about this and the other questions and then signed off. This sort of information is usually disclosed on a doctor to doctor basis and not made available to non-doctors and I was concerned about who might see it, not that I had or have now any health issues of any kind. For myself, I thought the questions/tests were far too personal and intrusive. But as an international, I thought these were perhaps standard sort of questions for US applicants to colleges (after all, aren't blood tests necessary before a couple gets married?). I didn't particularly review what tests they were or notice they were for STDs. I guess now they might demand to know your HIV status. To see if you are a homo/homo sympathizer, not so they could pray for healing for you. This is not quite a "twisted scripture." But can somebody please tell me the scripture ref where it says that JC demanded health records of his disciples when he called them? Or did he know they were okay by some special revelation?

Toad in the hole is sausages (English sausages, that is) in batter and baked in the oven. Delicious!