Twinky

It is not "bitterness" to expose wrongdoing, hypocrisy, and false teaching. If it were, we'd be seeing a very "bitter" Jesus when he confronted false leaders. In fact, he even forgave those who were murdering him. But it didn't stop him exposing them for their vileness during his lifetime. We'd also see a very "bitter" Paul when he confronted false leaders, whether Jewish or otherwise. And there are heaps of warnings in the OT about who should be avoided. For us to learn from! To expose such falseness is to speak the truth - in love. But not to forgive - that does open the door to bitterness and corruption in one's own life.

Tobacco free - all my life. Slow suicide... Do it quick, if you're going to... I shared an office with smokers - for two periods of time - I always felt ill from what took me a while to realize was the secondhand smoke. Can't imagine how awful it must be for a "firsthand" smoker. If you don't give up "for yourself" - give up for your children, your grandchildren - your great grandchildren who you might not otherwise get to know... Kit, once again, so sorry for your loss.

Old Skool ... "Lifelines" is required reading now? And no doubt - when someone else uses the same words - a writer, actor, on TV - of course that person has pinched it from VPW's words of wisdom. Could never be the other way round, could it?

Hardly a "revolving" door, Sky. More like a one-way door - the Out door. Don't think there are many going In. Interesting, what did Jesus do? The "top leadership"? Looks like he healed all those who asked. Believers and unbelievers (Jews and non-Jews). What does "top leadership" in TWI do - when healing is required? "Be gone from me, I never knew you." Not just for Corps - for pretty much anybody. Why? Because the person needing healing "doesn't believe" enough. If you've been Corps for a while - generally TWI has become your whole life. You don't have many friends left. Your earthly family may despair about you and you have certainly offended them deeply. When TWI kicks you out, they are in effect ripping all of your life away. Actually, thinking just a bit more...they are ripping your life away - but they are ripping your false life away. The false life they implanted and pretended was Godly. Really they are doing you a big favor (if TWI saw it that way, they'd never do it again). You get to see them without their mask and see the evil of the place. It's very painful. But ultimately probably not as painful as the slow death of a thousand cuts that is all there is in TWI. And when you learn to see through Godly eyes, you can start to build a real life again.

The reason is because, from PFAL, TWI has worked hard to destroy critical thinking skills. There is a "party line" and all are required to follow it. To do otherwise is to listen to lies from the devil. We must be likeminded. To bring in a speaker who may speak something different, who may not toe the party line, who has some different view of God - would be to reawaken those long suppressed critical thinking skills. We might start "considering" what the guest speaker said. That would be listening to the lies of the devil. And it would be the slippery slope to thinking for ourselves. And to TWI losing control over individual believers. ...And losing control over the individuals' pay packets. (BTW Naten, there are lots of threads here about loss (and re-gaining) critical thinking skills. The fact that this is raised here so often is an indication of how much TWI worked to suppress that ability, to hear and consider another view.)

Wasn't there a thread about this same article, not very long ago?

Some of this money did go to support TWI in Zaire - no idea how much or for how long. Or who. And some was used for a "scholarship" for one of my fellow International Corps and paid for everything that the rest of us had to raise sponsorship for. Don't know about anything for any other years. The amount expended on the scholarship would be minimal, really, compared with the total amount coming in. As to supporting Zaireans in their famine state - lots of Biblical support for helping fellow believers during times of drought or famine - that is what the money is for!!!! Not for hoarding in the bank. Luke 12: 15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth . 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying , The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully : 17 And he thought within himself, saying , What shall I do , because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said , This will I do : I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods ["We'll stash it all in investment accounts"]. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry . 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? [compare Gen3:4 "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die."] 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God [and God's people].

Abundant sharing ... "I just love to take abundant sharings. Not that we need the money, but they need the blessing. And the money doesn't hurt us to have so we can move it to others get blessed." If only ...! Others... would that be "others without exception," or "others with distinction"?

Yes, Chockfull. Our loyalty and "to whom we owe our very lives to" is God, our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ. And even if we had come to that through some very vibrant church, organization, preacher, brass polisher, whatever ... our loyalty should ALWAYS be towards God, our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ and NEVER with an organization. The organization is only a platform from which to reach out, together with others who are likeminded. But the platform itself (whether TWI, the RC church, the Methodist church, the local youth group) is unimportant. I'm not denigrating the work of any churches, some of which are excellent "platforms" and are very community minded and truly do the work of God. Which welcome people of all or no denomination and any background, rich or poor. Such "platforms" take care to give the glory to God...and mean it.

Well, why would God need it interpreting? I don't really know what function Interp could have unless in some way to "edify" the body of believers. But if SIT is essentially praise to God, it's in the nature of a personal communication between God and the individual - so why would it need interpreting? Where would be the benefit to the body of believers? which already knows how to praise God with the understanding? Interp is listed as one of the manifestations; therefore it must exist; therefore it must have a purpose. I doubt very much any of it is as the intermediate class sets out. Actually I doubt very much that anything taught about any of the other manifestations is as was taught in Intermed or Adv class.

Didn't know about this - nice idea - and how nice of the Uni to preserve and record it. (Contrast with TWI that tried to extinguish evidence of previous occupants.) Can you imagine appropriating a part of HQ or Gunnison to write names???? The prayer room in HQ, House of His Healing Presence; that lookout thing at Gunnison?

The rank and file brought their surplus. A "church official" brought his surplus. Because they did these things, there was "great power" to testify and "much grace" upon them. Compare and contrast.......

I didn't leave of my own volition - I got spectacularly M&A'd. I lost everything. Had long since given up friends, family, career, everything, on the altar of TWI. I knew nobody in the foreign country in which I was now living. At the core of my being I knew I needed to love. I needed to give. Without any demands being made of me. A pet? A goldfish, maybe? No, would need feeding. A pet spider? Not very satisfying. A tiny kitten started to visit. It just came. And went. I didn't have to do anything. But it liked to play and had a lot of personality. Never found out who had owned it, but I ended up co-owning with my next-door neighbour, who had been recently widowed. The kitten was enough. It started my healing. Just by being able to love something. And to be enjoyed for myself, not anything demanded of me. There is a thread in the forum In Memoriam entitled Twinkletoes. Yep. Pets are good. Very good.

Dooj!!! Good to see you back. Do stick around for a while. Missed ya.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ... the thought of RFR on the WOW field. RFLMAO. Was/is she FC the, not even regular WC? Must be one ofthe few people whose "secular" qualifications actually bought her air-time in TWI and didn't condemn her to the bottom of the heap.

Mark, Not too difficult to imagine that there were a number of crosses (of standard design) or stakes (no cross-bar) for the punishment of offenders, and a specific place where the offenders were punished with pre-built holes in the ground that could be chocked to keep the crosses/stakes themselves more or less upright. Kinda like, gas chambers, a trapdoor in the floor where hanging was carried out, a special gurney where lethal injection is carried out. The necessary "tools" are to hand, not fresh made.

I go out once a month patrolling the streets of my city with a few other Christians - there might be from 2-5 other people. It's not usually the same people each time when I go out. There's a scheme requirement that the volunteers be from a number of different churches. One of the delights of doing this voluntary work is that as we amble round seeking whom we may help, we chat. We talk about what the different churches in the area are involved with; any notable speakers who might be visiting; issues of the day; and sometimes tenets of faith, either between ourselves or sometimes with people we strike up conversations with. When you concentrate on the BIG picture and not on minutiae, you realise what we all understand and agree upon - the basics. We can all say the same to the unchurched and those with questions, despite our varied backgrounds. As to the other stuff - it recedes to insignificance. Of course, I haven't come out and denounced myself as a non-Trinitarian and stated that I don't believe JC is God. It's not an issue coz I don't make it one and it's clear that both God and JC accept both myself and my fellow (Trinitarian) Christians. So why should I cause dissension?

Listen carefully, you might find that they really know something - that you don't. It's quite surprising, sometimes, listening to other Christians discuss sections of Bible and see their different interpretations. Some will make you think they are really "out there" but others will give you cause to re-evaluate your own understanding.

Yeah, I thought it might be something like that. Bang on the door while Mrs is feeding several noisy kids and Mr wants to put his feet up - and you want to badger them into taking a class? Was thinking, OS... "Way" Disciple??? You guys weren't supposed to be disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ? - but disciples of The Way? Heck, was TWI actually honest about something, LOL?

On my recent round-the-world trip, I got frisked at every airport I went through. Even en route, when the plane stopped over, all the passengers were herded off the plane into the transit lounge - via security checks. Without exception, the lines moved quickly, and the staff were polite and good humored - this in several countries including Singapore and Hong Kong, where the Chinese didn't speak much English (that they let on to). Contrast this with times when I have been through the US and in particular LA - NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Long lines, horribly rude and significantly unhelpful staff, it's amazing they aren't assaulted several times a day by the passengers they have insulted. This, folks, is the Face of America for visitors and tourists - not just for nationals. The idea of "security" must be to discourage anyone from traveling. Especially from overseas. There, folks, that'll solve all the security problems! See, no-one comes here any more! I know many people who would never ever travel via the US again. I'm one of them.

My stupid pair of mogs love dried catnip aka catmint. I got a root last year, but they didn't seem very interested. Must see how it's doing. I give them fresh leaves as well once in a while from a client's garden. Her cats (same black and white model as mine) love it, roll in it, guard various patches of it, fight about it... My two have decided the fresh stuff is poisonous or something. They hate anything that is not exactly the same as something they've already had or done. I will, however, be getting some fresh catnip plants because they're pretty. Would be nice if the cats ate that instead of the spiky leaved plants in my garden - snowdrops, gladioli, chives, potted palms and other plants... some of these are not good for them.

Well this is "strange," and not... Went out Lightbearers, team of 6 of us, don't remember the city, and I'm not going to malign anywhere by guessing wrongly. My partner and I had a normal time of it, rejection from a lot of people, others responded with, "Well, I'm Catholic" as if that was a proper answer; I don't recall anyone of note from the time, no dynamic conversations, nothing very exciting though we did get some people agreeing to come to twig. But the others of the lightbearers team came back tremendously excited. They'd been in some rundown sort of area and according to them, they had spats with devil spirits, fights with ds in several households, could see these devil spirits - basically everywhere on this development. They changed people's faces, made them do strange things, act strangely.... This half of the LB team was tremendously wide-eyed, excited, exhilarated, laughing, at events they claimed had happened. I couldn't decide if they really had seen something - or were merely hysterical at having seen some odd drunk character who'd not welcomed their attentions. One of them claimed to see such action "often." I found myself thinking I was spiritually deficient. This stuff never happened to me.

They certainly used this as an excuse to get people to do all sorts of things. "An instruction from a leader is just as much the Word of God as ..." ... as what? The Bible? Anyway it was used as in, whatever we ask you to do, that's the Word of God for you at that precise moment. "If I tell you to get a bucket of water, then get a bucket of water." Was that VP & Me, Lovely Loy's praise to his teacher? Like they were all prophets and always all spoke for God. Right.

Sorry, Naten, even just his pic is more than enough! We could all have learned far more by watching The Passion, than sitting any number of times through PFAL ... not that the film had been made then. And most churches sweep it ... behind the stone, as it were ... telling the fact of the crucifixion in some sanitized form without thinking about what was actually entailed. It would be very difficult for most people in Western society today to form a full understanding of everything that had been involved. Perhaps that's why many don't value the sacrifice at all.

All these little sayings...because we were living just like they did in the first century, weren't we? As if anyone really knows. Which believers, anyway, in the first century? Those in Jerusalem, or in Antioch, or in Crete, or in Galatia, or where? I'm sure that they all had different ways of "living the Word" according to their own cultural backgrounds. However, one thing that did set them apart was this: there was a daily meeting of needs, care for members of the community, and a sharing of whatever people owned "neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common." That lifestyle was significantly evaded by TWI right from the get-go. Common property? Hah, you try moving into the Corps Chalet or the Wierwille homestead! Or just joining the top people impromptu and uninvited, for a meal!! Maybe was true however. You can't separate God and the Ministry...because they, the TWI bigwigs, already did!!!