Twinky

Yeah, something like that, I vaguely remember. In the cataclysmic fight, the earth was torn apart and that's where we get the continents from.I don't remember anything about comets. With the space exploration that is currently going on, you do have to wonder how big this bubble must be with all the water outside it. How big is infinity? I think there is serious risk here of taking something that is poetic or mythic (in the proper sense of myth) and making it into an absolute truth. TWI was very good at that. Taught about figures of speech but didn't actually recognise when they fell over one (unless it was blindly obvious), and therefore took the Noah and the rain story as a literal not a figurative or descriptive idea encapsulating a greater truth. After all, VPW's knowledge of English and of English grammar was appalling. He didn't understand the plain English of what he was reading (if "plain English" is something that can be said of the Authorised Version (KJV)). He used it to bamboozle people - there are other more comprehensible versions available - RSV or NASB for example, both of which have a lot of research tools available - but that wouldn't have enabled him to flaunt his supposed knowledge as easily and he would have had to rework some of the "class material" that he pilfered. So it's not surprising that he didn't understand figures of speech, or myths, any better than English grammar. In fact, it would be surprising if it were otherwise.

A very American thing, this. Something happens, and ya gotta write a book about it and your instant celebrity. I wish this woman (all of them in fact) well, and know they have a lot of bad stuff that they will need to purge or get counselling for. But do they need to do it publicly?

Had a quick chat with Peter in church this morning. He says the climate when you'll be going is "a bit warmer than here, now" which doesn't help you a lot, but generally it would mean light clothes and a sweater/cardigan, not bulky thick winter stuff. It's cooler in Jerusalem than Tel Aviv, because it's higher in altitude. It is their busiest time at The Garden Tomb, but it is still tranquil and quiet. US dollars are widely accepted and of course you can use your ATM card everywhere - they are very techno-savvy. There are plenty of places that you can change money. He makes the point that the whole of Jerusalem was razed in AD70 and there is only the wailing wall left from prior to that time. You might find this site useful: Israeli Tourist info and the TripAdvisor info is also usually pretty good: Trip Advisor You might want to make some enquiries before you depart about different credit or debit cards that you can use overseas. This is often a very favorable way to change money. There is an exchange rate and there may be a transaction fee from the card provider but if you have a pre-loaded card you might reduce or remove fees entirely. Ask your bank (or google it!).

Rottie, I am not sure how much of the culture Jesus might have known is likely still to be found in any part of Israel. But you will see some locations that might help you place more vividly certain incidents referred to in both OT and gospels. The land is still in the same place, but the events that took place can be in varying locations (there are several places where Jesus was born, taught, was buried, etc. - depending on who is giving the tour). On Day 6 you are visiting The Garden Tomb and my church here in the UK has links with that - the current director is a member of our congregation (when here in the UK) and so is one of the directors (who happens to be in my housegroup). A lot of people with different backgrounds work or volunteer at Garden Tomb and one of its functions (?) is reconciliation between different nationalities. Have a splendid trip. It's all very exciting for you. Good that you are going with local Christians and you might make some great contacts there with your Christian bros and sis, during your travels. Do let us all know how it goes!

The Corps weddings were started at a time when there were a lot of Corps, big intakes. Of course, they were all friends with each other, and naturally some chose spouses from their Corps brothers and sisters. And of course everybody wanted to go to everybody else's wedding. If you weren't getting married, you wanted to attend A&B's wedding, and C&D's, and E&F's and so on. It made sense to have lots of separate weddings at different locations around HQ and one big wedding meal. Bearing in mind a lot of these people would have been in rez or on staff and wouldn't have a lot of money, but would have been involved in set-up for RoA, they would have been contributing to the general workload of preparing for events including wedding(s) in any case. Everything was all there, waiting to be used. It was nothing like this: Moonie weddings Later, LCM mandated that any couples marrying should be doing so in their home areas "to bless the believers there" - did he also say, The Way shouldn't be expected to pay for any of it? I can't remember, but there'd be an element of not spending more than HQ absolutely had to. Engaged couples got assigned to a new area and were expected to marry there - their home area wouldn't necessarily be a place where either of their families were from. Window washing? Gotta support your new spouse somehow!

Well, that's it exactly, isn't it? He (and others of his ilk) minister to you by allowing you to give them gifts. Hence, gift ministry.

"The greatest leader is the greatest follower." All that was required was to be a great follower of the teachings of VPW. Follow his teachings and his practices. No independent thinking required. No other ability required. Charisma, flair, being inspirational - don't need those. If you had anything like that to start with, it got edited out in WC training. Thinking was required...thinking "the Word" - as laid out by VPW and other leadership. Woe betide you if you dared to think otherwise - you weren't being a "follower." You didn't miss anything worthwhile, Jim. You just missed a lot of messing about with your head.

Broken Arrow, your dad was a man full of insight and clearly had a very sensitive sense of smell ... for BS. Look ... VPW plagiarised Bullinger, Pillai, Kenyon, Leonard - he gave himself credit "for the way he put it together" - then called himself the MoG - but he never gave any credit to those he plagiarised from as (perhaps) also being MoGs. Which they surely were, in a way that he most certainly was not. Yet none of them would claim such a glorification. They were diligent workmen of the Word, students themselves and teachers to others, but walked with humility towards their God.

My thoughts exactly, Groucho.

Can I ask - there are many references to Jesus or Christ sitting (or having sat) at the right hand of God. Jesus was a physical male. With a physical, touchable body. He appeared after the resurrection as such. Jesus now is ... ? Something physical and touchable,and something intangible? God has no physical presence like Jesus had. God is spirit, breath, wind, something intangible. And God fills the whole universe. Not even just our planetary system. Or galaxy. Fills all that can be seen and more than that, too. If Jesus is sitting down somewhere - where is he sitting?

Here is another wedding gift: Dad's special gift

What a wonderful wedding gift!

Great song, Waysider. Most appropriate.

Oops! Further oops! Residents in some parts of the UK had to use umbrellas when they went out of the house. And had to wash cars twice a day. As to laundry... :( There were some interesting BBC news clips but I can't find those. Ugly.

Ah, the dining room. Another place where all the tables had to be laid out in their perfect rows, and all the chairs in their perfect position, and all the cutlery on the table in its perfect position. I don't remember stringing any of these - the chairs and the tables were always in exactly the same position (and someone's earlier tip about where the chair legs were always placed comes to mind). It does look nice when the dining room is properly set and all the places properly set. All the knives with the blades facing the same way, all the dessert spoons and forks set up the same way, etc. It was part of the "training" though, to ensure that we could set a table and thus always be able to get (low level) jobs in restaurants as wait staff on our WoW years - and in post-grad years when we had to have jobs that would fit in with ministry schedules.

I used to have a red car. But sorry, Rottie, I didn't notice that it was a bird poo attractant.

If God hadn't wanted us to have emotions, he would have designed us differently. He gave us emotions for a reason. Or reasons. Part of which is to enable us to be fully human and not machines or more simple life forms. Emotions are fine tools, helpers, warnings. As long as we process the information but don't allow our emotions to rule our lives, to dictate the long-term course of our actions. I am trying to think of occasions where Jesus had a hissy fit when people were "emotional." Even when someone had died, he didn't have a hissy fit - simply said, "Don't weep," and then did something about the cause - raised the dead, healed the sick. Didn't deny the emotion, just removed the reason for it.

:biglaugh:/> :biglaugh:/> :biglaugh:/> If pushed, no doubt VPW could call himself a farmer. Since he was raised on, and lived on, a farm. Then he gave it up, just like the apostles gave up fishing, because of the greatness of the ministerial call on his life. And that Paul? Obviously couldn't believe for the greatness of God's Word to support him hence he had to remain a saddle- or tent-maker (depending on your reading of his job title).

On second thoughts, I probably didn't have a copy - just notes of the teachings (video?? by LCM??). (All too long ago and I choose not to remember.) And lotsa other books, many of which I burned. I didn't' want them falling into someone else's hands and luring them to investigate / join TWI.

Johniam, she didn't say "tooth brush" but "bristle brush" - perhaps a standard size scrubbing brush. Now I have to say I did once brush the stonework outside my door - but that was a one-off because the person who sold to me had had a party and got sticky green stringy stuff all over the stonework. On a regular basis? At Anderson? Talk about make-work. At least they let us cut the grass with mowers - not with nail scissors. And Rottie and John - I think I burned that VP & Me book. Creep creep suck up suck up vomit.

The chairs have to be strung in perfectly straight lines both across and from front to back. Perfect grids. God forbid that any chair should be out of alignment and harmony with the other chairs. Of course, there are chairs that have hoops at their feet (TWI would be far too mean to pay for those at HQ) so that they can easily be hooked together and put in straight lines. If you did have any of those in a meeting place - using the feet was a form of cheating.

Outie...I thought "love" was all about confronting weakness and being spiritually angry about it? :unsure:/>

Funny how the emotion Anger was acceptable - even desirable, as it showed how "spiritual" you are. As long as you were angry at the "right" things, like the sloppiness of the Household. Not at the injustice of the world, or the latest war, or suchlike. Oh no. But emotions like Joy, Happiness, Sorrow, Remorse, Excitement - were all dismissed. Unless it was the Joy of serving in some way task like dishroom, event set-up, snow clearance,etc. These are of course to be enjoyed without question. But the Joy of living in a beautiful sunshiny day, or just smelling the flowers...you must have something better to do! My Corps sis was allowed to go someplace (Florida?) for her grandfather's funeral - as long as she took someone from HQ with her. Another Corps sis was not allowed to go to her sister's wedding (somewhere nearer than Florida). She'd have plenty of opportunity to see her sis and her new husband when she'd finished her in rez training. (In retrospect - yeah right, sure she would.) Great witness, huh? Even Jesus took time to go to a wedding; and there's no indication he went because he was related or even friends with the wedding party - it seems more the cultural thing of inviting the whole village.

Sounds just like how I spend my time. Washing people, their feet, their clothes, their houses. Looking out for what might make their lives more bearable. That's what I get paid for, very modestly - I'm self-employed. Many of my clients are very elderly. And that's how I spend time doing voluntary work with three different organisations, two Christian (check out Street Pastors), and one secular (but there are a lot of compassionate people, some Christians, also involved with that one.) Think I have to agree with you on that, WW. What it takes, really, is thinking about other people and what they might need to make their lives easier.

Too many red flags in PFAL to count!! But I gave the man the benefit of the doubt, knowing that men don't know everything ... and he's American ... therefore knowing how old English works might not be quite his thing. Certainly his knowledge of grammar was appalling. ... little did I know that VPW and through him TWI did think they know everything. Even in the face of experts. Here's a red flag. The Lord's Prayer. As I recall, there was one of those Listen with Understanding or Reading with a Purpose questions at the end of that video section - "Why can we not pray this prayer?" Answer: we can't pray to be forgiven as we forgive others - because we're already forgiven. Basically that mocks the rest of the prayer and discourages the faithful from saying it, remembering it, bringing it to mind, bringing the order of the prayer to mind by recognising God's awesomeness first and foremost. It would have been better if he'd decided to change the line (give it a literal according to meaning, or some such) that says, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us," to say "And having freely forgiven us our trespasses, help us just as freely to forgive them that trespass against us." But that might have raised too many red flags for other people. So - just diss the whole prayer and make people forget it. I've just started reading a book by RT Kendall entitled "The Lord's Prayer" wherein he examines the prayer line by line, word by word, thought by thought, to endeavour to build a deeper spiritual understanding amongst those who pray this prayer. Right in his introductory chapter, RT Kendall, quoting Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, states: "It is spiritual pride, if not arrogance, to refuse to pray the Lord's Prayer with others." That smote me in the heart. Spiritual pride ... arrogance ... typifying TWI and passing on, to this day, through too many of its adherents. :CUSSING:/>