waysider

Foreign countries ????? Way Int. HQ is about a 30 minute trip, by air, from (what was then) Ohio HQ. Toss in another 1/2 hour by car on each end to allow for time to and from the airstrips. Do you know how many times VPW visited the Fellow Laborers during the three years I was there? If you answered ZERO, you win a kewpie doll.

There were basically two varieties of this. The first one deals with success and maintained that people like The Beatles, The Stones, etc. were born-again of "the wrong seed". VP said, in the A.C., that in order to achieve that level of success, you have to "sell out' to one God or the other. The second one deals with individual performances of musical virtuosity. This one was explained with the idea that devil spirits were actually controlling the performer's fingers, hands, voice and so on. He also said that no one is born with "natural talent" because that would make God a respecter of persons.

As I recall, you were never supposed to run ANY kind of meeting without "giving God's people a chance to get blessed". That was called a "love offering". In the class instructor's manual,there was a particular session in which the instructor was expressly told to take up an offering so that the students would be more ready, spiritually, to receive the information. I don't remember which session . Thereafter, though, a "love offering" was to be taken at every session. It was easy for them to see if you were doing this because it was officially recorded on the various forms. This is how HQ found out that a certain twig of retired folks weren't giving their money to The Way and were subsequently told to either disband or dissociate themselves from The Way.

Yes, your post made me smile. It was a smile of relief as I realized the post was ending.

Anybody remember "the love offering"? It wasn't enough that they were gauging us for classes and demanding that we ABS, we had to have a "love offering" at every function, as well. We even had to list it on a separate line on "the blue form". I got caught for not having a "love offering" at every twig meeting. I got my azz chewed out because I was "cheating Gawd's people" out of an opportunity to receive in return for their giving. Maybe that's why we were supposed to run every meeting even if no one else showed up. More coin in the coffers.

I'll drink ta dat! <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcMtt2UyvRM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcMtt2UyvRM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcMtt2UyvRM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nisxh5PPFBA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nisxh5PPFBA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nisxh5PPFBA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

Yeah, been there, too. What I'm referring to here, though, is when NO ONE, as in zip, zilch, nada, shows up and you find yourself in the room by yourself.

Sometimes life offers us "either/or" options and choices. Most often, though, it doesn't. Maybe that's a part of what some of us found appealing about The Way. The World was in a state of turmoil. We were young and seeking answers. The Way seemed to offer a a method of simplifying the complex. Maybe it's just human nature to look for a way to make sense out of matters that are otherwise senseless.

It's like a guy told me once, after I related to him a bit of personal misfortune. He said, "It could have been worse." I asked him,"How?" He said, "Well, it could have happened to ME!" :P

You belong here more than you may realize. The Way, or someone who was a member of The Way, had a long term impact on your life. The severity, or lack thereof, is irrelevant. I don't want to bore anyone with a "there I was" scenario so I'll do my best to compress it. When I was 21, I got witnessed to by a group of high school kids who feigned interest in what I was doing as an aspiring (but unsuccessful) actor/singer/songwriter. One of the young ladies involved me in a "date and switch" scenario (It was strictly Platonic.) long enough to get me to sign "the green card" and get to session #5 before the ruse was uncovered. After that plan of action started to unravel, they fed me false encouragement that I would find a place in the ministry to actively pursue my true interests, which at that time were, as I stated, music and acting. Next thing I know, I'm leading songs at branch meetings, setting up classes, running a twig and on the list goes. It just sort of snowballed in not-so-tiny increments. It didn't take long, though, before they told me I had to choose between the ministry workings and pursuing my show biz dreams. Regardless of what the future may or may not have held for me in entertainment, I made the wrong choice.

But if you don't believe in the "storybook, why should you care what Paul said?

Be sure to look for the seal of approval.

"For yea, verily, thou shalt know them by their ball caps"-----Facetious 4:1

Sure thing, dude. Do you walk to school or carry your lunch?

That's the best response you could come up with??? Better luck next time, dreary!

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chUxuGFlFkI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chUxuGFlFkI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chUxuGFlFkI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

I wonder what sort of conclusions will be drawn, two millennium from now, when several crates of Spanish translated PFAL collaterals are unearthed.

Yeah, the Ol' Adversary is really hittin' ya hard for takin' a stand.

I remember when The Way started to ordain people on a large scale. Someone asked about whether "The World" would recognize the ordinations. The answer that came back was, "Oh, we don't do the ordaining, Gawd does. We just celebrate it with a ritual ceremony."

No offense intended but I don't really need to read an entire book to recognize circular logic. I got plenty of experience, staring at it face-to-face, in The Way. edit: I hereby confer upon myself the honorary degree of Doctor of Circular Logic Recognition by the powers vested in me by myself.

It's the same reason that the degrees conferred upon Way Corps grads are virtually worthless outside the gates of TWI Zion. Likewise with the "Doctorate" Wierwille made boast of. I'm tempted to tie it back into the "Thus Saith Paul" thread but I probably shouldn't. edit: The quotes in my previous post were not authored by me. They are from the the link I provided.

James Trimm's doctorate has been used to promote his website "Yeshiva" or simply put, a Jewish Rabbinical School. He stated in an internet email, and on his website that, "Beit Netzarim Nazarene Yeshiva functions under the approbation of the International Nazarene Beit Din." James Trimm set up the International Nazarene Beit Din, with himself and a few others on the board, and then authorized himself to form the school called, Beit Netzarim Yeshiva, although he isn't Jewish. The "International Beit Din," then, is the so-called "Jewish authority" formed and headed by James. That means he gets his authority from, makes decisions for and is basically answerable to, himself. SOURCE ........................................................ Sounds a bit like a certain "Doctor" some of us remember----Dat's Riiiiigggghhhhttt!

What are the qualifications one must meet in order to represent their self as a Rabbi?