Twinky

Mike, just repeating this in case you missed it previously. If you set out any parts of your "thesis" in the manner of the late Steve's papers, or even just his posts, we might be able to fathom your thesis more easily AND you wouldn't get yourself in such a tangle with the ... ... that you complain so much about.

Hilarious!!!

Mike, if you look through some of Steve Lortz's old posts, you'll see how he presents his ideas, clearly, coherently, so you know what he wants to say and where he's going. He hasn't stolen his material and gives credit where it's due. There might be some things you can learn from the style of presentation - not to mention the content.

We all know John 10:10. Here's a slightly different version, from HCSB: Read something interesting today: - Joyce Meyer Here is where joy should come from: - International Standard Version, Psalm 43:4 - well worth a look at other versions I think I'm going to try thinking of things this way, for a little while, see what difference it makes. Does what I'm doing, seeing, being - enhance my joy? Or take away from it?

Was idly thinking this evening about the internet, perhaps triggered by the disclosures about Facebook. Had the internet been around when many posters here became enmeshed with TWI - they would have checked it out first. Had the net been widely available when I got enmeshed - again, I'd've checked it out first. Today's potential victims, likely mostly young people, have great opportunity to check TWI out first. Maybe they went along to a couple of fellowships with their mates, but decided to check out the organization before they got more involved. Well, well! When I was (in my ignorance) planning to crawl back to TWI, I googled them and the first site up was - GreaseSpot Cafe! And so it still may be, for random people googling TWI, depending on how they phrase their enquiry. BUT, at least with Google, there's lots of other potential or similar sites listed, both after the main site and at the bottom of the first page. TWI's own boring, very static, site appears high in the list - closely followed by a few anti-TWI sites. We who have been here for a long time know how much GSC has helped us, and most of us remain so that we can help others too. What we can't know is how many people have encountered GSC, had a quick look, and zoomed off the other way. They've never been "helped" by having to de-tox here, because they never got "toxed" in the first place. Good for them, I say!

From a note in my email this morning, posted on the Ning "Way Corps site." Regardless of what you think about the man, he's clearly in decline, and suffering, so prayers (if you pray) for him, his family, and the medical staff, would be appropriate.

Wish I could watch it, but not available in the UK.

One hopes that he is giving 20% of his il-gotten gains back to TWI.

Less Than, there are lots of archived old documents elsewhere on this site - unfortunately not as easily accessible as they used to be when the site was hosted differently. However, you might find this thread really helpful and very enlightening: And Grace, I'm not sure if you've looked at this old threads etc yet. You'd find them interesting too.

Chockfull, neither you nor any of us will be "fixed" until Christ returns and fixes us. Meantime, we just keep doing our best and look to him to cover the rest. I'm very thankful for the love and patience shown to us specifically whilst we're recovering from Waydaze. The kindness shown by some people is more healing than they could ever know.

Welcome, Less Than. Praise the Lord you are less than TWI would turn you into, and More Than anything they could offer. Making you feel "less than" and not good enough is standard TWI technique, and it leaves big scars and holes in one's self-respect. You will find others here who were kids raised in TWI - I think you as a group have your own particular issues to exorcise. Actually, what Rocky posted just yesterday, a TED talk, could be really helpful for you. The speaker is a young woman who was raised in an abusive cult. Meantime, this is a great place for you to vent your anger, frustrations, and hang-ups. We've all been there. It's also very much okay for you to seek help from a therapist. If you had a broken leg, you'd seek help from a doctor, wouldn't you? Right. So seek help for your broken thinking. Say how you felt unsupported when your father died. Let it meander on from there. Maybe your therapist will be able to offer some strategies to help you "deal with" the anticipated conflict with your mum.

Good talk, lots of quotable lines. "Grow up and realise you can leave," being just one of many.

I think that's about the size of it, Socks. It's just business - to defame others, to blame them for everything that you don't like (on a whim or for some other reason). It isn't love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, or even bearing another's burden. One might wonder how these R&R signatories are faring in the real world without compelled followers or anyone who gives a shred of credence to what they're peddling; wonder if they have any regrets about how they oppressed those over whom they exercised "spiritual oversight," and how they castigated them when their "believing" seemingly failed to meet required standards; wonder if they're finding their leadership styles don't engender suitable awe in the secular workplace. But nobody should wonder too much!! Life's too short!!

Gosh, Spec. That's a long read. Haven't looked at it yet (it's midnight). Saved for another day's reading.

Heh, Spec, it was the "research" as much as anything that excited me, too. In fact, pre-PFAL, I asked if the Dead Sea Scrolls would have any impact on the research, and whether there was any Way material that could be studied. Initially I was met with blank or sideways looks, and later, "You can ask that question, take PFAL first, you can write to HQ." Of course, that never happened. I also asked if they were proposing to put out their own Bible, based on their research, and was told that as it was a research ministry, it would be better not to, because research was discovering new things all the time and TWI would have to keep amending any Bible version they produced. It sounded exciting, like there was a big bunch of people really digging around for new light. ...Now, I'm minded to think that they had nothing but VPW's expanded literals according to usage, or whatever pompous name they were called, which would be laughable anywhere outside TWI - those "literals according to usage" that weren't directly pinched from the Amplified Version or similar.

As a matter of fact, it appears that Teresa of Avila wrote this not about God but about Christ. I found this online, from "A Catholic Prayer Book" found on catholicity.com - ((Gosh I wish this site wouldn't mess the quotes about, or am I doing something wrong? Anyway the last bit following, with the link to Annie Flint's poem, shouldn't be part of the quote, but an extra paragraph.)) Prayer of Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

WTH, Chockfull?!?!

Hi you too, T-Bone!

Hi Chocky. Thx your message. Our paths may have crossed. There is much about that time that I simply do not remember. I call that time, and particularly the post-TWI period, "The Lost Years."

Welcome, Sastian. As you say, perhaps not a great thread to start with! DontWorryBeHappy doesn't pull his punches. There are less challenging places to start. Do tell us about yourself in New Members. Somebody will offer you a coffee soon, no doubt. Waiter here doesn't seem to like me and thinks I've ordered too much coffee already.

Love it! I was witnessed to by a WoW in the UK in 1985. Went in rez in Ohio about 1991-93 then led a WoW team in another country. There was a strong suggestion I might be recalled to the US in some capacity after that, a prospect that filled me with dread. Got myself DFAC'd instead in Feb 1995 (I think). Thoroughly indoctrinated (and having given up a potentially very good career and all my friends and family), I was desperately miserable for a decade until I discovered the Cafe. Then, I was appalled. And then - I was set free - yay!!!! In the UK, I got to meet with a number of European believers, including US and UK trained Corps. While I was in the USA I travelled a bit and met / stayed with a few believers and got to know lots of others at ministry events like RoA and special events. I met DWBH (and several of you other posters here. Hi T-Bone!) a few years later in Texas. How does that fit with your dates, Chocky? You have said before, but I've forgotten.

Thanks, DWBH. Been a long time...

In the photo, who's the man nearest the camera? I probably ought to recognise him, but it's been a long time. No idea who the two youngsters might be.

Don't forget - Corps are there for a "lifetime of service." Only what was meant was, a lifetime of servitude. Why else do you suppose TWI pushed so much the doulos (bondservant) aspect? Jesus called his disciples "friends," not servants. We aren't required to be servants any more. Remember this? Eph 2:6 "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him [Christ] in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" and the teaching that when the work is done, then the person is seated (why Christ is seated at the right hand of God - because his work of redemption is complete. There are no slaves or servants in the heavenly places - their work is completed too. Why? Because of God's desire to show his graciousness to us. Read the beginning of Eph 4 again. Look at love, grace, mercy, kindness. Pretty good retirement scheme, huh? Even though Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God, however, he still works through his body, the church, to which he has committed the ministry of reconciliation. One has to suppose that Jesus must be working by choice if his work on earth is done. And we too can choose daily if we want to fulfill the ministry that has been assigned to us. With God, it's always "Choose ye this day ..." not "this day you are compelled ..."