waysider

What the heck was the point of taking the foundational class over and over and over again?(Aside from the obvious maintaining a sense of self induced allegiance?) I've posted on this before. People actually believed that some new enlightenment would be granted them each time they took the class. They thought they would see some kernal of truth that had been buried like a diamond. (and I am not absolving myself of guilt on this point either.) It went so far as to opening classes with prayer for God to show us things we had never seen before. Don't get me wrong, I Think God can and does open the eyes of our understanding in relation to His word. "The class" is not His word per se, it's just one of millions of classes that man has constructed over his time on Earth. The very idea that God would show us some hidden meaning in why the flowers were positioned where they were or why a certain facial expression was used is simply ludicrous. It was simply one of countless Bible classes that have been produced for mass consumption though I'm pretty sure none of us had any way(other than revelation) of knowing the impact it would and does have on our lives.

I hate to say it but I told you so Don't mind my preachin' to you I said"Don't trust 'em baby" now you know You don't know everything there is to know in school.

Crystal Blue Persuasion Tommy James and The Shondells

Plane crashes and celebrities----------Now there's fodder for about a zillion nostalgia posts though the subject matter may be a bit too morbid for large doses. Chatster---Come back to Name That Tune. I promise to behave I promise to behave I promise to behave ----------------x500 (I'm not using carbon paper,honest.)

chattykathy------------I may be gamblin' when I say this but clues are just fine in my book. OK---'nuff ramblin' for now;I'm going to crack open a silver bullet and chill out. ps---That storm looked pretty nasty on the news. Everything Ok out your way?(That's not a clue, just a concern.)

When your guests remark:"The chicken really blew me away" You might offer an apology rather than a "Thank You".

OH YEAH That's definately a golden oldie. I remember the first time I heard it I thought to myself "Now what's this guy rambling on about?"

Tommy Z---------God does the healing Having a "middle man" involved may help facilitate the process but I have never seen where it is an absolute requirement. Praying for you and yours.

But now I see-----------Welcome aboard! I definately agree with you about taking care of local needs first. This is what I had in mind when I started the thread. You asked about the early 70's. The example I cited took place in perhaps '73 or '74. The subject of "the tithe" was covered recently on another thread so I didn't want to rehash that info. on this one anymore than needed. Part of my thinking was this: What could possibly be wrong with demonstrating to "the world" that we were willing to do actual work to obtain our goals? The answer to that question (IMHO) is that they(TWI HQ) were worried the outside world would perceive these efforts as a lack of tithing by participants in the ministry and more importantly:Every dollar kept at the local level was one less dollar headed for New Knoxville.

Watered Garden---------I really doubt the problem was you being "dumb". The problem was we all trusted that what we were being told was the truth and that our efforts were for the good of the whole ministry. Running down that 2 lane country road with no lights at 5AM while normal people were racing past us to get to work----------Now THAT was dumb! OK -------Lights out."Goodnight John Boy."

Bluz-----------They say it's your birthday Well-----------Happy birthday to ya'! I know you'll have a good time.

OK I somewhat understand the tithing logic but this event was completely local and had no connection to HQ either financially or in its' planning and organizing. I can't see what would have been wrong with a WOW twig doing something that was confined to twig level either,for that matter. Alas, someday perhaps I'll see the "Big Picture".

Sushi "Mitch Rider And The Detroit Wheels"------------------I found that song while I was looking through some old records in the attic the other day. Guess I better behave myself or I'll get the both of us exiled to "Name That Tune." Sock it to me,baby!

In the early seventies I was part of a rather large branch. We were mostly young people but had a fair amount of middle aged and some seniors represented. We wanted to have a pot luck dinner over Christmas break while students were home and people had some free time. We needed a fairly large facility and it proved no problem finding a place that was suitable,available,and rented for a resonable price. We decided to have car washes and bake sales to raise the money but HQ was quick to forbid any such effort. It seemed logical to me,as I would suppose it did to others, that putting forth honest labor with the expectation of a monetary reward was an honorable course of action. No sensible reason was ever given and we were made to feel like we were missing some big spiritual truth for not understanding. I don't remember how but we were able to follow through with the dinner. I think perhaps the facility was donated to us. A great time was had by everyone. My question is this: Why was TWI so strongly opposed to car washes,bake sales,etc.? Was any scripture ever given or for that matter any logical explanation why this was so "wrong"? ps.---this was before all the Happy Ho Ho blather.

I always found "Happy Ho Ho" comical because it reminded me of "Ho Ho Ho" which we all know as the most famous quote uttered by that jolly man from the North Pole. But more to the point of the thread. I think perhaps what we are talking about here are words and phrases that automatically "push our buttons" and elicit a predictable response. For me this was evidensed on two different levels,especially in the workplace. 1.) I tried to follow authority somehow thinking they had the big picture in mind rather than their own private agenda. This is definately not good advise in the work-a-day world but at the same time it does not mean that everyone fits this profile. 2.) I become(notice present tense) Agitated by demands that have no purpose and sometimes even a negative purpose that are presented solely to demonstate a show of power. I know this may seem a bit abstract but it is all very real when the correct button is pushed and stong emotions rear their heads. Thankfully I am getting better at recognizing what is taking place and putting it all back into perspective.

MO---------"Never destroy a book" Ray Bradbury(Fahrenheit 451) would be proud of you. For what it's worth,I enjoyed the movie as much as I did the book or maybe even more. There are so many parallels it is eerily uncanny.

ChattyKathy------------Scotty's next gig is at a venue that EC has personal ties to but it is rather small so if he did check Scotty out I'm sure it would have to be somewhat on the QT so as not to attract a crowd. Fire Marshals are funny like that. BTW-----Delta Shieks is fronted by none other than Mike Gilliland(harp monster and soulful vocalist) If his name sounds familiar it is because he sat in at the last minute with Ray Fuller(with whom he has played for quite some time )at the Hot Licks Festival. They were the opening act for the festival. Rick-------Would there be any room at your jam for an old 1/4/5 harp player? Suppose I kept my mic turned off and only played on the turnaround? Ok, what if I turned off my mic, played only on the turnaround,unplugged my amp and sat in the next room? It's OK to say NOOOOOOOO!(we harp players are used to rejection HAHAHA)

"The Blues is a healer"-----------John Lee Hooker

Bliss-----------Yeah. that's how I remember it too; Jesus(The Christ) before and Christ(Jesus) after to emphasize his accomplishment and exalt his place at God's right hand. I do see Jim's point though. It seems like they have gone out of their way to refer to him in a manner that fits with mainstream Christianity. I did not take the time to see if the "before and after" rule was applied. I need to look at it again in that light. The problem I see with always focusing on Christ the exalted one is that it doesn't allow us enough time to identify with Jesus the one who was human just like us. I'm glad I was not around for TWI II when it was not OK to get to know Jesus before he validated his position as Christ. That Christian cliche catch phrase "What would Jesus do?" actually seems more relavent than asking "What would the victorious Christ do?"

Correctamundo George-------Didn't mean to usurp anyone's turn. Just thought I'd kill some time while we're waiting for Wasway.

Ladies and gentlemen The flight to "Name That Tune" has been temporarily rerouted. Do not panic. Remain calm. While we are waiting for the flight to resume it's scheduled course repeat the following chant: OOGA CHACA OOGA CHACA OOGA OOGA OOGA CHACA

21!!-----The first of many so-called "milestone" birthdays. ENJOY!

Groucho--------"It's like listening to a Firesign Theater album". Yep!-----Just another paisley sunrise.

That may be good advise for you garden party types but I'm a travelin' man. You know what I mean,Mary Lou? "It's cheaper to keep 'er"----------Buddy Guy!

I remember hearing these things taught in the AC in 1973. It seems that in the beginning all the spirits were subject to three seperate leaders: Lucifer---God's right hand man,the original bright and morning star. Gabriel---God's special messenger. Michael---his job was/is to stand for God's children and fight off anyone who attacks them (kind of like a big brother) Lucifer wanted to userp the throne,so to speak, and here are some general areas of scripture that delve into this: Ezekiel 28/ Isaiah 14/Gen. 3/Rev.12/Rev.22/I Cor.15. When his overthrow was thwarted, he was thrown out of heaven along with the angels under his command and these are the spirits for whom "Hell" is reserved(not people) Sorry this is so sketchy. That was along time ago.(1973 that is) Also taught was that the Devil was not omnipresent or all knowing and that he could not see the future hence there was a sense of urgency to his efforts to seek revenge on God by subjecting as many as he could to bow to his power.