Twinky

I listened to the first few minutes.  I was surprised at how calm he sounded.  No rant!!  (yet)  However, full of praise for the achievements of the great doctor W.  I wondered who he was trying to impress.  Maybe he was appealing to the nostalgia of his "followers" for a bygone VPW era.

No thanks.  Not for me.

On 4/1/2023 at 2:35 PM, chockfull said:

I am currently less enamored with the “how maths work” aspect of scriptures fitting “with a mathematical exactness and scientific precision” I kind of feel that path leading to more traps.

Where did he get that rubbish phrase anyway?

I can appreciate that a trained physicist might feel that way.  But vpw?  If his maths skills were anything like as good as his English skills - well, hahahaha.  The man didn't understand English, neither words nor grammar.  (Let alone Greek or Aramaic, what a joke.)

That has to be another phrase that this thief stole from some more worthy person.

On 4/3/2023 at 4:51 PM, Mike said:

What I do mean is I am seeking information on how friends and family deal with a loved one who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia by a professional.

....

I don't think his family can handle me asking them about this.   I already know for sure that they want strict privacy for even his medical conditions, and that would be even more for his mental condition.  I guess I am wondering how families deal with schizophrenia, so that after he falls asleep, I can most effectively comfort them.

You appear to be asking two different questions.  The first is how people deal with the person so diagnosed.  The second, if I understand you correctly, is how to talk to the families.  Two different things, but not necessarily two different answers.

The answer, really, is LOVINGLY.  Kindly, gently, respecting where individuals "are" presently.  If your friend is in a schizo phase, deal kindly.  If the family are anxious, concerned, tearing their hair out, deal kindly.  If you can't say anything, just be present, available, and quietly helpful.  And silent.

Now that RFR has retired/been retired from being Prez, I wonder what she is doing for healthcare needs.  Perhaps her health is reasonable at the moment.  Will she get some kind of free support from TWI?  Or did she get (on a need basis, of course) sufficient to provide a pension plan and insurance cover for increasing health needs?  

Seems likely that she won't have put herself in the position of being thrown under the bus, as Mrs W was.

These days, I still aim to give away around 10% of my income.  

I cheerfully donate to the work of my church, which is big in outreach, especially to underprivileged families.  I also choose various international charities, and a couple of local charities working to support and uplift very vulnerable and street homeless people. 

I do this because I have a thankful heart that acknowledges how very much I have myself, in healthcare, clean safe water, food, education, housing, etc; and how very little some people elsewhere have.

All of these charities I'm satisfied meet real needs.  Yes, some of the money goes in administration and staffing costs.  But the bulk really does go to supporting the people in need.  

Whereas, money given to TWI goes into coffers to pay for - what, exactly?  Sure, some salaries (but then, don't people live on a need basis? LoL) and buildings do need upkeep (but usually the labour costs are free, it's just the materials that need to be paid for).  I am aware of a "scholarship" that was given to a trainee in my WC to a male from a poorer African country - but again, the "costs" of training in the WC are negligible, and I'm sure there'd be an ulterior motive - send him back where he came from, to recruit new people (and gain thus their minimal income).

PFAL sucks because it doesn't teach giving from love and a thankful heart, it teaches giving from fear and obligation.

And it's absolutely nobody else's business what any individual chooses to give, in the quiet of their own heart, whether that be the smallest or the largest amount.

6 hours ago, waysider said:

The term charitable  is used in its generally accepted legal sense and includes relief of the poor, the distressed,

There ya go.  The "get out of accountancy jail" card.

Furthermore, and Nathan (I think) raised it above: there is a religious duty to care for widows and orphans.

Though their "get out of scripture jail" card would be this (1 Tim 5:3-4, 16)

3Honor the widows who are truly widows. 4But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they [the children or grandchildren] must first learn to show godliness to their own family and repay their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.

16If any believing woman has dependent widows, she [the widow's daughters] must assist them and not allow the church to be burdened, so that it can help the widows who are truly in need.

but - but - but - we're family, aren't we?  Ah, right.  All brothers and sisters in Christ.  So we don't have to care for our sisters, is that it?

Except that they forget

17Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

And Mrs W had been a "teacher" in many ways (some honorable, some less so) in her own right.  So therefore, she needs "double honor."  What does "double honor" mean, anyway?  They honor VPW; they should honor his widow (the double honor?? arguably) also.

Disgraceful.

TWI is a registered charity, is it not?  What are its charitable aims, as stated on whatever charitable body oversees suchlike in the USA, or would it be in Ohio?

While "care of the elderly" could be a charitable aim for some organisations (though not in TWI's constitution), there could be ways around that.... maybe.

Y'all got me thinking.  About charitable aims.  Huh, I will start a different thread when I've sorted some things out.

i partake of communion when offered at church.  Can't say I particularly enjoy it.  A crispy wafer and a sip of delicious wine.  But so formal. 

In my opinion, eating and drinking in recognition should be done at every meal.  In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

I don't think it was instituted as an annual event, but as a daily one.  People drank weak wine or weak beer because it was cleansed in the fermentation process, as opposed to water which could be contaminated. Bread (flatbread) was commonly used at every meal.  We are to recognise daily what the Lord has accomplished for us. 

A meal with family and friends is, IMO, what and where the Lord intended us to celebrate his accomplishments.  Most Christians reduce this to "grace" or "giving thanks" before they eat their main meal each day.  

I very much doubt that that was a VPW original, Rocky.

On 3/28/2023 at 11:34 PM, T-Bone said:

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

 

A bit this, but if these souls under the altar are capable of thought as we know it, how horrible it must be for them to have to wait, knowing that there are others whom they are waiting for who have to be martyred and whose deaths they cannot prevent.  Are they under the altar going, "No! Keep away from xxx, they plan to kill you!" or are they saying, "Hey, come on up!  Being murdered isn't so bad!"

You might find talks and shows by Derren Brown interesting.  He has a big YouTube channel and a large following, all of whom want to be entertained.  But there's a serious side to what he does and says, too.  He doesn't explain how he does what he does in this episode, but there are others you can watch that do explain more.

He's done episodes on Faith Healing and on Religious Experiences.  Very good at debunking - whilst still leaving you mystified.

Watching too much of his stuff can make one very, very sceptical. 

Any way I can download the entirety of a thread?  Only way I can find is to copy every page, and paste into a Word document.  There must be an easier way - isn't there?

So as not to let this thread get interminably long, I starated a new thread called Cat Whispering II.

Fitting, really, as life with the cats was about to change when started the new thread, and as at now, it's definitely changed, with Tuxedo now (very sadly) dead and buried in the garden, and Crypto and I working out some different relationship.

Don't think I can agree with you on this, Sky.

Pharisees were basically a political sect, but rooted in their interpretation of Mosaic law, with lots of other philosophy and received wisdom overlaying.  By and large, they appear to have been well familiar with the scriptures (OT) and wanted to promote adherence to them.  They wanted to preserve the way they thought things should be.  It seems likely that they did, in fact, adhere (wrongly) to their religious beliefs.

In contrast, VPW didn't appear to have any religious beliefs.  He knew as much Bible as he needed to, to fool people, and codged together a set of "beliefs" from whatever he could find that seemed to suit his own agenda.  He didn't want to preserve anything; he wanted to break everything - and everyone.

He did share some things with Pharisees, though.  Both he and they were Johnny-come-lately, of no importance (rather, in fact, hindrances) in God's plan for humankind, and are irrelevant to life today.

On 3/24/2023 at 7:33 PM, Charity said:

It's an awesome privilege to know, love and care for a child with special needs and the circle of support given to these wonderful caretakers (wherever it may come come) is priceless.  Being with my grandson has brought me closer to God as I learn to trust in His goodness and love for all His children.

Charity, I think you would really enjoy and benefit from the book "Adam: God's Beloved" by Henri Nouwen.  Available for pennies secondhand on Amazon.  It's not a thick book, but there is profound wisdom in it.

"In the final year before his death in 1996, Henri Nouwen set out to write a book about the Creed. His plans changed when he learned of the death of his friend Adam, a severely handicapped young man from the L'Arche Daybreak Community outside Toronto where Nouwen lived. In the story of Adam he found a way to describe his own understanding of the Gospel message. Adam could not speak or even move without assistance. Gripped by frequent seizures, he spent his life in obscurity. And yet, for Nouwen, Adam became my friend, my teacher, and my guide. It was Adam who led Nouwen to a new understanding of his faith and what it means to be Beloved of God. Through the story of Adam, Nouwen found a new way to tell God's story of Jesus and the story of all of us human creatures, broken and yet beloved, who live in a world charged with the mystery of God's overwhelming love. Completed only weeks before his own death, Adam: God's Beloved became Nouwen's final, precious gift, a fitting summation of his own message and legacy."

After that, you might like to try "Life of the Beloved" which isn't about Adam or any kind of continuation of the first book above.  Actually, it's about You.  And Me.  And every other Christian, and their life in Christ.

Henri Nouwen was born in Holland in 1932 and ordained a Catholic priest in 1957. He obtained his doctorandus in psychology from Nijmegen University in The Netherlands and taught at Notre Dame, Yale, and Harvard. He experienced the monastic life with Trappist monks at the Abbey of the Genesee, lived among the poor in Latin America with the Maryknoll missioners, and was interested and active in numerous causes related to social justice. After a lifetime of seeking, Henri Nouwen finally found his home in Canada, as pastor of L'Arche Daybreak - where people with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers live together in community.

Henri Nouwen wrote over 40 books on spirituality and the spiritual life that have sold millions of copies and been translated into dozens of languages. His vision of spirituality was broad and inclusive, and his compassion embraced all of humankind.

He died in 1996. His work and his spirit live on.

Henri Nouwen pronounced his name "Henry Now-en." For more information on his life and work, please visit www.henrinouwen.org

Needs and wants parallel?

Huh, in Wayland it was Greed and wants parallel.

6 hours ago, T-Bone said:

Having said that, as God’s children, we do have legitimate needs and in keeping with the whole of Scripture and what it teaches about prayer and the hindrances to prayer, etc., if we will ask according to God’s will, then we can know that as our Heavenly Father who knows and cares for our needs (our real need and not greed), He will answer according to His timing, purposes, and wisdom.

Our first need is to get to know God.  We should be learning of His love from our parents, and grow up understanding what love is.  Some of us don't have parents who could supply that model. And for those people the need to know God, as a God of loving kindness, is particularly imperative.  Not that it is of lesser importance to those who already have a concept of what loving kindness is.

Because we've had more (or less) loving parents, we know what it is to have our daily needs supplied: shelter, warmth, food, clothing, companionship, and hopefully respect - that we're listened to.  

We also know that our loving parents denied us some things and required us to do other things.  No, it's not candies all day every day.  Yes, you do have to develop the discipline to go to school every day.  No, you can't have that very expensive pair of trainers/pants/the latest electronic toy.  Yes, you can have decent shoes, clothes, and things to do.  No, you can't have everything just for yourself.  Yes, you do have to share that toy with your siblings/friends.

As growing teenagers there's a lot of peer pressure.  But the true joy of friendship is that coming from supportive friends.  We need to learn to appreciate that (and teach children to appreciate that). 

And that, one hopes, will set the tone for what one learns to appreciate about God.  His friendship, his support, his givingness.  Not just his provision of material things.

Do these "prosperity" gospellers see their parents merely as providers of things they want?  Of just being "money bags"?  Do they value what their parents might have had to do, to provide those things? 

Or do they value the support, the kindness, the intangibles, that their parents provided?

I was out for a walk today, spending time looking in people's gardens.  And several had this hellebore, some in profusion.  So I'm guessing this is a hardier variety.  

Empty coming in tonight.  No little mew from Tuxy.  And Crypto jumping off the dining table (pesky critter! she knows not allowed) and running off to hide.  

An early night tonight.  One without a cuddle with Tuxedo.   :((

That's the one, Rocky.  Hellebores have such variety, huge range of colours and shapes.  But this one I hadn't seen before, and really liked it.

So now my beautiful girl is in the ground, wrapped in a plain linen or cotton pillowcase.  She's under a mature, beautiful, pink Queen Elizabeth rose, and over the top of her I have put a new hellebore, very pretty, white face with pink spots called "Spring Promise Conny."  Around the hellebore I have put some clumps of snowdrops (now seeding but they were lovely a few weeks ago) that I've uplifted from where they've spread elsewhere in the garden. 

It's not the best place for a hellebore, in full sun all day (they prefer shady/semi-shady places) but it's okay for the time being.  But I fell in love with it because it's so pretty.  Like Tuxy was.  Might have to move it later in the season when I have something else nice to put in its place.

You can see Tuxedo's photo in my ?avatar? is it; she's the front one with white toes, whiskers, ear tufts, bib and little oval splodge on her nose.  Yellow eyes

The other cat is Crypto, all black except for a very few white hairs under her chin.  Green eyes.

I'm still bloody miserable, but I feel better for having given her a beautiful resting place.  Which of course I will see every time I go up or down the garden path.

Right now, I'm just plain miserable. And tired. I held her close on my chest all night long, talking and trying to soothe her.

Breathed her last a few minutes ago. Relatively peacefully at home. Now just curled on my lap. My heart is breaking. 

Thanks for sharing this last sad journey with me. 

2 hours ago, chockfull said:

As opposed to athletes they are fleeing a crime scene.

Funny as, Chocky!      

All I can say is: God hasn't run out of miracles.  He's not on a budget. 

To think otherwise is to need a miracle repair-job on one's brain.