Twinky

The Way was fond of telling us we were living like the first century church in the 20th Century. That we had all things in common (hence, Way home) etc – even though it was patently obvious that there were the haves and the have-nots within the Way – the Corps chalet that became an exclusive home for the Prez, for example. Here’s a different view of the first century church. It was suffering from: Factions Sexual immorality Lawsuits among believers Ritual prostitution Sexual abstinence within marriage Eating food sacrificed to idols Chaotic worship Abuse of communion Abuse of spiritual gifts Arrogance not love Leadership disregarded Yep, we really were the first century church in the 20th century. I went to the local Abbey, the local principal church, for the regular service last night. The service is very informal, and laid back. The preacher last night, Alan, is a notable theologian, well educated at various theological institutes; he is also entertaining and funny, very humble, and to the point. He’s great to listen to. He has a most interesting way of turning things on their head and making you see things in a different way. The reading was from Acts 2:40-47 – the model church. However, he went on to talk (in the current series, What’s so Special About … 1 Corinthians) about the early church in Corinth as portrayed in 1 Cor 1. He showed the above “qualities” which he addresses in the epistles to the Corinthians. Be careful what you join yourself to (and be careful not to separate what should be joined) - we're one Body, not individuals to please ourselves. We have no status as individuals within the Body - we are all bought with the same price. If you’d like to listen, here is a link: http://www.bathabbey.org/sites/default/files/140518-BTW-Alan-Garrow.MP3 Or go direct to the Bath Abbey website, find By The Way for 18 May 2014. The recording is a little quiet, especially the first few seconds, but well worth the listen. It’s not long, only about 20 mins.

Not to mention suing the grower of the lettuce and the manufacturer of the knife. And then writing a book about the whole incident. Might even just wrap it up in a clean tea towel and carry on cutting the lettuce. Yeah, very funny, BA. That kinda "gets it." :biglaugh:/>:biglaugh:/> Excie, I didn't know she'd lost her son to adoptive parents over this. To add huge insult to huger injury. I hope the adoptive parents can foster a healthy "open adoption" arrangement where Michelle and the boy can get to know each other properly. How can those lost years ever be replaced? To everyone: Life is short and we don't know what might happen tomorrow, even later today. To us, or to those we love. Enjoy the time there is now, deal with today's issues now, and be kind and forgiving to everybody.

:offtopic:/> Broken Arrow: "Philomena is a 2013 drama film directed by Stephen Frears, based on the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by journalist Martin Sixsmith. Starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, it tells the true story of Philomena Lee's 50-year-long search for her son..." Did the woman it happened to go out and write the book? No. She did go out and look for her lost child - but she didn't write the book. The story came to the attention of a journo. The journo wrote the book; he's the one who claims the credit. It made for a good film, which in fact didn't (in the way of dramatisations) match the facts. And I wonder if the film would have been made at all if there hadn't been an American connection (the son had been taken to America) - if he'd been taken to Kenya or France or Germany, would it have had the same market appeal? "Selling your story" isn't really a Brit thing - unless you're selling your story to a tabloid newspaper, a gossip rag, and you're into "kiss-n-tell" about your torrid affair with a footballer, or some such. It's not to say that journos don't chase after people looking for what they hope might be a good story. There are cultural issues here that you're overlooking. But that would be another thread.

Actually, it's not really a "failed ministry" - it might fail at ministry but it's not really failed at itself - as witnessed by the number of offshoots it has spawned, which all use more or less the same model. Not least, Young Vic's "training" program.

Sky, you forgot: chopping wood, mowing lawns, raking gravel, vacuuming the car park (yes really), killing chickens. We were all so busy that there was little time to think about integrating with other Christians or involving in other Christians' activities - we were "moving the Word" doncha know! There was rarely even free time just to think quietly. But there were "departmental secretaries" who seemed to have little to do except "being available" if someone chose to drop by their department. These departmental secretaries were graduated Corps who - far from being out "moving the Word" as their reasonable expectations might have been - were having a very hard time moving their eyelids to the Open position. What a terrible waste.

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.