batcave

I think Jordin will win American Idol, but I think Melinda has better staying power with a career. Jordin will be a little more "video friendly" being younger and cuter, but I can see Melinda getting into a pop career that will carry her beyond her beginnings. Lakisha just blasted the judges hauling out the big guns from the very beginning. I think she was a little too intense for some people, but very talented nevertheless. What's -his-face ain't gonna make it.

Everyone has offered helpful and valid advice. Some have commented on the "morality" of "living in sin" or "shacking up", which I did not intend to address on this thread, but did address the pros and cons of marriage vs. living together in a previous thread. This is not something that we approach lightly. We've thought long and hard and talked about it for about a year. I wouldn't be moving in with him unless I had seen numerous examples in his history and current relationship of his loyalty and steadfastness. This guy won't cut and run in a fit of anger. His capacity to love and forgive is an inspiration to me, and a great comfort to consider in a partner. There are several reasons we don't go ahead and get married, none of which are really interesting enough to bring out in a public forum. Thanks for all the good wishes!

Well, my boyfriend and I of over two years have decided to move in together. Marriage is in the somewhat near future, but I would like to get some practical tips from couples who are living together or have lived together. My only other experiences living with men have been, ironically, through TWI, where there was only a roommate situation and not a romantic relationship. We're not youngsters, we're both 45, no kids, no pets, no dependants of any kind at the moment. We'll keep finances separate for a time, while we get used to paying bills together and setting a budget. Any other advice or pearls of wisdom?

D, I wish you lived in my area, I could sure use the commission. I do sell cell phones and I try to get people the right plan, not the one I'm lowest in commssions on. If you're thinking of getting rid of the land line, you might want to look for a plan that has something like unlimited local minutes with some roaming features available. Where I live and the cell phone company I work for, offers an unlimited local calling plan with unlimited long distance and a couple hundred roaming minutes. When you're out of the area here, you're roaming on Verizon towers. I would suggest maybe first looking at a pre-paid plan with Verizon or a good local carrier, or even a Trac-Phone, if they get good reception in your area. It would give you an introduction to cell phones without committing yourself to a one or two year contract. Get used to the basic features, put minutes on it as you need, and when you feel comfortable moving to the next level, look at maybe a one year plan. If you get a pre-paid phone from one of the nationwide carriers, chances are you can use the same phone for a contract that you do on pre-paid. If you have any other questions, please feel free to PM me or ask me here. Good luck!

Well, the living together thing looks like a very real possibility. We've bought a few pieces of furniture together and we've discussed finances and budgets and all that fun stuff. Haven't looked at apartments yet, my lease isn't up until the end of March, but we've talked about what we want in a place together. It's kind of scary when you realize it's actually going to happen. I told him we could move in together but I still want the question and a date set. I'm thinking 7-7-07. How's that for lucky? We'll have to buy lottery tickets for that day.

He's going to quickly find out that the legal system is not easily swayed by dreams, prophecies, and religious power. His attempts to harass and manipulate people are going to be overcome by the ones who actually do that for a living. I don't think we'll ever truly see the changes that will bring to his ego, but we can only hope.

Nothing yet?!?

Pond, I was simply correcting the errors in your post of JS. Perhaps you could check your facts a little more closely or back up your statements before you make assumptions about someone else's life you obviously know little about.

Pond, JS had two children, not four, with his first wife and they were not toddlers when they divorced. He has been married to his current wife for nearly ten years and both children are out of college now and on their own. I know some details about his first marriage but out of respect for both parties, I will not bring them up here. The reasons he does not bring up his children are his own. Perhaps he feels since they are adults, they should have some respect and privacy and he has given them the opportunity to decide for themselves how much they want to be associated with CES/STFI.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN WEENIE ROAST! WOO-HOO!

Aww, what a sweetie you are, Belle! (yes, it's WWJLA, under a new name) Well, no ring under the tree, but he said he wanted us to look at that together, and we've looked a little, so...I'm just waiting for the question! I'll keep you posted!

Geez, what a sad, sad world where there's an entire book on breaking destructive Christian prayers.

US Air has Esavers, kind of like the Soutwest plan. You can sign up for it online and they'll send you an email once a week with specials. It worked well for me when I planned to visit my family and I could change my plans and fly instead of drive. They only give you a listing for the following week, so if it's a week you're already planning on traveling, or you can make plans at the last minute, it will work for you.

yeah... okay... be yourself. But you might not want to lead off with the Trekkie thing.

Posting formerly as wwjesuslaughat, I posted several times about the direction CES was taking and it was not a good one from what I saw when I was involved. I could see the takeover evolving when Mark became president and especially after he stayed as president after JAL's "one year" stepdown. I think JAL should have resumed his role at that time, but for reasons only known to them, Mark stayed as president. I saw firsthand how the Graesers as a couple were wielding more and more power, particularly with women's conferences and KA. There is usually not a well-thought out plan of action with those two. (kind of the George Bush of cults). Mark is very spontaneous in decision making and generally expects others to fall in line with his visions and ideas and just make them happen, unless there is opposition to them. When he wanted to rename the ministry, there was not much interest in it from regular believers, but he hounded and campaigned for "his" choice until most people gave in to shut him up. While the network of fellowships is still fairly loose, I think that sooner or later the reins would tighten and some request for a percentage of tithing or giving would be made. If Mark stays in, I'm almost sure that will happen. The "code of conduct" is just the beginning. I did attend several CES conferences over a 5 year period and was involved in personal prophecy, both giving and receiving. For me, what I said to others in personal prophecy was an intuition, inspired utterance maybe, but nothing I would have called "heavy revvy". To the best of my knowledge, I never gave prophecy of anything along the lines of the prophecies I have read about Elizabeth. I also never took any prophecies to heart and acted on them alone. It looked to me like a number of people regarded them as the "Christian Psychic Network" and I wholeheartedly agree with others here who have said God won't tell anyone else anything that He doesn't tell you first. The prophecies I have read here are way beyond anything I every heard of. Interestingly, one of the best teachings I heard during that time about finding your Godly calling was done by KA. She said basically to just do the work that you feel led to, and God will open doors to move in different directions. That was a comfort to me at that time, since it seemed like so many people were wondering, "What's my gift? What's my calling? What's my ministry?" I could relax after that and do the things I naturally gravitated to. A year or so later, when KA tried to give me a prophecy about a prophetic music ministry, (one that would have involved some sort of singing prophecy), I told her that I had not received any word or inclination toward that at all, and reminded her of her own teaching. She didn't press the issue, but I think at that time she realized that I would not be easily manipulated and moved on. Someone said that they felt badly for people who have been very hurt and betrayed by this group. I know there are some, and they even extend to families of leadership. I can't imagine what Elizabeth has gone through, but it sound like she has taken some very healthy steps to heal. I think the more people were involved with giving a lot of money or uprooting their family to move to Indy, the greater the loss. Me, I left much earlier and with eyes open to the danger sooner.

I am deeply saddened by the turn of events with CES/STFI, but not very surprised. I am surprised to hear that Jeff and Matt have left. I know both of these guys and know that they have been very loyal to the group over the years. I can only imagine the hurt they have felt during this time and although many of Jeff's previous posts have been mainly promos for CES, I believe he has a heart to reach out to people and offer help as best he can. The people I know best from CES are the Schoenheits. I worked with John a couple of years in Charlotte. (Jeff, you'll probably remember who I am.) He is a very trusting soul and I'm torn between hoping he doesn't get kicked to the curb to hoping he gets away from the egotistical grip the Graesers have on that group. It would be pretty interesting to see how he would do without the rules of a group to govern him and his biblical research. I left the group 3 years ago when I moved from NC, and wouldn't go back for any amount of money, but I did meet some wonderful people and have some great experiences. My prayers go out to those who invested heavily in time and money with the group and that they can move on in bigger and better directions.

Bowtwi, Nothing new at the moment. I'd love to do some more bluegrass gospel though. We need to organize a Greasespot pickin' and grinnin' sometime.

I love most choir music, having been in choirs in high school and college, but my favorite is the one I did with my family last year. I got my 6 year old nephew reciting his Christmas list during one song, my 13 year old niece playing flute at the beginning of one song, and my parents singing harmony on another. If I can figure out a way to put it online, I'll let y'all hear. Bowtwi, did I send you the Christmas CD?

Well, actually it's wwjesuslaughat going under a different name. Seems I couldn't get in to add a reply a few weeks back, so I had to create a different name. But, hey, you know what I look like and I don't turn down a danish very often. Spike has sea salt and a little orange and lemon zest, so I think it's a little more flavorful than Mrs. Dash. Sometimes I add a little more cayenne for a spicier Spike. I like Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Salt and Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Pepper, too.

Ok, I realize a lot of you may have memories of this from Way days, but my favorite seasoning is Spike. No MSG, and it's great on eggs, baked potatoes, veggies, etc. I'm also fond of fresh ground black pepper

I'm still a hot chick! Only now it comes in flashes.