Too Gray Now

Ex and TomS... ABOUT THE DEAF (Yes, the capital letters are SHOUTING… because THE DEAF AND DUMB CAN NOT HEAR US AND THEY DO NOT SPEAK IN TONGUES!!! TEHY DO NOT SPEAK TO START WITH) OK... Let me interrupt the humor for a moment... I know I spend a lot of time spinning "yarns" on this thread... But this one isn't. Seriously. I worked with a fine young man who happened to be born from two deaf parents. I learned a ton from him. He was VERY PERCEPTIVE (not shouting now, just emphasis, OK?) when it came to “reading people”. The deaf culture is very closed – almost a secret society in nature. They are very aware of the fact that hearing people think that their disability means they are dumb.... R E A D "Stupid" (rather than unable to speak)... As he described it, his Dad was a near genius, yet opened-up to very few hearing people. Why? In a couple of words… non-verbal communications. To his Dad, the non-verbal communications of the hearing were so “LOUD” that he could not forego the condescending “message” he received from most hearing people. He could read their lips… from across the room… and could read their non-verbals. In short, the deaf have a more developed ability to see the real-you (and I am not talking about John Lynn’s book) than nearly anyone else. Blind people are much more “handicapped” when it comes to communication than are the deaf. Actually, the deaf “get it” more than most. Now back to our reguarly scheduled humor...

AAAAHHHH, that's so SWEET!! To see you two sleeping together, spiritually. I hear Enya playing in the background. You're spirits must be in love. I'm not there, spiritually. While your spirits were hugging last night, my spirit went out of my body and went hunting and found LCM's spirit and kicked his patuttii. I must have a warring spirit. ON GUARD!

Dang IT!! I bet Tuttle blew his recitation of Corpse Principal #2 on Corpse Night, TOO!! I'll bet he POLLUTED the PURE CP2 by using that CORRUPT word from Timothy... "....teach others, ALSO". Simon, sorry TomT didn't give you the pure word. So what do we do... Stone him??

ps, TomStrange God also showed me that your fly is down. Zip UP, Dude! Not te kind of vision I had expected to get.... to say the least. But you can't choose the time and place for revelation... we all know that! Oh wait, I just looked down, that was MY fly... OK. It all is making more sense now. Gues I had my ears closed and had to hear from heaven through a vision of you.

Now, Tom, that is just Too Strange... God told me, to tell you, to tell Rev 2Ts, to tell Simon, that his keys are in safe keeping... hidden from before the foundations of the world, right next to the foundation of his house. God gave me distinct revelation by way of a VISION... I saw a hole in his shorts pocket, and saw his keys S L I D I N G down his leg, being kickd off his shoe and coming to rest by the foundation of his house by the door. TomStrange. You tell him that. And don't change the story... other wise you won't have the word of god any longer, just men's opinion.

So, Ole Beehive couldn't sleep, eh? In the Super, Duper, Advanced, Living-a-Little-Lower-Than-Victor Paul Wierwille Class, Mike uncovered a ubiquitous set of keys to Walking by the Spirut. Beehive, if you master these keys you could be on your way to being EVEN MORE spirutchell…while you can’t sleep. In the 151st key to walking by the spirut, it says “If you can't sleep, start posting and maybe you will be able to hook up with some other insomniacs.” If that doesn’t work, you gotta go to Key 152 to walking by the spirut…. Key 152 “Don’t Post Sitting Up. By the time you get to this key, God has already told you to Go To Bed! God won’t tell you a second time until you obey the first time. So Go to Bed and Keep Posting” The 153 Key could apply here, too. “To receive revelations from others, you must first learn to mumble.” This powerful key has unlocked more doors than you can shake a stick at!! Just start mumbling every chance you get, mumble while you are walking down the street, mumble on the subway, mumble while having sex, mumble every chance you get... be more mumble. If you practice the presence of mumble, you will get street people walking up to you and they will start telling you ALL kinds of revelations!!

Dot: I looked at the link you had up there and read Marsha's story. Never read it before, until now. It gave me nightmares. I am not kidding. Last night, in particular. If someone can read her story and brush it off like dandruff, then they have no sense of proportion or decency and are probably themselves, predators. This type of abuse was WAY OUT OVER ANY LINE!!! TWI - behind closed doors - trained many "leaders" to be wolves. I guess that is why I never fit in with the headquarters crowd. They triggered anxiety attacks in me; I just didn’t know that was what these attacks were called. I never witnessed what I read from Marsha… but my guts were heaving in the presence of such great “leaders”. I am sickened in the pit of my stomach at what I read. Gruesome acts of using people. It was like reading about rape between a father and daughter. No one can should underestimate the power of phrases like “THE Man of God for The Whole World” and “Father in the Word” and then, on the other hand, MINIMIZE or Excuse such heinous acts of psychological and sexual abuse. The grandiose catch phrases AMPLIFIED the authority of VP and others…. which MAGNIFIED their offences. I am speechless. I am ashamed that I was ever associated with such a raunchy system! And as far as what I learned from TWI… I have re-learned almost every single doctrinal tittle and jot. And when it comes to Truth, they FAILED to offer us Christ… and in His stead they offered convoluted doctrines and empty promises and limp principles and pathetic word studies; all as DIVERSIONS from the man of Galilee. Without Christ, the PERSON, there is NO TRUTH! CES and others say they wanted to add Christ back in to what we learned, and then we would be whole. What a crock. So what did I get for my 17 years of involvement… ??? It appears I was spared from the worst, but others were far less fortunate. I grieve.

Sory for the long post... I am a passionate about spiritual things. And, DOT, and others, you should NEVER have had to face those things... ever.

Dot... DOT, I was married in residence. That was a whole different experience, at least the part about getting invited to the coach. It never happened to me, my wife or any of our married friends. I think, the married people at Emporia or HQ had a "different" experience when it comes to sexual related issues. Less blatant. I NEVER suspected that VP was a predator. If I had known it, I would have dropped out on my own or never gone in to start with. I came from an abusive family and I know it is not something that just “pops up” and has no repercussions. I knew very few people that were “close” to VP. Allison He_ _ _ y used to work closely with VP and she was one of the nicest humans I ever met in my life. I guess, I am saying that people like her tended to make me think that he was probably on the level. I mean a nice girl like her would never…. I mean never…. (and, I am not saying that she ever did… by the way I liked her husband; we were in the corps together… a good man, I think.) For reasons like Allison (nice and sweet), contrasted by sketchy sexual allegations from people that had dropped out, I categorized the sex stuff as not credible. Like interviewing the former spouse of a recent divorce, not a very good place to get an “objective” view of what the other person is really like. I am sorry to say that all the junk that went on was way below my radar. So much for “To acquire an in-depth spiritual perception and awareness.” Personally, our married experience was sheltered from your experiences probably for the very reason that we were married… Except in our final year when invitations from leaders to get involved in awkward situations started to happen. This happened to both of us. I started to wonder if ALL the "leaders" had some sort of inner weakness that caused them to be needy and weak of character, male or female… married or single... I didn't like it AT ALL… the notion that some “leader” has needs, and that justifies sex so that his needs are fulfilled so he can fulfill the needs of his ministry. What an absolute truckload of ****!! Nonetheless, this sort of sexual behavior crosses way over the line when applied to people that are “under” a person’s authority. I think that sort of behavior is pathetic, weak, and (even in cases of consent) is loaded with destructive ripples that carry on for years and years. Had we known this sort of thing was happening regularly, we (the wife and I) would have left and not graduated. We knew about the premarital sex, and some about the lives of our “single” brethren, and we turned a blind eye to it… because we did the same things before we got married. But extramarital sex was OBVOIUSLY wrong BUT was not obvious to us until after we graduated. These problems manifested AFTER graduation. Dot, Ex, Ginger,… to any of the women on these boards that were involved in a sexual way, there is nothing that I can say except… I think what you experienced probably forever changed you. I think such an atmosphere is a horrible tragedy for a young woman to be placed in. What you ladies have shared has taught me that there is a cost to turning a blind eye on evil once you know it is there; and there is a higher cost of delayed disclosure. It is just all so damned ugly. The selfish, conniving, deflowering or a woman is just So God Damned Ugly!! (And yes, I think, that is a good use of the phrase). These men behaved not like loving leaders, they behaved like heathen conquerors!! And when it comes to the perpetrators, just let me say, I have two beautiful teenage daughters… and if some nut like LCM or VP ever messed with them, I would have a difficult time not shooting the bastard right in the balls, so he would live, but never forget what a weak and pathetic POS he was…. and then I would cry…. cry for years…. and weep for my girls… because I missed the opportunity to stop the hurt in my daughters lives. No manner of revenge or “justice” can ever be considered a restoration. And that, ladies, and gentlemen, … is a tragedy. Dot, you are right, I joke about things in residence; this was the superficial world I saw. Most of it WAS a joke, to me. But when I think about what went on under the surface, it makes me want to weep and mourn. Yes, much of what happened appears to be actionable in courts of law, but even if more action were taken, no suit could ever bring restoration. There will be no restoration in the lives of people involved in the tragedy called the Way by any court. I have to believe that restoration is possible through God. And I do. But until that happens, there is only one way to categorize what many experienced – evil at what they thought was the hand of good. TWI was just a controversial ministry on the surface to SOME… but to OTHERS, it was Satanic.

Simon, Take heart… and all us other dot-a-holics… Just never use that word around me… ellipsis… why that word makes me grow 10 feet tall, spiritually! I can’t even draw a circle let alone an ellipse… Simon, did you happen to notice that Nika misspelt “ellipsis” by spelling it “elipsis”??? Ironic, no…? (BTW… I intentionally misspelled misspelt so that Nika can take a crack at me!) So my ministry is now on the rocks… but YOURS has been reinstated. You can start accepting abundant sharing again from all you local believers. WHAT GREAT NEWS I BRING TO YOU… your ministry is still in tact!! Because of the spelling error in Nika’s post, you are justified in discounting everything that Nika said...(probably for the rest of your life… but I will have to check the dictionary on that one)… you are free to re-marry... not under bondage in any way... divorced from the admonition... your use of excessive dotting is within your liberty in Christ... do not be entangled again with the yoke of spaces between your dots... (they take too much time to type, anyway)... every knows what you mean when you use them... and if not, they get to guess!!!… (once you leave the Way you realize that guessing is encouraged in the real world… it is the secret ingredient used in the process of all strategic planning… for heaven’s sake!) Need more justification…? The essence of judging good communication is the criterion that people KNOW what you mean... … and those little dots that we all use so much are PERFECT examples of CLEAR communication… they communicate that the writer is weary of trying to forge a sound argument and relies heavily, both on implication… and inference… if you know what I mean… right?... So pass the horn of plenty with confidence and reap a good harvest from your ministry! For the record… (from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary) Singular: ellipsis “…” noun [C] Plural: ellipses “…” “…” Three dots in a printed text which show where one or more words have been intentionally omitted

On a serious note: I think I will need to leave the GS cafe for quite some time. Vacation, a new job, and other time issues. Thanks BYE to ALL: TomS, Ex, Ginger, Dot, Tomt, Raf, Steve, MJ, Pirate, Chewster, Vickles, and... everyone ELSE who put up with my silly posts and my serious ones, too. Thanks Bye.

And if you don’t have time to consult these sages for their wisdom about the phrase, then let me save you time by offering you the philosophy of a street vendor. “Time flies… WHEN you’re having fun! So Have a HOT DOG and HAVE SOME FUN” “Fast, Good, and Hot” is not just the motto of a hot dog vendor, but it is what most guys look for in a woman. Even Stephen Hawking was looking for such a woman. Maybe he just should have had a hot dog. Maybe I’ll have a hot dog, too and then one of those TomStrange Snow Cones.

Inconceivable! The fact that you would actually consider contacting Hawking… this… this.. great cosmologist (but admittedly - an intellectual philosophical novice), this guy - Hawking - to comment on a such a DEEP phrase as: “Time Flies” ; frankly leaves me stunned and awash in an overwhelming sense of “DUH!!??!” I mean what could Hawking know about the implications of time flying, anyway?? For an answer to such a pivotal question, you should consult Plato, Kant, or Aristotle, or just watch “Princess Bride” and take the word of the Sicilian.

TomS.... Never mind.... It was just an observation that popped up when I was ready to defend your honor when I realized that you had been said to have "head lice"... I searched all the posts and boards for who would say such a DAMAGING thing about one of my elder corps... and... I realized that you were the one that said such a terrible thing... Then the PFAL spirit (that lives with Mike) visited me... (oddly enough, its name is Phillip-Frank-Abbott-Lester or PFAL for short...) and showed ME that you were like DAVID... and I had to be like NATHAN and show you the error of our ways and was to tell you plainly that "YOU ARE THAT MAN!" Don't worry, TomS... Phillip-Frank-Abbott-Lester is gone now. He is back with Mike. I guess I pi_ _ ed him off wehen I rebuked in the name of TomStrange. Sorry for the visitation. I'll share no more from PFAL if it shows up again! Solidarity, brother!!

Interesting DISclaimer, TOMS So, you don't have head lice... Who started such a vicous lie to begin with...?? I feel A PFAL Moment comming on, here! Some HEAVY_REVVY from the class... You just tell me who it is, You just tell me who it is... and I'll... I'll... Have his head!! YOU! ARE THAT MAN!!! So, see, in this instance, I am like Nathan, and you are like David... And the lie about your head lice was started by YOUR OWN WORDS! Wheww... if you are not listening to God, you're going to hear from heaven another way...

But Miss Vickles, Miss Vickles! What does it mean to be a "Line breaker", hmmmm? Does it mean you are a dancer and that you breakdance when others are linedancing? (That would break the look of a line!) Or did you fail to line up with nametag on when you went to meals at Emporia and then had to be "let back in" by friends so you would not be dis-allowed to eat because you were LATE! That would earn you a reputation of being a Line-Breaker. Or were you ever one of those whacko Walleye fisherman from Minnesota... the kind that if they got a fish on and it headed for the rocks... would tug and pull on the stuck fish so that the rod would nearly double over and the person would start yelling... "I got a BIG 'UN on the line!! Look over here, don't cha know" "Man, He is a HUGE Fish... Just Look at my pole!!" And then... with a mighty heave... TTTWWWWAAACCCKKK !! The line breaks and the "World's largest Walleye" escapes. I could guess you could have been known as a line breaker for all SORTS of reasons.

notinkansas: Roses are red, Snowcones are,too Get your self to bed or TomStrange will get YOU!

Ex: I can't imagine trying to post anymore on these threads with the BURDEN of maintaining numerical protocol!! Hell, if we aren't careful, we could loose the ENTIRE ministry (err, ahh... I mean cafe) just over protocol! I am SOOOO sorry I complained about the 11 corps being left out... I didn't mean to release the madman tendancies in alfa to force protocol on us again. But who knows...?? Maybe he saved the minstry by standing up for protocol!! Sometimes you just gotta say, "Life moves pretty fast. And if you don't stop to smell the protocol every now and then... it will pass you by." Buhler? Buhler? Anyone? Anyone?

Hey, JesseJ. How about "Up, Up, and Away"??? Remember that one? "Would you like to ride in my beautiful, baloon? Way up in the air, in my beautiful baloon? We could float among the stars together you and I ... cause we can FLY!!!!.... Suspended under a twighlight can-o-py.... " Ah, heck.. My memory just cut out on me, again. I hate it when that happens! I think some of these guys (gender-neutral in useage)on this thread are wishing they could fly, too.

I feel a song coming on... its time for a musical break, everyone! 5th Dimension; "... this is the dawning of the age of Aquarius, age of Aquarius, age of Aquarius.... A-qar-i-USssss, A-qar-i-USssss" Now, back to the star lesson ;)-->

Ex... Thank you for repairing the order. :)--> You know God had a purpose for every corps, when you went corps, where you went corps from, how you got your sponsorship to gether, and what you did when you graduted from the corps... so orderliness is very high on God's list. --> I figured out God's purpose in me getting through the corps and then watching the whole thing swan dive and die. Our version of the One body was like Frakenstein. God looked down on it and said "You made and formed that creature... now YOU make it live!". We tried. It died. Any questions? The 11th corps was the largest number of poeple that bought into the Frakenstein vision. So we deserve to be on top again. Hey... we will take our distinction any way we can get it!

alfakat: You started with the 10th.... we can't even get in your list!! Are you trying to exclude us???? HMMM... ;)--> 11th Corps should be represented. For heaven sakes, we were the LARGEST corps in entire HISTORY of TWI... the largest number of robots... (sorry) ever produced by the clone machine!! OK Maybe we should not be included... You're right. Start with the 10th.

NotinKan. Rhyme with Purple? How about, Roses are red Violets are purple. Off all my pancakes Drizzle Maple Syrple. Too many liberties with language?

It is a little known fact that obscure cuss words are used to name some food products on the shelf. Like the margrine product "Oleo". It means "Tastes like butt butter". Not very appealing, but quite accurate in the description. I suggest you record your tongue one word at a time and send it Kraft Foods or Van Camps so they can get some new names... something has gotta be better than an obvoius name like "Beanie-Weenie". No Self respecting male would ever buy a product like that!

TomStrang-er: Make sure you bring your "bell-free". I hear bats like those places. Have you chaecked it lately? You gotta clean out the old bats - you know, "swept and garnished", and then you can get others to come in and they will be like 10 times as big... if they find your bell-free swept and garnished, that is. It is so good to know how to get bigger bats home to roost, isn't it? (Something that the Baltimore Cardinals could use for sure... you could make a lot of $$ getting them some "bigger bats").