Watered Garden

Would someone please define this evil, foul, loathsome "Word of Faith ministry?" What do they teach?

"Broken Arrow" is the official military code for a missing nuclear warhead.

I learned that from Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Isaiah 58:11

And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

And of course Waysider remembers the familia we were given every week in gallon bags. This happy mixture contained a number of less savory ingredients mentioned above, specifically steel cut oats and lots of healthful flax seeds and raisins. If someone on the "manna" food crew for a particular week was more inventive (and could get away with it) it might contain almonds, walnuts, cinnamon or even once or twice coconut. My personal suggestion would have been chocolate chips. I don't think carob would have been as good. I am surprised no one thought to include mung bean sprouts in the mix.

I seem to remember that at one point raspberry leaf tea was highly recommended for pregnant women, but have no personal experience with that.

Looking back, I think if we had been better fed we might have been less disgruntled and actually got more work done in the garden or wherever we were assigned. It's possible to cook and consume healthful, nutritious food that doesn't taste like it was fished out of the compost bin. I do it every day. Why didn't they use real seasonings, like garlic and rosemary, or cumin or anything but kelp or some kind of other weird stuff?

To clarify: "Manna" was the name of the food program for Fellow Laborers of Ohio. We were not surprised to learn the translation of the word "manna" is "What Is It?"

We asked that twice a day.

Tom was a wonderful person and I am very saddened. He and Shannon were so kind.

So is rape a "spiritual event?" I hadn't thought much CF&S but I must have not paid attention when he said that.

How totally weird it sounds now.

Rochelle we know about from the thread "The Lead Accident: What Happened." The others I'm not sure about. I do know there was a girl in WC 7 who went home from Emporia to ho-ho relo and committed suicide by firearm while her parents were out Christmas shopping. I know they blamed LCM. This girl was a WOW in the same WOW branch I was in and I was told of her demise by another friend from Ohio FL who was in the 7th WC. I can't remember her name right now, unfortunately.

I am so sorry for your loss. I hope you are comforted by God's love and the hope of Christ's return.

A final update: Much has settled down in the young lad's life. He is smart and energetic and happy.

I'd like to thank everyone who prayed for him during the time of these forums. Prayer does make a huge difference, and I'm truly grateful.

So if you're "more spiritual than any of us" it's okay to lie?

Especially in this country, where we have SO MUCH STUFF, so little real spiritual values, denial is all. Remember "Fame?"

"I'm gonna live forever", were the first words of the theme song.

No, you're not.

Perhaps the Victorian era over-romanticized death, but we simply deny it exists. Youth and beauty are everything. Those top models are younger and younger, thinner and thinner, year by year.

It's important to realize that we live in corruptible flesh. We get old, we get tired, we get chronic and acute diseases. Yet somebody the corruptible shall be made incorruptible and someday the mortal shall put on immortality.

I believe this life is a sort of boot camp for the next. If dying equals failure or weakness, then we are all weak and all have failed. But if Christ indeed is the first fruits of the dead, then we have something to look forward to that not even condemnation from TWI or our own denial can take away!

I doubt it. Needless to say, we haven't been in touch for years. They are still "in."

I don't know how relevant this is, but when we were kicked out of the FWC and went to the Left Coast, we were filled with embarrassment, grief, regret and very upset. The little WC princess we knew from way back when told us "the minute you walked out of (the FWC leader's) office you should have renewed your mind to the situation. You should never have given it another thought but set your faces forward and never given the FWC one more thought."

HUH? We gave up a life we loved, great jobs, a really cute house in a lovely little Southern town, sold stuff, put other stuff in storage, to go do this training to become great man/woman of God, and we are supposed to never think about it again? What was SHE thinking?

Of course her husband was the mini-MOG who told us a few months later to take our son up in the mountains and beat him with a 2 x 4.

Nice couple. Really great examples of the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation.

One evening we came to their home for fellowship and there was a vase of flowers on their table. I asked whose birthday it was and was told to sit down and be quiet; we would all be told later. Turned out the woman's father had died and the BL had sent her the flowers. She was completely serene, smiling sweetly, perfectly calm. She did not go to the funeral because all her siblings would be there and they had left the Household of Holiness. She did not wish to associate with them. They sent flowers. She blew off condolences; daddy was dead but more importantly, she had renewed her mind and wished to think of him no more.

What a sterling example of faithfulness to The Household of Holiness. Lazarus died; Jesus wept. I guess she thought she was better than Him.

No, seriously, I had sarcoidosis and was healed of it.

I think it centered around healing and other miracles. When LCM took over there wasn't much healing or other miracle stuff happening so they quit publishing it.

Did miracles and healings really happen? Well, one happened to me.

That looks like it is from the early 1980s or late 1970s, judging by the way they dress etc. I don't think anyone pays that much attention to TWI any more.

I do believe in a supreme and omnipotent God. I also believe He has given man freedom to choose. Sometimes we make stupid choices. Of course God knows the future, because He is God after all. But I don't think God does hateful and mean things to people. That's Satan's job and he is real good at it, unfortunately.

"To Adam He said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

Genesis 3:17-19

I think we tend to read over this and not think too much detail about it. Someday I would love to do a major study on The Curse. From what little I know, this was more than to kick them out of Eden. It was more than a tougher time bearing children. Cursed is the ground which was the source of their food. Adam's sin was so great that it affected everything, the soil beneath our feet, the air we breathe. Over a few thousand years, things have continued to deteriorate, including not only the earth, which supplies our food, but also as a result, our physical bodies. I used to work in a cancer hospital; many cancers are genetically traceable; they are written into genetic structure. Also when we go to a doctor and they want our family history? Heart disease, diabetes, cancer? I think it is part of the curse that has gotten into our very genes; we are sown with death.

So to say God is "testing us" or "smiting us" or "blessing us" with sickness and disease is BS.

Let me put it another way: My son can be an ornery little cuss. We taught him to be a hard worker, be the husband of one wife, provide for his family. We taught him to always tell the truth, to take care of what he has, be a good steward and save his money. He does none of these things. Yet, we still love him. He's still welcome in our home. While we don't let him sit around and sponge off us, if he or one of his has a genuine need we will do what we can to help.

So if God is a God Who hates, who kills, who hurts, I'm a better parent than He is? I don't think so, I think God is the best of the best!

However, there's a bright side to all of this: JESUS CHRIST PAID THE PRICE FOR OUR SIN AND WHOEVER CLAIMS HIM AS LORD AND SAVIOR IS FREE INDEED!

Confusing because it's used as an excuse perhaps?

For example, I have a friend who has cancer, bad. So people say to her "everything happens for a reason." They don't know what else to say. They don't really know why she has this diagnosis; did God get PO'd at her and smite her? Is He testing her? Is she possessed like TWI teaches? Maybe He's blessing her with an important lesson to be learned?

Sometimes the reason things happen is that shyte happens.

It's silly because it allows the "forgivee" to still have power over you if you're waiting for them to make the first move.

"Forgive your enemies - it'll drive them crazy!"

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

And I like Eph 4:32: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

There is indeed freedom in forgiving - the anger and pain and loss are no longer there. The chains are broken.

Thank you so much for posting this.

WG

Awww...that's such a sweet memory. That was one time I felt like we got it right.

I thought we would have to stamp "toyota" or "Volkswagen" on somebody's rear end to get me to work.

We lived in that little apartment on top of a hill on Columbus Road and every morning we slid down to where we'd parked then drove in. The morning they closed OU, Mr. Garden had worked most of the night, couldn't get close to home and slept in the car on North Sandusky until the road crews made him move the car. It was not a fun time and probably sealed my dislike of winter weather for good.

Not offended at all, just a bit of explanation. Cheers!

Sounds like a taste of hell to me.

What Broken Arrow said!