dmiller

And for the record, I give almost a day's wages every month regularly to a certain orginization, as well as "sporadic spending sprees" on local folks, as I see fit. I am happy with what I do, and I look for more ways to give of what I have to those who need it. When you're not "locked into" the tithe mentality, it is amazing how much more you can be open to give, to those who need it right then and there. Not criticizing you, or your pastor -- but it is something to think about. Give it a try. :)-->

II Cor. 9:7 says it all. "Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of neccesity: for God loves a cheerful giver. If you "have to tithe", you are giving out of neccesity. Perhaps you are giving from the heart, and if so -- good. But to be told you have to do it, and following that "instruction" -- indicates following law, and not the heart. Reguardless what your pastor says Def, I am a huge believer in the "dispensation"/ "administration" outlook on scripture, and I for one (imho) think that he is not correct in promoting the tithe, since that is not what is taught in the Epistles. Free-will giving is taught in both the Epistles, as well as the Gospels, and the instance of the widow and her two mites speaks volumes. As you know, Jesus thought more highly of her contribution, than of those who "tithed in accordance" to what was required. Were he (your pastor) to promote giving money freely as you personally determine, I would be behind him 100%. For him to put a "numeric" amount on what your desire to give to your particular fellowship should be is re-instating "law", and NOT free-will giving. But that is between you and what he is teaching. :)--> I am not promoting "abundant sharing" as twi did, but I am promoting "abundant sharing" as each one of us individually determines what that means to us, in our own lives, and as we are both willing, and able to give.

Attitude of gratitude

They were never "coordinaters". We always called them "leaders". Guess even twi made it into the world of "political correctness". -->

Oh --- Welcome to GreaseSpot Pophryra Selenafeggos, and Mercedes Benz. :)-->

Porphyra -- Pete sounds like a great guy. :)--> Sorry to hear he is still "in", but he does give good advice. ;)-->

Mercedes -- You hit the nail on the head. :)--> I actually looked forward to twig in the 78-80 era. We helped each other with "derelict" cars, went to the shooting range to plunk at tin cans, had spontaneous outings on Lake Superior's North Shore, stayed up all night sometimes drinking beer and doing "Word Studies" :D--> , and all sorts of fun stuff. Sure we went witnessing, tried to get classes together, and so on -- but there was a real "family essence" in the fellowship back then that really eroded over the years. On top of it all, every last one of us liked each other, and it showed. Once leadership "reared it's ugly head",(just before lcm got "da job"), fun stuff stopped, rules and regs were the order of the day, and a really good thing went the way of all things earthly. :(-->

Among other things, I gave up being best man at my brother's wedding in '79. Was wow that year, and though we were permitted to leave the field for AC '79, I couldn't get permission to attend the wedding.

More Way-speak! I forgot about 3rd Aid. :)-->

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:D--> :D--> :D--> -- oops -- laughed so hard about that one, I need to go to ------ BRB!!! :P-->

Doen't matter what they were, or where they were --If a verse suited the purpose, twi knew where it was, and how to use it against us. Chapter, and verse? Sure -- we'll give you chapter and verse. -->

--> --> --> Hmmmmm. I saw it as the exact opposite, and still do. Guess this is relegated to the "arena" of what you think "condemnation in Christ" really means.

Raf -- he did make a big deal of it, tho not overly so. Hmmm -- is that an oxymoron?? --> Let me re-phrase that -- He inserted "heritage" when it made "sense". There were times he inserted the "heritage" thing that made me think he was trying to "validate", "enhance", etc., his teaching, showing there was an historical side to what he had learned from the scripture, and was "passing" on to us. I could have this totally wrong, but that was/ is my perception of him mentioning his background/ heritage. It always seemed to come out only, when he told folks the "correct" way to "act", "work", "study", etc. Kind of like your folks telling you -- "I had to walk to school uphill, in the snow, both there and back!" He added it as he needed it.

Gammacoffey -- Welcome to the GSCafe. :)-->

I am forgetting my manners! --> Welcome to the Cafe, Bogey! :)-->

or in Minnesota in January!!

Tom graciously provides sno-cones, not snow jobs!

I would suggest the original "cast of characters". Perhaps those that are still alive would be able to resurrect those that are not, to get this series going. --> Hollywood is about as low as it can go right now, but even I have a hard time seeing them sinking to these depths. :)-->

Imbus -- that is too bad, :(--> Not all bible carrying folks are out there trying to steal your mind, and/ or money. Granted many are, and you and I have met some of them, but not all do. Do you have insurance on your house, or your car?? How many isurance folks have you met that were interested in you as a person, instead of your money??? Cancelled your insurance lately? I am guessing that you have not. If I were you, I would give "equal time" when it is due, and not be so quick to judge one group over another because of bad experiences. For the record -- I would rather shun my insurance man because of how I have been treated, than to castigate a bible carrying "somebody" who also took me for a ride. The insurance man is there because the law says he has to be, and I have to put up with it - like it or not. I chose to listen to the Bible guy, and if one was wrong, there are others to listen to. Not all are right, but not all are wrong either.

"Tapped down"??? I don't "string anyone along". -->

Well -- at least it is opened. Secrecy does breed distrust/ speculation, whatever -- and now with it "out in the open", a whole lot of more folks can see where they are coming from. --> Oldies says they said that there is no PFAL book for sale. Guess you're right Mike -- JC has all available copies, so He can teach from one, and pass the others out at the "gathering". :D-->

:D-->

Wyte -- Maybe Oldies will tell us, though I doubt it. Actually -- I don't care. :)-->

OK -- whatever. I never was corps, I opted for University of Life instead, and we had no guidelines about "adding" to our families while in the program. The objective of U OF L was to learn the "Excellence Of The Way Corps Teaching" in our own homes, and put no stipulations on anything except learning the Word. I assumed (mistakenly, I guess) that such stipulations were not placed on corps. Was there a form you had to sign saying you would remain "childless" while in residence?? If there was -- then what was leadership doing trying to get you to break that commitment, other than satisfying their own lusts? That alone would make them more guilty than I previously suspected. Again -- they were not a Godly organization, and reguardless what kind of program they were offering, they had no right to say what God did, or did not expect, especially if they were involved in the "breaking of a covenant" as prolifically as is evidenced here. No -- I am not the pot calling the kettle black. Just calling it as I see it. Even though "a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut", this one is out there in the wide open spaces, for all to see. The "guilt" is NOT one-sided, though some here refuse to acknowledge that.