waysider

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uqCocIh3_o&feature=related

Another blues legend leaves the planet.:( R.I.P. George

"Please take your Sing Along With STFI songbooks and turn to that old Italian classic....Mafundzalo"

Is an offshoot of an offshoot anything like mulch? (Sometimes referred to as COMPOST.)

Mmmmmm! Hasenpfeffer and spaetzle! Now were talkin'!

Ahhhh,yes, the smiling cup. What a perfect vehicle to move da verd over da vorld 'cuz .

John must have never worked on a PFAL refreshment crew. HERE is how you save money.

Hi Folks, This is 4 minutes of your life you'll never get back....... Lots of love, John Hi John, This is what I think of your 4 minutes..... Lots of disgust, waysider

This city was chosen FOR me by the limb leader. I did not chose it. In fact, I was assigned to an entirely different city BEFORE I went into FLO, by a different limb leader, because, despite a lot of activity in that city, they had no Advanced Class grads to give an appearance of credibility as class instructors. Likewise, another city was chosen FOR my brother, who had also been active on the Cleveland scene before FLO. (I think he only stayed in that city for about a year, though.) Were my services needed here? Nope. I never did get anything new started here, mainly because I was at odds with some of the decisions that were being made at HQ, particularly the "needs basis" wages/salary idea. I saw people in the private sector here being exploited, with this being used as the excuse. It resulted in quite a few heated arguments with my then wife who was convinced that any decision coming out of New Knockwurst just HAD to be the real deal. I just faded into the existing scene, little by little...incrementally.

Sure. That's how I wound up living where I am. I could have left long ago but things just snowball...You know?....get married, buy a house, job commitments, kids, etc., etc., etc......Never did really like this place, though. Even after 35 years, I still call Cleveland my home....I'm weird like that. edit: I started a thread on this topic a few years ago. HERE

Maybe, but, Wierwille scoffed at those who called The Way a cult. As far as he was concerned, it was a lucrative MLM opportunity.

R.I.P., Bert

Is "getting mad" an inappropriate response to adversity? Along with that, is "getting mad" synonymous with "assigning blame"? Maybe getting mad is a healthy response in some situations, while assigning blame is something to be avoided unless the situation requires it.. I'm just rambling here.

I wish I had some answers to those questions. But, then, who doesn't?

I probably need to qualify my take on randomness. If I know, for example, a particular work procedure is dangerous but, stubbornly proceed with it anyway, any negative consequences may or may not be entirely attributed to randomness. If, on the other hand, I follow all the correct procedures and an accident still occurs because a series of negative factors coincided in an unprecedented fashion, this would be random. In the first scenario, I must take responsibility for my own choices. The second scenario falls into the "stuff happens" category. Why should I logically blame God for either of these? I've seen too many amazing things in my life to doubt that God exists. Even the sheer magnitude of nature's wonders and the complexity of the life processes regarding humans and animals leaves me awestruck at times. The devil, on the other hand, I believe is a symbolic, but much needed, representation of mankind's struggle against adversity, not an actual spiritual entity. And, this is why I think that if one can get past the confining concept of innerrancy, whole new dimensions of understanding can be opened. My own introduction to The Way was a random event. At some point, though, my own decisions, though based on misinformation and deception (date and switch) led me deeper into my involvement with the organization. If I'm angry at anyone, it is probably myself, not God, for allowing myself to be duped.

Everything that happened in The Way either: 1. Happened because of your believing. 2. Happened because you were out of fellowship and thus couldn't receive revelation. (outside of hedge of protection) 3. Happened for a reason (Nothing ever happens randomly.) 4. Was predestined to happen before the world began. I no longer subscribe to any of those reasons. So, no, I don't get mad at God, because, as the saying goes, Sometimes Stuff Just Happens.

You're a kind soul, Highway..... I mean that in the nicest way.

This thought just hit me. After I graduated from FellowLaborers, my services were no longer required in my hometown.....But they sent W.O.W.'s there instead of sending me back!!

"....they just moved in there and executed the dictates of the denomination without really caring about the local communities." ========================================================================================================================== Yes, that pretty much describes the Word Over The World Ambassadors program.

Yeah. And that's what Richard Dahmer did, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlagYOq8eIs