waysider

So, then, why should anyone knowingly put their life in a situation that has proven to be dangerous----like The Way?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBRaO5rx3hU&feature=related

In order for anything or place to be a "safe haven", it must meet two basic requirements. It must be "safe" and it must be a "haven". The Way was neither of the two. Well, alright, it was a "haven", of sorts, for the unscrupulous but it certainly wasn't "safe".

It was a distraction. Spend all your time obsessing over the "piddly-diddly" and you'll be too busy to notice what's really going on.

When I first got in, all I heard about was how much everybody "just loved me" and how they thought I was so wonderful and special. And, you know, when I finally left, I'm not so sure anyone even noticed I was gone. (So much for "We sure do love you.") That's not how a real family operates. Even when they're totally disappointed in you, most families will still stick by you and try to help you see things through. And, even though there were some genuinely good people involved with The Way, in the large sense, the organization was nothing but a bunch of "fair-weather" friends. (And the weather was always fair when "green cards" were being signed.)

As I moved into looking at various thread discussions, one of the first ones I read was the L.E.A.D. thread. That was definitely an eye opener, to say the least.

I do want to make it clear that I don't necessarily think it's wrong to do that. Speaking from my own experience, though, I found it necessary to read as much as I could before I really even knew what I wanted to say. I think I must have read and read and read for about a month before I ever posted. Heck, I even read the entire PooP paper----and lived to tell about it.

Jesus wept.

I suppose a sub topic might be explored in trying to understand why some people feel compelled to ignore the rudamental information before participating.

It occurred to me recently that many times when new people arrive here, they go straight to the forums and ignore the various materials on the home page. One such example is the piece on actual errors in PFAL. So, rather than doing the usual "bump", I thought it might be interesting to start a fresh thread with a link to the article. http://www.greasespotcafe.com/main2/editorial/editorial-items/actual-errors-in-power-for-abundant-living.html And the discussion it stirred.

Oh, and there was the whole craze with custom Bible covers. Especially ones with a HS dove on the front. Wouldn't it have been cool to have one with Balaam's azz?

Need I say more?

There are two different pages. One is Grease Spot and the other is GSC. Currently, the activity is on GSC. You contact an administrator and they give you a key to the back door. I think that would be Abigail, Bowtwi or Bramble. (Not sure) You do not have to use your real name if you don't want to. The link to exway vision is HERE.

Somebody in the first or second Corps got the idea that it might be fun to "run down the road and back". Get a little fresh air. Start the day with a little physical stimulus. Next thing you know, there's a whole survival program where people are hitch-hiking cross country, getting raped, run over by semi trucks, cutting their own toes off due to frost bite and so on. Leave it to The Way to take something innocuous and turn it into a nightmare. At least in fellow laborers, we got to "run with the cows" Not as cool as running with the bulls but still.....

Just think. If Cory, Chuck and Danny had taken the PFAL class, we might be watching youtubes of Three Jade Plant Night. Oh boy, I should have known somebody would "flush" that one out.

Oh, here's another crazy fad. We weren't allowed to have pets of any sort, so we went to the Wayside Truck Stop and brought little gel caps that had expanding sponges in the shape of animals in them. Then we went through a phase where it seemed like everyone had a "pet" . I gotta tell ya. there is nothing quite so relaxing as tossing around the old frisbee with your very own pet jade plant.

Well I'll be danged! Now I do remember a gum incident. There was a particular kind of gum that had a liquid center. If you bit into it, it "exploded". I think it was Sunesis' sister who called it "cum gum"....Can I say that here?

I don't remember the gum thing. We learned to make our own mayo, though. In batches big enough for 50 people. Now that's a skill that has taken me to all 4 corners of the Earth many times.

Well, we made our own for a while. Then we broke down and opted for the Dannon with the fruit on the bottom. I remember we used to use yogurt in place of something else. Sour cream, maybe? I was never a supper cook.

Now, one thing we ate that I actually liked was something called apple-licious. I don't remember exactly how we made it. The basic idea, though, was to mix raw steel cut oats with apple sauce, apple juice, apple chunks, nuts and raisins in a big old bowl and chill overnight in the fridge. I don't suppose it would be a good idea anymore, though, to eat oats without first cooking How about this one. Unbaked apple cookies. Rolled in sunflower seed meal before sticking in the fridge to chill. Doesn't that just sound swell?

Wheat berries. Yes. Who can forget the wheat berries and oat groats. We were supposed to soak them overnight in the refrigerator in a bowl of water. I forgot to do that more times than i care to admit. Then I would start them boiling before we left for our morning run. Boy. There is nothing quite as refreshing to start your day with than a nice hot bowl of rubber ball bearings. Oh, thanks for reminding me about the carob. It tastes sooooooo much better than real chocolate. Sort of reminds me of what it might taste like to eat an old gym sock.

Millet! How did I forget that one? There is just nothing quite as refreshing, after a long, hot day of work, as a steaming hot lump of millet. Top that off with some wilted lettuce and you've got yourself one mighty satisfying meal.

Good Lord! That's one I forgot all about. Put wheat germ on anything that isn't moving. And then all 50 of us would meet every morning at 5:30 in one of the basements. One spark, at the wrong moment, could have blown us all clear into next Thursday.

And sprouts. We must have sprouts, sprouts and more sprouts. Mung beans, alfalfa, lentils, and whatever else. Put 'em on your salad. Put 'em on your ice cream. Put 'em where the sun don't shine. Yeah---gotta put raisins on everything, too. Especially on your "natural" peanut butter sandwiches.

Remember liquid lecithin? You were supposed to consume a couple tablespoons a day to increase your state of alertness. Maybe if we had gotten more than 5 hours sleep a night we wouldn't have been so concerned with alertness. I think I would rather duct tape my eyelids open than drink that swill.