waysider

In retrospect, when I think of my time in TWI, I think of it as more of a survival experience than a belonging experience. It may have started out with a promise of belonging, but as expectations and responsibilities multiplied, I felt more and more like I was in survival mode. Here's another way to look at it: When you finally realized you had severed your ties, did you feel a sense of loss for what you were once a part of -OR- did you feel a sense of relief to be gone? (Yeah, I know you can never completely sever you ties, Bolshevik. That puts you in a position that comes with its own set of unique complexities.)

To quote The Moody Blues: "Isn't life strange?"

Little Bunny Foo Foo, hoppin' through the forrest.

Until, one day, as you're all alone, you happen to pause, look in the mirror and, suddenly, like a burst of electrical energy, the situation becomes surreal.. And you wonder, "Who have I become?" and "How did I get here?" Like waking up in the heat of a terrible dream. A tiny glimpse of light in the exit doorway has appeared.

Compliance through peer pressure. "Oh, now we ALL have to run just because YOU __________ "...(fill in the blank) Pretty successful tactic... for Army basic training. What place does it have in Christian leadership training?

I'm glad you asked. Do you know any sinners who are not saints?

Correct me if I'm wrong. Did he not also say, in the PFAL class, that the law of believing "works for saint and sinner alike."? "Why, if I were a bettin' man, I'd wager"... you'll find a way to reconcile these contradictions.

Apparently you're not familiar with the SSV (Sesame Street Version).

This one time, there were no parking spots at the mall. I drove back around and spoke in tongues and....BAM!!...Just like that, an empty spot appeared.

This right here.

Mike, this is not a "gotcha". If you have scripture to support your claim, now would be the time to post it. If you don't, then simply accept that it's not based on any scriptural evidence. Or, as my Dad used to say, "Poop or get off the potty chair.".

And you somehow know I didn't? What is the scriptural basis?

Is there scriptural basis for excellor sessions?

The Green Card said the class would enable us to overcome our fears. Was this false advertising?

Why would they have to "develop" fluency if God gave the utterance?

Syntax. A real language needs syntax, the element that was painfully lacking in speaking in tongues..

They do have some rather....uhhm...interesting merchandise for sale.

I was thinking the class is better depicted in Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights.

...causing him to realize the gravity of the incident.

The reliability of eyewitness testimony would suggest this is not the case.

Of these 3 choices, looking at it as a list of actual events would be the most easily proven to be a mistake.

Shhhhh! Not so loud. If you're lucky they'll just think it's just the cat wandering about.

The answer is yes and no. I have known people who lost their first language, though not by a dedicated effort to do so, of course. This is the yes part. The no part is that they didn't erase it and start over. It's more like placing a glass of water under a running tap. Eventually the original water is replaced, little by little. There's a metaphor in there if you choose to see it.

Intelligence is partially measured, not only by the ability to detect patterns, but also by the ability to anticipate how the patterns will evolve. I think this might partly explain why some otherwise intelligent people were attracted to the (seemingly) unique approach TWI took toward Bible study. Just my opinion.