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Research Geek

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  1. Hi all, Well it looks like someone did want to talk about this... There is a lot to take in. It is a hot topic. Please forgive me if it takes a while before I formlate responses :-) But I can say that at least we have considered it, and that's healthy. What's also pertainent is that when Jesus introduced this concept in the sermon on the mount his audience was predominatly people who had been abused for decades by legalistic Pharasiees. I also am thinking about the silent majority who have read this thread but not posted: our beloved lurkers. If just one of them gets healed, it was worth it.
  2. Hi folks, I wonder what Jesus would say if he read our posts on Greasespot. That's an interesting question, isn't it? We're a mixed lot: some oldster greasespotters who check out the forums once in a while, but have mostly moved past their prolific posting days, some regulars who still get something out of posting every day, many lurkers who come here to witness this menagerie, and some newbies who really need this forum to air their emotions and seek reinforcement and validation for their feelings and experiences. I come here once in a while to test the wind. I'd like to float this idea to see what you all think. Maybe, for some it will be the appropriate time to consider this, for others not, I know this, so if you are not ready for this yet, OK, maybe later... One of the loftiest, yet most essential concepts introduced by Jesus Christ, and one of the most foundational tenents of first-century Christianity is forgiveness. It undeniably is one of the most difficult teachings of Jesus to attain, but also is undeniably one of the most healing in its effects. We all have been hurt by lcm and his henchmen, or by other people connected with twi. Some of the offenders are no longer affiliated with twi, some are dead, others are still sitting pretty in that outfit. Meanwhile we are trying to get on with our lives after suffering various levels of abuse by the hands of these aforementioned twi representatives. My question to you is are you ready to try some forgiveness? What you say, shall I let them off the hook? They are impenitent still so they do not deserve it! But consider who gets the most benefits from forgiveness. Does the forgiver or the offender benefit the most? From what I have witnessed on Greasespot, there are many of us who still harbor negative feelings for those who abused us. These negative feelings range from minor irritation all the way to vehement revenge. But consider this before you direct a salvo my way... Oftentimes the offender is oblivious, yet we steam, so who is affected more? We are. And undoubtedly these negaitve felings hurt us far more than those they are directed against. So I ask, is anyone ready for some forgiveness? Is it not true that Job was not healed until he could bring himself to pray for his friends? Is it not true that Jesus told us to pray for our enemies and to love them. Was Jesus nuts, or did he have our best interests in mind? Consider what forgiveness may bring to you. Does anyone want to talk about this?
  3. "Goin' to the candidates' debate. Laugh about it, shout about it, when you have to choose... No matter which you choose, you lose!" (Simon and Garfunkle, the theme song to the movie, The Graduate. 196x) I'm with Radar. Those weren't really debates. Even if they were, would a genuine debate be a true measure of a leader's capability? So what if someone had a quick wit and a sharp tongue. Is that a measure of a good leader? Is a good leader someone who can cram for a debate and look good and sound good for 90 minutes?
  4. Hmmmm, did the Apostle Paul ever refer to the Gentile Church as his people? Did Moses? I think there was a discussion at one time between Moses and God where to paraphrase it, God said to Moses that they were his people but Moses said no, they're Yours... I'm looking for it but can't put my finger on it right now... There's several places where the people are referred to as "my people", but God is speaking. They're God's people. I do not think that any person would be qualified to refer to the people under his or her leadership as "my people" knowing that they already are God's... (except Jesus Christ...) It would be interesting to search the phrase "my people" in the Bible and see how it shakes out...
  5. Note: Because there are fewer tourists, you may get flooded with souvenier vendors. Most of their stuff is not worth much. The best deals on good arts and crafts can be found in Tel Aviv. An exception might be T Shirts or sweat shirts you can't get anywhere else. You must get a picture of yourself on a camel. The wine they sell at Cana of Galilee is really bad. You can find internet cafes in Jerusalem and Tiberias and log on to Greasespot and fill us in on your trip. The food is great on those tour pacages. Rev Cummins had an article in the way ragazine (mid '80s) regarding the true location of golgatha and the tomb, if you find that before you leave and go looking where he says it is, you might find it. Although the British site in their garden is really interesting.
  6. No matter what they say now, debt certainly was something that would affect one's standing. I know someone who was a household fellowship coordinator who was demoted because he went into debt to purchase a larger house so he could take in and care for his elderly mother. Timothy says that if you don't take care of your elderly parents, you are worse than an infidel. Yet when he obeyed what Timothy said and took in his mother and needed a new place with an extra bedroom (they had 4 children at home at the time and absolutely needed more space) he got punished by twi. He was demoted and could no longer be an HFC because he sold his current house and bought a bigger one which cost more and had to get a mortgage to cover the difference.
  7. A friend just bought a bar called the Mars Bar. He's developing his drink list. Does anyone recommend a unique concoction that he can call a Martian Sunrise, or a Martian Sunset? Or do you have any better Martian names for drinks?
  8. The most important task of a teacher is believing. That is: to get a mental picture of all the students "getting it", being able to understand the material and apply it. One does not need an annointing to teach or to believe. There are many inspiring secular teachers who use more of the gamut of teaching techniques than most people who have ever taught at twi. I dare to say that most of the people who taught at twi never received any formal secular college level training on the wide range of methods of how to do it. Most just had reoccuring opportunities to teach at the local and "higher" levels and once they reached a certain reputation, thought they were good teachers. Then with twi2, the ego entered in and they demanded that the rank and file revere them as something special. Once that set in, they basically became worthless. If you are a true teacher and one single pupil does not understand what you are teaching, you have failed. For the most part, twi only centered on the lecture method and hardly ever used the socratic method. The latter is much more effective, but demands much more proficiency and involvement from the teacher.
  9. My workload at hq was straight 9-to-5 plus corps night and sns. Our dept was one of the best. We worked our a$$ off at the rock, but everyone else did too. However, my wife worked in what was referred to as the snakepit, the bookstore. Emogene Allen was an extremely poor manager but somehow had gotten her fingers in everything to the point where if you wanted to get something done at hq, one way or the other, you'd have to deal with her. She was a classic meglomaniac, but she did not have the efficiency skills to carry it off. The result was an extremely inefficent dept. and disgruntled workers. Boy could I tell you stories...
  10. It would not be profitable for most to put themselves back under that thumb. One of the great benefits to the break-up of twi is that many people got the opportunity to function without being oppressed or controlled by those "above" them. There are literally hundreds of ministries which are off-shoots. There are a dozen or so foundational classes and half a dozen intermediate and advanced classes. To me I think of it like a dandelion going to seed. The seeds have floated off everywhere and have sprouted independently. Wherever they are not controlling and are genuinely trying to help people, the sprouts are flourishing. Without the break-up of twi, thousands of people who still believe would never have been able to grow to become who they are now. (Notwithstanding the growing pains...)
  11. Hi Sunesis, I agree that a lot of areas had already done the groundwork for the lightbearers. I went lightbearer and did not get a class together, but regardless we had some great incedents of deliverance. So later after we graduated, when they decided to send lightbearers to our area, I made a lot of preparations so that their experience would be different. Because of this, they were to our area like a shot in the arm. (We had been genuinely trying to help people. We were not driven by numbers, we just were trying to help.) So before the lightbearers came, I asked everyone to get together lists of friends, realitives and co-workers who they had begun to witness to and had that ready for the lightbearers when they came. Each year we did this, we had a list of about 70 contacts ready for them when they hit town. Our lightberers always got a class together and it was an enjoyable and exciting experience for both them and us. On the other hand, I also agree with Hope regarding after lcm and twi went sour. We did not witness because we were embarrased about lcm's behaviour and where the ministry was going. Our twig area ran at least 4 PFAL classes a year for 4 years straight without WOWs until everything went South. Then we didn't do zip. I also want to speak about the constant push for everyone to witness. We did not do that in our area. Instead, we encouraged the few people who were especially good at it and then backed them up. We had another bunch who were especially good at undershepherding, so we just let the good witnessers introduce the interested people to the undershepherders and then the witnessers went on to find someone else. It was a lot of fun, no pressure and a lot of people got born again and delivered. However, when the push from hq occurred to get everyone to become a clone, that failed miserably.
  12. Oh, I just remembered the literal translations of the epistles. Those were only given to wc as well...
  13. If some of you are miffed about elite books only given to a chosen few, what about the other two books that were never published? (Jesus Christ is not God THIRD Edition and Jesus Christ the Apostle and High Priest) Whoever put the rest of the books into PDF format and circulated the CDs for free should consider adding these three books to the bunch.
  14. The Pillai book mentioned was in fact only given to way corps some time after '97. It is a compilation of all the Pillai tapes that twi had plus the time he sat with vpw and went from Genesis thru Revelation citing any orientalisms he saw. This is an extremely valuable book. I do not have a copy and would actually use it a lot: it would not just sit on a shelf. If anyone has a copy that they want to get rid of, please e-mail me at TheResearchGeek@Netscape.net. I have used the book in the past and it opened up many mysteries that had been locked away because of our different cultures. It has helped me teach many passages of the Bible better.
  15. From what I understand, the "official" books of the Bible were decided a long time ago. It is not up to me or anyone else of my generation to decide what books get in or not. If it were up to me to decide, I'd have to say that whatever candidates were approved would have to fit with all the rest of the books of the Bible. That happens to be the criteria that apparently was used because all of the OT and NT apocrypha do not fit. There are doctrinal abberations which are readily apparrent in all of them...
  16. Hi everybody. I taught Greek to a lot of folks and correct Greek pronunciation is important to me. It is just like being able to pronounce other Biblical names, etc. without stumbling over them. (If you intend to teach a passage containing Biblical names, practice them ahead of time so you can pronounce them accurately without stumbling over them.) If you are able to pronounce them correctly, it lends to your credibility. (Although, of course, one could murder the correct pronounciation and still be more accurate on the correct application of a Greek word than someone who pronounced it perfectly, and vice versa...) The most common mispronounciation mistake is to try to pronounce Greek words the way that Americans would. Usually diphthongs (combinations of vowels, or thongs that diphths thing) suffer the most. The pleroo thing is different. Zix, that insertion of an H for a "rough breathing" only applies at the beginning of words or with a doubled r (rho) in the middle of a word. What we have with pleroo is what is referred to as a "glottal stop". This is where one should separate the pronounciation of the two vowels as two separate sounds. Pleroo actually ends with an omicron (short o) and an omega (long o) in Greek, and because the English equivalent may not be represented by a long mark over the final o, some might be inclined to pronounce it with an oo sound like in the word loose. But it is actually two sounds like ah-oh. Exegeomai is made up of ex plus hegeomai, but there should be no h sound between the x and e, but there is a glottal stop between the e and o. As a rule of thumb, if the vowel combination is a valid diphthong, it should usually be pronounced as a single sound. If it is not a diphthong, the vowels should be separated by a glottal stop. The Greek diphthongs are the vowels plus i or u as follows: ai = ai as in aisle au = au as in sauerkraut ei = ei as in eight eu = eu as in feud oi = oi as in oil ou = ou as in group ui - ui as in suite all other vowel combinations should be pronounced as two separate vowel sounds. I hope this helps you keep your vowels loose and not become consonated...
  17. Dear UncleHairy, I'm glad that you got to let the bile out and hope you feel better. Lots of people over the years have done so on Waydale and here on Greasespot. However, I caution you to not speak in such generalities unless you are absolutely sure you are right. I was in the 6th corps and never was it taught that sex was ok if you could handle it. Now I must admit, I was an idealist and not a mover and shaker amongst my peers, but I never operated the way that you indicated. Perhaps there were some people who tried to promote that stuff for their own advantage. But I never moved in their circles and so I cannot offer any eye-witness account to whether it did in fact get promoted. If I was trying to share the Word and people did not receive it, I did not curse them or think disparagingly of them. That would have closed doors forever. There were many times that people who refused my first overture, later came back to hear more. I just tried to genuinely love people. Maybe you just had an imature leader. Or you are importing in to the earlier years the abuse which most certainly occurred in the latter. Sure, some cute girls may have parlayed the illusion of sex with the Word to entice guys to come to fellowship. Well, if they did, it ultimately caught up with them, I'm sure. Good looking guys may have done the same. But it was those who were genuine who achieved long-lasting results. Yes vpw and lcm manipulated people, but a lot of what was taught was still from the Word. In fact today, twi's teachings are still making inroads into mainstream Christianity. I just heard 3 days and 3 nights taught this Easter Sunday on national TV by a respected evangelist. That's true, isn't it? You see, nothing is as simple as we'd like it to be. I do think that in the final analysis vpw and lcm's sins simply caught up with them. If they would have just taught the truth and not fallen into the sexual trap, things would have been very different today. I believe most of the evil and corruption stemmed from that error. But for those of us who lived through it, it wasn't as simple as it now may seem to be. We simply did not see it for what it was. There was lots of good stuff and the bad was hidden. The evil stuff was never effectively confronted and ultimately it corruped everything. I do agree that overly-ambitious and disingenuous leaders spearheaded the abuse which became a central part of twi2's culture during the lcm years. All I am saying is that we should endeavor to separate the wheat from the chaff and hold on to that which is good. For all who extricate themselves from twi, there is a process that they all generally go through. At first all they do is look back at what happened to them. That is necessary in order to come to terms with it but the object then is ultimately to move on. One cannot live an effective life looking back. There comes a time when we are ready, to decide to look forward. I for one am encouraging those who were abused by twi2 to try to look forward again. There is a God. He has spoken His Word to His holy prophets. It is designed to enhance our lives, help and heal us. My plea to all is to not throw God out of your lives. Just throw out the lies. I know that is easier said than done. It is a process that takes time. But when all is done, hopefully you'll still have a vital relationship with your heavenly Father. It does not matter to me what organization of men that that real relationship with God functions within, just so it genuinely functions. (Note: believers are designed to function with respect to other believers in some form of unit, organization or body. So that is why the "organization of men" was mentioned.) I'm sad that people were hurt and still are. But I stand ready to help if they want help.
  18. I helped my dad care for a dozen hives 35 years ago. He would work on the hives bare handed and rarely get stung. Meanwhile, I'd have on 2 pairs of pants, 2 shirts, 2 pairs of socks, the long gloves rubber banded, and the bee veil. That was hot in July and August! We'd get two or three calls a year to capture swarms of bees. One or two hives would die out during the winter and the swarms replaced them. You could tell from the sound of their buzzing whether they were angry or not. One time when I was young, my mom gave me a wool sweater to wear to the bee yard. - Big Mistake! The bees thought I was an animal trying to get into their hive and attacked. I got stung a number of times even through the double layers of clothing. I wonder how bee keepers are doing down South where the African breed is spreading.
  19. Dear all. I think that this thread is similar to a number of others where an exaggerated claim is made and then someone stands up and says the truth, namely in this case Johnny Lingo. I back up the statement made previously, that the corps was what you made of it. Certainly, what could be taken advantage of was ultimately taken advantage of, but I question, was it taken advantage of by the pure in heart? I don't know and am not going to pass judgement. In some cases, I believe that it wasn't. But in other cases when those in charge had crossed the line, I think it may have been. But I am not in a position to pass judgement - Who am I to say? I am not God. I do not know all that was going on at the time I was involved. In the final analysis all I can honestly say is based on what I experienced. I must say say that my perspective was from an idealist viewpoint. I came in like many others I expect, thinking that the corps was the best that there could be. But in the final analysis, it actually was what I, we, believed it to be. I honestly do not think that I could be the person that I now am without the corps. I was a nobody with no interpersonal skills and the corps, plus my wife is what made me the person I now am. But I was involved early, when the corps was still in the single digits. I can understand that things later morphed into damaging influences, and I do not discount the negative experiences of those who followed me. Maybe the origial intent was right and it lasted that way for a few years. But when the overly ambititious were given charge of it, that's when the corps veered off course. That's what my impression is, but of course, that my impresion...
  20. I went to see it knowing that there would be things in it that would not fit with the scriptures. So I did not come in with a chip on my shoulder or view it with a critical eye. Instead I put myself in the shoes of the average Christian to see how the portrayal would affect my faith. I think that the movie was effective in conveying how Jesus was sacrificed for our sins. I think that it touched people and deepened their faith. It did not have very many hokey scenes like in one of the other movies, The Greatest Story Ever Told, which had that dumb scene with the crazy person running in an alley and bumps into Jesus and just sits there with a ga-ga look on his face... I think that it will have the opposite effect that the critics predicted. I do not think that it will worsten Jewish-Christian relations. After all, how could the Jews of today have anything to do with the act of the high priest and his croneys 2000 years ago? I do not blame the Jews of today for it. They have a right to their religion just like everyone else has. One very positive effect of the movie has been to bring the subject of Christianity more into every-day conversation. That normally occurrs during the Christmas and Easter seasons, making it easier to witness to people. This Easter season will be even easier to "break the ice" and talk religion with "the man on the street". I think that in the final count at the gathering, Mel will be credited with helping get many people born again who might not have been reached any other way.
  21. I'd get one of those Rock of Ages outhouses so I could park it on Rosey's front lawn and then ceremonially destroy it. Those darn things were so cramped, you had to go into contortions to just wipe yourself! I'd also get the rights to the 3d edition of the Jesus Christ is not God book and the book Jesus Christ the Apostle and High Priest and the Harmony of the Gospels and all the Aramaic reference materials and publish them so all of Christiandom could get blessed. twi deep-sixed all of those books because the people who did the research left. What arrogance to hold God's truth hostage to their petty wiles!
  22. My wife had taken one of our cats to the vet. It wasn't the cat's first trip there - it had remembered the vets's office. When they called my wife and she got up from the waiting room to carry the cat in the cat carrier into the examinaing room, the cat let loose with a loud yowl. A very clear "Noooooooooo!" was heard throughout the office. It was so clearly articulated that several of the vet's workers emerged from the back room and exclaimed, "Wow, where did that come from?"
  23. Hi. It has been a while since I posted. (I almost forgot my GS password...) I travel a lot and visit many ex-twi fellowships. I have seen lots of new people who have no twi roots. There have been so many that I have altered my teachings to be more generic in nature and I have consciously tried to not use twi terminology. That has been a good thing. I noticed that when I lapsed and used twi terminlolgy that the grads did not track as well with what I was teaching. The terminology sort of spawned an " already know that - click!" response. I found that if I rephrased things in new ways that I was able to better hold people's attention. So now I try to teach as if no one had a twi background!
  24. ... from Bob Rivers? Twisted Tunes To The Tune of Most Wonderful Time of the Year From the CD, More Twisted Christmas, by Bob Rivers & Comedy Corp. _______________________________________ It's the most fattening time of the year, With that pumpkin pie filling and everyone swilling down eggnog and beer, it's the most fattening time of the year! It's the lip-smakin'ist season of all! While you're shopping you're cheating, impusively eating that junk at the mall! It's the heav, heaviest season of all! There'll be turkeys for basting and stuffing for tasting and giblets and gravey will flow. There'll be cookies that mom baked and leftover fruitcake from Christmases long long ago! It's the scale flattening time of the year! While your diet your blowing, there's calories going straight down to your rear! It's the scale flattening time of the year! There'll be after meal dozing and arteries closing, cholesterol levels will grow. It's too cold to be jogging, too brisk for tobogganing, so pass me a hot buttered roll! It's the most fattening time Of the year! All those gingerbread shingles and chocolate Kris Kringles will tremble in fear! It's the most fattening time - It's the belt loosening time... It's the most fattening time of the year! _________________________________________ ...I wish you could hear it in the original... with Richard Simmons yelling in the background, trying to dissuade people from eating junk food... "Put down that cookie!" ... "Step away from the dessert table!" ... "I'm watching..." [This message was edited by Research Geek on December 20, 2002 at 17:05.]
  25. My daughter likes the tape with the cats and dogs singing Christmas songs. But it freaks out our cats. My favorite fractured song is Deck the Halls with Poison Ivy... Deck the halls with poisin ivy. Gah-ah-ah-ah-aah, Ga-ah-ah-ah! Tis' the season to be itchy. Gah-ah-ah-ah-aah, Ga-ah-ah-ah! With Ivy Dry and Calomine lotion, Gah-ah-ah! Gah-ah-ah! Ah, ah Ahhhhh! Tis the season to be itchy. Ha, ha, ha, ha, haaa, ha, ha, ha, haaa!
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