oldiesman

Including financial. The thought crossed my mind that TWI should have paid for EVERYTHING: the tuition, meals, travel, rooms, clothing, etc. After all, they are making an investment for THEM-- THEIR continued benefit. Provided you fully understand you're a slave (doulos) to "The Ministry the Represents God" (LCM's words.) As a bonded slave. And so under that condition, you also must beg for sponsors? LOL. I can understand that for the college division but not the Corps. FUN TV FACT: Starfleet invested $122,200 for Mr. Spock's education. Today that's worth $1,186,900!

Yep. First blame the individual for not believing enough, then blame the adversary, who likely had a whole lot of other more important things to do. LOL

THAT certainly was true in my case. WOW was successful but the Corps no way. In fact, I got it from the horses's mouth to go elsewhere, but was too thick-headed to listen. I personally asked VPW what I should do after WOW... he put his arm around me and said "go back home and apply what you learned." Had I done that, it would have saved me much grief!

Actually we've never met but I would love to... I think when he was in the Bronx, I went out WOW that year (1979-80)...

I think U.S. only celebrates Thanksgiving as a national holiday so those who wish to use that day as equivalent to Sukkot/Feast day probably do that...

Dear Patriot, President George Washington declared the first Thanksgiving under the U.S. Constitution in 1789, setting the date for November 26th.[1] [2] [3] However, numerous earlier instances of thanksgiving celebrations and feasts occurred in North America, predating Washington's proclamation by many decades and even centuries. According to www.iAsk.Ai - Ask AI: The concept of "days of thanksgiving" has existed for thousands of years, long before European colonization of North America, often involving giving thanks to deities.[4] [5] These early observances were typically religious in nature, sometimes involving fasting, and were called for by magistrates, churches, or heads of households for various reasons, such as expressing gratitude for divine aid or military victories.[5] [6] Here's a chronological overview of earlier documented thanksgiving occurrences: 1541 (Palo Duro Canyon, Texas): Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and his 1,500 men observed a feast of prayer and thanksgiving led by Padre Fray Juan de Padilla. This event predates the Plymouth Thanksgiving by 79 years.[7] 1565 (St. Augustine, Florida): Spanish settlers, led by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving upon landing and shared a meal with the native Seloy tribe. While a significant early event, it did not become the origin of the national annual tradition.[4] [8] 1578 (Nunavut, Canada): English explorer Sir Martin Frobisher and his crew held a thanksgiving service upon safely landing in what is now Newfoundland, Canada, after their quest for the Northwest Passage.[4] [8] 1598 (Near San Elizario, Texas): Juan de Oñate, a Spanish dignitary, ordered a feast of thanksgiving after his party of 500 soldiers, women, and children survived a harrowing journey across the Chihuahua Desert to the Rio Grande.[7] 1607 (Jamestown, Virginia): English colonists in Jamestown held thanksgiving services for their safe arrival and again three years later when a supply ship arrived after a harsh winter.[4] [8] 1607 (Fort St. George, Maine): English colonists at Fort St. George held a harvest feast and prayer meeting with the Abenaki Indians.[7] 1610 (Jamestown, Virginia): The first permanent settlement of Jamestown held a thanksgiving.[4] 1619 (Berkeley Hundred, Virginia): On December 4, 38 English settlers celebrated a thanksgiving immediately upon landing, as their London Company charter specifically required "that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantation in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God." This celebration has been commemorated annually at Berkeley Plantation since the mid-20th century.[4] [6] 1621 (Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts): The Pilgrims, having brought in a good harvest with the assistance of the Wampanoag, celebrated for three days in the autumn. This event, often popularized as the "first Thanksgiving," was more accurately a harvest celebration, featuring feasting, games, and a demonstration of arms. Accounts from William Bradford and Edward Winslow describe a meal that included fowl (including wild turkeys), venison, fish, eels, shellfish, and a Wampanoag dish called nasaump. The Wampanoag leader Massasoit and 90 of his men joined the celebration, contributing five deer to the meal.[4] [5] [9] [10] These earlier events demonstrate that while the 1621 Plymouth harvest celebration is widely recognized, it was one of many thanksgiving observances that occurred in North America, reflecting both European religious traditions and harvest festivals, as well as interactions with Indigenous peoples.[4] [5] [8] The modern national holiday, however, largely evolved from the New England Thanksgiving traditions and was significantly influenced by Sarah Josepha Hale's advocacy and President Abraham Lincoln's proclamation in 1863.[4] [5] [6] [11] Authoritative Sources Thanksgiving (United States). Wikipedia↩ 2 Thanksgivings? It's happened. Here's why we now celebrate on 4th Thursday of November. news-journalonline.com↩ The Long History of the Thanksgiving Holiday in the U.S. reprosenthal.com↩ Thanksgiving: Historical Perspectives. National Archives↩ Thanksgiving History. The Mayflower Society↩ A History of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History↩ Thanksgiving Timeline. History.com↩ The Real History of Thanksgiving. Library of Congress Blogs↩ The First Thanksgiving. Plimoth Patuxet Museums↩ The True Story of Thanksgiving. National Museum of the American Indian↩ Sarah Josepha Hale. National Women's History Museum↩

I'm very sorry to hear that Lifted Up, sorry you had to go through that. TWI screwed up and missed an excellent opportunity when it taught but failed to strictly enforce God's will when it came to believers needing their sexual needs met -- otherwise known as "marriage".

Thank you Revvel. The mystery for Israel IS the mystery for the church it's one and the same; for the church is comprised of former Jews and Gentiles who now are members of the body of Christ. True, spiritual Israel is understood and described in the following key scriptures with my commentary: (Ai assisted) Romans 9-11 Romans 9:6-8: Paul states, "For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel". This passage distinguishes between ethnic Israel and the "true" or spiritual Israel, comprised of those who have faith. He clarifies that "the children of the promise who believe in Christ are counted as offspring". Romans 11:17–24: Paul uses the metaphor of an olive tree to explain the relationship. The cultivated olive tree represents the people of God (true Israel). Unbelieving natural branches (Christ-rejecting Jews) were broken off, and wild olive branches (Gentile believers in Christ) were grafted in. The tree itself remains the same, emphasizing the continuity of God's people across the Old and New Testaments. Romans 11:25-26: Paul speaks of a future time when "all Israel will be saved," which many understand as the final salvation and inclusion of a large number of ethnic Jews who believe in Christ into the one people of God (the church). Galatians Galatians 3:7, 29: Paul explicitly states that "it is those of faith in Christ who are the sons of Abraham". He later concludes, "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise". This indicates that the promises made to Israel's patriarch, Abraham, are now inherited by all believers in Christ, regardless of their ethnic background. Consequently, those who do not believe in Christ, including former Israel, are broken off. Galatians 6:16: Paul offers a benediction "upon the Israel of God". While debated, many scholars interpret this phrase as referring to the true, spiritual people of God, the church, made up of both Jewish and Gentile believers in Christ. It still is debated because (I believe) some Jews think they can get saved without Jesus. I believe our duty is to convince these folks that they are wrong. 1 Peter 1 Peter 2:9-10: Peter applies titles and descriptions once used exclusively for Old Testament Israel to the New Testament church (which included many Gentiles). He calls them "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession". These terms directly echo God's description of Israel in Exodus 19:5-6, indicating that the church now fulfills Israel's role as God's special people on earth -- God's Chosen People. In other words, God's Chosen People are exclusively believers in Jesus. Other Passages Ephesians 2:11-22: Paul emphasizes that Gentiles, who were once "separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise," have now been brought near to God. Christ has broken down the "dividing wall" between Jews and Gentiles, creating in himself "one new man in place of the two" (the church) and making them "fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God". Philippians 3:3: Paul refers to believers in Christ (who worship by the Spirit of God) as the "true circumcision," a term that was the definitive physical mark of Old Testament Israel.

Old favorite

Jew and Gentile now to be one body in Christ. The great mystery revealed which is the new and everlasting covenant; Christ in you (all of you both individually and collectively), the hope of glory.