Suda

#1: looks sorta like Della Reese, but the bottom teeth don't look like her smile. But you may be going for grin, happy, or some similar emotion. #2: Tammy Faye Bakker Messner, smile, grin, laugh #3: Grizzly bear or black bear #4: Cousin It #5: Marvin the Martian Still thinking . . . Suda

Can't wait to listen to it. Great lyrics. Vaguely familiar but not making it's way out of the recesses of my mind. Suda

I know the face in #1, but will have to wait a while for the ole memory to work it's way out of the recesses of my mind. Can't see picture #2. #3: Grizzly bear or black bear #4: Cousin It #5: Marvin the Martian Could it be something along the lines of "Grin and bear it, Marvin" Or "Grin and bear it Martians?" Suda

johnj, again, marvelous posts, imo. They provide further enlightment to why you consider a Christian-based morality more effective. And nowhere, do I see you bash anyone who makes a different choice. sky4it, I have great difficulty following your posts. As I don't understand them, I can't make a meaningful response. Bramble and Oakspear, your posts continue to educate me on your points of view. It's important to me to understand them, not so that I can debate them, but so I can see where others are coming from and why they make those choices. I like that as adults we can agree to disagree. It's even better, imo, when we can appreciate the differences and not see them as points of contention that must be argued. Usually, I find that diversity should be celebrated, not argued. Suda P.S. Edited to correct a typo.

Wonderful news! Congratulations to the bride and groom. Suda

Go for it, bulwinkl! Suda

Love the picture! Perfect "illustration" of his down-to-earth and loving personality. He was always one the best of the best in my book. Put him in a very elite group. Suda

Had me pegged for sure! Suda

The room was humming harder As the ceiling flew away When we called out for another drink The waiter brought a tray Suda

Vickles, Thrilled for you and your new mate! A Wedding Wish for the Bride and Groom... ...for mountains of joy and a lifetime of love. Congratulations! Cheers! Suda

Ex10, thanks for the forecast. Very helpful in planning what to toss in the ole suitcase. Nika, there is a shuttle that goes from IAH to many of the motels in The Woodlands, think the fee is $20 per person. You might call your hotel to see if they are a scheduled stop. Also, can get a taxi, and the average 1 way fare is $35. With three people, a taxi might be more cost effective than a taxi. Just thought I'd pass this information on in case it would be of any help to you and your fellow travelers. Looking forward to meeting you soon! Suda

Ala, That does not ring any bells with me. Can't say I ever heard it or anything similar. Think if I had, I would have put that in the category of "Nope, disagree with that". My sympathies in the loss of your brother in law. He sounded like a grand person. So glad he is free from the pain and suffering of cancer. I'm sure his last days were agonizing. The only "silver lining" I can see from that is that it makes it much easier for his loved ones to say goodbye, and easier for the one suffering to say I'm ready to be at rest. Praying for you and your family. XOXOXOXO, Suda

Garth, Actually, I think he is trying to show how his statements are not equal to the charges. If he is a minister, it's not surprising his opinions sounds like other ministers. Guess I'll just have to agree to disagree with you and George on this one. Suda (heading off the bed, finally)

George, Didn't realize that was Lainie! Remember those commercials well. I used to sing it all the time. Thanks for the memory. Suda

Okay, one last one . . . hopefully! johnj: George Aar: Still failing to see how "man-made, changable, and personal" = "substandard, transient, meaningless" It would seem you may be reading something between the lines you think he is saying or implying, but that is not there. Suda

Okay, just one more. No, you simply said that their moral code is substandard, transient, meaningless. George, some how I missed this statement by johnj. Could you point it out to me, please? Suda

Great posts again, johnj! Suda (who will stop posting now, as I'm at the end of my current set of notes. But beware! I will return.)

Belle, in response to: I agree completely. That’s what I was trying to express in my first post. You stated it much better than I did. That’s what I love so much about discussing things in threads. I often find that others can put into words and express things clearly that are stirring in my heart and mind when I can’t find the right words to articulate those “stirrings”. From my early youth, I always longed for an intimate relationship with God and to see His signs, miracles, and wonders in my life. I finally achieved that after taking PFAL. (Thus my opinion that there was much good and truth in PFAL, alongside the error, and why I will always be thankful for having the opportunity to take the class and always have due respect for vpw for presenting it to me.) I’ve experienced God’s touch in small and large ways since that time and continuing to this day. I’ll share two accounts from my life, one pre-twi, the other “in-twi” that stand out boldly in my memory. One summer session at ECU was particularly greuling academically as I was taking two challenging courses. At the end of one particular week, I was bone tired, but in need of some R&R, so headed downtown to enjoy the nightlife. Before heading home after a few liquid refreshments, I saw one of my best friends who was living and working in a neighboring town about 40 minutes away. She had a key to my apartment and would stay with me when in town to avoid the drive home. I had a double bed, so she had a place to sleep. I left early as I was so tired. I was reaching the tipsy state, so probably fell asleep before I hit my pillow. I awakened sometime later hearing the door to my apartment open. I was in a deep sleep, and realizing it must be Marian, fell back to sleep, still sleeping on my stomach. I was aware of someone entering my room, disrobing, and crawling in the bed next to me. No problem, it was Marian. Then I was aware of someone was mounting me and penetrating me. Problem! This was not Marian. I opened my eyes to see a large black hand on my pillow. I was panicked, and the words of my dear father came to mind, and I followed his advice. “Girls, you can live through being raped, but you can’t live through being killed. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you are facing rape, and there is not a quick or safe way to escape, my advice is to play possum. Don’t fight, do your best to be calm so your body will be less tense. Let him do his deed, and remain playing possum until he is gone and you are out of danger.” (My dad was an OB/GYN and when he would be called into the ER to treat a rape victim, or pronounce her DOA, he always shared this advice with my two sisters and me after his return home.) I followed his advice. To this day, I have no idea of the identity of my rapist, as I never saw anything but one hand. It was a very traumatic experience, to say the least, and took me quite a while to overcome. Skip forward a few years. Still in Greenville, but teaching at ECU and living in a Way Home. I shared a room with another girl. There was a large window in the middle of one wall, and my bed was off to one side of it, hers parallel to mine and off to the other side of the window. I had been to the beach for the weekend, returned, washed my hair, finished the next day’s lectures while sitting under the dryer, and went to bed bone tired, falling asleep before my head hit the pillow. I woke up realizing something was underneath the double-sized bedspread on my twin sized bed, and was proceeding from the foot of my bed up towards me. All I could see was a bunch of dark fuzzy stuff, and all I could think was “It must be a grizzly bear. How did a grizzly bear get into my bed?” (I know that’s stupid, but when I am awakened from a deep sleep, I am stupid! Ask poor Sudo!). It was not a grizzly bear that emerged from underneath my bedspread, but a large, naked man, who was endowed with a very large penis, which was very erect. He held a large, sharp butcher knife (later discovered to have come from our kitchen downstairs) to my throat, and rubbed his penis back and forth underneath my nose, and across my lips. Slowly, back and forth, back and forth. Just as I was comprehending what was happening, a bright beam of light came in through the window, and rested upon my head. Visible in the beam of light was an arm covered with a long, flowing white sleeve and a hand which reached down rested upon my head, also. Then I heard God speak to me and say “I am with you, my child. Do not fear.” Before fear had a chance to overcome me, I got angry and really ticked off. I started telling that guy he had picked the wrong bed to crawl into. Did he not know I was a child of God and that he had no power over me and he could not hurt me? Threatening me the way he was, he was obviously acting under the influence of the devil, and my personal Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, had died and risen again, winning the victory over all that was evil. I commanded him in the name of Jesus Christ to leave my home immediately. He continued on with his rubbing, and pressing the knife against my neck. I was undaunted. I continued to state and claim the promises of God. I told him my sonship rights, one by one, explaining what they meant, and how they overpowered him. After a few minutes (seemed like an eternity!), he got out of my bed, grabbed his clothes from the floor, and ran out of the house. He stole a bicycle from the neighbors, probably as we were calling the police. The police apprehended him a few blocks away. My room mate and I both positively identified him, and was taken to jail. My roommate did not see the light nor the hand, nor hear the voice. But was amazed at how calm I remained and how passionately and confidently I spoke the Word to him. She was amazed she detected no fear in me during the ordeal. I referred to it as "The Miracle on 5th Street" as the Way Home was located on 5th Street. I learned later that the would-be rapist had been out of jail for a mere week before attacking me. His other victims had not been as fortunate. He had gotten his sexual pleasure from forcing them to perform oral sex. Then he “thanked” them by using a knife to viciously “rape” them vaginally. One had died. One was now sterile. She and another victim had refused to testify to the rapes because of the trauma. He had plea bargained to a lesser offenses, and after serving the minimal time had been released. During the trial (which included attempted rape among other offenses like breaking and entering), when he was asked by the judge why he had not harmed me, he answered something to the effect. “I can’t explain it. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t touch her.” Before the case went to the jury, a plea bargain was reached. Before dismissing us from the court room, the Judge said “Just as Daniel was saved by the lions in the den, surely God saved you from a vicious attack from this man.” He received a lengthy sentence, and I hope he never made it out of jail alive (not from mischief, but from a natural death) so that no one has to suffer torment at his hands ever again. What was the difference in the two situations? The same evil was present in my “hood”. God was still the same. What had changed was ME and my relationship with God. In the first instance I had relied on the sage advice of my earthly father, and it served me well - it made the best of a very bad situation. In the second instance, I relied on the sage advice of my Heavenly Father (verbal, written, and what I had been taught about his Word), and was spared of rape and butchering. As I Christian, it was proof to me of a living and real God. Had it happened to someone of a different faith, it would have been proof of a different deity. To those who believe in no deity, it would have been due to a different reason in accordance with their thinking. It is for this and other reasons, that God is so REAL to me, and why I cannot fathom myself ever being swayed away from my belief. Suda (deeply grateful to be a child of God)

Belle, Just had to ask you about this interesting quote: I’d love to know more about your ordination as a minister. What faith? What’s a graphologist? I’m a believer in the healing powers of Reiki, also. My massage therapist (certified in Rolfing or Structural Integration) is also a certified practitioner of Reiki. It helped tremendously in my healing after shattering my knee cap. Suda

Yeah, that's the "problem" with guessing them. Then you have to wrack your brain for a new one. lol. Suda

Haven't had time to read through all of this, but I will get to it soon. So many threads, so little time! But in answer to the question, yes, I speak in tongues often throughout each day. I think it's one reason I recognize the still, small voice of God more easily. And I love that in my prayer life and hear Him often, too. Excie, I clicked on your link and it said something like - Sorry, this YouTube is no longer available. Sorry I missed it. From the reactions, sounds like it would have been a hoot! Suda

(You'd Better) Shop Around. Done by several. Remember Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Also think Captian and Tenille did a good rendetion of it. Suda

The “Atheism = Anarchy” debate, with all it's twists and turns, was enlightening. From what I know of communism (which is different from anarchy, but a form of government discussed here, also) it was not caused by atheism. Instead, for the government to rule supreme, it had to obliterate religion, as religion was a strong motivation for the rebellion of the people. It’s very true that johnj’s post reflected a traditional Christian viewpoint. I don’t know his identity, but if he is, indeed, John Juedes, I would expect nothing less as he is a Christian clergyman. He is expressing his opinions based upon his belief system, just as his opposition did. Both had very valid points to consider. Being a Christian myself, I can understand the reasoning behind his statement: After reading and considering the information given in the links to Atheism, I can also understand and agree with George’s Aars statement (not given in this “debate”, but still relative to it): Actually, I guess it's possible for a former Christian to be an atheist but still adopt the moral code of conduct taught by their former religion. Formerly, that would have seemed like a contradiction to me. It no longer does. Johnj noted the fact that children have a tendency towards selfishness. Very true. But, they also desire companionship, approval, and belonging. Attainment of these requires cooperation, consideration, and compassion. Given the proper training in morals and ethics they can flourish, whether it is based in religion or not. Now that I understand atheism more fully, and see the distinction it draws between God and a code of conduct, I can understand how ignorance (like mine, formerly) on the subject easily lends itself to our society’s bias against atheism, as expressed eloquently, again, by Oakspear: And, to reiterate, I think it is based on “fear of the unknown” code of conduct of atheists, versus the code of conduct which people expect Christians to adhere to (although it is evident many fall far short of it.) And that leads to one of the chief complaints of atheists as expressed by Mister P-Mosh: As noted in this thread, people often "lose" or abandon their faith when they become disillusioned by the behavior of those that don't practice what they preach. I gathered a different “attitude” from reading johnj’s post than some did. I see them as stating his opinion, but nowhere do I note an attitude of “I am right, you are wrong”, but rather “I find Christianity suits my needs and comfort level better than atheism because . . . .” It is possible that those who felt “stung” by his comments were reading into his posts the “usual Christian bias of seeing those who reject God as rejecting morality, also”. Or maybe it’s because I share many of his viewpoints that I did not detect a negative “attitude”. I found GarthP’s comment almost humorous (in a good way): It seems we all agree that John Juedes did an excellent job of researching vpw and twi. It was a research project. He is not posting a research project here, nor excepts from one, that I can see. He is merely stating his opinions. Which is what the majority of the posts here at GSC are, opinions and beliefs. That would explain the lack of footnotes. Seems to me the “attack or superiority attitude” read into his posts, along with the criticism of “non-researched” opinions, were reflected in his post: I could be wrong, just my perceptions. Religious beliefs, just like political beliefs, tend to be emotional because our conclusions are normally reached after much thought and consideration. We are invested in them. So it’s easy for people to get on the defensive in a thread like this. I speak from personal experience! I try and look at questions as being posed to gather new information for consideration versus goading. That helps me to keep my “emotional” cool a lot of the time. Suda

Belle, Garth, and Mister P-Mosh, Thank you for the kinds words and encouragement. Most of all, thank you for engaging in this dialogue with me, and helping me to understand your points of view more fully. I sincerely appreciate everyone's input here and their patience in teaching me. Suda (continuing along her Journey of Learning)

Bravo, George! You're up! Suda