Edi

I tried Proactive too and it didn't work for me. Then I found Murad Acne Treatment. It works better than Proactive because it treats several different kinds of acne problems. I've used it and also bought it for my grandson - it broke my heart that he had such bad acne too so I know how you feel. He now has the most beautiful (handsome) complexion now. I'd be totally surprised if it didn't help your son. It's very reasonably priced too. Just google it. Beauty Brands carries the products too.

My son bought an awesome motorcycle on e-bay 2 years ago. He flew out and drove it home - long trip but so worth the money he said. E-bay is awesme.

I got in the ministry in the early 70's when I was in my early 20's. That time period was in the midst of the sexual and drug revolution. When I got witnessed to I picked up the bible for the first time in my life and learned that God loved me. That very same night I turned away from my previous lifestyle and have never looked back. I can't imagine what would have happened to me if I hadn't gotten involved in the ministry at that time in my life. The ministry in Kansas, in the beginning, was really wonderful. I received a new family, acceptance, understanding, love, encouragement, discipline, friendship, a home to live in (The Way Home of Kansas), among other things. I gained a lot in the ministry. Back then it was a pretty unique time. It didn't get much better than what I had in the beginning and it was better than what I had with my biological family and worldly friends. I don't regret getting in the ministry, going into the Way Corps or leaving the ministry when I did. Those 7 years in my life was a season, served a purpose and was a stepping stone in my life.

Marketing techniques???? I'd say pretty good. I got in TWI in the late 60's and their marketing techniques were so good it got me out of good drugs and good sex. Oh, uh, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm <_< :huh:

Uh, this looks like a Roman Catholic bishop/cardinal/pope squirrel - I wonder how much that mitre, crown like thingie cost!! That would look cute on you Mr. Hammroni

I'll just close with this verse for you to think on further - something we should all strive for. Acts 24:16 And herein do I exercise myself, to have a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man. You brought up some good points WTH but this last one I really liked... to have a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man. I fall short and miss the mark on just about everything. I don't want to, don't mean to, don't intend to but I do. BUT I try every day to do better. In Ephesians it says that we are growing up in Him in love in all things. That is definately a journey - a lifetime journey. My hubby and I were on a day trip today and we saw a bumper sticker that hit it home to us, "I'll be perfect when I get that walking on water thing down". Growing is acceptable to me but abuse is not. Abuse is hurtful and brings death to the spirit of a person and belongs under, "Thou shalt not kill". There are many ways to "kill" - it's not always in the flesh, although it may affect the flesh if there is abuse long enough. If I strive to have a conscience void of offending God and my brothers and sisters then I'm growing. It's all I can do. But I do understand people being hurt, used and abused so much that they are bitter, cynical and guarded. We hold the things that protect us until we don't need them anymore. Been there, done that, worn the T-shirt and always try to take the thing off. That is a process though - in some areas a LONG process and I do better in some than others. Some "dragons" have been slain, some are still active, some sleep and some wait in the wings for an opening to be unleashed. If I looked at all the things I do wrong, all the areas that need growing up, all the areas that need to be healed, all the areas that I weep about in private I would hate myself and everyone else. Instead I ask what can I do today, please show them to me and how to do it. And hope it's enough to live in as much peace as I can with myself and with others. It seems I always come up short though but I keep trying. I like to think most people do this too. It gives me hope - for myself and for others.

It took me a long time not to feel guilty because I wasn't setting the world on fire and wasn't the next apostle Paul and couldn't live up to all the Way Corps Principles and couldn't witness every day and get a cazillion people and $ into the ministry and couldn't heal the sick and raise people from the dead and work in the fields at the Kipp farm from sunup to sundown and fix dinner for 6 people living in the house and do everybody's laundry and................. boy, i was exhausted physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually - I had to go to the desert to heal, I was pretty burned out - hmmmmm...... the spaghetti burned!!!!!!!!!! The only thing I didn't throw out was God, Jesus Christ and the holy spirit - everything else HAD to go for a while. Cleaning off each strand of the spaghetti was a really good analogy! I think "desert time" is where God gets us alone and then tells and teaches us what HE wants us to be and do. Rest time, training time, down time. I was thankful when I finally got to the desert. Now I go there willingly when I need it - a rest!

First of all I don't know either Michael or Jamie so I'm not biased. I've been following this whole thing from the beginning and have tried to keep an open mind until the investigation was conducted and the findings were posted. This is a synopsis of what I understood to have happened from the information released to the public: According to the investigation Michael was in the wrong because he never turned in receipts and there WERE unaccounted for funds. Seems to me that any adult with any kind of sense at all would know you are supposed to hand in receipts for monies spent and checks that were written and given to him when he was at conferences and teachings. It's not hard to figure out "intent" here!! Another person here on the boards said something about the people who worked for Michael. Actually it was Jamie who initially bankrolled the whole thing and did so for a very long time. A corporation was formed and they were all employees of the Corporation with Jamie being the administrator. Jamie was/is responsible for and stuck with all the unpaid bills - not Michael. "A Rood Awakening" could not have functioned without Michael as the teacher or Jamie as the financial backer/administrator. I personally don't think the panel of men had it in for Michael OR Jamie. I think they were unbiased going into it and strictly looked at the facts. Michael is the one who accused Jamie and staff of stealing money but when it was all said and done it was Michael that came up short, not the rest of the staff. All the monies and receipts were accounted for except for Michael's. According to the the panel of men who did the investigation (Beit Din) Jamie was not in the wrong and didn't do anything illegal. They did say Jamie should have held Michael accountable and did not. But, according to them it was Michael who was in the wrong. My personal judgment doesn't have anything to do with the money. It has to do with the way Michael treated the staff. To me that was what was more dispicable!!! Even if he did have something against Jamie personally (which doesn't condone his incompetency money wise) he sure didn't treat the others people right. Kinda Anti-Torah (in Micahel's language)!! The ONLY thing that is saving Michael's butt IS Jamie not wanting to take him to court - not because he is afraid of losing but because it says in scripture not to take it to an outside court. I think if it did go that far that Michael could be brought up on charges. What better way to hide things - don't turn in receipts or checks intended for the Corp. Intentional or not - can't and won't get the same results - unaccounted for monies! The accounting books were given to an unbiased outside accountant and it was deemed that they would hold up in a court of law. According to the investigation Michael would not. And why did Michael take thousands of dollars worth of checks made out to "A Rood Awakening" (not his personal monies but the Corporations) and return them to the people who sent them and requested that they remake the checks out to him and send them back to him. Thereby leaving Jamie and staff w/o funds to pay bills or get their paychecks? We know Michael knew they all had bills to pay and families to support!! BUT then at the same time he took checks that were sent to the Corporation but made out in his name and cashed them and kept the money. How in the world does he justify his actions? This kind of behavior goes against everything Michael supposedly believes in and teaches. Talk about NOT loving your brothers and sisters!!! Words are cheap - action is everything. It sure doesn't make Michael look pretty! I don't take Michael's OR Jamie's word for anything BUT I do trust the impartial panel of men who conducted the investigation and their findings. In the beginning both Michael and Jamie agreed to abide by the panels findings. Michael was more than willing to go along with them until they judged against him - then he dropped them like a hot potato! Jamie went along with all their requests and instructions, Michael did not. And all this happened because of one man's ego and refusal to turn in receipts and checks and another man's misplaced trust and refusal to hold Michael accountable. It is very sad that this happened. I THINK this is the gist of what happened! If I misunderstood information I received and said anything that is not accurate I apologize.

Twinky, have a nice day. Edi

That was good Mr. Ham......

(((((Nero))))) Your mom sure is lucky (and blessed) to have you as a son. You seem wise and have lots of love in your heart. I'm glad you are able to be there for your mom, especially at this time with your dad being sick. I will be praying for all of you. God bless, Edi

Me too Rascal

Janet and Belle, Janet I sent you info to your e-mail addy you supplied. Belle I sent you info to your message center here. Like I said I don't sell it but I provided you info of where you can go to get product information on glyconutrients and phone #s to call to order. If you have any problems then message me or e-mail me back. Good luck and if you decide to get it let me know how you are doing on it.

When I tried to go to the site it gave me a message that said no stories are available. Did they take it off???? I wanna see so I can too. Actually I was looking for the emoticon of the little guy puking but couldn't find him anywhere!!! hmmm

I was extremely sick and bedridden for about 10 years - give or take. I did good to get out of bed to go to the bathroom or go sit at the table to eat meals. I couldn't always do laundry - when I did I would wash one day, dry the next day and fold the day after that. Dusting was non-existent, vacumming was once a month. I did dishes every day - I thought if I could do that then the world was all right and I might not die. I was ill and I was ill all the time and for a long time. I was like a lot of people on this thread - I tried everything known to man. I went to MDs, Naturalpaths, Preventative MDs, Endochronoligists & Specialists in KC, Topeka and Emporia. I tried Homeopathics, Supplements, Chiropractors, Massage, Colonic Therapists, and some other really weird alternative therapies. When you are that ill you try almost anything. After much research I came to believe that the massages and colonics probably saved my life. The massage moved the toxins and the colonics took them out of my body. Later on a doctor told me it was probably the only thing that kept me alive for many years. I think I had Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia but I've never found out what caused it or how I got it. I don't know if I had RA or not but I could barely sit down, stand up, lie down or get up. My husband would have to help me sit down and get up from the stool, chair or bed. My knees, one of my fingers in my right hand, my left elbow, and right shoulder hurt so bad I could barely function. I didn't go anywhere except to the doctor's office and I didn't do anything. I didn't have a life and I can't even stress that part enough. I said all that to give you the background that I was VERY sick and really hurting. Then one day a friend of mine gave me some information about glyconutrients. First of all I'm not selling anything!! You can either go to your local health food store and buy them or google to find companies that sell the product. Your body uses over 200 sachharide sugars (chemical carbohydrates). They work with various parts and organs of your body. The 8 chemical carbs in the Glyconutrients are the specific ones that deal with the immune system. Within 2 weeks of taking the glyconutrients I noticed a difference. I felt a little better and not so desparetly ill. I was still ill but I didn't feel like I would die every day. Little by little I began getting my life back. My energy came back and the pain subsided and I was able to start doing things I did before I became ill. I could clean my closets, vacummed, swept, cooked, did laundry in 1 day, did the grocery shopping again. My husband got HIS life back again too. Before I got ill we did everything together, then when I got sick he had to do almost everything. Now we do things together again. Within 6 months I led a pretty normal life and within a year no one would have known I was so despartely sick for so long. Now, I am going to school to become a massage therapist, an EFT practitioner, a breathing coach and a Nutritionist. I scrapbook, do beading, teach Hebraic dance and exercise. My husband and I do stained glass work together. I cook, clean, vacuum, dust, grocery shop and am able to spend time with my grandchildren again. We have a fellowship in our home now and I run a Recovery Program for women who are addicts, abused and codependents. I travel and have a wonderful life again. I do have to be faithful in taking the glyconutrients to feel good. To me it's no different than the diabetic taking their insulin or people who have allergies having to take their allergy medicine. If I take the glyco's I stay healthy and have energy. If I don't then I feel sick and my fatigue comes back. The doctors were never able to diagnose what was wrong with me. They wanted to help me but they didn't know what was wrong with me or how to help me. If you are interested in learning about the immune system and how the glyconutrients work with it then you can google or go to e-bay and do a search for a CD called, "Sweet Language of Life". It explains the immune system, how it functions and how and why it breaks down when it doesn't have what it needs. It explains what glyconutrients do for the immune system. It's one of the best health DVDs I've ever seen. Good luck and I hope you at least try the glyconutrients. Do your research to find a reputable company - as with any product you have your shisters. And Glyconutrients are not a one size fits all product - you have to find what works for you. Some people can take a little and see results in a very short time. For others it takes more product, and/or more time. You have to work with it to see what works for you. I take 2 teaspoons a day - 1 in the a.m and 1 in the p.m. - every body is different so you have to find what works for yours.

Roy, Your writing reminds me of the parables that Jesus spoke in - let those who have ears to hear, hear. Studying Hebrew, the Hebraic perspective, mindset and way of thinking has taught me that we can learn wonderful truths from those who present truth to us in a different way. Myles Monroe also gives a beautiful teaching about how the end of all things is the beginning of everything - that the end IS the beginning. That God had the end before He could start at the beginning. And the first is last and the last is first. That the tree was a seed in God's mind before it was ever a bush or the tree. We have to be able to see and know the end before we can understand the beginning. And when God gave you the vision of the seed of you joining the seed of others to become great lights of love and truth, I can't imagine how beautiful it was in your mind's eye. You truly were given the vision of the one body coming together to work together in God's mercy, beauty and love. I will study your letter. Blessings to you and thank you. Edi

I think one of the biggest lies that was instilled and perpetuated is that if you leave you will be nothing, do nothing, amount to nothing, are a loser and will be in spiritual limbo for the rest of your life. They used fear, guilt, control and manipulation on you. I was told many vicious things would happen to me if I left. When I still wouldn't give in and stay I was told that I would die if I left. Now, that made me down right mad! Anger is a great motivator but you also need to know when to put it down. The lies just aren't true. I look at the 1000s of people who come here and see where they are at and what they do and it's wonderful. Leaving is actually just the beginning of the most amazing spiritual journey you can ever imagine or hope for. The key now is learning to love yourself with Godly, sweet, tender love. They have taught you to not take care of yourself but to just listen to what they say and believe what they have told you to believe. But it's important that you start loving yourself, trusting yourself, listening to yourself and taking care of yourself. It's important that you listen to what you need and want. Where people get in trouble is when they allow themselves to be put under the "covering" of another person. The only covering you need is God - that's all. You don't need "them" for you to thrive spiritually - you only need God. And we are here to support you too and that helps immensely. And don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. With time you will see what you need to keep and what you need to get rid of. A lie was instilled in your hearts, minds and spirits and it was exactly what it was - A LIE!!!! When you quit believing the lie you will begin to heal, prosper and find your way again and you can start "getting over it".

I would be interested in hearing if most Corps knew or had ever met the majority of their sponsors. There were many people in TWI who either contacted HDQ and asked for someone to sponsor or just sent money in and asked for it to be applied to someone who needed sponsorship. The majority of our sponsors weren't known to us. We had never met them, seen them or had previous communication with them. And most of them didn't communicate with us. For the sponsors that weren't known to us, and with very brief communication, it was very hard to establish closeness with. Hence, when their and our obligation was fulfilled neither stayed in contact with the other. I think the sponsors donated money because it's what God worked in their hearts to do. Even if none of us knew what the future held, God did. He had the big picture, for the ones who needed the donation and those who gave it.

LOL ex - yes he is.

This was an interesting topic to me. I finished the Corps program but left the ministry within a year of graduation. While in the program I was pretty faithful in writing my sponsors every month. I also tried to share with them something God had taught me scripturally or spiritually during that month. Now, I would want to tell them that their money wasn't wasted. That some of the best growing up and foundational years of my life were my years in the Corps. The leadership there may have had their own agenda but God had His plans. Where their failure was, God's was not!! I learned some of the greatest things while in the Corps that I wouldn't have learned if I hadn't been there. So, I will be forever greatful for the time I was able to be there and greatful for my sponsors who made that possible. I was barely 20 when I went into the Corps and my time there nurtured my desire to help other people, to try to be honest, just and to keep trying to be holy as He is holy. My life ever since then has been centered around God, Jesus Christ and the power of the holy spirit. Through what I learned in the Corps and the confidence I gained there I have gone on to do many good things in the Father's name that has helped numerous people throughout the years. For years I've told people that when God looks down on us He doesn't see denominational or nondenominational organizations - all He sees are His children, wherever we are and whoever we are or aren't with. Who cares how, when, where, with or who we learned to walk with God in serving Him and one another. As long as any of us stay(ed) faithful to God then no one's money, time, effort, emotion or energy was ever wasted. I am blessed to be related to all my brothers and sisters in this great big wonderful family. Sure we have spats and get along better with some than others. Some are lovely and some are brats. Some are to be commended and some to be corrected. But the point is - we are family!!!! While I was in the Corps, living off of my sponsors money, I learned more about God's love - His for me and mine for Him and others - than I had ever learned anywhere else up to that point. It was God's plan to deviate and start from! And He has. It was a beginning for the long journey of healing, wholeness and growing up in Him in love in all things - to do His will for His purposes. Some blew the gifts that allowed them to be in the Way Corps and some didn't. Some repented for the hurts they caused and some didn't. And not all Way Corps hurt people, some just stayed faithful to God and protected people as best they could. Overall, I think most of us grew away from TWI and and up into becoming exactly what God planned for us all along. I thank God for the sponsors who just followed God's prompting of their heart to sponsor us, without really knowing what would happen later. I still pray for my sponsors - I don't know who most of them are anymore but I figure God's got their name & number and knows exactly where to place the blessings! Love to all of you and in His name, Edi

You are too funny! And the picture is a hoot. Your one bad, cool dude (er, I mean squirrel) Mr. Hammeroni

Amen to that Tom. Thanks.