Second James

Hey ..another over the hill guy?? Congrats I think, as I always wanted to live "back in the 50's" but this isn't what i meant! LOL Hey used to fish up near Waubun (sp?)...Minnesota & used to work at Tonka Toys in Mound Minn...you close to either of them??? Take two gulps of air to blow out all those candles! Bless yuh! Jim

Welcome Made it Thru...I too expereinced the same thing...as my circle of friends was pretty much Wayfer-ized..I still have a few from the old days, but overall...I've gone elsehwere & my friendships are STILL genuine..funny how "the proofs in the puddin" so to speak as a true friend is there for you at any cost! Enjoy the soup....MIT!! JJ

They were my favorite group from the "before Beatles" era...loved Ronnie & the Daytonas also..as the 4 seasons were truly alot of fun to listen to! Lucky ladybug was the favorite of my girls while growing up & my favorite was "Save it for Me" & "Big man in Town"..where oh where has the descent music gone???

Craig Martindale....you've been accused of a boatful of things here on the GSC..everything from possibly being homosexual to being a vicious womanizer. My question to you is very simple.....WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO ANSWER YOUR DETRACTORS AND "be a real man"...My God man...if anyone leveled these kinds of accusations at me, I'd be first in line to defend my honor. So I challenge you before the entire world...RISE up and be a MAN....I read your "loyalty letter" and you seemed to say what you really believed...so what about now? You're my brother in Christ and personally you've not "ruined" me..so this is not about me, but about your INTEGRITY. I PATIENTLY AWAIT YOUR REPLY & I'm convinced that God is of utmost importance to you..especially now!

IMHO...alot of people that are confronted or even confronting themselves in this type of scenereo, have either themselves & their FRIENDS & their families to listen to & objectively choose....or they have "leadership" & farm buildings & auditoriums to help them make up their minds..."The Ministry" doesn't encourage people to "trust" their families...but instead to trust them (the leaders)...when you boil itright down..I think the only hope any of them have (since there is such great pressure put on them via leadership) is whether they can be true to themselves. Some people have GREAT difficulty with this concept..but I feel its at the ROOT of a good decision..

Cowgirl..you hit the nail on the head...boredom...same ole same ole...over & over...same people at twig...entertaining them twice or thrice a week...them watching to see what wife & I would come up with next..almost like a circus act..I remember praying to God to "ease me outa the WAY" and two weeks later we were asked to leave!! Hooooray! I could see a distinct change in my BC (a really nice guy until POP) & confronted him via da WOrd..he just couldn't let go of VPW's "take" on it, which was his reasoning to ignore FACTS I was spewing forth!! LOL Also..what was this "idol" pertaining to the fountain of living waters?? Never heard that one before, but know about the fountain by the BRC or house..... Glad I'm out & glad we're communicating in some form or other..It was an interesting ride while it lasted.Huh?

Got l2 years of "blessings"....LOL in in l975 out in l987 when the sh!t hit the ole fan..I'm glad I heard the "dark side" stories, but in all honesty...compared to the religions out there...TWI at least opened the possibilities to get with people more one on one & wouldn't do it any different if I could do it over. Met some great people while in & found alot of people really willing to help the wife & I as far as dealing with child raising & overall chi chatting. Never held VP on a pedastal & was always accused of bucking the leadership..we were the first to leave our area, as we were the only ones not afraid to check out Ralph/JAL . I would return if a person like Ralph headed the thing..as Ralph really fought for his people...the big thing I hated about leadership was their lack of taking the time to know anyone individually UNLESS you kissed every part of their behind...so saw alot of yes-men talk the talk...hehehe

According to Billy Joel....."Honesty...is such a lonely word...everyone is so untrue" Gotta side with the rest of ya's..I prefer honesty above all else & yet its so easy to side step it to prevent hurting another...such a lonely word..

Don't ALL of you agree that this chair a) must not have had its believing big enough or wasn't "listening" ..otherwise it would not have gotten "lost" & certainly out of fellowship ( a chair w/out a ship is NOT a good thing! b)Is definitely a victim & deserves to have a victim mentality c)hopefully was not marked but is now being avoided..needs 24 hour prayer PLEASE d) Most likely is "just another empty" without God & hope in this world e)Its final stop...a living hell in some Goodwill or Salvation army..who's it trying to fool? It knew better..shoulda stayed closer to its owners butt right??

Keep in mind..."chair-ity" never faileth!

The other day I was watching Judge Judy and this cute 30's something gal being the plaintif was being constantly viewed by the cameraman during the questioning phase...and she musta flipped her head/hair a good dozen times.. The defendant, a larger pudgy gal with short hair never flipped...the plaintif had all sorts of things to say...the defendant was close mouthed & had to be questioned again & again. Obviously in this setting its easy to be "nerous" & both gals were ...but the plaintif was more than eager to tell all she knew & flipped & flipped & flipped. Yes she was descent looking and with those looks perhaps the flipping is a natural "look at me" tnedancy that gals give off if they're the center of alot of guys attention. Gals..do you think that ladies jerk & flip their heads & hair due to needing More & more attention,.subconsciously?? (My guess as a guy..so don't shoot me down too quickly) LOL Sad thing is, now all these reality types of programs (even Jeopard) I now view from a "flipiant" standpoint....that is what flipiant means right??????????? LOL

Some times the carp do show up Ham...we call it throwing like crap...not carp..

For me personally, horseshoes, even though its an "old farts " game..is very therapeutic & costs very litte....The different leagues all over the country asre now mostly "handicapped" like bowling..so if you're a beginner, & playing a good player, you have a shot at beating him/her The fact that you can practice alone is a plus as well.. as in practicing, if you're "not hitting"..then get your mind off your problems & into HOW to start throwing ringers!! VERY Therapeutic!!!!! HONEST engine..try it you'll either like it or hate it! At our age its about the only thing left we can excel at LOLOLOL

If I wanna tear up..I just put on my Ronnie Milsap tape..I did like Patsy Cline as I'm stuck in the 50's & 60's I think..

Hi Confused! Hey welcome aboard...yepper I still love SITing & praying with m my senses...still can't justify the "church" scene..but still know how to read my Bible & think for myself & let God work in me while reading it & let God work in me while dealing with people. I second what Groucho said..as its great breathing the CLEAN AIR of freedom outside TWI..didn't need TWA to fly outa TWI ..LOL... There are many great threads here BUT to me the best part is the "full sharing" abaility each of us has with the other, without having to DEFEND some doctrinal position that we really can't do or hold to!! Again welcome to the Cafe.

NATO..welcome to the "dark side" (according to TWI lingo...) LOL Hey..here you can say what cha want! When I think of sinking boats, I just picture the rats scurrying around as they're usually the last ones to leave.. Need I say more?

You really think they use the word "couth?" Very funny though..Thanks LOLOL

I just finished reading Out & about's "My Story"..a MUST READ for all of us..to watch this sweet gal "lay it on the line" for what she thought "her" ministry was! In reading this posting, I too "LOVED WHAT I THOUGHT THE WAY MINISTRY WAS" way back when...I remember the very first time I ever set foot in the BRC..musta been l975 & Craig was teaching about Paul & it being "HIS" or MY MINISTRY..& right there, I too wanted "it" to be "my ministry" just like Paul & Out & About. I applaud all of us who felt this way years ago & idealistically, I think we all hold to a little piece of this feeling don't we..in spite of what "the ministry" has become..? we all WANT to see God Work in our lives & for others. Whatcha think??

Out & About...like the others thank you for your "story"..Like David M..I too never went thru anything close to what you expereinced...the funny thing about reading what you wrote was how awful FUNNY alot of this in looking back at it...what we were taught to think & poor dear you...following thru on it causeyou can't go any further than what you've been taught" all that B.S...there's aday coming that God almighty will reward you for your wonderful faithfulness..I sure applaud you dear one!

David & Sami (da Hot momma),..can you just picture them with both feet in their mouth & their head stuck in the sand..? Sounds pretty straightforward to me....not!! LOL

Like the Bible says: Blessed are the peacemakers...I'm glad you're that way, as what comes around goes around..right? oh..."for they shall see God "I think is the rest of the verse. we have our share of bullies here..LOL... Good for you Cathy!!

For me personally, normal sized boobs seem to "work well" with me...too big (the bigger the better the tighter the sweater) isn't that "big" with me.. As for the mamogram thingie..never knew they did that to you poor souls..Glad they don't do that with the male's counterpart..especially if it was COLD...ouch!! Any gals know why ya's flip your hair..I REALLY wanna know. Buddy Fred & I were on a topless beach in mexico last fall & we noticed that most if not all of the topless bathing gals from Europe bathed in the front rows...Fred claims its because they want attention, & yet they'd seldom look up when we'd be a staring....my theory is that they wanted the best angle from the sun for a complete tan..but Fred wouldn't buy it?? Any topless bathers out there & why Do they aim for the front rows on the beach?? Huh Huh??

SAMI..welcome the cafe! Yeh...they've got much to hide & not enough sand to stick their heads in far enough...Funny how easy it is to hide behind "biblical research" title eh? You REALLY a Hot momma????????LOL

Yeh.."thank you Dorothy ..thank you Rhoda"!...since Dorothy was brought up on this thread (& not meaning to derail)..thought it might interest a few of you that Dorothy Owens had written a little pamphlet entitled "Keys to spriitual Light", as I have it in front of me..a little l4 page/gray covered pamphlet which basically covers some of PFAL..."where we got scripture....(she calls it attitude towards the WOrd) & a few other "keys to research"..covers the renewed mind & getting born again..a real classic!

Yeh about 8 years ago, I was heading over to Lima Ohio from ft Wayne In...& thought I'd slip down Weirwillie Road...well as I approached the Services building at the far end of the road (across from the Auditorium)...thought I'd pull into the parking lot & see "what's new"..I no sooner got into the lot then a car whipped up right beside me & the guy quickly got out (before I had time to shut off the engine)!!! Fortunately for me, he was a former guy in my Twig in Celina Ohio (just l/2 hour east of NK)..so we had a friendly talk...as he obviously was trying to do his job. Thankfully it was "Dean"..otherwise bieing on "their" property..don't know if they coulda got me for trespassing or what not!! I did ask him about the scheduling of the auditorium, as I had seen a sign that there was to be no serive for that particualr Sunday in February..& he told me that the auditorium was being operated just every other week!! Any body else know if that is still true, or do they still run weekly services??