CircleGame

Happy Easter everyone!

Beautiful song Mark.

I like the song - Jesus Christ has risen today - allelulia - great tune.

I got to see four planets (I think) on March 28. The Moon was in quarter phase and directly overhead (at about 7pm) To the right and a good distance from the horizon was a very bright light - I'm fairly sure that was Venus. Way to the left of the Moon was Jupiter - another bright light. Slightly to the right of the Moon was a dim light - it did look yellowish and I believe it was Saturn. Another dim light was just to the left of Venus - Mars perhaps. It was cool seeing all of them. Unfortunately it was the only night I saw them (Mar 28) as it is very cloudy in my area of USA. Glad I saw it anyway.

Hi Oakspear - I sent you a PT. I hope it worked.

Oakspear,

I am reading that book "Celtic Christianity", by a monk who's last name is Joyce??

Interesting book. I am 1/4 Irish and figure, why not get into my Irish roots? I am reading Irish myths also. Really interesting.

To EWB,

I haven't really found a church "home", but I have attended Unity Churches, Interdenominational churches (called "The Chapel" usually, Lutheran churches, and lately Episcopal church (the church of my childhood.) For different reasons, I like the different churches, doctrine of Unity (positive believing and meditation)but they believe also "anything goes", sermons at the Episcopal church I currently go to and the architecture and music of the Church (it's a beautiful cathedral). Mostly I like to read - I have diverse interests.

Vickles, I've never heard of that - getting pinched if you don't wear green

I have plenty of green things to wear - green is my favorite color - the color of life. Part of the attraction of TWI for me was the green color scheme (yes scheme...)

I love Guiness Beer, I tried some for the first time this past weekend. It's thick and tasty and takes a long time to drink, which is a good thing!!!

I'm 1/4 Irish and I try not to drink too much, I remember the old 2 drink max from TWI (yeah, I remember it)

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone, I'm going out soon, have a beer and listen to some Irish music.

She called me and said her tumor has gotten smaller!!! (the plan is for her to go to Chemo, and if tumor doesn't get smaller, she has to have surgery) so....looks like things are going good for her....thanks for your prayers everyone!!!!

I've learned a lot about the serious abuse issues since I've been at GreaseSpot cafe, and also answers about why it was a good ministry and why it wasn't. I never knew that so much was plagerized!! Which answers questions about confusing issues, how could it be good and bad at the same time. However, I wouldn't want to talk about abuse and plagerism all the time. I like the variety here, it is very healing.

Hi everyone

I accompanied my sister to the hospital while she was getting some tests. She is quite upbeat

and she looks amazingly young!! She is 44 and looks 20!! Unreal. She said that this will probably age her and I said oh well you will look 30!!

So she is strong mentally

Keep praying for her and her kids to be strong

keep praying for good healing by doctors and procedures.

Keep praying for a miracle healing

so....it looks like we have pretty much reconciled!! We've had several good hour long conversations over the phone and our rapport at the hospital was good

Keep praying and thankyou.

Too funny two cats!! (I'm a cat lover too)

Some more:

1972 - parents criticizing your favorite music

2002 - kids criticizing your fave music

1972 - thinking the New Millinium would be a "new age"

2002 - looking back to the "good old days"

Praying for things to work out for the best for you Act 2. Yes, I definitely believe God answers prayer. I like going to church and praying and lighting candles (helps with focus) and of course praying here. God is Good!!

I didn't know her phone number.

However, my brother called me with her phone number and I called her.

She's pretty upbeat and we talked for an hour.

We made plans to get together but she cancelled. I am hopeful we can get together.

She sounds upbeat and I am glad.

Keep praying for her strength.

Keep praying for a miracle healing

Thank you!!

I agree - the exactness factor is a method of cult control. If you are not getting the answers - you are not detailed and accurate enough, which means you have to keep on keeping your nose to the grindstone to get results doncha know!!

I thought it was fun to hear the detailed teachings at first and to do Word studies (church never taught me that)

But attention to detail is only one factor in salvation (wholeness) there is gist, feelings, love, optimism, morality, hope, etc, etc. etc.

Thank you everyone. I haven't heard any new news from my brother who is in contact with her. So that means she is not getting better, not getting worse, and doesn't want to see me.

Praying for you to get that job Dot!!

And remember - positive thinking and believing is a principle, not a "law". Positive believing, like good food, helps - but it is not a law.

Hi nknative - I've never replied to your posts before, however I have always enjoyed your posts.

I'm praying for you and family - praying for strength, mental, physical and emotional - and praying for a miracle too.

((((((((nknative))))))))

Hi everyone, I need prayers for my sister and myself.

1) I just found out that my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has to undergo chemo and I don't know if she had surgery. Please pray for:

a) her to be strong (and kids)

b) a miracle healing for her.

2) I haven't talked to her since 1999. My brothers didn't either (except for one brother in Jan.) and then he told me in Feb. that she had cancer. I would like to see her, but so far haven't gotten any word that she wants to see me. Pray for our reconciliation.

Thank you!!!!!!!!

Hi Everyone and thankyou, I did have a Happy Birthday, though it was mixed with sadness. I found out that my sister is diagnosed with breast cancer (from my brothers), and none of us have seen her or talked with her since 1999. My one brother did see her in January and she called him in Feb. and told him the news. Will put more on in the prayer forum

I have never heard of or seen anyone spanking a child on the calf!!

Also I have never seen anyone spank someone elses child (SHAME on Bob M.)

I myself would spank my child if he was extremely stubborn, but usually he would do what I said after I said it two or three times and just show him the wooden spoon. I would also spank my nephew if I was babysitting him and would recommend that my sister do so, but I never spanked him with the wooden spoon if my sister was present. SHAME on the people who beat their children to the point of bruising and bleeding!!!!I used to take offense at believers spanking their child if their child disobeyed after being told something once. I was always more lenient, but I feel somewhat guilty at using the spoon at all.

Kill for TWI?? Never!!

I got in TWI in early 78, and in late 78 there was the Jonestown Massacre. I thought - how could anyone be that way??

TWI did encourage one not to hang out with unbeliever family and friends, and to a certain extent, I did not (fully). I believed in being "friendly" to unbies (also witnessing, but witnessing then shunning didn't seem right to me) For sure, some unbies annoyed me and I would want to shut them out, some I thought were "evil", but the urge to kill?? NEVER!!

So, I never fully shut out unbies or fully cleaved to "believers". Never joined WC, but did go WOW.

Here and there TCs criticized my son and when he was 12 he took PFAL, but was bored and showed it. My TC criticized him and acted cold, and I thought - that's IT!! No more TWI.

Bowtwi and Watered Garden - big hugs to you!! I felt hurt at the treatment I got (and criticism of my son) but it wasn't nearly as severe as the treatment you got. Later I would think of the bad treatment I got and my son, and think HMMF but I don't have the urge to kill, just not the type. If anyone asked...I think I would report them to the police rather than follow, or else just be scared and under the covers at home.

Getting a decent sound on the violin isn't that hard Zixar - I only screeched a couple of times and I am not really "musically talented". You can learn one note songs on the violin by "finger picking" them first, then bowing. So it's pretty easy to teach yourself one note songs but anything else is beyond me.

I like to play piano and guitar just to relax. Most adults get bored by my playing, though 10 year olds like it and adults who don't know much about music. Took up the violin a few years back, could play several one-note simple songs by ear, but I could do that on the piano when I was 10 years old!! I wish I took violin when I was young and possibly gotten good at it? I never took any lessons in anything.

I hope no book about the Way is published and distributed in "regular" bookstores. UGH!! I WITNESSED to people (and argued with people) "the Way is not a cult, etc." I don't want them coming to me and saying, "what were you doing in that HORRIBLE cult?!?" (i didn't know it was horrible at the time, but knew it had faults....) I feel embarrassed at the possibilities of friends and relatives visiting this site.....

TO MY OLD FRIENDS and RELATIVES:

hey, I thought TWI was "best" , then "good", then "okay" (and habit), stuck around because of habit and fear.....didn't know it was so bad...a lot of people didn't....still, I don't know why I stayed as long as I did, I was lukewarm for quite a while.

I didn't like the way TWI pooh-poohed vacations. (You've got the rightly-divided Word, what else do you need) Though I think VPW enjoyed traveling. But he can spiritually "handle" it, hmmmmm. I enjoyed vacations to see different parts of the country - ocean and mountains. God created variety and I think it's important to experience it. I'm a bit of a mystic nature lover and so that is important to me. I've been everywhere in the USA, but haven't traveled much lately. Not much money to do so.

Hi, happy day after Christmas everyone.

I'm a kid at heart and I like hearing about these miracles. Though I have never seen one personally, either to me, or to someone I know. That was a draw for me in TWI - the miracles that VPW did, and the miracles in "TWI - Living in Love". Then I believed I didn't see miracles because I didn't believe enough.Blah, blah. TWI's requirements of doing this and doing that was a turn off. I'm not turned off by talk of miracles. TWI isn't the only place that talks about miracles, but it was the first place I heard about. (oh, a Christian Scientist did some work in my mother's home when I was growing up, and he said he had a crippled arm and God healed it). Unity Church talks of miracles in prayer and is not a high demand ministry like TWI was.

When people ask my spiritual background, I say, brought up in Episcopalian Church, went to other Churches, part of a born-again Christian group, also believe somewhat in New Age.

I don't say "cult" still......why, because I believe either everything is a cult or nothing. Some religious groups are more controllling and narrow than others.

I think I was fooled by the Way's seeming liberal stance of "good" and "best". Good meant good at first, then (shrug) okay, then (snort) counterfeit...and later (according to some) "everyone else is possessed" the more I heard things like that the more unblessed I became. Still I don't call TWI a "cult"

I think of it as part hippie, part army, part Amish (yes, with their standoffish attitude toward "unbelievers") and part Mickey MOuse sorcerer apprentice, and yes, part Godly. I learned a lot of Bible in TWI and learned how to use a concordance, and fellowshipped with others interested in the same.