J0nny Ling0

I do remember that he (VP) believed that there was oil in Alaska, and that he sent a guy up here with an oil drill rig, paid for by him or Uncle Harry, and that the guy bombed on him, didn't look in the right place, and used his drill rig to make money drilling for water instead. The guy then, because he no longer was looking for oil, lost his leg in a commercial fishing accident and almost died. I think the guys name was Van Swearingen, or something like that. Anybody know anything more about that?

That's pretty interesting Dot, really...

I never once heard a word of that during my tenure between 1975 and 1990. Maybe it was a rumor?

Hey! Where's my check?!

Shifra also had a tag on the end of that post that said something like; "It didn't say anything about red drapes". Well, I believe in "red drapes", and I think that many other verses of scripture support the requesting of specific things. Matt 21:22 is a fine example of that. I have prayed for many specific things, and have gotten very specific answers to those prayers. I believe that God thrills to have us, His little kids, ask him for specific things. I thrill when I am able to give to my kids, the desires of their hearts. And why would God not want us to see "red drapes"? But yes, you are right, many of the things that Shifra mentioned in her micro version of the Lord's Prayer are similar to what I said about specific things.

The "Floss Patrol" was way after my days I am thinking. Or, did someone say that it was done during the Sixcth Corps?

Well now, maybe someone is out there chronicling all of this GSCafe chatter, and is going to put it in a book. There could be a whole chapter on the "Smikeol Wars", and the "Peterlag thinks extramarital sex is a need for a man of God Arguments" (*remember that big brouhaha?) and all kinds of "stuff". Maybe we could all get rich by copying and re-selling various thread arguments and discussions, and then selling them on E-Bay. OR (man I'm brain stormin!) Maybe we should collaborate, pick "roles", and then set up one huge "demented ex-cultist web site fight", and then print only a small number of copies, three for each of us let's say, and "Let The Bidding Begin!!!"

Toppie, I'd say find a way to scan it and store it at some website where we could go and read it. And then sell your copy on e-bay for some spending money. I was going to say, Yeah, send it to me, for, I would like a copy. But when I saw that it was worth something to you monetarily, I thought of this other idea. If you could run off a hard copy for me that would be nice. I'd pay all the expenses for you to do it. But I would bet that some of our computer brains here at the GSCafe can figger that one out, how to post it somewhere that is... And hey, that plane ride does sound sort of surreal. Maybe God is calling you to reform The Way and become it's new WOGFOT?

No, I never got in trouble for living that way, or for teaching "the Law Of Believing" opn my own terms. Basically, when I taught about believing, I just taught ias a mind set where you just expect to receive from God because He said He'd supply, and it was only logical that He would come through because He loves us because He is our Father in Heaven. So, just pray, request, and expect. Uh oh, sounds like a Formula! "PRE". Now, just chant this over and over in your minds, nice and softly now, "Pray-Request-Respect. Pray-Request-Respect." Now breathe deeply....."Pray-Request Expect.... PRE...PRE...PRE...." Um, sorry bout that... :blink:

Whatever, George... And Ham, if you have been there, I am so sorry. Did you lose one of your children? If so, I am so sorry Brother. I have in fact spent many a night up in prayer for my four kids, for various situations covering sickness, to them as teenagers "out the road partying" to having gone through major surgery, etc.

JJ and Waysider. I think we are on the same page also. When I was taught "The Law Of Believing", I just took it as a logical way to get to know God and receive His promises. I never "worked it" as we were taught (the camera analogy for instance), I just tried to trust God and not let fear get in the way of Trusting Him. Anyway, thanks for those posts you two! And you too Excathedra! JL Gotta go, my back is killing me from all of this typing! Think I'll drink some wine!

Excathedra, you said; First all, I want you to read what I just said to Rascal: Okay, so first of all, I know that these things happened. Whether they happened to "the t" as described by some, I don't know. But, any kind of extramarital sex with the MOGS (that term just cracks me up!), encouraged by them is in fact a sin and is as I said "heinous". Now when you ask; I am not sure what you are asking. If you are asking if those who were the perpetrators were "damaged goods", I would definitely say yes. Now, according to one poster here, a woman, there was definitely a certain circle of women who were proud to have been a part of all of that, servicing the MOGs ya know. I would have to say that if they were involved and recruiting women into all of that that they were acting in a very damaged manner as well. Could they have become more damaged by it, even though they willingly participated? Yes. Could they be over it by now? Yes. But, maybe no. Only they know I spose. And those who were innocent, are they damaged now? I dunno. They could be very damaged. They could have gotten over it by now and could be leading productive lives with all of that behind them. Just depends upon them, and or their time table I spose. I pray that all who got hurt in that manner can get to where they are not hurt by it any more. If it were me, I would be endeavoring to put it behind me as soon as possible, so that the "inflictors" would no longer be able to hurt me, the "inflictee". That way I wouldn't be "flicted" no more. But that's just me. We become damaged either by our own wrong decisions, or because we trust someone who then damages us. VP damaged himself and then others because he succumbed to the temptation of sin for a very long season. What do I think of VPW you ask? I am thankful to God that he taught the PFAL class, and that I got to sit through it. I am very not happy that he succumbed to the desires of the flesh and hurt so many people. But I won't throw out the good that I learned from him just because he lost it and became a really bad guy when the power went to his head. What else did I like about PFAL? Well, how's this: Knock knock. Who's there? To To who? Tohu Bohu! My back hurts from all this typing. Gotta go. Y'all ahve a nice weekend!

I wore a g-thong once, on my wedding night. I'd gotten it at my bachelor party. It was white with a big red heart on the front. I did it to make my brand new wife laugh... And hey Dooj, it's okay about Nin. The quote you have is just fine. I just wondered if you'd ever heard of that part of her history. Somebody here had a really great woman's quote. Something like; Well-behaved women rarely make history. Oh, that was you. Like that one alot. I always think of the "UnSinkable Molly Brown" when I read that quote.

And, Rascal, Okay. :)

Ya know Dooj, my sister had a book by Anais Nin, and it was a book of erotic stories, for which I have read she is also famous. But what was disturbing is that there were many stories in it that were about adults with children. Older men with little girls for instance. So, when I saw your little tagline deal, it was disturbing to me. Tell that it is a different "Anais Nin"

Rascal, I recognize those things as heinous. And I recognize that they happened in The Way. I am just saying that I don't believe that it was VPWs intent at first, that he wanted to help at first but went bad due to the same sins that mankind many times succumbs to, that's all. It's perhaps the only place where you and I diverge I 'spose. Dooj, I edited that last post. I told you that I'd mis-read it. Sorry. But now I'll read your "keep yer panties on" post. :)

Rascal, I recognize those things as heinous. And I recognize that they happened in The Way. I am just saying that I don't believe that it was VPWs intent at first, that he wanted to help at first but went bad due to the same sins that mankind many times succumbs to, that's all. It's perhaps the only place where you and I diverge I 'spose.

J Yes Dooj, you are right. And, I edited this because I mis-understood you at first.

It is quite fair of you to take that position. But, I do not. My next example usually draws a knee jerk reaction, but, Once upon a time, young David was a fair haired youth. He was as pure hearted as an Alaska summer day is long. He trusted God, and with cojones like none other, slew Goliath. He was an honorable servant of God, who did God's will. And yet later on, he took the wife of the honorable Uriah, knocked her up, and with complicity, tried to get the honorable Uriah to go and spend the night with his wife in order to create a cover up for her child soon to be born. But, as we know, Uriah The Honorable, would not take part in such pleasures, even at the King's urging (which equals permission), and refused to do it. And as we know, David, by Uriah's unwitting hand, sent the Death Note to Joab who followed David's orders, and had him killed. Now, that was purdy danged heinous, is it not? Think of the destroyed lives as a result of that? What about Uriah's brothers and sisters? What about his parents and possibly grand parents? What about Bathsheba's family? Maybe they were proud of and loved their daughter's honorable warrior husband. Just maybe there were those who thought that it was suspicious that Joab put Uriah into the heart of the hottest battle and then withdrew, "and now all of the sudden, Bathsheba is the King's wife! Now just what the Sam Hill's goin on here!?" But all of that latter is just speculation, but certainly a possibility, knowing human nature. And yet, David repented, and later wrote much scripture in that he became trusted of God to do so. Did VPW repent? Dunno. Maybe. Maybe not. But, I think I personally am ready to let God Almighty decide whether or not VPW was born again, and whether or not he actually started out to help people or not...

Deciderator. The fact is, when a person here says anything positive about what they learned in The Way Ministry, or from VPW, or from CG, or from when they were out WOW or in The Corps, there is a definite knee jerk reaction by a certain group here (who seem to be well represented in this feeding frenzy), who will tear at and try to tear down anything positive about The Way. It infuriates them that the "well laid out work" that they have presented has any opposition whatsoever, even though the poster presenting something positive is not even trying to "be in opposition", but rather, just wants to share. But also remember, there are many many here who do not post, but rather watch and lurk and read and endeavor to make up their own minds in these matters, and I, personally like to try and present those positive aspects that I found in The Way Ministry, so that things here are not so one sided. Now, for the record. Here is my general position on things back when I was involved with what I and a few others refer to as TWI One, which is the era between The Way's beginnings and the time when Craig Martindale went ballistic around 1990 or so, which I and some others refer to as TWI Two. And TWI 2, from what I have gathered here and from first hand accounts from friends who are now out was an insanity that would never ever have held me! In fact, many here are probably people who stayed with and worshipped LCM and dissed me and my wife (and friends like us) to the MAX as sick and possessed copouts, mark and avoids, during those years after we were kicked out in 1990. And yet they judge so harshly.... Anyway, I believe that the ministry started out in an effort to truly help God's people. That VPW wanted to help, and that he developed the PFAL class in order to help people. And, I believe that he helped alot of people through that class, me included. I prayed on my knees late one night in the wheel house of the cruise ship I worked on, and asked God to send a Christian person to me to show me the way to Him. The very next day, a WOW gal came to work as a cocktail waitress, and she witnessed to me on the spot and the rest is history. I believed/believe that God answered that prayer, and I always will. But, as I moved along within The Way Ministry, I saw changes that went from the delightful, to the not so cool, to the very very bad. I believe that with the influx of money and power, VPW was not able to control his lusts, lusts no more heinous than those of fallen men we read of in both the old and new testaments of the Bible, and people were then used and hurt. I know for a fact that there were beaucoups sex scandals. I was ordained in The Way, and was a branch leader on the field at most, but I was also privy to some higher ups's goins ons, and it began to disturb me a good deal. And now down the road, I have talked to old friends, females, who witnessed and even took part in some of these alleged sex scandals, which to me are now no longer just "allegations", but rather, true stories. And of course, LCM was in fact busted in a court of law for his infidelities. But I contend that it was all a very good thing gone very bad. Many folks here, however, contend that it was all a scam from the start, and that VPW very cleverly, from it's onset, put it all together to be a "money and sex farm", which I simply do not believe. I see the sins committed as sins no different than what have been very common to man throughout history, both biblically and secularly. But, that's what you are up against here, and so, just remember, if you say anything positive about The Way, and in this case anything from PFAL which you still believe (and therefore have a favorable view of which is what the thread author requested), you are going to get lambasted in what I believe to be in a very dishonest way. Cheers all! Mmmwahh!

Rascal, that Yoda thing just "isn't you". I think you should have an icon of a cute and rascally raccoon. I'll bet you are way prettier and cuter than Yoda! :)

So, if my child is sick, I am not to pray for him to be healed? If I have lost my job to an earthquake, I am not to pray for a new one? If my truck dies, I am not to pray for a new one and the best possible deal? If I do happen to be in a mad rush to be somewhere, and traffic is heavy, I am not to pray to God for a break in the traffic so I can be where I need to be on time and to be able to keep my word to someone? I am sorry, but I talk to God all day long, and I ask him for little stuff, big stuff, and when I do something right at work (fix something correctly, etc-I'm a "maintenance man" at a fish hatchery), I thank Him as I go for the priviledge to be alive, to have a (fairly) sound mind and able body to be able to fix something. I talk to God under my breath all of the time as I go about my day. I also ask God to show me what is wrong with a piece of machinery, and the best way to fix it. Naturally, this is coupled with the skills I have developed as a marine engineer/mechanic/carpenter etc, but I am always asking Him for help in my daily situations, and, He helps me out! When it comes to fixing stuff, I usually get a clear mind picture as I ponder and ask and explore, and then I say; "Oh! Thanks God!". And, if I am rushed to get to work, I do in fact mutter a thank you to Him if I catch a green light. I certainly don just recite the lord's prayer all day long. I think that'd be kind of limited, really. "Ask and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. For he that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh shall find..." Jesus also said that too :)

Ya know, I gotta agree with Deciderator on a major point. It is The Word and nothing but the Word, and I liked that part of PFAL also. It really doesn't matter what you or I think when it comes to God's Word. Obviously, there are inaccuracies in multitudes of Christian ministries, but when it is the true Word of God when found, that accurate Word of God should be held "par excellant"(sp?) in our hearts and minds. I think Jesus would agree with that also. He believed it to the letter, and look at what he did in life, for you and me. I think I'll try to follow his example. "Not my will, but thine be done..."

This just in! A CNN article about new scientific evidence that marijuana actually does cause "Reefer Madness"! http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/07/27/marij...s.ap/index.html Marijuana may increase psychosis risk, analysis says * Story Highlights * Analysis of past research reignites the issue of whether pot is dangerous * Review: Even infrequent use could raise small risk of serious mental illness * Scientists can't rule out that pre-existing conditions could account for link * Next Article in Health » Decrease font Decrease font Enlarge font Enlarge font LONDON, England (AP) -- Using marijuana seems to increase the chance of becoming psychotic, researchers report in an analysis of past research that reignites the issue of whether pot is dangerous. art.joint.gi.jpg Some experts say governments should now work to dispel a misconception that marijuana is a benign drug. The new review suggests that even infrequent use could raise the small but real risk of this serious mental illness by 40 percent. Doctors have long suspected a connection and say the latest findings underline the need to highlight marijuana's long-term risks. The research, paid for by the British Health Department, is being published Friday in medical journal The Lancet. "The available evidence now suggests that cannabis is not as harmless as many people think," said Dr. Stanley Zammit, one of the study's authors and a lecturer in the department of psychological medicine at Cardiff University. The researchers said they couldn't prove that marijuana use itself increases the risk of psychosis, a category of several disorders with schizophrenia being the most commonly known. There could be something else about marijuana users, "like their tendency to use other drugs or certain personality traits, that could be causing the psychoses," Zammit said. Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal substance in many countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States. About 20 percent of young adults report using it at least once a week, according to government statistics. Zammit and colleagues from the University of Bristol, Imperial College and Cambridge University examined 35 studies that tracked tens of thousands of people for periods ranging from one year to 27 years to examine the effect of marijuana on mental health. They looked for psychotic illnesses as well as cognitive disorders including delusions and hallucinations, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, neuroses and suicidal tendencies. They found that people who used marijuana had roughly a 40 percent higher chance of developing a psychotic disorder later in life. The overall risk remains very low. Don't Miss * Experts: Pills becoming new marijuana on campus For example, Zammit said the risk of developing schizophrenia for most people is less than 1 percent. The prevalence of schizophrenia is believed to be about five in 1,000 people. But because of the drug's wide popularity, the researchers estimate that about 800 new cases of psychosis could be prevented by reducing marijuana use. The scientists found a more disturbing outlook for "heavy users" of pot, those who used it daily or weekly: Their risk for psychosis jumped to a range of 50 percent to 200 percent. One doctor noted that people with a history of mental illness in their families could be at higher risk. For them, marijuana use "could unmask the underlying schizophrenia," said Dr. Deepak Cyril D'Souza, an associate professor of psychiatry at Yale University, who was not involved in the study. Dr. Wilson Compton, a senior scientist at the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Washington, called the study persuasive. "The strongest case is that there are consistencies across all of the studies," and that the link was seen only with psychoses -- not anxiety, depression or other mental health problems, he said. Scientists cannot rule out that pre-existing conditions could have led to both marijuana use and later psychoses, he added. Scientists think it is biologically possible that marijuana could cause psychoses because it interrupts important neurotransmitters such as dopamine. That can interfere with the brain's communication systems. Some experts say governments should now work to dispel the misconception that marijuana is a benign drug. "We've reached the end of the road with these kinds of studies," said Dr. Robin Murray of King's College, who had no role in the Lancet study. "Experts are now agreed on the connection between cannabis and psychoses. What we need now is for 14-year-olds to know it." In the U.K., the government will soon reconsider how marijuana should be classified in its hierarchy of drugs. In 2004, it was downgraded and penalties for possession were reduced. Many expect marijuana will be bumped up to a class "B" category, with offenses likely to lead to arrests or longer jail sentences. Two of the authors of the study were invited experts on the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Cannabis Review in 2005. Several authors reported being paid to attend drug company-sponsored meetings related to marijuana, and one received consulting fees from companies that make antipsychotic medications. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

What I really liked in PFAL was the funny things about Jonny Jump Up, Snowball Pete, and man! That Henry Balloco, was he wild!