T-Bone

If your life is on the rocks, just enjoy hanging out...happiest of birthdays, Out There !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tonto and I will try to make, Texas BBQ with Dooj’s Cheesecake. Our schedules are tight, But things might work out alright, though ol’ Silver has seen better days.

Another Spot – another great post and thread! Sorry about the long post here – but I'm afraid I've gone rambling... Loving God and neighbor has come up on quite a few threads lately but I don't seem to tire of it…it's an inexhaustible subject…This time around I've been thinking about how love looks from both sides of a relationship – that's where I was coming from in my previous post. I see true love as a two way street – a give and take kind of thing happening. What does it mean to love God, love each other? To me, it means both parties open themselves up to each other. Each allows the other to have some kind of effect on them. Maybe this is off the wall – but I figure God made us social/emotional beings – like Himself. In a love relationship – you open yourself up to the other person. We reveal something of ourselves, we take in a revelation of the other person...we place ourselves in a vulnerable position. We take risks and open ourselves up a little more, a little more, a little more. We trust, we forgive, and we extend ourselves a little more. Sometimes we're even provoked to jealousy when something else competes with that relationship. We accept the fact that we are affected by our relationship with God. Is God affected by our relationship with Him? I think so. We read in the Bible of God experiencing a wide variety of emotions in response to what people did – or didn't do…For that reason – it seems like love, in a way, grants a certain amount of power to both sides of the relationship. Not a power to rule over the other – like a dictatorship. More like both co-reign in this little kingdom of two hearts. God is not invasive. He respects us. When there's love – there's mutual respect. We respect the other person's boundaries. We cherish the connectedness while at the same time respect their otherness. I've learned a lot of things about love from our marriage. Tonto and I have been married 31 years. I can't remember what it's like to be single. And I don't want to be single again. We enjoy each other's company…There's a lot to that verse in Genesis of two becoming one flesh. I went from being self-centered to us-centered. People that have been together for so long they sometimes know what the other is thinking or predict how they'll react to something. That's love, that's connectedness. I sort of understand my relationship with God that way. I went from being self-centered to us-centered [me and God]. Ha! You thought I was going to say God-centered. But in my love for God, I focus not just on Him – but also myself in relation to Him. [Have you ever tried to think about yourself from the perspective of someone who loves you?] Obviously, God is the bigger lover here – but sometimes we should consider what it means for US – though a mixed bag of the image of God/imperfection/sinfulness/mortal – to be the object of God's love! He loves us – warts and all! For me it doesn't degenerate into legalism, trying to perfect myself to please Him…It's more like accepting myself for who I am. And that makes me think of the second great commandment – love my neighbor as myself... and so maybe I need to be more accepting of my neighbor…Well, don't know if any of this made sense – but there sure is a lot to think about on this subject, that's for sure.

Great post, Abigail! I believe we were created to be social beings. I love how you spoke of the law teaching people love, thankfulness and respect towards everything – these things are essential to the connectedness of social beings. I know you spoke a lot about the things around us - but I see that connectedness as also coming into play in our relationship with God and people. I think it's a natural function for us as social creatures to love God and neighbor. The challenge is to love with ALL our heart, soul, mind, and strength…Like you said it's not something coerced out of someone…certainly not inspired by legalism or obligation. Just rambling here: Maybe an aspect of the law was to get us from being so self-centered. Maybe that hampers us from being able to love to max. The law identified boundaries and deemed them worthy of respect – "this belongs to someone else – so don't steal, covet, etc." What connects us as social creatures is bearing the image and likeness of God – that's why we can relate to each other - - and to God! Yet we are all individuals too, having personhood – even God! Boundaries are a part of personhood. I think about how the law said to have no other gods between us and God. There's connectedness and boundaries wrapped up in that: To have a deep, loving fellowship with God – and not allowing anything else to trespass into this sacred relationship.

A departed hen that haunts a chicken coop is known as a poultrygeist.

I distinctly remember LCM on the ROA stage saying he had the original revelation for Athletes of the Spirit. He learned well from the inventor of the hook shot.

Well……you wonder what you can say to people after all this…maybe "I'm sorry" …I'm surprised the moderators haven't moved this thread to the Just Plain Silly forum. Although I do believe humor can be healing, empowering and enlightening. I find the humorous jabs we take at TWI can shrink the mental baggage down to a manageable size. So anyway, thinking about this thread today – I wanted to mention a serious thought from all the funny posts. And by the way, thanks for everyone's input on this thread!!!!! If you remember in the minutes from our last meeting – the Urban Dictionary defined ostrichization as the act of placing one's head in the sand. As a follower of TWI, one of the first things I learned to do was to compartmentalize ideas – isolating beliefs and sensory input into categories defined by TWI. I had got in the habit of granting TWI's doctrines a greater priority than my five senses. The ostrichization process of TWI begins when you buy into the idea that the real world is malleable – that a reality-altering power exists and awaits your command. Gradually TWI doctrines become the primary influence. A TWI follower with head firmly planted in erroneous doctrines becomes oblivious to the way life really works. I loved the off-the-wall stuff on this thread – that's just my taste in humor – it's a lot of fun. A sobering thought I had though – kind of sad really – I recall some of the off-the-wall beliefs of TWI [law of believing, positive affirmations, believing images of victory, operate all nine all the time] – but I took these things seriously. They were real to me…That's sad. Nothing funny about that…It's always a good day when an ex-TWIt begins the de-ostrichization process. Life above ground is...grand!

These are great - loved 'em, thanks!

Official Borg Things-to-do list for # 4570 of the Collective 1. Arrange meeting with SDFODAT, under pretext of shaking Scorpion King’s hand. Ask for a drink. When SDFODAT leaves room to get drink, take over as ruler. Get Scorpion King’s autograph. 2. Slip Sir Squirrel a mickey and test for compatibility of assimilation. Run simulation of assimilation. Get tetanus shot in case Sir Squirrel or Sir Out There are packing steel. 3. Ask 7 of 9 out for a date. Confess everyday, “Resistance to me is futile” until she accepts date. 4. Assimilate all believing images of victory and metallic doctrines. 5. Check with legal department on issues with assimilating plagiarized documents. 6. Find out if humans have service warranty that covers sand in machinery of life. 7. Return Star Wars Part III box to Blockbuster. Hope they don’t realize disc has been assimilated. 8. Screw with everyone’s head by telling them, “You must be Borg again.” 9. Call Bed, Borg and Beyond to see if ordered accessories are in. 10. Verify assimilation probe can be applied to other end of Ostrich when their head is in the sand. Resisting things-to-do list is futile

What I had in mind was doing something our leadership really frowned upon – sleep! …and to really pi$$ them off I’m gonna blow the 2 drink limit for a nightcap before I snag some Zs – talking 3 sheets to the wind, here!

With my Corps years behind me, making up for lost time - I'm a sleeper sofa now!

Beloved, now are we the Sofas of God.

Chatty, after thinking about Another Spot reconnecting with her son and your post – it's pitiful to think about one of the PFAL benefits listed on the back of the Green Card - develops more harmony in the home. Isn't that a crock! It was a legislated harmony – the ONLY reason everyone got along was that everyone agreed to TWI's knowledge [a.k.a. poison]. When someone didn't buy into their BS – then families split up, marriages split up, friends split up. …GSC is an amazing, place isn't it?! What freedom! And what blows my mind is the unique harmony here. Yeah – I know we sometimes argue and fight – but what I notice is how people [each with a unique viewpoint] freely express themselves and are usually very accepting of others… WOW, Eyes Open!!!! Great stuff!!! So true...and you found all that in the couch cushions?

Hi there - my name is Bird, James Bird. Having a bit of a problem – and was wondering if someone could direct me to technical support. There’s sand in the fax machine, slow transmissions are murder on plagiarized documents.

I guess Paw could revise the GSC slogan to “You’ll have age spots by midnight”

Interesting thread! As of yet, I don’t have anything to contribute – but I’m working on expanding my horizons . I started reading A History of God by Karen Armstrong [Socks recommended it on another thread]. A very thought provoking read – already I’m wanting to read up more on Buddha and a few others she talks about.

Great observation, Another Spot! Maybe that's God’s detoxification process for removing TWI’s poison.

Excerpt from the screenplay of OstrichFuzzy by Ian Flemflock Scene 2, page 85b [scene opens at MISick's Headquarters, M's office] M: The Iranian media can enjoy prattling all they want to about capturing our covert squirrels – matter of fact we're counting on that as a distraction while we send you to the Bird Over the Herd Auditorium. We want you to see what the Bird Corps have sunk their heads into this time. 007: I take it our surveillance on SDFODAT is held in abeyance – it would be a shame if you miss any negotiations between SDFODAT and Madame RivenFart – it could help our- M: 007, "held in abeyance" is a little outdated – we're going with "This Present Ruse" nowadays…I want you to see The gear we've assigned to you for this mission. [scene changes to M and 007 walking into MISick's Weapons Lab. In the background several technicians can be seen flinging razor sharp green cards across the room shredding the red drapes on the balcony. They quickly walk through four auditorium simulators where highly skilled agents are stringing chairs with the latest chair-stringing technology.] M looking about frantically – then gets a bead on someone who is acting like the head chair stringer; slapping his hand on the back of a tall dark haired gentleman in a futuristic jumpsuit M: Where the devil is Q? The futuristic jump-suited man turns around – and with a wry smile speaks Q: At your service, M. M: You're not our Q. You're that God-like being from Star Trek. Q: Your Q quit believing – so I had to pick up the slack…uhm, basically I'm believing to cover for him. Besides, if you've been paying attention to this thread you would realize you may need my help in dealing with the Borg. Now allow me to show you how the Q Continuum outfits secret agents. [Q snaps his fingers and a deep blue motor coach suddenly materializes] Q: It has all the typical features an MISick's agent is accustomed to – rotating license plates for eluding the vice squad, ejector bed when you're tired of your "guest", a Beta format VCR with remo- 007: That is Out There! Q: Hmm, yes I try to think outside the box…or Borg cubicle [Q laughs]…but remember to receive anything from Q you must first know what's availa- 007: No – I mean that's Out There – standing by the shredded red drapes. M: He's going to drive your bus. He's been knighted recently, acts a little squirrelly sometimes – but he stays current on the latest technology in cutlery – he's on the cutting edge of all things that have a cutting edge. And if there's anything to some reports of several offshoots collaborating – you'll need all the help you can get. Though the DDOSD and TWOFAN are rivals they've been known to help anyone who shows promise to the collections. [007 chuckling] 007: You mean the Collective…the Borg Collective. You pronounced it "collections"; you're slipping, M [laughs again] M: Because I meant collections. Abundant sharing is down in most groups – don't know if it's a shortage of blue forms or some global unbelief thing. Bottom line for all these groups is the same – where is the next dollar coming from? 007: Once again you've elevated a simple task to an impossible mission – when all you needed to do was get a smart uncle. I'm your secret agent, man - don't ever forget that! Avengers come and go - but I'll always be here for you. M: Your double 0 status is a license to kill - not pun. Unless you intend to kill this thread by your pun - why it's gone on this long - I don't know - maybe we're all part of the bored collective.

We are the Borg - resistance is futile.

It's plagiarism. PFAL is made out of plagiarism.

It has taken me awhile to work up the nerve to read this thread…Just thinking about that place gives me the creeps now! It’s weird to look back on it from different viewpoints. We believed it was the place where God wanted us to learn and grow together as a family [alright – so we got it wrong on the “where God wanted us” part – but at least we were right on it being a place]. To predators, it was a target-rich environment…Weird…really weird…like horror-movie-weird…A bunch of dumb sheep going to work at a slaughter house run by wolves.

Another Spot and Eyes Open – these posts are a very similar line of thinking - and GREAT posts I might add! I think the attraction of an idol has to be the sense of control that it gives a person. I remember in the class VPW talked about the law of believing and someone setting the time of his death – he goes on to say God would have to change all the laws of the universe NOT to accommodate you. That's a subtle reduction of God Almighty – in a sense, we think we're controlling Him by our believing. To me it's obvious now - a lot of the hype of PFAL appealed to people's desire for power, control, fortune, etc. – it became a disguised idol. For me, owning up to idolatry was a tough pill to swallow. There was no FEAR of God in my life! I managed Him just fine through PFAL! Even if you set the erroneous doctrines aside – a person can make an idol out of anything – when it becomes the center of your life , an idol of the heart, your sense of power. It is a god created in our own image, designed to be easily managed by us. What a poison it is - this particular idol of knowledge. What deluded thinking - that as we "mastered" PFAL stuff, we believed we gained mastery over anything that mattered. As Chatty said, "The more you think this stuff through the more it's a wonder any of us got out with any of our brains intact. What a bunch of numbnuts." It's been said, 'knowledge is power.' Okay – I can see that – knowing key information [and I'm talking about reality here – not "the five things you have to know to receive anything from god" PFAL BS] can give you an advantage. There's another saying to consider along with that one - 'power corrupts.' …Hmmm, why does the Bible say knowledge puffs up? Perhaps the real deadly power of an idol is its ability to blind the idolater to its presence or true identity. Or that it can poison our attitudes, twist our motives and inflate our egos. I think an idol is perceived more as a means to an end than as an object of worship. It is a way to get what I want. [Wow - I'm getting out of hand - will you look at how long this post is! I might as well quote entire books of the Bible ] Isaiah 44:6-23 NIV 6 "This is what the LORD says— Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. 7 Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come— yes, let him foretell what will come. 8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one." 9 All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. 10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit him nothing? 11 He and his kind will be put to shame; craftsmen are nothing but men. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and infamy. 12 The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint. 13 The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in the form of man, of man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. 14 He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. 15 It is man's fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. 16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, "Ah! I am warm; I see the fire." 17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, "Save me; you are my god." 18 They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. 19 No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, "Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?" 20 He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, "Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?" 21 "Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you. 22 I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you." 23 Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the LORD has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel. Ezekiel 14:1-11 NIV 1 Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. 2 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 3 "Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? 4 Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry. 5 I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.' 6 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices! 7 " 'When any Israelite or any alien living in Israel separates himself from me and sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet to inquire of me, I the LORD will answer him myself. 8 I will set my face against that man and make him an example and a byword. I will cut him off from my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 9 " 'And if the prophet is enticed to utter a prophecy, I the LORD have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel. 10 They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. 11 Then the people of Israel will no longer stray from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign LORD.' "

Interesting point...thanks for mentioning that.

I no longer believe in the gap theory and now consider Genesis 1:1 a summary statement of God's work, followed by a detailed account starting in verse 2. This is done several times in Genesis 1 and 2. In my opinion, Hugh Ross presents some sound arguments against the gap theory in his book The Genesis Question: Scientific Advances and the Accuracy of Genesis. On page 25, Ross says this of the gap theory: "…This theory, popularized by C.I. Scofield's study Bible published at the beginning of the twentieth century, still holds sway among some Bible interpreters. However, it falters on several significant points, both biblical and scientific…The Bible teaches that God alone, not Satan or any other created being, has the power to create and to destroy what God creates… …Astronomers, physicists, and geologists have established that the physical laws governing the heavens and the Earth have not changed since the universe was created about 15.5 billion years ago… …The Hebrew verb haya, used in the beginning of Genesis 1:2, is not followed by the Hebrew preposition la. Only the combination haya + la would render the translation "to become." An example of this combination is found in Genesis 2:7, "Man became a living soul." End of excerpts In my opinion, the gap theory seems forced – as a means to hold onto a literal 6-day creation/young earth viewpoint. Many things in the Bible could be taken different ways. I like Ross' approach – he doesn't ignore the scientific data – and to me that's important. Understanding science has never stood in the way of my faith. The more I learn from science - I see a tighter fit between God's Word and the universe.